Assignment:
Create a geologic hazard assessment of the place where you live, starting with the county in which you live, then focus in on the specific neighborhood/community (e.g. if you live in Lakewood, start by analyzing LA County, then focus in on, basically, the street on which you live). The assessment needs to include
• Expected damage type, cause, and magnitude of hazards we have studied in class related to
o Earthquakes
o Mass wasting
o Floods
o Volcanoes
• Discussion of how you determined the potential damage, drawing on information you learned in class from labs and experiments, and from supplemental information you found from research
• Figures that help you communicate this information
o Location figure showing
- The area of the state on which you are focusing
- The county on which you are focusing
- The neighborhood on which you are focusing
o Type of hazard in area
- Remember that earthquake shaking has a different effect on compacted, hard rock than unconsolidated or saturated sediment. Be sure to identify why your area is more or less stable than nearby areas in the county
- Flooding risks are higher downstream of locations that get high precipitation and that are low-lying or flat. Be sure to analyze topography to support your assessment (for all hazards, not just flooding)
- Flooding can be caused by natural disasters other than heavy rainfall and overflowing rivers - what is an example of flooding that could have devastating effects on coastal communities? What would cause such a flood to occur?
- There are many types of mass wasting, and you may not live in a zone that is at risk from landslides. Explain why that is. Or explain why your area is at risk for mass wasting.
- Are we at risk from hazards associated with a volcanic eruption?
• Recommendations on how you think damage to your home can be mitigated with respect to all the potential hazards you discuss.
o Does your home have any such mitigations in place currently? How did you find that out?
• References used must be credible scientific papers or government information
o Must be cited in your text
o Include a reference page at the end of the assessment.