Natural Hazards
...living with uncertainty
Geological Sciences 147, Winter 1999
Lecture: Tues Thurs, 2:30-4:00 , in Room: 3540 CC Little Bldg.
Prof: Larry Ruff, 763-9301, e-mail: ruff@umich.edu, office: 4518A CC Little
Office hour: Wed 1-2 (4518 CC Little), or by appt.
web pages: "http://www.geo.lsa.umich.edu/~ruff/"
this web page: "http://www.geo.lsa.umich.edu/~ruff/geo147.W99/overview.html",
Book: main text, Natural Disasters, by Patrick Abbott
Grading: based on a combination of quizzes, exercises, mid-term, and --most important-- your final project presentation and paper.
Click for overall course gradesTentative Schedule
| Theme (Reading) |
Tues >>topic | Thurs >>topic |
| intro | Jan 7: intro | |
| intro & EQs | Jan 12: | Jan 14: intro to Plate Tectonics & EQ hazards. |
| Tectonics & Earthquakes (Chapts 2-4) |
Jan 19: Tectonics & EQs | Jan 21: Earthquakes |
| Earthquakes (Chapts 5-6) |
Jan 26: earthquakes | Jan 28: earthquakes |
| Volcanos (Chapt 7) |
Feb 2: Subduction Zone Volcanos | Feb 4: Hotspot Volcanos |
| Landslides (Chapt 8) |
Feb 9: landlsides... | Feb 11: ...and mitigation The landslide problem |
| Climate (Chapt 9) |
Feb 16: atmospheric circ. | Feb 18: influences Greenhouse: | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| ...to weather (Chapt 10) |
Feb 23: hurricanes & more | Feb 25: Student group presentations. The landslide problem is DUE today |
| spring break | ||
| Floods (Chapt 11) |
Mar 9: floods | Mar 11: ...mitigation Introduction to the Hazards Aanlysis problem |
| Floods (Chapt 12) |
Mar 16: tsunamis | Mar 18: ...mitigation The Hazards Aanlysis problem is DUE today |
| Fire (Chapt 13) |
Mar 23: fires | Mar 25: Presentations by student groups |
| Extinction (Chapt 14) |
Mar 30: fossil record | Apr 1: discussion of mass extinction Table 1: plate tectonics, Table 2: volcanos etc., Table 3: bio causes intro to Impact Problem Description of the "Gamblers Ruin" exercise (everyone starts with 20 species, coin flip determines +1 or -1 at each time step, just count time steps until species count first hits zero.) |
| impacts (Chapt 15) |
Apr 6: impact history Compilation of results of the Gamblers Ruin exercise |
Apr 8: discussion of impacts ** Impact Problem is due NEXT Tues ** |
| beyond impacts (Chapt 16) |
Apr 13: population dynamics ** Impact Problem is DUE TODAY ** |
Apr 15: our future? Three discussion groups: (1) Easter Is, (2) Demographic trans. (3) Middle East |
| Return to theme | Apr 20: living with uncertainty | Wed April 21: 12-2 pm Student Presentations (see above for groups & topics) |
| Student Presentations | Apr 27 (4-6 pm): presentations (see above for groups & topics) |
