Upstate Coal Field Trip
Saturday, November 2, 2002
This trip is intended to show you some of the occurrences
of anthracite coal in eastern Pennsylvania, some of the techniques
of contemporary surface mining, and some of the consequences of the
inappropriate extraction techniques used in the past which have had
such a terrible environmental impact upon the region. Some of our
stops will be "show and tell", others will be opportunities
for direct sampling and
water quality determination.
Our first stop will be in Centralia; we'll subsequently
head west toward Mount Carmel and spend the bulk of our time at
a number of localities along old back roads and old mining roads
in the hills near Shamokin.
Here are some logistical concerns regarding our trip:
- We'll leave at 7:00AM. Park in the last bay of the
Morris Road lot near the College vans.
- We'll take the College van; parking is extremely limited
at some of the localities which we'll be visiting. Furthermore, the
College's liability policy covers us when we're passengers in a
College vehicle on a College function.
- Bring food for lunch. We'll be in the woods
in the middle of nowhere at lunch time, so if you didn't bring something
to eat, you'll go hungry. Bring some food and/or money for snacks in
the morning and afternoon; we'll be stopping at a MacDonald's for a
bathroom break on our way up, and we can stop again on our way back.
- Do some bladder planning. Seriously, we'll be spending much
of the day literally in the middle of nowhere, so be moderate with fluid
consumption, and take advantage of bathroom opportunities when they
arise.
- Wear grubby and warm clothes. It will either be dusty if it's
been dry, or muddy if it's been rainy. Remember, we're going north
as well as up in elevation, so plan on temperatures being ten degrees
cooler than what's predicted for Montgomery County. We'll go, rain
or shine, so be prepared to get wet if it's a miserable day.
- We'll return to campus around 5:00 or so. Count on returning
sooner if the weather's been bad; somewhat later if it's been a
delightful day.