Question

Explain various rock properties effecting ground water.

Answer 1

Rock Properties Affecting Groundwater:

The portion of a rock or soil not occupied by solid mineral matter may be occupied by groundwater. These spaces are known as voids, interstices, pores or pore space. Perhaps the most effective aquifers are sand and gravel deposits, sandstone and carbonate rocks. The permeability of limestone is usually due to solution that has enlarged the fracture and bedding planes into passageways. The fractured zones of some of the denser rocks such as granite, basalt and gabbro also act as aquifers, although the permeability of such zones decreases rapidly with depth. Clay, shale and most crystalline rocks are typically poor aquifers.