"Geophysical Odyssey 2001"

SAGA biennial technical meeting and exhibition
9-12 October 2001

in the beautiful Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa

presented by 

The South African Geophysical Association 
(SAGA)

Invitation

The South African Geophysical Association (SAGA) invites you to spend 4 days in the heart of South Africa's beautiful Drakensberg Mountains attending the 7th Biennial SAGA Conference and Exhibition. Since 1989, SAGA has provided a forum through its technical meetings for sharing in the excitement of new geophysical developments. This year the technical program will focus on geophysical solutions to wide-ranging geological problems and maximizing the information and benefit obtained from geophysical surveys. We are excited to offer both pre- and post-conference field trips that showcase South Africa's world-class mineral deposits. Participants can also choose from several short courses on developing areas in geophysics. The commercial exhibition will feature both local and international companies. 

Prominent keynote speakers will introduce the major themes of the conference. We would particularly like to encourage participation by geophysicists working in all parts of Africa, and will be offering some assistance to African delegates.

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Conference and Exhibition Facilities

The conference and exhibition will be held at the premier Alpine Heath resort and conference village in the Drakensberg Mountains close to the Royal Natal National Park (home of the endangered Lammergeyer, also known as the Cape Bearded Vulture) and the picturesque town of Winterton. This conference centre is fully equipped with the most modern projection and conference facilities (PC/Mac compatible projectors, overhead and slide facilities). An office centre will be available, including email access.

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Technical Program

Reflecting the diverse concerns of earth scientists active in southern Africa today, the technical program will focus on "geophysics as a geological tool" in the realms of the oil industry, mining and mineral exploration, and research into crustal and lithospheric structure. Proposed sessions will be of global interest to geologists and geophysicists alike and will include:

• mining geophysics; 
• platinum applications; 
• mine seismicity; 
• mineral exploration; 
• seismic exploration for oil; 
• developments in seismic processing and interpretation; 
• deep crustal/lithospheric studies; 
• new technologies and numerical innovations; 
• remote sensing and image processing case studies; and
• groundwater and environmental applications. 

We are inviting leading international and local keynote speakers to set the pace. We invite submissions in any of these fields and also invite suggestions for additional special sessions. 

A highlight of the program will be the PROSPECTORS 2001 competition. 

Prizes will be awarded for best talk, best poster, best student talk and best PROSPECTORS 2001 submission! 

Keynote addresses will be 40 minutes in duration and technical talks will be 15 minutes long with 5 minutes for discussion. Posters will be 1 x 2 m in size with a dedicated time slot.

Technical papers will commence on October 10, 2001.

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Pre/Post-conference field trips

SAGA is delighted to offer pre- and post-conference tours conducted by Geoexpeditions a company specializing in geological tours run by geologist Dr. Thomas Wallmach. 

The 3 day pre-conference tour introduces participants to South Africa's amazing geological diversity with a tantalizing introduction to several geological highlights. 

Participants will visit:

• the Tswaing impact crater - one of 5 accessible impact sites in the world, 
• Premier Diamond mine - source of the 3106 ct Cullinan diamond, now part of the British crown jewels, 
• the new World Heritage Site at Sterkfontein, including a specially arranged tour of the actual hominid fossil site!, 
• and a gold mine. 

Tswaing impact crater

The post-conference tour highlights South Africa's wildlife and cultural diversity with stops at:

• Shakaland, 
• the World Heritage Site of St. Lucia, 
• Hluhluwe, the oldest national game park in Africa (check out the SAFARICAM at Hluhluwe for a sneak preview) 
• and the Kingdom of Swaziland.

Additional local trips, such as horseback riding, nature hikes, Bushman paintings and a visit to the famous Drakensberg Boys Choir concert can be arranged through the conference venue or through Geoexpeditions. The Lammergeyer hide has been booked for the entire week for bird enthusiasts.

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Social program

There will be a surprise cultural event for the opening ceremony on the evening of October 9, and a gala dinner on the night of October 11.

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Companion Day Tours

• October 10: Zulu Battlefields Tour
• October 11: Golden Gate, Clarence and Sotho Homestead Tour
• October 12: Boer War Battlefields Tour

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Exhibitors/Sponsorship/Advertising

There are a large number of sponsorship and advertising opportunities available. Participants are invited to sponsor a student, sponsor an African delegate, or many other sponsorship prospects.

Booths will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis, so book now to ensure the best location

Email the conference organizers for more details.

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Travel, Accommodation and Payments

The Drakensberg is a pleasant 3-hour drive from Johannesburg. The conference organizers will be handling transfers through to the conference venue from Johannesburg International Airport (JNB) for both local and international guests, if requested. 

Accommodation has been block booked at the conference venue, Alpine Heath. 

Other options are also available at nearby resorts. 

Credit card facilities will be available for payment for all delegates. SWIFT bank transfers will also be accepted for overseas delegates. For participants in the Rand monetary area, bank transfers or checks sent by registered post will also be accepted.

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Important Dates

First announcement and call for abstracts: November 21, 2000
Second announcement and short course list: April15, 2001
Deadline for Extended Abstracts: June 15, 2001
Acceptance and further information to contributors: July 15, 2001
3rd Announcement / Preliminary Programme: July 15, 2001
Early Registration (20% discount): Until July 31, 2001
Exhibitor deadline: September 9, 2001
Conference and Exhibition: October 9 - 12, 2001

Watch this web site for updates!! 

The language of the conference will be English

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Costs and registration

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Expression of interest

Please complete the following and press SUBMIT if you are interested in receiving further information. BOLD fields are compulsory.

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Call for extended abstracts and submission details

All submissions must be in English

Very Important: please indicate if your submission if for an oral or poster session.

Please include the following information:

1. Title
2. Author(s)
3. Presenter
4. Projection equipment requirements:

• All submissions will be reviewed by the organizing committee for scientific content and quality. 
• We request that all submissions are made by email, or if postal, accompanied by a diskette.
• Maximum 4 pages per submission including diagrams. 
• We prefer that all submissions be MSWord documents, although other options are acceptable through special request. 
• Diagrams are to be included as part of the document. If diagrams are large, they may be sent as separate files, but must be clearly identified for a particular paper.

Please submit your abstract using the following guidelines:

• Use A4 page size, 4 pages maximum, including figures.
• Margins, top: 2.54, bottom: 2.93, left: 3.17, right: 3.17 cm.
• Font: Times New Roman Font size: 10pt
• Color printing is available but costs are for the account of the author. Email the conference organizers for a quote.

Submission deadline: June 15, 2001

Notification of acceptance: July 15, 2001 (or 3 weeks after submission if submission is early)

 

Email submissions to the conference organizers

Post submissions to:
SAGA Conference
PostNet Suite #233
Private Bag X025
Lynnwood Ridge
0040
South Africa

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Publication

We have arranged for a special issue of the South African Journal of Geology to highlight the best papers of the SAGA conference. This is an internationally recognized peer-reviewed journal with a solid impact factor and a distribution of over 1600 copies. If you would like to publish in this forum, and in order to speed up the processing of this special issue, please bring a paper ready for submission to the conference. - Click for Submission details

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Accommodation at Alpine Heath

The three-bedroom chalets, the master bedroom en-suite, the other two with twin beds easily sleeps six. Each fully equipped room offers you all the comfort and privacy that your heart desires. The second bathroom also has the convenience of both a bath and shower. The comfortable lounge is a relaxing meeting place for friendly discussion, and leads out onto your personal patio.

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For further information please contact:

24 hour hot line - Angelo Dalporto or Michele van der Westhuizen at +27 83 458-8984

Email the conference organizers

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