Geotechnical Investigations
Geotechnical Investigations depend of the nature of the project, a project can be for a residential home, commercial building, foundation upgrade, soil erosion, soil settlement, mitigation of problems, etc. For example this is the scope of work for a residential / and or commercial building :
- Review, compilation, and interpretation of available seismic, hydrologic, and geologic literature including maps pertinent to the site.
- Field investigations including surface visual inspections and exploratory subsurface boring of two to three bore holes drilled to refusal depths below ground elevation and the extraction of samples for laboratory testing.
- Laboratory testing to assess the engineering properties of the soil samples.
- Field Investigation for the proposed foundation and drainage.
- Literature review and research including: US Geological Survey (USGS), California Division of Mines and Geology (CDMG) at UC Berkeley Library McCone Hall
- Examination of soil slides and settlement records.
- Compilation of seismic factors based on the soil geology and site location from an active fault.
- Conformance with the City’s / County’s Zoning Requirements for Seismic Hazards Investigation, the State Hazards Mapping Act, California Geological Survey, 2010 California Building Code and USGS.
- Development of recommendations for designs, including lateral earth pressures.
- Preparation of soil geotechnical report.
The investigation is conducted in conformance with generally accepted geotechnical engineering principles & practices, and in accordance with the standards of practice as set by the geotechnical engineers in the area.