<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Chapter 1 Introduction > Theory > Transport Mechanisms

The migration of dissolved contaminants through the subsurface involves different transport mechanisms depending upon the type of soil, presence of fractures, degree of saturation, and soil - contaminant interaction. For a saturated clay or silt the primary mechanisms are advection and diffusion, whereas for a saturated sand the primary mechanisms are advection and dispersion. In a fractured soil the primary mechanisms are advection and dispersion along the fractures and diffusion from the fractures in the matrix. Soils with clay particles or organic matter may also act to retard the migration of contaminants by adsorbing the contaminant. These transport mechanisms are described in detail below.