College Objectives Contrast porosity and permeability. Understand the concept of the water table and the various factors which control its position. Describe the character and behavior of groundwater in various settings. Discuss environmental problems related to groundwater. Understand how caves and the various features in them form.
Porosity is independent of grain size .
Shape of the grains Packing and arrangement of grains. Permeability is the ease with which fluids flow through a rock or sediment. A rock is permeable if fluids pass through it, and impermeable if fluid flow through the rock is negligible. When it rains, some of the water percolates or soaks into the ground. We call this infiltration .