Dynamic Earth and Natural Disasters

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course focuses on Earth processes involved in the formation and reshaping of the land surface and the oceans and how these relate to major natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The plate tectonics framework of a dynamic Earth is central to the discussion as it relates to the occurrence of surface structures on a regional and global scale. Processes of rock deformation including faulting, fracturing and folding in the Earth’s crust are discussed. Topics covered in this course encompass compressional settings such as the Cascades and Alaska, extensional settings including the Basin and Range Province, transform settings such as the San Andreas Fault and hotspots including Hawai’i, Iceland and Yellowstone.