4.00 Credits
Geologic hazards include well-known catastrophic events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides, as well as lesser known processes such as soil expansion, land subsidence and ground failure. Economically, the latter process have a much greater impact each year than the more notorious geologic events. Reviews geologic hazards from a historical and scientific perspective. It describes relevant geologic processes, how geologic evidence is used to identify regions at risk, monitoring procedures and the role of the scientist in predicting catastrophic geologic events. Prehistoric and historic events are used to illustrate the temporal and spatial scales of geologic hazards. Prerequisite: junior standing.