MAY 2003 PROGRAM:

When:       Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Where:     Old Spaghetti Factory, 62 Jack London Square, Oakland, CA!
Time:        6:00pm Social, 7:00pm Dinner, 8:00pm Speaker

Abstract:
                  Potential hazards from rock falls and rockslides are on the rise as land development reaches into previously untouched areas, as aging highways and railroads require upgrades and new construction, and as people throng to public lands for recreation.

At the same time, new generations of decision makers in the forms of politicians, administrators, land use planners, architects, engineers, and even geologists, continue to emerge who don't understand or recognize some of the most fundamental principles of mass wasting. And in recent years, numerous misconceptions regarding some fundamental principles have proved resistant to eradication.

Dramatic examples are to be found across the country. Case histories will be presented for consideration, including spectacular rockslides in Yosemite National Park (including continuing rock slides from Glacier Point and the 1996 and 1999 slides that resulted in numerous injuries and fatalities), Virginia's Smart Road technology test bed, Thomas Jefferson's Natural Bridge of Virginia, highway stability in North Carolina, and weapons testing facilities in the west. Each case is compelling and contentious. Some are expensive and some are tragic.

Recurring misconceptions include the relative merits of constructing vertical slopes versus angled slopes, the roles of discontinuities in controlling rockslides, the direction of groundwater flow in fractured rock, the volumes of water necessary to trigger slides, and the variable nature of earth materials. These concepts are simple but not to be ignored.

For more information, see the Newsletter Page (www.aegsf.org/newsletter.html) to download the current Newsletter! or Click Here to directly download the Newsletter (the newsletter will soon become available...check back later)

The deadline for registration is NOON on THURSDAY, May 8th.
After this date, reservations cannot be guaranteed. Please make your reservation as soon as possible.
For financial reasons, meeting no-shows and last minute cancellations will be charged.

COST: $30 with RSVP, $35 at the door (space permitting), $15 students

Please select a meal choice when making a reservation; the choices are spaghetti with meat sauce, spaghetti with mushroom sauce, or fettuccine alfredo.

For reservation info contact:
Chris Hundemer
Upp Geotechnology, Inc.
(p) 408-866-5436
(f) 408-866-9436
Send email to Chris Hundemer (treasurer@aegsf.org)

Hope to see you there,

Craig N. Reid
Webmaster