This course aims to quantify the pore structure of rocks using the most common and accessible techniques, which include scanning electron microscopy, mercury porosimetry, gas adsorption, and image analysis. The course will be divided into three sections. The first section will briefly introduce the main features of the rock texture and present the basic concepts of each technique. The second part deals with the application of these techniques to the characterization of different rocks used in a wide range of real rock mechanics problems.

The course will finish with a visit to the Applied Petrology lab and the Research Technical Services at the University of Alicante, where we will learn the preparation of core samples and thin sections and how the mercury porosimetry and gas adsorption equipment works. Finally, we will analyse under scanning electronic microscopy the microstructure of rocks studied in the course during a practical session