Postgraduate Course: Understanding Earthquakes (PGGE11230)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course, closely focussed on the needs of humanitarian, emergency response and government professionals, provides Masters-level knowledge of earthquake science and access to a wealth of information available online in relation to earthquake hazards emphasising management and planning-relevant aspects. Students will develop their understanding of contemporary earthquake science and its usefulness and limitations in practical management of preparation and mitigation, response and recovery. |
| Course description |
The Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction emphasises the importance of understanding the scientific evidence base in the better management of natural hazards. Professionals in the humanitarian, emergency response and government sectors, who are generally very poorly informed about current earthquake science, are increasingly exposed to scientific information of variable quality that has direct relevance to operational decision-making. This course aims to provide a user-facing view of this science focused on the key aspects of the field judged most useful in preparing these professionals to deal with the data, media and scientific information available to support (or hinder) decision-making.
The course will cover key skills and knowledge and be comprehensively illustrated using a series of contemporary case studies aimed at developing a critical appreciation of the potential of earthquake science to assist in hazard, vulnerability and risk management.
Student will be introduced to:
- An overview of current international directives and frameworks for disaster risk reduction
- Reliable sources of earthquake data and information
- Plate tectonics, structural geology and the distribution of earthquake hazard
- Basic seismology and features of earthquake seismograms
- Concepts of earthquake magnitude and intensity and the information required to assess seismic hazard, vulnerability and risk
- Computation and understanding earthquake focal mechanisms and earthquake geometry
- Seismological, geodetic and joint inversions of earthquake slip distributions
- Contemporary concepts of earthquake forecasting illustrated with a series of examples, aimed at developing a critical understanding of forecast quality
- Earthquake recurrence, clustering, the seismic cycle (and supercycle) and the seismic gap
- The techniques of statistical forecasting focusing using established scaling relationships and leading to a critical appreciation of the value of such forecasts
- Physics based forecasting an interaction stress modelling
- Techniques for operational aftershock forecasting
- Problems of communicating earthquake information emphasising the potential of and pitfalls associated with operational forecasting, uncertainty and the 'black swan'
Throughout, the course emphasises the development of critical appreciation of earthquake relevant information illustrated by direct manipulation of original data and by reference to case studies in which the course team, and a network of contributing international experts, have had personal involvement. These will include: Sumatra, Haiti, L'Aquila, New Zealand and Nepal.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Block 1 (Sem 1) |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 30,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
146 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework: 100%«br /»
«br /»
Statistical Earthquake forecasting exercise: 30%«br /»
Critical assessment of media coverage: 20%«br /»
Pseudo-real-time response exercise: 50% |
| Feedback |
Written feedback will be provided on 3 of the practical exercises undertaken early in the course.
Students will have weekly tutorials to work through problems and discuss progress.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand earthquake processes against the current knowledge of plate tectonics and seismology
- Understand critically how current earthquake science constrains earthquake risk in space and time
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of operational earthquake science
- Relate operational responses to scientific understanding of earthquakes
- Use case studies to illsutrate the role of science in the reduction of the impact of earthquakes
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Reading List
Bolt, B.A., 2006, Earthquakes W.H. Freeman.
Fowler C.M.R., 2005, The solid earth: and introduction to global geophysics Cambridge University Press
Lowrie, W. 2007 Fundamentals of Geophysics Cambridge University Press
Mussett A.E. and M. Aftab Khan 2000 Looking into the earth: and introduction to geological geophysics Cambridge University press |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Professional development for humanitarian NGO staff working in the field of disaster management and recovery to support operational procedures in earthquake response and management. |
| Keywords | Earthquake Science,Emergency Response |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof John Mccloskey
Tel:
Email: John.McCloskey@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Susie Crocker
Tel: (0131 6)51 7126
Email: Susie.Crocker@ed.ac.uk |
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