10th Planetary Crater Consortium Meeting
August 7-9, 2019
US Geological Survey, 2255 N. Gemini Drive, Flagstaff, AZ
Venue:
The 10th Planetary Crater Consortium (PCC) Meeting will be held in the Building 6 (Shoemaker Center for Astrogeology) Roddy conference room at the US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, AZ, Wednesday August 7 through noon on Friday August 9, 2019. The meeting will include time for contributed oral and poster presentations and sufficient time for general discussion topics. You do not have to present an oral or poster presentation in order to attend the meeting.
An optional field trip around the rim of Meteor Crater will be scheduled for Saturday, August 10, 2019, if there is sufficient interest. Please contact Nadine Barlow by June 1, 2019, if you are interested in the field trip.
We strive to keep the PCC meetings informal and set aside much of the time for general discussion. Dress is casual (as it is throughout Flagstaff), so leave the neckties and nylons at home. As noted below, weather in Flagstaff in mid August is warm (but not hot like the desert) and wet, so plan accordingly.
Registration:
There is no registration fee for the PCC meeting. However, please email Nadine Barlow by August 1, 2019, to let us know if you will be attending so we can plan accordingly for refreshments, etc.
Abstracts:
All participants are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract to the meeting. ABSTRACT DEADLINE IS MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2019, 5:00 PM PDT/MST. Abstracts should be 2-page, single-spaced, LPSC style format. Please submit your abstract in PDF (preferred) or Microsoft Word format to Nadine Barlow. Please indicate whether you are requesting an oral or a poster presentation, or if the abstract is "print only". Abstracts will be posted on the PCC website by Monday, July 8, 2019.
Transportation:
Flagstaff's Pulliam Airport is serviced by American Airlines with small jets out of Phoenix and Dallas, and United Airlines with connections through Denver. Alternately you can fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (which is serviced by all major airlines), rent a car, and make the ~2.5 hour drive up to Flagstaff, or use the Arizona Shuttle service between Sky Harbor Airport and Flagstaff (toll-free 800-888-2749; www.arizonashuttle.com). Even if you fly into Flagstaff, you will probably want to rent a car since there are no hotels within easy walking distance of the USGS. Most major car rental companies can be found at Pulliam Airport or provide shuttle service to downtown offices.
Flagstaff is also served by Amtrak and Greyhound Bus.
Hotels:
Flagstaff is a major tourist destination and as such has a large selection of hotels to choose from. Listed below are a few suggestions.
Flagstaff lies at the intersection of Interstate 17 (north-south artery between Flagstaff and Phoenix) and Interstate 40 (one of the main east-west routes across the country). Flagstaff's Pulliam Airport lies off of I-17, just south of the intersection with I-40. To reach the hotels along Butler Avenue, take I-40 east (towards Albuquerque) and exit at Butler Avenue (exit 198). For the East-side hotels, continue on I-40 east to Country Club (exit 201), turn left at the light onto Country Club (right for the Marriott Residence Inn), and left at the T-intersection onto Route 66. The rest of the hotels are located along or a block or two off of Milton Road, which is what I-17 turns into when you enter Flagstaff. The first stoplight as you come into Flagstaff is at Forest Meadows Street. Turn left there for any of the hotels along Forest Meadows, Beulah Blvd (the next light you come to once you have turned onto Forest Meadows), or Woodlands Village Blvd (turn left onto Beulah from Forest Meadows; pass the WalMart on your right and turn right at the next stoplight onto Woodlands Village).
Hotels Along Butler Avenue, near I-40:
Comfort Inn Lucky Lane, 2480 E Lucky Lane, 928-774-7701 or 877-424-6423
Holiday Inn Express, 2320 E Lucky Lane, 928-714-1000
Howard Johnson Inn and Suites, 2520 E Lucky Lane, 928-779-5121
Little America, 2515 E Butler. 928-779-7900 or 800-865-1401
Quality Inn East, 2500 E Lucky Lane, 928-226-7111
Ramada Limited, 2350 E Lucky Lane, 928-779-3614
Super 8 Motel, 2540 E Lucky Lane, 928-773-4888
East-side Hotels: (some of these still have some train noise due to the directional horns)
Best Western Pony Soldier Inn, 3030 E. Route 66, 928-526-2388 or 800-780-7234
Country Inn and Suites, 3501 E Lockett Road, 928-526-1878
Days Inn East, 3601 E. Lockett Road, 928-527-1477 or 800-823-6170
Hotels Along South Milton Road:
Baymont Inn and Suites, 2005 S Milton Road, 928-773-1300
Drury Inn and Suites of Flagstaff, 300 S. Milton (next to NAU and the High Country Conference Center), 928-773-4900
Econo Lodge University, 914 S Milton Road, 928-774-7326
Embassy Suites, 706 S Milton Road, 928-774-4333 or 866-774-4333
Quality Inn I-40 & I-17, 2000 S Milton Road, 928-774-8771 (This is the hotel with the "Welcome Martians" sign!)
