Week

Date

Topic

Chapter/pages

1

8/23

Introduction to course, expectations, organization

2

8/28-30

Natural disasters and risk, population, location,

Energy sources of disasters, formation of the earth; plate boundaries and associated tectonic activity

August 30th: Partners assigned for plate tectonic project

1

2

3

9/4

9/6

Labor Day-School Holiday

Tectonic activity associated with plate boundaries (continued)

55-74

4

9/11-13

Plate tectonics and associated region: oral presentations: September 11^th and 13th

Essay due: September 11^th

5

9/18-20

The scientific method and the theory of plate tectonics

Exam # 1 (September 20^th): The Earth’s energy sources, creation of the earth, layers of the Earth, continental drift, plate tectonics, plate boundaries, hazard versus risk

3

6

9/25-27

Volcanoes: your predictions of what to expect and why?

Composition, viscosity, and explosivity

Volcanic landforms and characteristics

7

7

10/2-3

Volcanic hazards and risks; Mt. Pinatubo (movie), prediction of a volcanic eruption: precursors

Field trip: October 8^th; Pinnacles National Monument and Hollister

8

8

10/9-11

Finish information about volcanoes

Class exercise: Precursors and monitoring volcanoes; recovery and preparedness- Mt. Rainier

Handout

9

10/16

10/18

Exam # 2 (October 16^th): Includes all information presented in book, exercises, lecture and movies regarding volcanoes

Earthquakes, your prediction of what to expect and why? Faults and factors that produce earthquakes

Plate boundaries: stress, results- fault classification

78-88

128

136-139, 141

10

10/23-25

Convergent plate boundary- Pakistan , 2005 eq: Alaska , 1964 eq; Cascadia subduction zone-silent eqs;

Divergent plate boundary or areas of extension: Basin and Range; Southern California; East African Rift; Iceland

Transform plate boundary: Denali Fault, 2002 eq; San Andreas Fault-1857, 1906, 1989 eqs

116-121

122-123

140-143

151-154

123-136

11

10/30-11/1

Factors that control earthquakes

Seismicity; earthquake waves and measuring earthquakes

Class exercise: Locating an earthquake

Earth materials and earthquake hazards: Movie

Term paper due: November 1st

88-91

92-99

92-93

67, 78, 133-134

12

11/6-8

 Tsunami

Exam # 3 (November 8^th): faults, factors that produce earthquakes, seismic waves, measuring earthquakes, locating an earthquake. Alaska -1964 and 2002 earthquakes; Cascadia subduction zone-silent earthquakes; San Andreas Fault- 1857, 1906, 1989 earthquakes; characteristics of the SAF; Bay Area faults, earth material and earthquake hazards

106-112

13

11/13-15

Mexico City earthquake: movie. Ground material versus structure height; resonance; acceleration; structural design; building materials

72, 97-107, 118-119, figs. 5.5-7, 5.27

14

11/20

11/22

Non-structural hazards

Mitigation: retrofitting, earthquake resistant designs, building codes

Class cancelled

101-105

15

11/27-29

California earthquake legislation; insurance

16

12/4-6

Earthquake precursors Mitigation: long-term and short-term earthquake prediction; probability of an earthquake in California

Earthquake preparedness

Class field trip: structures surrounding SJSU

Figs. 5.4, 5.21

129, 414

100

handout

17

12/11

Monday

0945-1200

Exam # 4: includes all information presented in lecture, movies, exercises and book since the last exam