Schedule
for Natural Hazards and Catastrophes Spring 2009
Pat Pringle, instructor; The following is the rough order of topics we’ll
cover.
Week
1 – Read Chap. 1. Overview of course and syllabus. Introduction to terms
and concepts for hazard and risk, scientific method, and continental drift.
Week
2 – Read Chap. 2. Structure and composition of the earth, plate
tectonics, sediments and rocks.
Week
3 – Read Chap. 3; Earthquakes:
causes of earthquakes, frequency and wavelength, magnitude & intensity,
epicenter, stress & strain, elastic rebound theory, faults; Earthquake
Size. Hazards and effects: liquefaction, strong ground motion, etc. Exam #1 on Introductory material
Week
4 – Read chaps. 3; 4; Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest:
Cascadia subduction zone quakes, deep earthquakes from the subducting slab,
Week 5 – Read
Chaps. 5 & 6: Tsunami: Tsunami generation, risk mitigation Exam #2 (Earthquakes and Tsunami)
Volcanoes: chemical and physical properties of magma, explosive and
effusive eruptions.
Week
6 – Read Chap. 7. Volcanoes: volcanic processes and hazards volcanic
hazards, volcanic landforms; plate tectonics setting of volcanoes; volcanic
hazard assessment. Volcanoes in the
Week 7 – [May 15 = advising day] Read Chap. 8. Landslides: mass wasting. slope stability, angle of repose, & landslide triggers; classification of landslide movement,; creep, slumps, slides, flows, landslide hazards and hazard assessment
Week
8 – NO
CLASS MAY 18. Read selected parts of Chaps. 10-14 Climate, climate
change, and weather-related processes and hazards; floods and flooding;
Week
9 – Coastal geologic processes and hazards; hurricanes and extreme
weather phenomena, climate change and climate history; NOTE May 25 campus is closed
Week
10 – Chaps
16-18: Wildfire; meteor and comet impacts; humankind and natural hazards.
Week
11 – Day of Class: Wrap up and review for final.
LAST CLASS JUNE 8 June 10–12 Final exam days