Caltech Researchers Discover Deep-Level Earthquakes in the Mantle

For a very long time, seismologists (people who study earthquakes) believed that earthquakes could only happen in the Earth's crust layer, no more than 15 miles below the surface. A recent discovery by researchers at Caltech turned that assumption on its head. As Rong-Gong Lin II wrote in his L.A. Times article, it turns out that some earthquakes actually have the ability to travel deep under the surface, to the mantle level, which can multiply the quake's power many times.

Some of the earthquakes took place so far under the surface that the state-of-the-art sensors employed by the Caltech researchers barely sensed them, which explains why conventional seismometers have failed to pick up the signals in the past. Basically, what the researchers discovered is that the largest earthquakes are those that spent some time percolating in the mantle. One example was the 8.6 earthquake that happened in the middle of the Indian Ocean in 2012. At the time, science's understanding of how earthquakes work could not explain how an earthquake that large had happened.

If these greater-strength quakes were possible, areas around the Newport-Inglewood fault or the San Andreas fault could be at risk. Fortunately, the researchers have so far only found evidence of microquakes (2.0 or less) that originated in the deeper layers. It is possible that the deeper-level quakes are more spread out and don't usually join together, which could mean that they would only cause small microquakes. If a quake on the scale of magnitude 3 or 4 were to be detected in the mantle, concerns would likely be raised, but right now, researchers have asked for more time to study and learn more about the way earthquakes work.

Additionally, research performed in areas other than the Long Beach portion of the Newport-Inglewood fault line did not show nearly as much evidence of deep quakes. Some evidence points to liquids flowing up from the mantle in certain beachside areas, so that may contribute to Long Beach's increased risk for deep quakes. At the moment, there is no way to tell if deep-level quakes are as large a risk as they could be. Perhaps it is only an issue in Long Beach; maybe it's only an issue in cities that border the ocean. Only time and a lot more research will reveal the truth.

***************************************************************************************************
Find out more about us at www.sepulvedaescrow.net. Any Questions? Contact our Escrow Expert! Sepulveda Escrow Corporation (818) 838-1831. Follow our company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

***************************************************************************************************

Government Restrictions Eased on Secondary Housing Units

Throughout California, but especially in the Los Angeles area, housing opportunities are getting very limited. There simply isn't enough space to provide housing to the thousands of current residents and the hundreds of new people looking to find somewhere to live. Los Angeles has plenty of draws: the nice weather, the variety of shops and restaurants, and a wide array of employment opportunities. However, as more people look to come to California, the market shifts accordingly. Currently, even for those who can afford to buy a house or rent an apartment in the rising housing market, there is little room for being picky based on location; you just take what you can get. Fortunately, as Liam Dillon and Andrew Khouri describe in their L.A. Times article, California lawmakers are working on a way to address the major housing issue.

New construction of homes or apartment buildings could provide housing opportunities. Unfortunately, all available vacant land has also been growing scarce. Until recently, getting the required approvals and permits for construction was such an arduous process that it made it nearly unfeasible for most people to even try. Now, due to the push from Governor Jerry Brown and LA mayor Eric Garcetti, legislators are relaxing regulations, making it easier for homeowners to build "granny flats" in their backyards, thus converting empty space into housing.

Just a few years ago, any homeowner that wanted to convert a garage into an extra room or add an extra freestanding structure in their backyard had to face the seemingly endless trials of the governmental bureaucracy. In the end, many who tried to add on to their property, whether for guests, for family, or as a rental to bring in some extra income, inevitably failed or at least had to go through months of stressful negotiating with the city of Los Angeles. Now that the restrictions are being relaxed, at least to some extent, homeowners may help California as a whole to keep up with growing demand. Statistics show that Los Angeles needs to add at least 100,000 new units each year in order to keep up with the market, and retired individuals may benefit the most from this opportunity.

Some, like 78-year-old Rochelle Ventura, tried previously to submit plans to the city for backyard additions, but the strict regulations led to their ultimate rejection. Since 2005, so few units have been approved that only 347 have been completed in the Los Angeles area. Some of the regulations seem unnecessary to most, especially if the secondary unit will be used by family members. One of the new bills is overturning a restriction that required secondary units to have uncovered access to a public street. Since that is no longer a necessity, under the new rules, more property owners may find it economical again to take a crack at expanding into the territory of secondary units. Hopefully, the new legislation will help to solve problems for those trying to find housing as well as those trying to gain a little bit of extra income by providing the sought after housing.

***************************************************************************************************
Find out more about us at www.sepulvedaescrow.net. Any Questions? Contact our Escrow Expert! Sepulveda Escrow Corporation (818) 838-1831. Follow our company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

***************************************************************************************************