What Causes Earthquakes

By Shawn Kyles

The earth is made up of several layers. The crust, which is the top layer, is up to 46 miles deep. It includes both land (continents) and oceans. Approximately 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans. The average depth of the ocean is 2.5 miles. The crust contains iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, sulfur, nickel and small amounts of calcium, aluminum and several other elements.

The planet’s second layer is called the mantle. It is made of rocks with heavy concentrations of magnesium and iron. The earth’s crust, which is divided into plates, floats on the mantle. These plates (called tectonic plates) are always in motion. They are like a giant puzzle with moving pieces.
The earth’s third and fourth layers are the outer and inner core. The inner core is solid iron, and its outer layer is liquid.

Faults are the outer, rough edges of a plate. They can get stuck when a plate moves. When the edge of a plate unsticks, it results in an earthquake. The three types of faults are normal, reverse (thrust) and strike slip.

Reverse faults (thrust faults) cause the strongest earthquakes, above 8.0 or more. Strike-slip quakes can also be powerful – up to a magnitude 8. A normal fault generally produces quakes that are less than magnitude 7.

The hypocenter is where the quake starts below the surface. The epicenter is the location of the quake on the surface.

The “shake” you feel in an earthquake is the result of stored energy - the stress that has been building up over time. When the plates finally shift, the energy is released as seismic waves (waves of energy) that spread out like ripples in a pond. The waves make the ground shake.

Earthquakes usually occur in groups. They are related to each other location and time-wise. When a series of earthquakes occur in a similar location over a very short period of time, it is called an earthquake swarm.

In 2012, California’s Imperial Valley experienced a swarm of small to moderate quakes. There were dozens of quakes around magnitude 3.5 and a magnitude 5.3 quake. The largest quake was a magnitude 5.5. Although there were no injuries, windows were shattered and trailers were knocked off their foundation. Residential and government buildings suffered structural damage, requiring foundation repair, and various sidewalks and roads needed repairs.

Earthquakes occur frequently in California, with building damages totaling nearly $3 billion dollars per year. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan area currently has the highest estimated annualized building loss and the highest annualized percent building loss in the state, followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Freemont, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara.

California homeowners can minimize the possibility of quake damage with regular building inspections by a foundation repair expert. Taking care of foundation cracks and similar types of problems will help maintain the home’s structural integrity and make it less likely to collapse during a quake. There are also many ways to strengthen a home so it can withstand quakes, like foundation bolting and earthquake retrofitting. For California homeowners, earthquake preparation is a must.

Building Cleaning Services Warns Against Allowing Mold Growth

Excessive Moisture in Buildings Cited As Dangerous Situation in Which Black Mold Can Grow

LOS ANGELES, CA: Building Cleaning Services, (http://buildingcleaningservices.net/), a Los Angeles mold removal and construction cleaning business, is warning homeowners that many common moisture problems can turn into breeding grounds for mold. Homeowners should beware of allowing these to go unnoticed. Left untreated it can lead to serious problems with black mold—often the source of health problems. Mold infestation, the company stated, must be handled at once with the proper removal procedures.

Molds can be found indoors and out, with more than 1,000 known species in the US alone. Letting mold grow indoors is the problem, leading to health hazards when it goes unchecked. Mold can also affect the structural framework of older buildings, so extra care has to be taken to prevent mold infestation in aged buildings with wooden frameworks. Molds universally require no sunlight to grow; landing on a damp spot they can then release spores and multiply. They ingest whatever organic substance they land on to propagate, even the common dust and dirt in any building.

When a mold infestation has been found, the company stressed that it must be remedied immediately. An effective cleaning company with mold removal experience should be called in to address the situation.

Building Cleaning Services has over 15 years experience in Los Angeles mold removal, and its many happy customers can attest to the fact the company’s staff know fast and effective methods of mold removal. As one man from Hayward, CA said: “These gentlemen helped me remediate mold at my house, and then dry out a huge water leak before mold could form at my wife's family's house--in the span of about a month. Their service was responsive, fast, professional, and courteous. They answered any question that I had, and the pricing was transparent and understandable. I really couldn't have been happier. They made the best out of two dicey situations.”

Building Cleaning Services' other reviews on Yelp can be seen at http://www.yelp.com/biz/building-cleaning-services-glendale

BCS provides water damage handling and mold removal services for the Greater Los Angeles area, and other areas of Southern California. Established in 1997, they have over a decade of experience as a company with fast service, high professionalism and work ethic. BCS is certified by the Institute of Inspection and Cleaning and Restoration and Environmental Testing & Technology. To learn more, visit http://www.BuildingCleaningServices.net, or call 818-953-7100 or e-mail bcs@buildingcleaningservices.net.

Building Safety Expert Speaks On House Leveling

Unstable Foundations Can Result From Lack Of Attention To According To Safety Expert

LOS ANGELES, CA: Julian Construction, Inc., (http://julianconstruction.com/), a construction and foundation repair company in Southern California, recently made a statement to raise homeowner awareness on house or floor leveling. Building Safety Expert Shawn Kyles spoke on behalf of the company on the subject of when and how house leveling should be used to repair a home’s structural integrity.

