Keeping Water Away from Your Foundation
In order for your home to last, it needs a solid foundation. If the foundation is compromised it could lead to expensive repairs, or sustain irreparable damage. So the best thing you can do is prevent damage to your foundation. There are many ways a foundation can become damaged, such as earthquakes, tree roots, or […]
How Granite is Extracted from the Earth
Granite is an extremely durable and hard type of igneous rock that is formed by the cooling process of magma. Because it’s such a durable material it’s most commonly used for countertops, flooring and other practical elements. The Formation Molten rock is formed by natural radioactive elements deep underground, which breaks down and then decays. […]
The Oil Spill of 2010
Deepwater Horizon was a mobile and floating drill rig that was operational in waters up to 10,000 feet deep. It was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea and chartered to BP starting in March of 2008 to September of 2013. In 2010, the rig was drilling a well about 41 miles off of […]
Earthquake in Los Angeles | July 30th, 2020
In Southern California on July 30, 2020, at 4:30 a.m., a 4.2 magnitude earthquake in Pacoima shook the San Fernando Valley and provided an early wake-up call for residents. Some of the shakings included aftershocks of 3.3 and 3.9 magnitudes. The earthquake and its aftershocks were felt throughout Glendale, downtown Los Angeles, La Crescenta, Hollywood, […]
What Man-Made Lakes Are Used For
Man-made lakes, also known as reservoirs, are used as water sources throughout the world. Man-made lakes are usually constructed by using a dam to divert a portion of a river to store the water within a reservoir. During seasonal changes, water runoff and precipitation add to the reservoir, which helps in the prevention of evaporation. […]
How Lumber is Obtained from Trees
Lumber is a term relating to various woods as a construction material. The wood is cut from tree trunks lengthwise in square or rectangular sections. Wood has been used as a construction material since before written history, with the earliest evidence is found in Nice, France using wood posts to support a hut. The oldest […]
What does a Petroleum Engineer do?
Located about 5,000-6,000 feet in the ground are oil and gas deposits. Petroleum Engineers develop new extraction methods, as well as designing new ways to extract the oil and gas from older reservoirs below the Earth’s surface. Typically a Petroleum engineer will; Design the equipment for extraction Develop plans for drilling and recovering oil and […]
Symbolism and Design of the St. Louis Arch
In 1947, the St. Louis Arch was designed by the architect Eero Saarinen and built as a weighted catenary arch. Standing at 630 feet, the St. Louis Gateway Arch is the tallest arch in the world, the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere, and the tallest accessible building in Missouri. The construction of the […]
Ways to make your home energy efficient
Making your home energy efficient will not only save you money but also reduce energy wasted within your home. There are some easy changes to make in order to help your home become more energy-efficient. Change your light bulbs to LED’s Light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs are more energy-efficient and longer-lasting than the old incandescent bulbs […]
Big Bayou Canot Collapse | September 22, 1993
On September 22, 1993, an Amtrak train was traveling across the Big Bayou Canot Bridge in Mobile, Alabama. The train derailed which resulted in the death of 47 people and 103 people being injured. The derailing of the train was caused by a deformation in the rails from a barge towing a heavy load that […]