Please share ideas for teaching about risks and policy choices for living with earthquake hazards.
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Earthquake Hazards Risk and Policy
Chris Lewis
Mar, 2012
This post was edited by Phuoc Huynh on Dec, 2016
I've only recently begun teaching about earthquakes from a risk and policy perspective as opposed to from a purely scientific approach. Last year, I compiled some USGS data on earthquakes. I have two slides, one showing the largest magnitude earthquakes since 1900 and the other showing those with the greatest loss of life (>50,000). Students are surprised that its often not the largest earthquakes that cause the most loss of life. This leads into a discussion of building practices, technologies, policies and other factors that increase the risk from earthquakes. Video clips (the older Nova videos, including the one comparing Kobe to Northridge) also underscore some of these factors.
A 10-15 minute video I used in my environmental geology class this spring that discusses estimating the likelihood and preparing for the next big quake on the Hayward fault can be found at: science.kqed.org/quest/video/the-hayward-fault-predictable-peril/ I told students to be cognizant of who's being interviewed and how they may or not be biased in their opinions.
I've only recently begun teaching about earthquakes from a risk and policy perspective as opposed to from a purely scientific approach. Last year, I compiled some USGS data on earthquakes. I have two slides, one showing the largest magnitude earthquakes since 1900 and the other showing those with the greatest loss of life (>50,000). Students are surprised that its often not the largest earthquakes that cause the most loss of life. This leads into a discussion of building practices, technologies, policies and other factors that increase the risk from earthquakes. Video clips (the older Nova videos, including the one comparing Kobe to Northridge) also underscore some of these factors.
A 10-15 minute video I used in my environmental geology class this spring that discusses estimating the likelihood and preparing for the next big quake on the Hayward fault can be found at: science.kqed.org/quest/video/the-hayward-fault-predictable-peril/ I told students to be cognizant of who's being interviewed and how they may or not be biased in their opinions.
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