Introduction to Physical Geology
Groundwater
The ease with which fluid is transmitted through a rock's pore space is called permeability. Although a rock may be very porous, it is not necessarily very permeable. Permeability is a measure of how interconnected the individual pore spaces are in a rock or sediment. A sandstone is typically porous and permeable. Shales are porous but have a lower permeability because the finer grain size creates smaller pore spaces. Igneous rocks tend to have low porosity and low permeability unless they are highly fractured by tectonic processes.
Connect with CliffsNotes
