Introduction to Natural Hazards in the Asia-Pacific Region refers to the study of natural processes that have hazardous potential by combining understanding from geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and other subfields of Earth Sciences.  Such hazards include, but are not limited to, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires.

This course is aimed at upgrading knowledge and understanding of concepts related to natural hazards of Australia and neighboring countries and oceanic regions, which will be achieved by integration of lectures, laboratory practicals, field trips, and discussion sessions.

Single-day fieldtrip details (date, location) will be determined in consultation with all students on the first day of class and will subsequently be posted on the Wattle course site. Any fieldtrip will be less than 1 day duration and be free of cost to all students.

Laboratory exercises will help students learn the observational skills necessary for field excursions and the skills necessary for data compilation and interpretation necessary to develop an understanding of natural hazards.

Discussion sessions will focus on recent scientific findings published in peer-reviewed journals and will help students learn the skills necessary for critical thinking and analysis.

Please see more about this course and the Master of Natural Hazards at  http://naturalhazards.anu.edu.au/master/ and on the wattle course site.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the skills and confidence to understand the natural hazards of the Asia-Pacific region.

On completion of this course, students will have:

• an understanding of the major scientific principles of the most devastating natural hazards;
• an understanding of the factors associated with hazard and risk modeling and analysis; and
• a geologic understanding of the geographic distribution of natural hazards.

Assignments, reports on laboratory practicals, reports on field trips, presentations of scientific journal articles, discussion participation, final paper

Laboratory practicals, lectures, two one-day field trips

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