MSc Geohazard Assessment

Institution University of Portsmouth, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Method At the institution
Location Portsmouth
Type Masters

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MSc Geohazard Assessment

Objectives The aim of the course is to train earth scientists and engineers in state-of-the-art techniques for the identification and assessment of geological hazards. Such training will enable graduates to pursue careers in UK or overseas dealing with risk assessments of hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides. The course was designed to meet the criteria for hazard reduction and mitigation put forward as part of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.
Academic title MSc Geohazard Assessment
Course description Units
This course content consists of a series of core and optional taught units covering a range of techniques and geological hazards topics. Units include:

Volcanology
Aspects of volcanology including the distribution of volcanoes on the Earth, the principal types of volcanic eruption and their products; important types of volcanic hazards and their effects; and the relationship between volcanic hazards and particular types of eruptions.

Seismology
How seismic effects result in catastrophic earthquake shaking and their effects in terms of geological hazards.

Catastrophic Geologic Events
The occurrence and nature of large magnitude natural phenomena including concepts of what turns catastrophic geological events from phenomena into hazards and to disasters.

Landslide Hazard Analysis
Landslides and slope instability including landslide mechanisms, classification schemes and the field identification of different landslide types. Description and examples of the geotechnical, computational and spatial slope stability analysis techniques that can be employed.

Geoscience Risk Analysis
Concepts of risk, hazard and vulnerability within the geosciences, including the analysis, assessment and management of risk using deterministic and probabilistic methods. Qualitative and field based approaches to risk and hazard assessment.

Rock and Soil Mechanics
The description, classification and characterization of rocks and soils using field based and laboratory methods.

Remote Sensing and GIS
The use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing techniques and their application in the geosciences and natural hazard assessments.

Groundwater Hydrology
Concepts of groundwater occurrence and movement. Issues affecting the quality and quantity of water resources available within aquifers. The importance of aquifer protection and legal responsibilities.

Geohazard Data Modelling
Analytical methods for the analysis of geological hazards and software to solve the associated spatially complex problems.

Geohazard Management and Remediation
Methods of identifying and managing geological hazards, including the main techniques for direct and indirect (remote) investigation and the use of appropriate remediation and mitigation schemes.

Topics in Applied Geosciences
Case histories of recent assessments of geological hazards. Field assessment of geological hazards and field description of rock and soil material.

Dissertation Thesis
The dissertation project provides an opportunity to undertake an original piece of independent research on a topic that reflects a student’s individual interests in geological hazards