Soil Tectonics - Services

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Scientific and Forensic Investigation Fees

$250 per hour (including travel time) and per diem ($123 to $400, depending on location) plus analytical expenses at cost (see below)

Describe soil profiles, examine soil horizons in relation to faults, fissures, and other evidence of earth movement, prepare written soil descriptions, obtain carbon samples, interpret results, and prepare a report giving age estimates for soil development.

Compare soil samples for forensic investigations by using instrumental neutron activation analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and other soil chemical and mineralogical methods.

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Laboratory Work

Charged at cost, no mark-up. Arrangements and interpretation of data performed at hourly rate.

Example Analyses (Cost may vary depending on project)

Radiocarbon Dating >handful $350-800/sample (30-3 da)
Radiocarbon Dating <grain of rice $600-1800/sample (30-3 da)
Neutron Activation Analysis $495/sample
Particle Size Distribution $120/sample
X-ray Diffraction $250/sample
Electron Micrograph $150/sample
Asbestos, PLM $125/sample
Asbestos, TEM $375/sample

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Expert Witness Fees

Retainer: $10,000 retainer fee, with surplus refunded after the case.
Hourly Rate: $250 per hour for case research and preparation of opinion with a 4-hour minimum, which is billed against retainer. Travel time billed at the hourly rate. The remaining fee balance is due upon completion of work.
Depositions: $500 per hour with a 2-hour minimum.
Appearance: $500 per hour with a 4-hour minimum for appearance at Mediation, Arbitration or Trial.
Travel: Outside of San Francisco Bay Area�per diem of $123 (except $255 for high cost cities) plus reimbursement of out of pocket expenses (air fare, car rental, etc.) at cost.

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Short Course

"Soil Stratigraphy for Trench Logging"

A Continuing Education Course for Engineering Geologists

Instructor: Dr. Glenn Borchardt, Soil Tectonics, Berkeley, CA

Two-day course with 6 lectures on the first day and a field trip the second day. (Note: Due to Covid-19, the lecture part of this course is now available online for $250. The field trip soil description exercise will be available at a later date for $150.)

Course description: Students will learn how to improve their logs and descriptions of soils uncovered during seismic trenching.

Topics to be discussed:

o ABCs of soils: Soil-horizons from simple to complex

o CTPOT: the factors of soil formation

o Climate: How water improves rocks

o Topography: How gravity helps water improve rocks

o Parent material: How rocks control soils

o Organisms: Construction and destruction in soils

o Pedochronology: Perspective and bookkeeping for the ages

o Relative dating methods: Chronosequences

o Absolute dating methods: U/Th, C-14, and others

o Laboratory methods: PSD and soil mineralogy

o Recognizing important soil features: Tongues, krotovinas, calcite filaments, nodules, clay films, manganese oxide coatings, artifacts, pressure faces, creep faces, slickensides, fossil fissures

o Soil Tectonics: What faults do to soils; what soils do to faults

An outline of the course is provided. Each participant will describe a complete soil profile.

$300/student (20 student minimum; 40 student maximum) plus expenses

For Example Brochure Click Here

The Course Outline and Bibliography is available free as a pdf on researchgate.net.

Soil Tectonics gborchardt@gmail.com phone: 510-654-1619 1966 TICE VALLEY BLVD #172, WALNUT CREEK, CA 94595-2203, US