Santa Clara County Municipal Code Part 2 Definitions

In addition to the definitions covering this entire division, the following definitions are applicable to this chapter.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Alluvium" is the deposits of sand, gravel, clay or silt or a mixture thereof which are unconsolidated or semiconsolidated (see also surficial deposits).

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Bedrock" is the solid, undisturbed rock in place either at the ground surface or beneath surficial deposits of loose rock or soil.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Civil engineer" is a professional engineer registered as a civil engineer by the State of California.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Construction observation letter" is a letter authored and signed by the project consulting engineering geologist and/or soils engineer indicating that he/she has observed the relevant portions of construction and found them to be in conformance with the recommendations presented in the approved geologic report.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Consulting engineering geologist" is an engineering geologist retained by a property owner or applicant for development of property to perform a geologic investigation of a property or site.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"County Geologist" is the engineering geologist designated by the Planning Director as the County Geologist of the Environmental Resources Agency.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"County geologic hazard zones" shall include fault rupture hazard zones, landslide hazard zones, compressible soils hazard zones, dike failure flooding hazard zones, and liquefaction hazard zones (which includes United States Geological Survey Open File Report 00-444) as adopted by the Board of Supervisors. This term shall also include any seismic hazard zones officially adopted by the State of California, unless the Board of Supervisors determines otherwise. Maps illustrating such zones are on file with the County Geologist and the County Planning Office.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Earthquake" is a sudden shaking of the earth caused principally by the abrupt release of slowly accumulated strain through sudden displacement of bedrock.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Engineering geologist" is a registered geologist certified as an engineering geologist by the State of California.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Engineering geology" is the application of geological data and principles to engineering problems dealing with naturally occurring rock and soil for the purposes of assuring that geological factors are recognized and adequately interpreted in engineering practice.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Excavation" is any act which causes earth, sand, soil, gravel, rock or any other material to be cut into, dug, drilled, quarried, uncovered, removed, displaced, relocated or bulldozed, and shall include the conditions resulting therefrom.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Existing grade" is the existing ground surface elevation prior to excavation or filling.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Fault" is a fracture in the earth's crust forming a boundary between rock or soil masses that have moved relative to each other.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Fault rupture" is the deformation of the ground surface that results from displacement along a fault. Fissures and cracks are common features indicating the occurrence of fault rupture.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Fault trace" is the intersection of the fault plane with the ground surface. Most fault traces are less than 20 feet in width.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Fault zone" is a corridor of variable width along one or more fault traces. Most fault zones range from one-quarter mile to one mile in width.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Fill" is the placement of soil, rock or other materials by man, and shall include the conditions resulting therefrom.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Finish grade" is the final surface elevation or grade of the work.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Geologic report" is a report prepared and signed by an engineering geologist which provides an adequate description of the geology of the site and surrounding area with recommendations regarding the interrelated effects of geological conditions and the development as proposed. A detailed definition is provided in this chapter.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Geophysical traverse" is an indirect method of determining the location of faults, or other subsurface discontinuities, through geophysical measurements involving seismic waves, gravity, magnetics, electrical resistivity or other techniques.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Geotechnical engineer" is a registered civil engineer certified as a geotechnical engineer by the State of California.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Grading" is any excavation or filling of land, or combination thereof.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Landslide" is a general term for the downslope movement of a mass of soil, surficial deposits or bedrock. Landslide movement is relatively rapid compared with soil or rock creep movement. The term is used more generally by some geologists to indicate the area of sliding or even the deposits resulting from landslide movement.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Liquefaction" is a process by which certain water saturated soils turn to quicksand because of prolonged, strong ground shaking and increase of groundwater pore pressure.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Seismic trench" is an excavation across a suspected fault trace.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Plan review letter" is a letter authored and signed by the project consulting engineering geologist and/or soils engineer indicating that he/she has reviewed the plans for the proposed project and found them to be in conformance with the recommendations presented in the approved geologic report.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Soil creep" is the gradual and steady downslope movement of shallow soil and loose rock material.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Soils report" is a report concerning soils engineering aspects of a site or project, and prepared by a civil engineer registered in the State of California and qualified in the field of geotechnical engineering.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Soils engineer" is a civil engineer registered in the State of California and qualified in the field of geotechnical engineering.

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)

"Surficial deposits" are unconsolidated deposits which are formed at the earth's surface and generally transported by water, wind, ice or by human activity. They sometimes form in place through weathering of pre-existing materials. (See also "alluvium.")

(Ord. No. NS-1203.111, § 1, 3-19-02)