“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.

Thermosphere Thermosphere: The thermosphere of a terrestrial planet is the fourth and final member of the atmosphere. On Earth, the thermosphere starts atop the mesosphere at approximately 85 kilometers above mean sea level. The upper limit of the thermosphere is reasonably presumed to terminate approximately 95 kilometers above mean sea level. In fact, most of…

Thrust Fault Thrust Fault: In the field of geology, a thrust fault is a reverse fault in which the fault plane dipping angle is less than 45 degrees. Thrust faults are dip-slip faults, and can also be listric faults. For instance, the fault underlying the western embankment of the historical St. Francis Dam in Saugus,…

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.

Single Station Methane Gas Detector Single Station Methane Gas Detector: As per the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) Methane Code, Ordinance Number 175790, a single station methane gas detector is a device consisting of electrical components that are capable of measuring methane soil gas concentrations indoors, and initiating an alarm. The single…

Lithosphere Lithosphere: The lithosphere comprises the Earth’s crust as well as part of the upper mantle. In fact, the lithosphere is approximately 100 kilometers thick and is relatively strong as compared to the underlying asthenosphere.