Porosity and Permeability



Porosity and permeability are related properties of any rock or loose sediment. Both are related to the number, size, and connections of openings in the rock. More specifically, porosity of a rock is a measure of its ability to hold a fluid. Mathematically, it is the open space in a rock divided by the total rock volume (solid and space). Permeability is a measure of the ease of flow of a fluid through a porous solid. A rock may be extremely porous, but if the pores are not connected, it will have no permeability. Likewise, a rock may have a few continuous cracks which allow ease of fluid flow, but when porosity is calculated, the rock doesn't’t seem very porous.

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