Caprock

<p>Caprock or cap rock is a hard, resistant, and <a href="/facts/Impermeable/7ePtJNwx">impermeable</a> layer of <a href="/facts/Rock_(geology)/FXCJkmop">rock</a> that overlies and protects a reservoir of softer organic material, similar to the crust on a pie where the crust (caprock) prevents leakage of the soft filling (softer material). Caprocks consist of <a href="/facts/Erosion/gaGJXy0W">erosion</a>-resistant rocks like <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstone</a>, <a href="/facts/Limestone/8ntvtFnR">limestone</a>, <a href="/facts/Basalt/uhbwGPTb">basalt</a>, and <a href="/facts/Evaporite/vNW8fcEy">evaporites</a> that form landforms like <a href="/facts/Mesa/Lfe4nYhu">mesas</a> and <a href="/facts/Butte/3SweAQWG">buttes</a> through <a href="/facts/Differential_erosion/uSYGlv0H">differential erosion</a>. It influences <a href="/facts/Hydrology/Xh727cnE">hydrology</a> by creating waterfalls and <a href="/facts/Aquifer/UwG6ksdG">aquifers</a>, while also trapping <a href="/facts/Hydrocarbon/Dcg95Ju5">hydrocarbons</a> in <a href="/facts/Petroleum_reservoir/wYoSQmGN">petroleum reservoirs</a>.
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Caprock open-in-new

Caprock