Dilatancy “Dilatancy” is the increase in the bulk volume of a soil substance during deformation. Dilatancy is caused by the change from a close-pack structure to an open-pack structure.

Liquid Limit (LL) “Liquid Limit (LL)” in the field of geological engineering, refers to the upper limit of the “plastic state.” This is a separation of the plastic phase and viscous liquid phase when measuring soil consistency. Mathematically, it is the water content (basing on the percent of dry weight), at which two sections of…

Anion Anion: In the fields of chemistry and geochemistry, an anion is a negatively charged ion. The oppositely charged ion is a cation.    

Petrogenic Gas Petrogenic Gas: In geology, petrogenic gas refers to natural gas that is the byproduct of the thermal decomposition of biological and organic matter. In fact, this is the same process that results in the geological formation of petroleum underground. For instance, methane soil gas hazards in Los Angeles Methane Zones are typically resulting…

Consistency The term “Consistency” in the fields of engineering geology and geotechnical engineering means the degree of adhesion between soil particles within a sample, that are observed to resist deformation or rupture.

Adsorption “Adsorption” in geology, refers to the attraction and adhesion of the ions or molecules of a solution, onto the surface of a solid.