Modelling the poroelasticity of rocks and ice

For many geophysical and astrophysical applications the relationship betwee n physical bulk properties and porosity is needed. As part of the preparati on for the 'Rosetta' comet rendezvous mission, a simple model for the poros ity dependence of the elastic properties of granular media, i.e. the elasti c moduli and the propagation velocities of elastic waves, has been develope d based on textural properties and the contact stiffness of the constituent particles. It is shown that the derived relationships fit very well with s andstone data. The model is also consistent with data for snow and ice and is in agreement with the transformation mechanisms from snow to ice. A shor t review shows the relevance to another physical bulk property, the thermal conductivity.