GEOLOGIC HISTORY SHAPED RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA REFERENCES
showers and fishtails gravel (and sometimes car parts) while the race car is safely slowed. The speed bled off approaching Turn 10A will be re-gained in the uphill elevation of Turn 10B. The elevation changes are caused by the metamorphic crystal- line bedrock that is less susceptible to weathering, resulting in uphill topog- raphy toward Chestnut Mountain to the north of Road Atlanta.
The Bridge (Turn 11) and Turn 12: The Bridge marks the highest eleva- tion of the race track at Road Atlanta and a right-hand turn into Turn 12, sweeping downhill towards the Front Straight. These series of turns are poised on a landform that has been shaped by weathering of the mica schist by Copper Creek; therefore, the elevation change is extreme, making Turn 12 fast and exciting. Spectators can feel as much as hear high revving engines as the drivers try and squeeze every bit of power from their race cars. There is no pronounced braking zone at The Bridge and Turn 12 as the driv- ers try to keep as much momentum as possible through this turns into the Front Straight.
Conclusions
The landforms shaped by geologic history have made a profound impact on the development of humanity from our beginnings to our current cultures and technologies. Industrial complexes such as marine ports, power plants, and landfills have very specific criteria for natural resources and topography required for siting and development of these facilities. Horticultural and agricultural complexes also have very specific natural resource and landform requirements to operate successfully and feed our planet. Industrial develop- ment and recreational development both take advantage of the landforms shaped by geologic history and the processes of plate tectonics, mountain building, uplift, and erosion. Motorsports is no exception and has enjoyed landforms for a variety of racing and race track sitings. These geologic processes have helped to make racing at Road Atlanta exciting for both the race car driver and the specta- tor. Since “geology at 70 mph and 130 mph” both present the same potential for crashing, we hope the geologist and race car driver in all of us have enjoyed this geologic tour of Road Atlanta.
Donald Beaumont, “How the Earth’s Geology Determined Human History”, Sino-Platonic Papers, 203 (June 2010)
Georgia Geologic Survey, Georgia Geologic and Water Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Geologic Map of Georgia, 1977
Georgia Geologic Survey, Georgia Geologic and Water Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Geologic Map of Georgia, 1976, Reprinted in 1997
Georgia State Division of Conservation, Department of Mines, Mining, and Geology, The Geological Survey, Bulletin Number 58, Geology of the Crystalline Rocks of Georgia, 1952
Robert Sorokanich, Road and Track, Tommy Milner blasts a 2015 Corvette Z06 around Road Atlanta, December 2, 2014.
Road Atlanta website, A Rich History,
www.roadatlanta.com accessed on March 9, 2016
Seth Thomas, Axis of Oversteer: How to drive FASTER: Road Atlanta, blog.
axisofoversteer.com/2012/10/Road- Atlanta-track-guide.html, October 18, 2012, accessed online March 21, 2016
Soil Survey Staff, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Web Soil Survey. Available online at
http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda. gov/. Accessed March 19, 2016.
Tony Swan, Car and Driver, 2006 Lotus Exige vs. 2006 Porsche Cayman S, March 2006
University of Georgia, Department of Geology The Geology of Georgia, accessed online March 19, 2015 at:
http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/ GAGeology.html, 2015
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Inventory, Wetlands Mapper, Accessed on March 14, 2016
http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/ Data/
Mapper.html
U.S. Geologic Survey, Geologic Map of the Atlanta 30’ x 60’ Quadrangle, Georgia, Geologic Investigation Series Map I-2602, 2003
William Z. Clark, Jr., and Arnold C. Zisa, Department of Natural Resources, Geologic and Water Resources
www.aipg.org
Division, Physiographic Map of Georgia, 1976, reprinted 1988
Mr. Getchell is a senior geologist at the Gannett Fleming office in Tampa, Florida. His practice includes conducting geologic and hydrogeologic investigations for con- taminated site assessments on commercial and industrial properties for a variety of recalcitrant and carcinogenic compounds. For the past decade, Mr. Getchell has worked on a performance restoration of a Datsun Z car and has been participating in local autocross events, drag strip test and tunes; and has enjoyed parade and touring laps during the Mitty at Road Atlanta.
Mr. Goetz is a senior geologist at Amec Foster Wheeler in Tampa, Florida. His prac- tice includes conducting mediation of dis- puted sinkhole subsidence investigations as a Certified Neutral Evaluator, conducting large-scale contamination assessments, and environmental due diligence projects for sites throughout the U.S. including former military installations, commercial, and residential properties. Mr. Goetz is a local autocross champion, has been autocrossing his vintage Porsche 356 since the 1970s, and regularly volunteers as a course worker at Sebring International Raceway in Florida.
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