Abstract
Vertical hydraulic conductivity generally differs from horizontal one in sedimentary rocks, however, there seems to be no simple methods to measure it. Therefore, this study aims to develop a new method to estimate vertical hydraulic conductivity from responses of pore pressure to atmospheric loading. First, formulation is extended from isotropic materials to transverse isotropic materials more relevant to sedimentary rocks. Next, in order to increase information available to estimation and remove the parameter describing attenuation of atmospheric pressure fluctuation in unsaturated zones, it is proposed that pore pressures should be measured at multiple depths. Finally, vertical hydraulic conductivity in the Tertiary sandy tuff formation is estimated from the data obtained at multiple depth intervals and effectiveness of this method is also discussed.
