MS 286: Graduate Seminar - Coastal and Marine Geohazards

Dr. H. Gary Greene
E-Mail: greene@mlml.calstate.edu
Phone: (831) 633-7264

No required texts
Optional readings will be assigned during class
Course evaluation based on:

Active participation in class and on field trips (50%)
Class projects; abstract, short paper and presentation (50%)

In this seminar, the causes of catastrophic geologic events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, cliff collapse and coastal erosion will be examined, and methods and technologies will be used to identify and delineate potential and past geohazards. We will examine catastrophic geologic events in the field and at sea, and discuss the relationships to plate tectonic processes. The seminar will address student interests in understanding geological processes in coastal and marine environments.

Schedule

Week 1 Introduction and orientation. Discussion of projects. Plate Tectonics

Week 2 Faults, earthquakes and tsunamis

Week 3 Earthquake hazards, prediction and preparation

Week 4 Volcanism, geysers and hydrothermal vents

Week 5 Landslides - project identification

Week 6 Field trip - landslides, all day

Week 7 Geophysical techniques - seafloor imagery, side scan sonar

Week 8 Geophysical techniques - seismic reflection profiling

Week 9 No class - away to Baja

Week 10 No class - Spring Break

Week 11 Class cruise

Week 12 Interpretation of class cruise data

Week 13 Oil and gas seeps

Week 14 Coastal erosion, flooding; project progress

Week 15 Contaminant pathways, salt water intrusion

Week 16 Glaciations and ice disturbance

Week 17 Dredging and waste disposal

Week 18 Class presentations

 

 

 

 

 

 

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