Hooke’s Law “Hooke’s Law” is a geological statement relating to the elastic deformation of rocks.  Hooke’s Law states the strain of an earth-material is linearly proportional to the applied stress.

Oblique-Slip Fault Oblique-Slip Fault: In geology, an oblique-slip fault is a fault that moves parallel to the strike or dip of the fault plane.

Twinning Definition Twinning is the observed intergrowth of multiple crystals in a symmetrical fashion. This term applies to the examination of rock thin sections, in the field of optical mineralogy.

Mineral Definition A mineral is defined as an inorganic element, compound, or substance that naturally develops with an organized internal structure and/or crystal form over time. Minerals are also distinguishable by their chemical composition and physical properties, as determined in laboratories by geologists. Typical earth minerals found in most igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks are…

Liquefaction Liquefaction: Liquefaction is the process by which there is: (1) a sudden and significant decrease of shear resistance in a soil sample (cohesion-less); (2) a sudden (but temporary) increase of the pore-water pressure of a substance; and (3) a solid mass of soil that is transformed into a fluid state mass. In the event…

Soil Creep Definition Soil Creep is a type of landslide that entails the slow and gradual movement of a soil mass (or even some loose rock) materials.