Infiltration

Infiltration is the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil. Infiltration rate in soil science is a measure of the rate at which soil is able to absorb rainfall or irrigation. It is measured in inches per hour or millimeters per hour. The rate decreases as the soil becomes saturated. If the precipitation rate exceeds the infiltration rate, runoff will usually occur unless there is some physical barrier. The rate of infiltration can be measured using an infiltrometer.

For more, visit the Wikipedia entry for infiltration, URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiltration_(hydrology)