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GEOL 114: Earth's Natural Disasters

An introduction to the causes and effects of natural disasters, in Canada and around the world. The course surveys the geologic (solid earth, oceanic and atmospheric) understanding of hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, avalanches and floods, hurricanes and tornadoes, droughts and wildfires, extraterrestrial impacts and mass extinctions. The history and socio-economic effects, as well as possible prediction and risk management, are studied in light of the human capacity/requirement for stewardship of our planet Earth.