| Unit name | Physical Volcanology and Geological Flows |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EASC30047 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Rust |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites | |
| Co-requisites | |
| School/department | School of Earth Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
This unit deals with the flow and deformation properties of geological materials and the fundamental concepts of fluid dynamics in the context of geological flows such as lava flows, volcanic plumes, pyroclastic flows, landslides, lahars, debris flows and floods. The first half of the unit will teach the physical foundation including conservation of mass, energy and momentum, interaction of flow with rigid boundaries, buoyancy-driven flow, multiphase flow, and mechanisms of heat transfer. Throughout these lessons, the relevance of these concepts will be illustrated with idealized examples of geological flows. In the second half of the unit, the physical concepts will be applied to developing a deeper understanding how volcanoes work, as well as case studies of a variety of hazardous geological flows.
