This undergraduate level course examines the causes, effects, and options available to mitigate natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, subsidence, flooding, severe weather, and meteorite impacts. A brief course description links to course lecture notes, homework exercises, and a list of other natural disaster information sites on the World Wide Web. Full description.

This site offers the online version of a book published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It is intended to provide a brief introduction to the concept of plate tectonics, highlighting some of the people and discoveries that advanced the development of the theory. It is the companion volume to the map, 'This Dynamic Planet', which shows the locations of major volcanic belts, fault systems, ... Full description.

This United States Geological Survey (USGS) on-line publication highlights the events and aftermath of the June 15, 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, which was the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. This report discusses the precursors to the 1991 eruption including the occurrence of earthquakes, dome growth and steam emissions. The explosive eruptions from June ... Full description.

At this site, users can read and view pictures and videos that explain the mechanisms that trigger tsunamis, how they travel across great distances of the ocean, and what damage they cause. Full description.

This resource is a journal article about the impacts of minerals on human health. The article presents three recent examples of medical geology studies that illustrate the impacts of minerals and trace elements on human health. Topics covered include exposure to asbestos and soil fungus, hydroxylapatite (the mineral in bones), and exposure to toxic levels of trace elements. Full description.

This activity is designed to help students understand how a seismograph records the ground motion that accompanies an earthquake and other events that cause ground shaking. Full description.

Through the Project Impact initiative, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) have formed a National Partnership in part aimed at providing multi-hazard maps and information to U.S. residents, business owners, schools, community groups, and local governments via the Internet. The primary attraction of this portal to geographic knowledge is ... Full description.

These two programs are available for free download from this website. Also included is the technical information users might need to have the program running in the classroom, including how to update the database of earthquakes. Seismic/eruption is a program that plots the epicenter of all earthquakes within a time period, geographic region, and magnitude chosen by the user. This program also does ... Full description.

This site contains photographs, video, and an online diary made by Dr. Jose Borrero of the University of Southern California Tsunami research group, who visited the Aceh province of Northern Sumatra, one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami and earthquake, just days after the disaster occurred. Full description.

This site explores the dual faces of Mother Nature in Hawaii by examining four powerful forces (volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes), focusing on the disastrous impacts as well as lessons of hope and renewal. For each type of disaster, there are explanations of making predictions, types of damage, warning systems, emergency preparation, and survival stories. There are volcano and tsunami ... Full description.