Geosyncline: In geology, a geosyncline is a large-scale indentation in the Earth’s crust that is filled with sediments. A geosyncline forms due to the gradual sinking of the Earth’s crust, causing sediment from adjacent areas to gather inside. An example of a geosyncline is the Appalachian Mountains.
“Toe” of a Slope Definition The “toe” of a slope is essentially the bottom, or baseline section, of the soil mass comprising the slope. It is also defined as the outermost margin of displaced material during a landslide. The toe of a slope is farthest away from the head scarp.
Anion Anion: In the fields of chemistry and geochemistry, an anion is a negatively charged ion. The oppositely charged ion is a cation.
Sand Boil A “Sand Boil” is a cone-shaped deposit of sand that is formed during an earthquake. A Sand Boil occurs when subsurface sand layers liquefy and are then blown to the surface through cracks.
Rigidity Definition Rigidity – In geotechnical engineering and engineering geology, rigidity represents the ratio of the shear stress and the amount of angular rotation that it produces, within a rock sample.
Vapor Intrusion Vapor Intrusion occurs when harmful soil contamination changes phase from liquid to vapor underground and moves upward through geologic layers and building foundations, accumulating within indoor air.
Facies Facies: In the field of geology, the term “facies” represents a mappable, areally restricted part of a rock body that has different fossils or lithology from other contiguous beds deposited at the same time.
