Geology of Natural Hazards

Natural hazards will affect most of us at some point in our lives. We will investigate spectacular hazards, like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, and hazards that are far less dramatic, but no less dangerous, like floods and coastal erosion. This course will help us understand why natural hazards occur, how we measure and predict them, and how we mitigate them. You will find that the concepts from this course draw on knowledge and approaches from many disciplines, including big data and statistics, ethics, and communication. Get ready for an interdisciplinary exploration of the geologic, hydrologic, and atmospheric processes that impact humans and the environment in catastrophic ways!