EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS

This course will first introduce the basic elements of Earth Sciences which are a prerequisite for seismic hazard studies. A special focus will be put on the behavior of active faults which are at the origin of major earthquakes.

The course will continue with the fundamental aspects of earthquake and tsunami hazard assessment. Then, different approaches allowing to anticipate ground shaking caused by earthquakes will be presented (early warning systems, prevision/simulation of ground motion).

This will be followed by the introduction of methods allowing assessment of the impact of earthquakes, as well as approaches which can be used to mitigate those effects. Finally, case studies will be used for practical exercises and project development.

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• describe the fundamental processes giving rise to earthquakes and tsunamis
• analyse and map the seismic risk for a region
• develop a land planning mitigation strategy

This module is project-oriented and includes a mixture of theory and practical work.

Theory: Fundamental Processes, Mitigation Strategies, Early Warning Systems.

Practical work: Case Studies.

• Basic notions of Earth Sciences required for earthquakes hazard studies (Geology and Seismology)
• Active (seismogenic) faults
• Seismic and tsunami hazards, methods of assessment
• Prevision / simulation of earthquake shaking and early warning systems
• Mitigation: from building/structure response to risk assessment
• Case studies