Volcanoes & Earthquakes – Geology 1003

Course Description

Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes can be incredibly powerful and destructive natural phenomena: In the last 100 years, worldwide some 2 million people have died in, and hundreds of billions of dollars of damage been done by, eruptions and earthquakes, and with rapidly increasing global population such losses will only increase. Hundreds of millions of people are at risk from eruptions and earthquakes (for example, about 10% of the world's population lives in the vicinity of an active volcano); a giant earthquake can kill hundreds of thousands of people, and a super-volcano eruption has the potential to kill tens of millions, cause climate change, and perhaps result in the extinction of species. So the critical questions are:

• Where and why do volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur?
• What happens during an eruption and an earthquake?
• How do we measure the size of eruptions and earthquakes, and how often do the largest and most devastating eruptions and earthquakes occur?
• Can eruptions and earthquakes be predicted?
• How can the damaging and deadly effects of eruptions and earthquakes be mitigated?

The Volcanoes & Earthquakes course (for non-science majors) will answer these questions - and more! The origins, processes, power, and destruction of volcanoes and earthquakes are discussed, and along the way some fundamental principles of geology and the unifying theory of plate tectonics are covered.

Volcanoes & Earthquakes fulfills 3 credit-hours of the General Education (non-lab) physical science requirement.

• Offered: Fall and Spring Semesters as a lecture course (GEOL 1003/001) and as an on-line course (GEOL 1003/995).
• Also offered as an on-line course at December, May, and August intersession (GEOL 1003/850).

Copyright B. L. Weaver