Volcanoes!

Quick Facts about GEOSC 30

• Instructor: Dr. Christelle Wauthier
• Course Structure: 6 Online modules with do-at-home labs
• Overview:

  Since the dawning of history, humankind has been faced with the destructive power of volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions can wipe out entire populations, destroy food supplies, and alter the Earth’s climate for years at a time. At the same time, volcanoes provide fertile soil for growing crops and natural geothermal energy. This course uses virtual field trips to one pre-historic and five historic volcanic eruptions to introduce basic concepts in geosciences and volcanology. Each visits a different type of volcano with unique characteristics and impacts – a shield volcano, a cinder cone, a fissure, a stratovolcano, a lava dome, and a supervolcano. We will examine the tectonic driving forces behind these volcanoes as well as their hazards and environmental impacts. You will use real data from active volcanoes, as well as original data collected during home laboratory experiments, to monitor volcanic activity, calculate physical properties of magmas and to interpret the potential impacts of various volcanic hazards.