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An introductory course emphasising geological hazards in the natural environment such as volcanic activity, earthquakes and land instability. The course includes a one-day workshop and one day field visits relating to hazards affecting Christchurch and north Canterbury.
Course Content:Following a brief introduction to Geology and the concept of "hazard" and "risk", this course concentrates on environmental and social issues related to earth science. Lecture topics include geological concepts ancient and modern, meteorites and mass extinctions, volcanoes and volcanic hazards, earthquakes and earthquake hazards, slope instability, flooding and coastal hazards, urban development, impacts of mining, water resources, water quality, waste disposal and "climate change". Practical work consists of a one-day field trip in the Christchurch/North Canterbury area looking at natural hazards and environmental problems. What the course entails:Three lectures per week, a one-day workshop and a one-day field trip.What you need for this course:A broad interest in environmental issues but no experience in science is necessary.What this course gets you into:This is a general interest course but a pass in GEOL113 may substitute for one of the normal prerequisites, GEOL111 and GEOL112, needed to proceed to GEOL 200 courses.
Learning OutcomesStudents successfully completing this course should have a basic understanding of:the theory of plate tectonics and the structure of the Earth’s crust and interior;the nature, causes and effects of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions;the nature, causes and effects of landslides and river/coastal flooding;the nature of hazards, potential impacts on people, and mitigation techniques; andthe planning framework within which hazard management operates in New Zealand.
David Bell
Tim Davies , Jarg Pettinga and Jim Cole
Abbott, Patrick L; Natural disasters ; 6th ed; McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Brown, L. J. et al; Geology of the Christchurch urban area, scale 1:25 000 ; Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences, 1992.
Hyndman, Donald W. , Hyndman, David W; Natural hazards and disasters ; 2nd ed; Brooks/Cole, 2009.
Montgomery, Carla W; Environmental geology ; 7th ed; McGraw-Hill, 2006.
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Relationship of GEOL113 to other coursesGEOL113, Environmental Geohazards, is designed as a general interest paper that may add breadth to any degree and is suitable for students with no previous experience in either geology or other science subjects. It may be acceptable as a pre-requisite for 200-level Geology courses with the permission of the Head of Department if the student obtains a high grade in GEOL113, and has passed one of GEOL111 or GEOL112.Geohazards WorkshopAll students taking the course are required to attend a Workshop, which is tentatively scheduled for Saturday 15 August 2009; if enrolments are sufficiently high, the Workshop may be repeated on Sunday 16 August, and advice will be given during the course. The Workshop is designed to introduce students to techniques for identifying and managing geohazards, with emphasis on earthquake disaster mitigation. Both individual and group exercises will be undertaken, and some of them will be submitted on the day with the balance by Friday 21 August 2009 unless otherwise agreed. Students prevented from attending the Workshop due to illness should apply for consideration through the aegrotat process. Further information on the Workshop, including any background reading, will be provided in the week beginning 3 August 2009.Field Trip and ExercisesAll enrolled students are required to attend a 1-day field trip on either Saturday 12 or Sunday 13 September 2009, and to submit the associated assessable exercises. by 21 September 2009. The field trip will examine aspects of geological hazards in the Christchurch/North Canterbury area, with emphasis on land-use planning in relation to flooding and coastal hazards. There is a field excursion fee of $25 payable at enrolment. Additional information will be provided closer to the dates of the field trip.
Domestic fee $770.00
International fee $3,415.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Geological Sciences .