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infiltration capacity — English
The maximum rate at which water percolates downwards into the soil and eventually into the underlying rockbed. The rate depends on the shape of the grains (particles) in the soil and substrate. Rounded grains – like sand grains on a beach – have a high infiltration capacity because there are large pores between the grains. If the grains are angular, there is less pore-space available and when the grains are flat, as in clay or silt, there is very little pore-space and the infiltration capacity of the material is low. The term is also used to denote the rate at which pollutants percolate into and contaminate a subsurface water source.
