UK Earth Hazards – a new course from GSL

In 2020, the Geological Society carried out a Strategic Review of its activities in order to ensure we are best meeting the needs of geoscientists in the UK and beyond.  With that in mind, we will start providing online training courses to support our Fellows with Continuous Professional Development (CPD).  Following on from two free pilot events in late 2020, a new, longer course will start from 26 January 2021. The course is based on the recent Special Publication SP29 “Geological Hazards in the UK: Their Occurrence, Monitoring and Mitigation” and consists of 13 hour-long lectures running approximately every two weeks.  

We regularly hear about the effects of geological hazards on a worldwide basis from large earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions and floods.  The UK does not suffer from the extreme effects of such hazards, but these hazards do have some adverse impacts on construction, mining and land management across the UK.  This is as a consequence of our varied geology, geomorphology and the nature of the geomaterials.  The impacts from many of the hazards are increasing due to steady urbanisation and are increasingly exacerbated by climate change.  

Large landslides and the occurrence of subsidence/sinkholes holes are increasing due to more intense rainfall events.  Hardly anyone had heard of the section of the A83 motorway at ‘Rest and be Thankful’ prior to five years ago, yet, due to a series of debris slides this road now regularly features in traffic reports. Larger events have even required a 59-mile-long road diversion.   

The course will cover these events and many other hazards and will be led by the authors of the Special Publication and other leading experts.  The background material is derived from the book, while the lectures will usually use additional case histories and recent events to illustrate each type of risk.

Course Logistics

The lectures will run live, with the change for a Q&A, and will be available to anyone registered as a recording for a limited time.  You can book for individual lectures or the full series, with discounts available for group bookings.   

The Society is looking to develop many more courses across the breadth of our profession.  If you are interested in assisting or presenting all or part of a course please contact Becky Goddard.