资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Permeability is a fundamental rock property that controls several important transport processes in Earth's crust. Here we use 10 years of continuous data to analyze the tidal response of water level in a well in SW China to Earth tides and show that permeability of the shallow crust may change seasonally. The relationship between permeability and the groundwater level suggests that the vertical permeability may increase similar to 6 folds in response to seasonal increases of water level over a threshold equivalent to similar to 0.1 MPa of pore pressure. The specific storage does not show corresponding change, suggesting that the change in permeability may be related to the clogging and unclogging of existing fractures in low-porosity rock.

Plain Language Summary Permeability can be changed by natural process and human activities. In this paper, we analyze 10 years of continuous data to study the response of water level in a well in SW China to Earth tides and show that the vertical permeability of the shallow crust may change seasonally. Such changes in permeability may impact the safety of water supplies and underground waste repositories.