CONFERENCE DETAILS

Schedule

October 3-5, 2024

Registration Cost

$300 for professionals, $150 for students

Location

Southcentral Pennsylvania

Headquarters

Eisenhower Hotel & Conference Center

Trip Leaders

Jeri Jones, Jones Geological Services

Sean Cornell, Shippensburg University

Andre Weltman, Friends of Pine Grove Furnace

Tim Bechtel, Franklin & Marshall College

Michael Perrotta, RHI Magnesita

Dave Hopkins, RHI Magnesita

Emily Simpson, RHI Magnesita

Steve Nissly

Vince Santucci, National Park Service

DONATIONS TO THE CONFERENCE

Donations, including student sponsorships and contributions to the beverage fund, should be made via check. Please include the following with your check:

Name
Phone number
Email address
The fund to which you are donating

Checks should be made out to "Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists" and sent to the Middletown office:

ATTN: FCOPG

3240 Schoolhouse Road

Middletown, PA 17057

CALL FOR FCOPG POSTERS AND VENDORS

POSTERS: Those students and professionals who would like to present a poster during the meeting receptions should contact Ted Tesler, (thtesler@pa.gov or 717-702-2037), to make these arrangements prior to the meeting.

VENDORS: Tables for those interested in offering rocks, fossils, or minerals for sale or exchange are available for set up on Thursday, October 3rd. Please contact Ted Tesler, (thtesler@pa.gov or 717-702-2037), to make table reservations at least one week prior to the event (no cost).

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)

PPE is required and will be enforced at this year's conference. Every attendee is required to provide and, when necessary, use the following PPE:

Hard hat with chin strap
Reflective vest
Safety glasses
Steel toe boots
Gloves

Our quarry stop requires hard hats with chin straps and gloves are required for sample collecting. The Field Conference will provide chin straps upon check in. If you would like to assess the compatibility of your hard hat with the chin straps we will be providing, click here.

AGENDA

The 2024 Field Conference will be based in the historic Gettysburg area and will feature three days of field trips! The agenda below will be updated as more conference details are available. Be sure to check out the Conference Web Map!

Thursday

Pre-conference trips will be held throughout the region of the conference. Visit the Pre-Conference Trips page for more information about these opportunities.

Friday

The conference will kick off with a morning ride on the Northern Central Railway train. Starting in New Freedom, we will travel northward 15 miles along the York County Heritage Rail Trail. Along the way, you will learn about the Sam's Creek Metabasalt and the Octoraro Formation, visit the historic Hanover Junction Train Station, observe faulting in the Chickies and Harpers Formations, and examine the Harpers Formation and stonework at the historic Howard Tunnel.

In the afternoon, the conference will visit York Valley for a two-hour tour of the RHI Magnesita Refractories Quarry in West York. This is a working quarry located within the Ledger and Kinzers Formations.

Saturday

The conference will head to South Mountain in Cumberland and Adams counties. The day begins with discussions about South Mountain, groundwater movement between Pigeon Hills and Boiling Springs, and the Dillsburg earthquake swarm.

The excursion will then move south to Pine Grove Furnace State Park for a tour of historic Pine Grove Furnace, a discussion about sedimentation in Laurel Lake, and lunch.

After lunch we will travel Carbaugh Reservoir in Michaux State Forest, south of Caledonia State Park, to examine columnar jointing, watch and learn how to flintknap stone tools, and discuss volcanic rocks within South Mountain. We will also see the work completed by the PA State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Geology Field Experience Students in summer 2023.