A first-ever global permeability map was published last month. The authors "use an extensive compilation of results from hydrogeologic models to show that regional-scale (>5 km) permeability of consolidated and unconsolidated geologic units below soil horizons (hydrolithologies) can be characterized in a statistically meaningful way. The representative permeabilities of these hydrolithologies are used to map the distribution of near-surface (on the order of 100 m depth) permeability globally and over North America."
Mapping permeability over the surface of the Earth, GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 38, L02401, 6 PP., 2011, doi:10.1029/2010GL045565
Your readers who can't get to the original article might be interested in my summary and explanation of it, which can be found here: http://all-geo.org/highlyallochthonous/2011/01/geology-is-destiny-globally-mapping-permeability-by-rock-type/
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne, this is a wonderful explanation. I just discovered the article -didn't realize it's been out since January. I missed your write up on it.
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