Trench Dam Trench Dam: Per the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) Methane Code, Ordinance Number 175790, a trench dam is part of a methane mitigation system. A trench dam is essentially a subsurface barrier that exists within a furrow or ditch, that is adjacent to the foundation of a building in a…

Monoculture Definition The term “Monoculture,” in the fields of farming and agriculture, refers to a cultivation system that comprises only one organism. For instance, an entire crop field that only grows carrots. In a monoculture, there is no symbiosis between different species. As a result, there isn’t any comingling with other organisms. In fact, for…

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.

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

Diagenesis Diagenesis: In geology, diagenesis refers to the physical and chemical changes of a sedimentary formation when compaction and lithification occur over time.

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.