APPLICATION OF THE CONCEPT OF "REAL TIME POST-HAZARD GEOLOGIC RISK" TO FORENSIC GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS

All buildings are subject to geologic risk, composed of a combination of pre-hazard risk and post-hazard risk. Various types of pre-hazard risk, such as seismic risk, have been addressed in the geologic literature for many years. However, the concept of "real time post-hazard geologic risk," which forecasts future increases in damage to buildings after the onset of a geologic hazard, such as expansive soils, may have been first introduced in 2013 in "The Residential Geotechnical Evaluation for Ownership Transfer: A Risk Assessment Guideline," Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists Special Publication No. 25 (SP 25), by Harry S. Audell. The assessment of "real time post-hazard geologic risk" not only provides homebuyers useful information for making purchase decisions, but can also be a useful tool in the practice of forensic geology and forensic geotechnical engineering. A case history is described in which the procedures in SP 25 are utilized to forecast future increases in damage, and the need for hazard mitigation, in a residential structure.