Select one of these modules to begin:

Earthquakes   Landslides   Tsunamis   Volcanoes   Wildfires

Introduction

Help and contacts    Course content    Getting around    Assessment     Acknowledgements

Help and Contacts

As a student at Massey University you are encouraged to contact the teaching staff responsible for this course at any time (via email, telephone or by post) to ask questions about the course and your progress.
On-line teaching and learning allows you to access course material and interact with your teachers wherever you are and whenever you want. We hope you enjoy the experience!

Please also feel free to contact us with your comments about this site and any suggestions you might have on how we might improve it!

Course Content

People study hazards for many reasons. They may have a basic interest in the Earth’s processes and therefore wish to understand more about how natural events originate, or they may wish to learn more about how individuals and societies react to hazardous events and what can be done to reduce the loss of life and property from future events. When studying a course such as this, we need to appreciate that volcanic eruptions, landslides, earthquakes and tsunamis are events that occur naturally, and that it is the interaction of humans with the physical environment that creates "hazard". Hazards will therefore always exist because human systems cannot operate independently of geophysical and biophysical systems. Since we cannot prevent these natural events from occurring, we must learn how to cope with disaster, through proper understanding of these events, what causes them, and how we may reduce the effects of their impact. This course examines the nature and causes of geologic hazards and what can be done to mitigate the loss arising from these events. It is delivered as a series of modules, covering the major geologic hazards and some of the social aspects of risk management.

Getting Around

Getting around the site is simple. There is a main menu bar which will take you to the beginning of each module. There is also a second menu bar showing the contents of each module. Use this to move around within each module. Within each module there are hyperlinks which take you to useful related pages within other modules or to other related web sites. Some of these web sites have superb animations so you should check them out!

Final Examination:

There will be a three (3) hour final examination.

Note: at the end of each module are Revision Questions and Recommended Readings. The revision questions are there to help you assess your progress in the course. We recommend that you attempt to answer all of these questions. We will not assess you on these, but you are welcome to email your answers to staff for checking. If you cannot answer them, then you might wish to contact one of us for some help in understanding the material. We expect and strongly advise you to read the ‘Recommended Readings’ as these will help you develop more fully the ideas presented in the modules.

Please note that the index to pages within each module is at the top and bottom of each page, and the links between modules are in the animated menu at the top and bottom of each page.

(To go forward or back, you may also use your browser's forward and back buttons.)

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