Measurement of in situ Permeability of Sandy Sediments
Abstract
The primary goal for this project was to identify the geological processes that control the physical properties of sediments in the shallow water marine environment. Through alteration, cementation, precipitation and biological activity, fluid flow within sediments controls many of the important physical properties that impact the acoustic response of that media, and our ability to characterize sediment permeability is critical to understanding that relationship. The objective is to pursue the above objective of understanding the role of fluid flow within the upper sediment column, it is necessary to make in situ measurements of permeability. Laboratory measurements of permeability are fundamentally changed from their in situ values due to coring disturbance, removal of overburden loading, and the dramatic reduction in scale-size for the measurement. In situ measurements of permeability, while having the potential of being much more accurate and representative of the sediment column, are extremely difficult to make. Further, sediment permeability depends on porosity, tortuosity of the channels, and void geometry, and can vary over many orders of magnitude even for the same sediment type.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA610064
Entities
People
- H. P. Johnson
Organizations
- University of Washington