Editing Compressibility (section)

==Earth science==
{| class="wikitable" align="right"
|+ Vertical, drained compressibilities<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Domenico|first1= P. A. |last2= Mifflin|first2 =M. D. |year=1965 |title=Water from low permeability sediments and land subsidence |journal=Water Resources Research |volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=563–576  |doi=10.1029/WR001i004p00563|bibcode = 1965WRR.....1..563D |osti=5917760 }}</ref>
|-
! Material !! ''<math>\beta_T</math>'' (m<sup>2</sup>/N or Pa<sup>−1</sup>)
|-
| Plastic clay || {{val|2e-6}} – {{val|2.6e-7}}
|-
| Stiff clay || {{val|2.6e-7}} – {{val|1.3e-7}}
|-
| Medium-hard clay || {{val|1.3e-7}} – {{val|6.9e-8}}
|-
| Loose sand || {{val|1e-7}} – {{val|5.2e-8}}
|-
| Dense sand || {{val|2e-8}} – {{val|1.3e-8}}
|-
| Dense, sandy gravel || {{val|1e-8}} – {{val|5.2e-9}}
|-
| [[Ethyl alcohol]]<ref name="YoungFreedman2012">Hugh D. Young; Roger A. Freedman. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=1YXznQEACAAJ University Physics with Modern Physics]''. Addison-Wesley; 2012. {{ISBN|978-0-321-69686-1}}. p. 356.</ref> || {{val|1.1e-9}}
|-
| [[Carbon disulfide]]<ref name="YoungFreedman2012"/> || {{val|9.3e-10}}
|-
| Rock, fissured || {{val|6.9e-10}} – {{val|3.3e-10}}
|-
| Water at 25&nbsp;°C (undrained)<ref name="YoungFreedman2012"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fine|first2= F. J. |last2= Millero |year=1973 |title=Compressibility of water as a function of temperature and pressure |volume=59 |issue=10 |pages=5529–5536 |journal=Journal of Chemical Physics |doi=10.1063/1.1679903  |bibcode = 1973JChPh..59.5529F |first1=Rana A. }}</ref> || 4.6{{e|–10}}
|-
| Rock, sound || < {{val|3.3e-10}}
|-
| [[Glycerine]]<ref name="YoungFreedman2012"/> || {{val|2.1e-10}}
|-
| [[Mercury (element)|Mercury]]<ref name="YoungFreedman2012"/> || {{val|3.7e-11}}
|}
The [[Earth science]]s use ''compressibility'' to quantify the ability of a soil or rock to reduce in volume under applied pressure. This concept is important for [[specific storage]], when estimating [[groundwater]] reserves in confined [[aquifer]]s. Geologic materials are made up of two portions: solids and voids (or same as [[porosity]]).  The void space can be full of liquid or gas. Geologic materials reduce in volume only when the void spaces are reduced, which expel the liquid or gas from the voids. This can happen over a period of time, resulting in [[subsidence|settlement]].

It is an important concept in [[geotechnical engineering]] in the design of certain structural foundations.  For example, the construction of [[high-rise]] structures over underlying layers of highly compressible [[bay mud]] poses a considerable design constraint, and often leads to use of driven [[Deep foundation|piles]] or other innovative techniques.