Title

Geological & Geotechnical Hazards

Course code

GEOLGH1

Course coordinator

Professor Bill McGuire

Other contributors

Dr. Chris Kilburn, Dr. Simon Day, Dr. Steve Edwards plus guest tutors

Aims

Provide an introduction to geological and geotechnical hazards, their impacts and consequences, and the Earth processes and mechanisms that underpin them

Outcomes

Understanding the processes and mechanisms that cause geological and geotechnical hazards in the context of potential impacts on people, infrastructure and wealth concentrations

Content

• Seismic risk: causes of earthquakes, measuring earthquakes, importance of geological data, earthquake hazards, building vulnerability and performance, anti-seismic design, hazard and risk assessment, zoning, monitoring and forecasting, loss modelling, earthquake bonds, risk to critical facilities
• Volcanic risk: hazard types and mechanisms, monitoring and forecasting, mitigation and management, insurance aspects, medical issues
• Landslides: mechanisms and hazard, monitoring and forecasting, engineering aspects, management and mitigation
• Subsidence
• Contaminated land
• Dam and reservoir safety
• Radioactive waste issues
• Ground water hazards: water-table rise beneath major cities, pollution issues

Term(s)

1

Credit

20

Exam

1 x 2 Hour seen paper (80 percent)

Coursework

2 x exercises (20 percent)

Contact time (total)

200

Taught

56

Study

144

Prerequisites

None