Building Safety Inspections Expert, Mr. Shawn Kyles, stated that house leveling can correct uneven floors in a home. Uneven floors remaining present in a home cause foundation damage and other damage to the structure of a home. Applying the techniques in house leveling, a contractor can correct these problems before they get to more serious stages of development. The problem is common, according to Mr. Kyles, but fortunately most floors can be leveled and returned to their original position with no danger of long-term structural damage requiring foundation repairs if the problem is handled quickly. More serious circumstances may require foundation replacement.

Julina De La Torre, founder and owner of Julian Construction, stated: “While other aspects of foundation retrofitting and repair are a matter of scientific approach, house leveling is an art. Each job is unique in the difficulties presented, so the solution must equally fit the structure. This work can be completed in a structurally sound manner, making yours a safer home.”

Julian Construction owns its own company and is built on a “no middlemen” model – no salesmen, no subcontractors. When you work with Julian Construction you get the principals of the company and workers of Julian Construction under your home. The result is the highest quality work at affordable prices. They can be contacted by phone at 323 733-3377, by fax at 323 733-4477 or via their website, www.julianconstruction.com. You can see tips and advice about home foundations on their blog, at http://julianconstruction.typepad.com.

Helical Piles a Potential Solution to Common Foundation Problems

Julian Construction Discusses A Proven Solution for Damaged Foundation

LOS ANGELES, CA: Julian Construction Inc., (http://julianconstruction.com/), a construction and foundation repair company in the Greater Los Angeles Area, recently issued a statement on the use of helical piles to repair a cement building foundation. Shawn Kyles, Building Safety Expert at Julian Construction, detailed the common usage of helical piles to ensure a home remains free of long term foundation damage. Mr. Kyles has inspected over 10,000 structures in his career as a structural safety inspector.

According to Mr. Kyles, a foundation’s purpose is to support and spread the weight of the structure it sits on. When it becomes damaged with foundation cracks or other damages, it becomes unable to support the weight, and the result can be structural collapse or simply decay. Helical piles can be used to repair a foundation fault. They are steel shafts with blades attached in a spiral pattern, similar to a large metal screw which is screwed into the ground below a foundation. The effect of these can be to stabilize a failing foundation, as well as increase load bearing capacities in a foundation retrofit. Mr. Kyles stressed that helical piles are a very good fix for a foundation, but may not be right for every case, and that a foundation inspection should be done by a qualified inspector.

More information on the use of helical piles on a home’s foundation can be found here: http://julianconstruction.com/services/helical-piles/

Julian De La Torre, founder and owner of Julian Construction Inc., stated: “Helical piles are a good solution for a house needing more stability in its foundation. We use them very often at Julian Construction because they are a very versatile tool. If you have uneven floors, cracked walls or any other signs that your foundation may need repair, get your home inspected immediately.”

Julian Construction owns its own company and is built on a “no middlemen” model – no salesmen, no subcontractors. When you work with Julian Construction you get the principals of the company and workers of Julian Construction under your home. The result is the highest quality work at affordable prices. They can be contacted by phone at 323 733-3377, by fax at 323 733-4477 or via their website, www.julianconstruction.com. You can see tips and advice about home foundations on their blog, at http://julianconstruction.typepad.com.

Four Writing-Conflict Exercises SCENES PART 2

By Susan Mary Malone

Okay, so you’ve effectively set the scene, and are ready to really dive into the conflict. But what actually is conflict in a scene? And how do you write it effectively?

Conflict should comprise about ninety-five percent of the scene in novel development. Yikes, you say! That much? Yep.

We all know the five main themes of conflict: Man against himself. Man against man. Man against environment. Man against nature. Man against machine. But conflict has very little to do with guns firing. It is rather what blows apart within a character. However, this conflict has to be external. Something has to give. Something or someone has to get. Something has to be happening in your story. The protagonist is in conflict with an antagonist while enroute to a goal. The character must resolve his conflict—within, without—for the story to have meaning. This is very important in your book writing.

Ask yourself a few questions before you write the scene: How did the conflict come about? What were its roots? How is each person within it involved? How is the reader involved? Because of course, your reader must be involved or she’ll put down the book and not pick it back up.

Of vital importance to the conflict of the whole story, and for each scene:

• Establish the Story Question to begin the first scene of the book. This is your main point of the story, and contains the seeds of all conflict. Each and every scene has to have a piece of this main Story Question.
  
  
• Craft the incident to begin your story—the one that contains your Story Question—very carefully. This event (read, conflict) upsets your main character’s world, whether it be his wife leaving him because of his drinking, or aliens coming to attack the Earth. It causes him to want to restore balance. Most importantly, it creates a bond with the reader by arousing her curiosity as to whether the protagonist can achieve his goal (this is not the first time your reader should question your protagonist!).

Ask yourself: What is the worst thing that can happen to my hero? This should reveal to you his deepest desire and his greatest fear (his Achilles’ Heel, which will come to fruition later), both of which play into his story goal. In turn, this will help you construct a beginning incident of conflict that then carries the story through to the end–and provides the tension for readers to keep turning the pages.

