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Unit of study_

CIVL1022: Geological Hazards

2025 unit information

This unit of study introduces the issues related to risk of ground instability, which concern all civil engineering projects. Students will learn how to identify, evaluate and mitigate hazards including landslides, sinkholes and earthquakes. They will develop the ability of assessing the impact of these hazards on the natural and built environment. They will acquire analytical skills to quantify ground (in)stability and foresee natural and entropic causes of ground failure. They will learn how to design engineering solutions to mitigate these risks.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Engineering

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit Civil Engineering
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
None
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
GEOL1501 or CIVL9022
Assumed knowledge:
? 
None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Understand of the concepts and language of geology and risk management
  • LO2. Identify and name common types of geological hazards
  • LO3. Identify and name common types of soils and rocks
  • LO4. Understand the relationship between the built environment and its geological substrate and the possible impacts of natural earth hazards on engineered structures
  • LO5. Understand the relationship between microstructure and mechanical behaviour of geomaterials
  • LO6. Calculate underground stresses
  • LO7. Calculate shear strength and shear failure of geological substrates
  • LO8. Calculate factor of safety and use this concept to quantify slope instability risk.
  • LO9. Design engineering techniques to improve geological substrate stability.
  • LO10. Demonstrate enhanced skills in written, oral, and interpersonal communication

Unit availability

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Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)

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