Course Description

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS, GEO 004

4 Units, Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 001A or equivalent (may be taken concurrently). Application of basic principles of climate and geology to recognition of natural hazards and their mitigation. Topics include fires, freezes, floods, winds, landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis. Emphasis is on confronting hazards of concern to home-buyers, planners, and conservationists in the western United States, especially southern California.

Key Information

Credit: 4 quarter units / 2.67 semester units credit
UC Riverside, Earth Sciences

Course Credit:

Upon successful completion, all online courses offered through cross-enrollment provide UC unit credit. Some courses are approved for GE, major preparation and/or, major credit or can be used as a substitute for a course at your campus.

If "unit credit" is listed by your campus, consult your department, academic adviser or Student Affairs division to inquire about the petition process for more than unit credit for the course.

UC Berkeley:
Unit Credit

UC Davis:
Course Equivalence: UCD GEL 017 Earthquakes and Other Earth Hazards
General Education: SE, SL.

UC Irvine:
Course Equivalence: Shared Equivalency with UCI - PUBHLTH 90
General Education: II – Science and Technology

UC Los Angeles:
General Education: Physical Science non-lab

UC Merced:
General Education: SSHA Natural Science GE without lab, if combined (see your advisor) 
Units toward degree (see your advisor)

UC Riverside:
Course Equivalence: UCR GEO 004
General Education: A. California Concentration
Major Preparation: Geocience Education

UC San Diego:
General Education: Revelle - 1 Natural Science; Warren - May be counted depending on major/PofC; TMC 1 course toward lower division disciplinary breadth if noncontiguous to major; Sixth -1 course towards Analytic Methodologies, Seventh - 1 course towards Alternatives - Natural Sciences and Engineering; ERC 1 course natural science; Muir: 1 course in a Natural Sciences theme in Chemistry, Physics, and the Environment"

UC San Francisco:
Unit Credit

UC Santa Barbara:
General Education: Area C-Science, Mathematics, and Technology

UC Santa Cruz:
General Education: SI

Course Fees

Cross campus and non-UC students may need to pay for online proctoring during exams ($15-30 per exam).

More About The Course

We will be working on activities that may require a ruler and calculator.

Course Creators

Lisa Grant Ludwig
Professor Lisa Grant Ludwig
My research group addresses natural hazards and disasters from a geologic perspective, with emphasis on earthquakes. Earthquakes are a major threat to public health. We focus on defining the potential for large earthquakes, and working collaboratively on developing forecasts, hazard models and effective responses. Results of our work are applied for disaster preparedness planning, structural design, land-use planning, seismic risk assessment and public education about earthquake hazard.
My research group addresses natural hazards and disasters from a geologic perspective, with emphasis on earthquakes. Earthquakes are a major threat to public health. We focus on defining the potential for large earthquakes, and working collaboratively on developing forecasts, hazard models and effective responses. Results of our work are applied for disaster preparedness planning, ...

Professor Lisa Grant Ludwig
My research group addresses natural hazards and disasters from a geologic perspective, with emphasis on earthquakes. Earthquakes are a major threat to public health. We focus on defining the potential for large earthquakes, and working collaboratively on developing forecasts, hazard models and effective responses. Results of our work are applied for disaster preparedness planning, structural design, land-use planning, seismic risk assessment and public education about earthquake hazard.

David Oglesby
David Oglesby received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1999. Oglesby develops computer models of the forces acting on faults that develop into fault ruptures and fault slippage, and the transmission of seismic waves from slipping faults. His modeling predicts the wave propagation and ground motion caused by different faults. He can answer how and why faults slip, causing earthquakes. His recent projects included developing ground motion forecasts for the Rose Canyon Fault in San Diego and computer models of earthquakes on segments of thrust faults. David Oglesby received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1999. Oglesby develops computer models of the forces acting on faults that develop into fault ruptures and fault slippage, and the transmission of seismic waves from slipping faults. His modeling predicts the wave propagation and ground motion caused by different faults. He can answer how and why faults slip, ...

David Oglesby received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1999. Oglesby develops computer models of the forces acting on faults that develop into fault ruptures and fault slippage, and the transmission of seismic waves from slipping faults. His modeling predicts the wave propagation and ground motion caused by different faults. He can answer how and why faults slip, causing earthquakes. His recent projects included developing ground motion forecasts for the Rose Canyon Fault in San Diego and computer models of earthquakes on segments of thrust faults.

Corrie Neighbors
Corrie Neighbors received her PhD from the University of California, Riverside in 2015 and has been teaching at the university level since 2005.  Corrie is an observational seismologist, traveling to tectonically active regions (e.g., U.S., Mexico, Chile, etc.) to install seismic instruments.  Through her research and the research conducted by the greater seismic and engineering community, we may better understand earthquake processes and seismic hazard to mitigate damage from future earthquakes.   Corrie Neighbors received her PhD from the University of California, Riverside in 2015 and has been teaching at the university level since 2005.  Corrie is an observational seismologist, traveling to tectonically active regions (e.g., U.S., Mexico, Chile, etc.) to install seismic instruments.  Through her research and the research conducted by the greater seismic and engineering community, we ...

Corrie Neighbors received her PhD from the University of California, Riverside in 2015 and has been teaching at the university level since 2005.  Corrie is an observational seismologist, traveling to tectonically active regions (e.g., U.S., Mexico, Chile, etc.) to install seismic instruments.  Through her research and the research conducted by the greater seismic and engineering community, we may better understand earthquake processes and seismic hazard to mitigate damage from future earthquakes.  

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