NATURAL  DISASTERS
ERTH-4961/ -6962

Fall 2009

 

Announcements (last update 11-23-2009)

11/23 Assignment 6 is online (see below)

11/16 New reading assignment

11/16 The final is to be held on Friday Dec. 18 from 3-6pm

10/26 Article about magma chamber under Washington State (thanks to Anastasia)

9/30 Sumatra earthquake

9/29 Earthquake and tsunami in Samoa; USGS

9/28 Written assignments: they should be submitted in both hard copy and electronic forms. I request PDF format for the electronic submissions. The file name should be of the form first_author_last_name_paper1.pdf  (for example mccaffrey_paper1.pdf). Email them to mccafr@rpi.edu by the submission date/time. Hard copies can be placed in my mailbox (in 1W19 Science Center), handed in class, or under my door (2C01Science Center) if I am not in. The electronic copy is the ‘official’ version and should be submitted on time.

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An overview of natural disasters focusing on earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, landslides, avalanches, sinkholes, meteorites, weather, and river flooding. The course will consist of lectures on the various phenomena and case studies. Discussion will focus on how and why natural disasters occur and how we interact with our environment to make them less or more destructive. Students will be required to write short essays on each of approximately six to ten topics and mid-term and final exams will be given (4 credit hours).

For additional information send E-MAIL to:   mccafr@rpi.edu

Instructor:   R. McCaffrey    Email  

Office: 2C01 Science Center (inside office)  Hours: Monday 2-3; Thursday 10-11; or email for appointment

Class Time: 12:00pm - 1:50pm Mondays/Thursdays

Place: 2C25 Science Center

Teaching assistant: Karen Merrill       Email

Office: MRC 316    Hours: Monday 11-12, Tuesday 2-3, Wednesday 9-10              

Textbook: Natural Hazards: Earth’s Processes as Hazards, Disasters and Catastrophes by Edward A. Keller and Robert H. Blodgett, 2^nd edition, Prentice Hall

Syllabus (pdf)

Lecture schedule (pdf) (updated 11-17-09)

Lectures (Powerpoint files; password protected)

Lecture 1 – Introduction

Lecture 2 – Statistics, Plate Tectonics

Lecture 3 – Plate tectonics

Lecture 4 – Earthquakes

Guest lecture 1 – Dr. Sasanakul’s presentation on the centrifuge and levees (pdf)

Guest lecture 2 – Prof. Symans’ presentation on shake tables (pdf)

Lecture 5 – Tsunamis

Lecture 6 – Volcanoes

Lecture 7 – Rivers and Flooding

Guest lecture 3 – Prof. Watson’s presentation on nuclear waste and hazards (pdf)

Review 1

Lecture 8 – Mass wasting and Landslides

Lecture 9 - Subsidence

Lecture 10 - Weather

Guest lecture 4 – Ed Levine – NOAA; Katrina (pdf)

Lecture 11 - Cyclones

 

Homework assignments

How to write a paper

Assignment 1

Assignment 2

Assignment 3

Assignment 4

Assignment 5

Assignment 6

 

 

Reading assignments

Aug. 31 – Chapters 1 and 2; USGS Hazards Page

Sept. 17 – Chapter 3; Sumatra tsunami study

Sept. 21 – PSHA Primer

Sept. 28 – Chapter 4; Pinatubo eruption; USGS account

Oct. 5 – look up accounts of Samoa and Sumatra disasters

Oct. 13 – Chapters 5 and 6

Nov. 5 – Chapters 7 and 8

Nov. 16 – Chapters 9 and 10

 

 

 

URL:http://www.rpi.edu/~mccafr/nd/

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