| Unit name | Volcanic Processes, Models and Hazards |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EASC30083 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1B (weeks 7 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Matthew Watson |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Successful completion of a Year 2 Earth Sciences programme. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Earth Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Why is this unit important?
The students will learn to use advanced quantitative, computing and mapping skills building on knowledge gained in the first two years of their degree. It focuses students skills into producing a tangible, real-world output that can presented to potential employers.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit builds upon skills learned in years one and two that teach students numerical skills, and to use coding and GIS. As well as utilising the training and knowledge from the first two years this unit also prepares those students on the MSci programme for independent study or for a post-graduate degree.
An overview of content
The students will learn about volcanoes from two different perspectives – (1) physical volcanology and subsurface process and (2) volcanic hazards and modelling. Students will learn about properties of magma and the kinetics of crystallization and vesiculation which will be linked to the dynamics of various styles of volcanic eruptions. Students will learn how models built with basic physics, chemistry and fluid dynamics provide insights into how and why volcanoes erupt. Students will also learn how to infer processes that occurred during volcanic eruptions from studying eruption products. Students will learn about the societal impacts of active volcanism through a series of case studies and learn to build a hazard map in GIS.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit is delivered by members of a world-leading research group. The case studies, for example, are often chosen due to a strong personal connection with the teaching staff. This passion is infectious, and students will leave the unit with a much greater understanding of the basic principles of volcanology and Bristol’s contribution to them. The final product, hazards maps and short report, will give the students confidence in producing useful, succinct documentation based upon a real-world setting and will give them something to proudly show to potential employers.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the unit students will be able to:
The unit will be taught through a combination of face-to-face lectures, office hours and practical sessions. Students will undertake directed individual formative activities and exercises and guided, structured reading. Practical work will be based in the laboratory and/or computer-based.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
Students will be challenged to undertake experimental work in the first (formative) practicals and will receive in-class and formative feedback on selected written work.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
The unit will be assessed by coursework (100%). This will be delivered at the end of unit and constitute a report on a volcano of the student’s choosing relating to recent activity, hazard maps for a hypothetical future eruptive scenario, a description of the models and methods used to make the map and a section on policy advice. The target audience is a strategic emergency planning group such as COBR, so the report will be required to be succinct and digestible.
When assessment does not go to plan
The University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes outline the requirements for progression on and completion of degree programmes. Students who miss an exam and self-certify their absence may complete a supplementary assessment for an uncapped mark as if taken for the first time. Resit and supplementary exams are habitually taken during the reassessment period later in the summer. As far as is practicable and appropriate, resit and supplementary assessments will be in the same form as the original assessment but will always test the same intended learning outcomes as the initial missed or failed assessment. In the case of group work, failure by a whole group would result in an appropriate group task being set and reassessed for all group members. If a single student fails a group assessment or is unable to participate for an evidenced reason, an individual reassessment will be set.
There are rigorous and fair procedures in place to support students who are ill or whose studies and assessments are affected by exceptional circumstances.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EASC30083).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
