O. E. Meinzer 1934 <p>In the paper entitled “The measurement of the permeability of porous media for homogeneous fluids” by R. D. Wyckoff and others [42] a unit of permeability is proposed which is based on centimeters, seconds, and atmospheres of pressure (76 centimeters of mercury).</p><p>In 1923, when the Hydrologic Laboratory of the United States Geological Survey was organized, much study was given to the question of a coefficient of permeability, and a coefficient was adopted which is based on feet and gallons a day (U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 596, p. 148). This coefficient has been extensively used and has proved very satisfactory in ground-water work. It has the merit of being readily applicable to field-conditions. It is, moreover, of convenient size, the coefficients of most water-bearing materials being integers of two or three figures, that is, between 10 and 1000. It was adopted in place of Slichter's “transmission-constant” (U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 67, p. 27, 1902), after much careful consideration, largely because the “transmission-constant” of most water-bearing materials is inconvenient in being only a small decimal.</p> application/pdf 10.1029/TR015i002p00316 en American Geophysical Union Appendix A—permeability article