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Left: Table Rock, South Carolina, USA: A typical granite “bald” and Blue Ridge escarpment landscape of the conference location, located just over the state
line from Flat Rock, North Carolina, USA. Photo by JJ Fowler, vanzeppelin.com. Right: The pier at Highland Lake Inn and Resort, Flat Rock, North Carolina,
USA. Photo by Jim Crotty.

• What does it mean for mechanical weathering and “erodibility” if processes, engineering, etc.). The underlying commonality will be
only the smallest of stresses are needed to grow fractures? What that rock fracture is of interest.
are the relative roles of constant low-level stress generators versus We will organize daily talks, posters, and discussions around:
infrequent large-stress generators? 1. Monitoring;
• How do relationships between crack growth rates and fracture 2. Laboratory simulations;
spacing (density/intensity) under PRF differ from relationships 3. Numerical modeling;
between fracture spacing and critical failure strength? 4. Fracture in a changing climate;
• How might experimental studies of microcrack growth be relevant 5. Scale linkages; and
over geologic time scales where material properties change as rocks 6. Applications: From landscapes to hazard management.
are exposed under different—and changing—climatic regimes? Throughout the conference, we will schedule smaller discus-
Specifically, by encouraging attendance by practitioners from a sions particularly aimed at early-career researchers and attendees
range of disciplines, PRF2022 will: from groups underrepresented in the geosciences. These discus-
• Provide a platform to identify complementary data/observations/ sions will be facilitated by an allocated mentor (conference conve-
approaches (e.g., experimental vs. field, short time vs. deep time, nor and/or a keynote speaker), allowing discussion of key themes
modeling, etc.); in a friendly, supportive setting.
• Identify new scientific and commercial funding opportunities The mid-conference field excursion will consider both natural-
through new collaborations (e.g., bringing geomorphology and system and applied aspects of PRF evident in the landscape and how
stone heritage investigators into engineering or mechanics stud- the resultant hazards are managed, focusing on mass wasting features
ies and vice versa); in the Hickory Nut Gorge, cutting into the impressive Blue Ridge
• Reveal key datasets (e.g., long-term data that can validate experi- Escarpment of western North Carolina. We hope the field trip will
ments or vice versa); and contextualize concepts discussed during the conference, demonstrat-
• Lay out a framework for the future evaluation of PRF in the ing the significance and challenges of understanding the role that PRF
context of a full range of both academic and applied questions. plays in infrastructure degradation, hazards, and landscape evolution.
PRELIMINARY AGENDA Field-Trip Leaders
We plan to kick off this Penrose Conference with a “PRF primer Rick Wooten, P.G., North Carolina Geological Survey (retired)
and Q&A” that will ensure all attendees are on the same page with Bart Cattanach, P.G., North Carolina Geological Survey
respect to the basic concepts and vocabulary of PRF; this will also David Korte, Ph.D., P.G., North Carolina Geological Survey
free up time normally used for “background” for all presentations. Jennifer Bauer, P.G., Appalachian Landslide Consultants
Primer topics will be determined with input from attendees. It is Philip Prince, Ph.D., Appalachian Landslide Consultants
expected that most attendees will be novices with respect to some Cheryl Waters-Tormey, Ph.D., Western Carolina University
aspects of the conference (e.g., PRF, fracture mechanics, surface Karl Wegmann, Ph.D, L.G., L.E.G., North Carolina State University
www.geosociety.org/gsatoday 39