What Is Pore Space?

Pore space refers to the part of soil volume that is occupied by air, water or both, rather than by soil. There are two kinds of pore space.

Macro and Micro Pore Space

• Macro pore space has a diameter of more than 60 millimeters and stores exchangeable air. Micro pore space has a diameter of fewer than 30 millimeters and stores capillary water.

What Determines Pore Space

• Certain factors affect soil pore space and determine whether it is present and whether it is macro or micro, including the soil's texture, the type of organic material present in it and the type of crops being cultivated.

Alternate Terms

• Pore spaces are openings between geologic material that is located underground. Pore spaces also can be referred to as void spaces or interstices. Interstices means a break in something continuous.