Week

Date

Topic

Chapter/  pages

1

8/24

Introduction to course, expectations, organization

2

8/29-31

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

9/5-7

Tectonic activity associated with plate boundaries (continued)

55-74

4

9/12-14

Plate tectonics and associated region: oral presentations: September 12^th and 14^th  

5

9/19-21

The scientific method and the theory of plate tectonics

Exam # 1 (September 21^st ): The Earth’s energy sources, creation of the earth, layers of the Earth, continental drift, plate tectonics, plate boundaries, hazard versus risk

3

6

9/26-28

Volcanoes: your predictions of what to expect and why?

Composition, viscosity, and explosivity

Volcanic landforms and characteristics

7

7

10/3-5

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

8

8

10/10-12

Finish information about volcanoes

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

Field trip: October 15^th; Pinnacles National Monument and Hollister (Section 2)

Handout

9

9

10/17

10/19

Exam # 2 (October 17^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

Field trip: October 21^st; Pinnacles National Monument and Hollister (Section 3)

78-88

128

136-139, 141

10

10/24-26

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

10/31-11/2

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 2^nd

88-91

92-99

92-93

67, 78, 133-134

12

11/7-9

 Tsunami

Exam # 3 (November 9th): 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

11/14-16

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

11/21

11/23

Non-structural hazards

Mitigation: retrofitting, earthquake resistant designs, building codes

Happy Thanksgiving!

101-105

15

11/28-30

California earthquake legislation; insurance

16

12/5-7

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

Section 2

12/11: 0715-0930

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

17

Section 3

12/12: 0945-1200

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