• This question brings a significant change in the character’s reality—it challenges his status quo, and knocks him out of his comfort zone. No matter what he does from here, life isn’t going to stay the same. Nor, is he.
  
  
• It also accomplishes a huge goal—to give the reader something to worry about. That’s what keeps him reading. NOTE: the reader will lose interest with everything but the Story Question, so make sure every scene has a piece of that—something that relates to it, something the character has to manage in order to get to the Holy Grail at the end of the book.

Each conflict, plot point, scene leads to a disaster of some sort and keeps the central conflict at the core for our hero.

Tough work being the hero! And tough being the book author as well! How do you keep conflict going in your book development?

Mold Toxicity: A Real Problem in Homes and Offices

Building Cleaning Services Offers Effective Mold Remediation for Affected Areas

LOS ANGELES, CA: Building Cleaning Services (BCS) (http://buildingcleaningservices.net/), a Los Angeles mold removal and post-construction cleaning business, is warning homeowners and business owners about the different types of mold and their effects. The company has years of first-hand experience dealing with the effects of mold which can make a building unsafe due to potential health risks to the occupants.

According to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, in a statement published on the subject of indoor mold: “In 2004 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found there was sufficient evidence to link indoor exposure to mold with upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people; with asthma symptoms in people with asthma; and with hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to that immune-mediated condition. The IOM also found limited or suggestive evidence linking indoor mold exposure and respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children.” The full statement can be seen here: http://www.cdc.gov/mold/stachy.htm

Molds can grow from any organic substance, provided only water and oxygen. Once an infestation has begun, mold spores float through the indoor and outdoor air continually as more spores are produced. There are different types of mold, some that produce dangerous toxins and must be handled with extreme caution. As soon as it’s recognized fast action must be taken to remedy the mold. The company urges homeowners and businee owners to contact a professional mold removal service to safely remediate the mold.

More information on the different types of mold can be found on the company’s website: http://buildingcleaningservices.net/mold-removal/types-of-mold/

BCS works as a Los Angeles mold removal company and has had excellent success working with homeowners to remedy mold infestations. The company has been helping homeowners for over 10 years with uniform success, such as this man from Pasadena, CA: “The entire crew from Building Cleaning Services was professional and highly skilled. We were in a very tough situation with the black water intrusion and mold situation in our house, but they helped to get our home back to normal. I can sleep better at night knowing that a good job was done in our home. I would highly recommend these folks to anyone. We received several quotes and some were lower than BCS, but no other company demonstrated the same depth of knowledge and that gave us confidence that they knew what they were doing.”

Building Cleaning Services' other reviews on Yelp can be seen at http://www.yelp.com/biz/building-cleaning-services-glendale

BCS provides water damage handling and mold removal services for the Greater Los Angeles area, and other areas of Southern California. Established in 1997, they have over a decade of experience as a company with fast service, high professionalism and work ethic. BCS is certified by the Institute of Inspection and Cleaning and Restoration and Environmental Testing & Technology. To learn more, visit http://www.BuildingCleaningServices.net, or call 818-953-7100 or e-mail bcs@buildingcleaningservices.net.

New Novel by Susan Mary Malone Hits Bookshelves This Month

“I JUST CAME HERE TO DANCE” Is the Latest Novel by Award-Winning Author And Editor
 
DALLAS, TX: Susan Mary Malone, (http://www.maloneeditorial.com/), developmental editor and award-winning book author has just had a new novel published. “I Just Came Here To Dance” is now available in bookstores, as well as online. The book is Ms. Malone’s 6th book published to a traditional publisher. The book can be found on Amazon here:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Dance-desire-collide-prevail-ebook/dp/B00EO91C4Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1380123444
 
The novel is a multi-layered drama about life in a small town of Texas. The book has received universally positive reviews from readers and critics alike, as well as fellow authors in the industry.
 
In an online review of the book, reader Judy Peterson states: “A beautifully written story, more like a great work of art. The way the words go together in this book is like how the clouds float across the sky and how the rivers flow on. This is a story about a very small town and the people who live there. It's about love and being there for each other. It's about how life changes us as things change in our lives...This is a wonderful book. Pick up a copy today!”
 
Ms. Malone stated: “The book has been so well received, I’m really pleased by it. This story takes us along the line of the creative and crazy sides of life, in a modern allegory filled with a certain blend of mythology and realism. And in the end, it’s about finding your true self. I hope you enjoy reading!”
 
Susan Mary Malone has worked as a freelance editor since 1993, with a BS in Political Science and minors in English and Journalism. Her client list includes NY Times Bestsellers, Essence Bestsellers and books featured in Publishers Weekly. She is also an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction herself. She participates as a speaker in literary conferences such as the Harriett Austin Writer's Conference (at the University of Georgia), the Blue Ridge Writer's Conference, the SouthWest Writer's Conference, and the East Texas Writer’s Guild, among others. Her full biography and featured list of published authors can be viewed at http://www.maloneeditorial.com