The
11th International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction
Saratoga
Springs, NY USA
June
27 - July 2, 2004
The 11th International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction (WRI-11) will be held June 27-July 2, 2004 in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA. The Symposium is organized by the Working Group on Water Rock Interaction of the International Association of Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry with the assistance of The Pennsylvania State University.
Symposium
Information
The program will cover all aspects of water rock interaction and sessions will focus upon specific aspects of WRI, such as
weathering and mineral dissolution kinetics
microbe mineral interaction and biomineralization
ore deposit geochemistry
environmental geochemistry
astrobiology
petroleum geochemistry
theoretical geochemistry
water-rock interaction in high temperature systems
volcanic degassing
global elemental cycling
isotope geochemistry
environmental mineralogy
glass
reactivity.
Plans for the symposium include a reception at the historic Canfield Casino, a banquet in the beautiful Hall of Springs in the Saratoga Spa State Park, and a visit to nearby Lake George. Additional trip possibilities include a night at the harness track. The pre-session field trips will explore the Adirondack Mountains and Finger Lakes. Mid-session field trips will investigate local area features such as limestone caves, the Gore Mountain garnet, weathering and acid rain in the Adirondacks, the Corning Glass Museum, the Saratoga springs, or other possibilities.
First announcements for the symposium will go out in November 2002.
Please send your email and mailing address to ConferenceInfo2@outreach.psu.edu if you would like to be added to the Symposium mail list.
Saratoga
Springs
Saratoga Springs is located in the foothills of New York State's Adirondack Mountains. The area was a hunting ground of the Iroquois Indians, who called it Sarachtogue--"hillside of a great river" or "place of the swift water." The Iroquois attributed the fine fur on the animals they trapped to the saline content of the water. They also considered the water to have medicinal properties.
George Washington, first President of the United States, visited the springs and was so impressed that he offered to buy them. (Someone else already owned them.) But Washington brought his friends to Saratoga, and soon it became a mecca for the wealthy and famous. They came to enjoy the healing waters and lovely countryside and they brought with them the sport of horseracing. The area and sport flourished until the name Saratoga became internationally synonymous with racing.
Today, the area is rich in culture and history. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center, opened in 1966, is the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York City Ballet, the New York City Opera, and top performers of jazz, pop and rock music. The nearby Yaddo Mansion is an artists' retreat. Its mission is to provide a supportive environment for artists, and its guests have included Leonard Bernstein, Langston Hughes, Truman Capote, and Saul Bellow. The 10-acre Yaddo Garden is open to the public. Among the other attractions in the Saratoga area are the National Museum of Dance, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, The Hyde Collection Art Museum (featuring works by European and American masters), Saratoga Race Course (thoroughbred racing), Saratoga Equine Sports Center (harness racing and polo matches), the Saratoga Battlefield and, of course, the mineral springs and baths.
The famous Saratoga Springs Jazz Festival will be held at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center the weekend previous to the WRI-11 meeting, and limited tickets for this event will be available on a first-come-first serve basis.
Saratoga
Springs Hydrogeology
The springs in Saratoga arise from complex geological phenomena. The limestone layers of a basin between Lake George and Albany trap ancient seawater, but the solid layer of shale that seals in the waters is fractured along the Saratoga fault, which outcrops within the town and environs of Saratoga Springs. As the water escapes to the surface, it dissolves the overlying limestone layers, contributing to the unique content of the springs. The springs of Saratoga are some of the few naturally carbonated springs found in the United States.
Saratoga Spa State Park, three miles from downtown Saratoga, is home to several springs. The Hathorn #3, Coesa, Orena and Polaris springs offer different tastes; other springs within the park are labeled radioactive because of minute quantities of radon gas. The Island Spouter is a "geyser" built up by an island of carbonate deposits in the middle of a stream.
In the town of Saratoga Springs, additional springs can be found. A hundred years ago, these springs were advertised for their potential for healing skin disorders, curing the effects of "abdominal plethora" and relieving indigestion. Today, they are one of the many interesting attractions of the region.
WRI-11
Organizing Committee
Prof. Susan Brantley - Secretary General
Department of Geosciences
239 Deike Building
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802, USA
Phone
or fax: 814 863 1739
mail to:
brantley@essc.psu.edu
WRI-11
Funding Chairman
Dr. Ann Maest
Vice President
Buka
Environmental
729 Walnut Street, Suite D5
Boulder, CO 80302
WRI
Scientific Program Committee, Chair
Prof. Martin Schoonen
Department of Geosciences
220 Earth and Space Sciences Building,
SUNY
Stony Brook, NY 11794-2100
WRI
Field Trip Committee, Chair
Prof. Gene Ulmer
Geology Department
Temple University
1901 N 13th Street
Rm 303 Beury Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6081
Conference
Planner
Barbara
Impellitteri
The Pennsylvania State University
118 Keller Building
University Park, PA 16802-1308
E-mail: ConferenceInfo2@outreach.psu.edu