Glossary

fault zone – the area within a certain range from a fault

landslide – 1) the rapid downward falling or sliding of a mass of soil, rock, and/or debris, sometimes with water, on or from a shear zone;  2) the actual material that has been deposited by the downward falling or sliding of a mass of soil, rock, and/or debris.

lateral load-resisting system – a structural system consisting of horizontal and vertical elements that perform the triple function of resisting gravity, lateral and torsional forces on the structure.

maximum capable earthquake – the largest earthquake that a fault or other seismic source could produce.

Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale – a scale that quantifies the effects of an earthquake on a scale of I through XII, from negligible to completely destructive.

scenario expected loss – the average expected loss to a building as a result of a specific seismic event on a specific fault affecting the building, which can be calculated using different percentages of probability of exceedance.

scenario loss – characterization of the resulting building damageability of properties, determined for specific, scenario earthquakes.

scenario upper loss – the loss to a building as a result of a specific seismic event on a specific fault affecting the building, calculated with a 10% probability of exceedance.

soil liquefaction – the act of soil suddenly becoming liquefied, or having the consistency of a heavy liquid.

weak story – lower stories of a building that are weaker than the upper stories, therefore expected to suffer the most loss under a given lateral load.