Pre-conference field trip to

the Rochechouart impact structure and surroundings
General information
Schedule
Registration
Fees
Important Notice

Guide:  Dr. Philippe Lambert
lambertbdx@numericable.fr
Sciences & Applications Bordeaux Mérignac

Schedule:

This is a tentative programme schedule: 4 days-3 nights - Friday 10 July to Monday 13 July 2009.

champagnac quarry

Champagnac Quarry

Day one:

Guide and coach wait for the participants at the Angoulême TGV train station from 16h15 until 17h, matching the arrival of both the direct TGV train departing downtown Paris (Montparnasse) at 14h10 and a different one, leaving Charles de Gaulle Airport at 13h45.

The coach will then take us through the edge of the Mesozoic Sea sediments to reach the Hercynian basement and Rochechouart at about 18h00.

Transportation to a local family style “Holiday Resort” in a typical Limousin environment (# 15 km from Rochechouart). Short welcome and dinner. (Further information will be provided for those interested in making their way to  the place directly, by private or rented car.)
rural
Rural scenary of Limousin


Day Two:

Breakfast
Short Briefing at conference room.

BabaudouTransport and visit of:

- Red Suevite/Impact melt rock in Montoume
- Polymict Lithic Breccia in Rochechouart and the underlying target rocks
- Impact melt rock at Babaudu and underlying target rock (Picnic on site)
- Champagnac quarry. Multi-scale fracturing and pseudotachylitic breccia veins in the target rock with the overlying contact with fallback breccia

Visit of the Rochechouart 12th century Castle and its collections (website in French), including the contemporary art museum

Social event at night including “gala” dinner in Rochechouart.
Return by coach to accommodation.

Day Three:

Breakfast
Short Briefing at conference room.
Check out.

Transport and visit of:
- Shatter cone localities (to make comparison with Vredefort and Sudbury shatter cones), contact with the overlying impact deposit.
- Chassenon - Cross section of the entire fallback sequence including the faint layered (air fall) suevite at the top of the sequence
- Visit of the Chassenon archaeological site and its museum (website in french) (This site is now appearing among the most prominent sources of knowledge worldwide on Roman thermal baths; it was active from the 1st to the 4th century).

Transportation to Poitiers futiroscope settlement and Hotel.
Walk and late afternoon and night visit of Futuroscope Park, including dinner and fireworks. Several attractions and shows are related to Planetary Science such as “Cosmic Shocks” that will be released in 2009, in conjunction with the international year of astronomy and “Future is Wild” that was launched in 2008. The latter is an innovative and unique attraction bringing augmented reality technology that allows visitors to interact in real time controlling virtual 3D objects within a real environment. 

Still under negotiation, we might be invited by the Park and local authorities to a social event in the Park, in relation to their attraction “Collision in space” and in relation to a special meteorites exhibit they are planning to set up for the circumstance.

Day four:

After breakfast on Monday 13th, walk from the hotel thru the Park to the (TGV) train station.
Depart at 9h30 to arrive at 12h00 at CDG airport (about 450 km) –Train change then depart at 13h00 to arrive at 14h00 at Lorraine TGV station (about 300 km) where a Met Soc coach takes us to our hotels in downtown Nancy.

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