I teach a range of classes from the introductory undergraduate level to graduate courses. In all of my classes, whenever possible, I try to incorporate field trips, experiments, and observational datasets.
Earth 11: Earthquakes
This asynchronous, online general education course covers how we measure, mitigate, and try to forecast earthquakes. We discuss tectonic plate motion, frictional faulting, earthquake triggering, wave propagation, earthquake damage, related hazards, and other social effects. Finally, we cover hazard reduction through earthquake forecasting and earthquake-resistant design.
Earth 109: Elements of Field Geology
This introduction to field geology includes instruction in how to use topographic maps and Brunton compasses, how to identify and describe rocks, analyze geologic maps and create structural cross-sections, and how to recognize landslides in the field. The class includes five weekend field trips including two weekend-long camping trips.
Earth 126: Geomechanics
This upper level undergraduate course integrates rock mechanics, geophysics, fluid flow, and geology to quantify stress state in the subsurface. We cover a range of topics including: basic constitutive laws for stress and strain, tectonic stress fields, the effects of fluids on rock and fault strength, natural and human-induced hydrofracture, human-induced seismicity, drilling techniques for determining subsurface physical rock properties, and fault zones drilling.
Earth 274: Crustal Deformation
This is a graduate level course that focuses on the deformation processes in the Earth’s crust and upper mantle. We discuss fundamental theories of stress and strain, brittle fracture, friction, ductile deformation and flow laws, earthquake processes, faults and shear zones, scaling lab-derived measurements to tectonic plate scale.