Hotels a block or so off of South Milton Road:
Comfort Inn of Flagstaff, 2355 S Beulah Blvd. 928-774-2225
Courtyard by Marriott, 2650 S. Beulah Blvd., 928-774-5800
Days Inn I-40, 2735 S Woodlands Village Blvd., 928-779-1575
DoubleTree Flagstaff, 1175 West Route 66, 928-773-8888
Hampton Inn and Suites, 2400 S Beulah Blvd., 928-913-0900
Hilton Garden Inn, 350 W Forest Meadows St., 928-226-8888
La Quinta Inn and Suites, 2015 S Beulah Blvd., 928-556-8666
Sleep Inn Flagstaff, 2765 S Woodlands Village Blvd., 928-556-3000
SpringHill Suites of Flagstaff, 2455 S. Beulah Blvd., 928-774-8042
More lodging suggestions, including Bed and Breakfasts, can be found at Flagstaff Convention and Visitor's Bureau
Directions to USGS from the Hotels:
From Hotels Along Butler: Turn right from Butler onto Ponderosa Parkway. Cross over the railroad tracks and turn left onto Route 66. Follow Route 66 into downtown Flagstaff. Turn right onto San Francisco Street. Stay in the right lane on San Francisco until you see Flagstaff Medical Center on your left. Turn right onto Forest Avenue at the next stoplight. Follow Forest up the hill and around the curve (where it turns into Cedar Avenue). You will see a brown sign for Buffalo Park and the USGS; turn left onto Gemini Drive (there is now a stoplight at the intersection). The USGS is the second set of buildings on the left. Turn left into the 2nd driveway (NASA Boulevard) and park in any open parking space.
From East-side Hotels: Head west on Route 66 to Fourth Street. Turn right onto Fourth Street and eventually move into the left lane. Turn left at the 2nd stoplight onto Lockett Road. Follow Lockett (which turns into Cedar Avenue) up the hill, under the pedestrian bridge, and turn right at the 2nd stoplight onto Gemini Drive. The USGS is the second set of buildings on the left. Turn left into the 2nd driveway (NASA Boulevard) and park in any open parking space.
From Hotels Along/Near South Milton: Follow Milton into downtown Flagstaff, following the road as it curves to the right just past the railroad overpass. You are now on Route 66. The third stoplight after the curve is at San Francisco Street. Turn left onto San Francisco and stay in the right lane until you see Flagstaff Medical Center on your left. Turn right onto Forest Avenue at the next stoplight. Follow Forest up the hill and around the curve (where it turns into Cedar Avenue). You will see a brown sign for Buffalo Park and the USGS; turn left onto Gemini Drive (there is now a stoplight at the intersection). The USGS is the second set of buildings on the left. Turn left into the 2nd driveway (NASA Boulevard) and park in any open parking space.
You will not need parking permits. A map of the USGS campus can be obtained here.
Flagstaff:
Flagstaff lies at an elevation of 7000 ft (2134 m) on the south side of the San Francisco Mountains, the remnants of a stratovolcano which blew its top about 400,000 years ago. These mountains, commonly just called "The Peaks" by locals, include Humphrey's Peak, which at 12,633 ft (3850 m) is the highest mountain in Arizona. Cinder cones are common in the area, including Sunset Crater which last erupted in 1064 AD. Flagstaff is bordered by the Coconino National Forest, which means you will see lots of pine trees and none of the saguaro cacti for which Arizona is famous. Because of its high elevation, Flagstaff does experience four seasons, including snow during the winter (Flagstaff is reportedly the 7th snowiest city with a population over 50,000 in the continental US). In mid-August you will likely get to experience the summer rainy season (the "monsoons") in Arizona with late-morning and afternoon thunderstorms.. Average daytime high in August is 78F (26C) while the average nighttime low is 50F (10C)..
There are many things to see and do in the Flagstaff area, so we encourage you to spend extra time before or after the meeting to see what this area offers. The historic downtown area (bordered by Route 66 to the south, Cherry Avenue on the north, Humphrey's Street on the west, and Agassiz Street on the east) offers numerous unique shops and restaurants, as well as many red sandstone buildings dating from the late 1800's and early 1900's. Northern Arizona University (south of Butler, north of Pine Knoll, east of Milton, and west of San Francisco) is home to the Cline Library, Clifford White Theater, Ardrey Auditorium and Music Hall, and NAU Skydome (athletic and other events). The NAU campus observatory (the site of the first IR observations from Earth's surface) is open for free public viewing on Friday nights, weather permitting. Also within Flagstaff city limits are Lowell Observatory (where Pluto and the expansion of the universe were discovered, not to mention the center of the Martian canal controversy), the Museum of Northern Arizona, the Pioneer Historical Museum, and the Riordan Mansion State Historic Park. Within a one to two hour drive of Flagstaff are Grand Canyon National Park, Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Meteor Crater, the red rock country of Sedona, and Oak Creek Canyon. Flagstaff is crisscrossed with a multitude of hiking trails--Nadine will be happy to recommend her favorites.
More information about Flagstaff and the surroundings can be obtained from the Flagstaff Convention and Visitor's Bureau
For More Information About the Meeting, Contact:
Nadine Barlow, Dept. Physics and Astronomy, Northern Arizona University, Box 6010, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6010 928-523-5452; FAX: 928-523-1317; Nadine.Barlow@nau.edu.
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