UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULA IN NATURAL CATASTROPHES: THE CASCADIA EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMI SUITE

We have developed five related case studies organized around understanding the potential for large earthquakes and tsunamis and their impact in the Cascadia region of North America. The case studies are designed for undergraduates taking lower level geology, environmental science, geophysics, or hazards courses. Students use GIS applications and Google Earth for organizing, manipulating, and analyzing data. The materials include complete datasets and GIS instructions for both MyWorld GIS and ArcGIS. Model animations and videos accessed through the GIS tools help students visualize the processes at work. Each case study is designed for one to two lab periods. The five case studies are designed for flexibility of use. All five can be used in a logical sequence as a complete package; however, each is self-contained, and can be used by itself or in combination with one or more other case studies. The first unit contains investigations of the seismicity and plate deformations over the shallow subduction zone associated with the great Sumatran earthquake of 2004 and the accompanying tsunami. The unit can be used by itself as a study of that event; alternatively, it serves to frame any or all of the other investigations. In the second unit, students use GPS data to determine plate deformation patterns using basic algebra and trigonometry, and discover that strain accumulation over a locked portion of the shallow Cascadian subduction zone is similar to what has preceded great earthquakes at other subduction zones in the past. In the third unit, students explore the stratigraphic evidence from Cascadian estuaries for repeated collapse of the coastal region in the past, pointing to a succession of great earthquakes, each followed by catastrophic tsunami inundation. The fourth unit is devoted to analysis of the consequences of a great Cascadian earthquake and tsunami on a small Oregon coastal community. The fifth unit involves investigations of seismic hazard associated with the Seattle Fault Zone and consequences of a scenario M7+ earthquake on Seattle’s “lifelines.” The units are available for easy download at www.scieds.com/, along with full unit descriptions and instructions for use.