Mineral Section

of the Rochester Academy of Science

Our Newsletter: RocKester News

Soliciting contributions for the next issue...
Link to e-mail the editor

List of Items in our Club Library

Our Bylaws

Annual Rochester Mineralogical Symposium
2012 Schedule & Registration Form is now available at the link above.

This world-renowned event takes place each April at the Radisson Hotel Rochester Airport at 175 Jefferson Road, Rochester, NY 14623.

Feature Article

If you missed Bob Morgan's talk at the 2003 Tucson Mineral Show or at the section meeting in the spring of 2003 (or just wish to see it again), here is your chance! Bob has graciously made his slides and narration notes available for viewing on the Web. Thanks, Bob.

Amazing Pyrite Shapes of Huanzala, Peru

Other Club Events

Science Exploration Days  This annual event at St. John Fisher College each May provides us with an opportunity to demonstrate, talk about, and give away minerals to area Junior and Senior ) high school students.  
This year's dates are Thursday May 10 and Friday the 11th, 2012.

June Picnic as guests of the Rochester Lapidary Society. . More info to follow.

Annual ADK Outdoor Expo put on by the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club at Mendon Ponds Park Beach Area. We will have a booth advertising our club to the public. This year's event is on Saturday June 9, 2012.

Annual Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show  Co-sponsored with the Rochester Lapidary Society at Minett Hall at the Monroe Co. Fair and Expo Center.
  2012 Dates:
    Saturday October 20 – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Sunday October 21 – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Holiday Dinner Meeting  In December each year.  A special year-end get together and pot-luck dinner.

 Articles

The October 2007 meeting featured Dr. David Bailey, Associate Professor of Geology at Hamilton College, who gave an interesting talk about the Kimberlitic Rocks of New York.   For a summary of this talk, click here!

Barton & Hooper Garnet Mine Field Trip

Contacts
Mineral Website
and General Information – mineral(at)rasny.org
Field Trip Coordinators – mineraltrips(at)rasny.org

Officers for 2012
President — Nancy Mc Cann – mineralpres(at)rasny.org

Past President — William Pinch

Vice President — Stephen Busschaert                                       – mineralvp(at)rasny.org
Secretary — Don VanTyne
                       – mineralsecretary(at)rasny.org
Treasurer — Paul Dudley
Curator — William Pinch

Directors
    James Synyard
    Brian McGrath
    Kathy Henrie
    

Events Schedule

Monthly Club meetings are generally on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Brighton Town Hall, 2300 Elmwood Ave., Rochester NY.  Our December meeting will be elsewhere, and occasionally we may need to change the date or meeting locations.  This site will list any such changes or updates.

There is no meeting in April due to all the mineralogical excitement created by the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium.

Thursday & Friday May 10 & 11
41st Annual Science Exploration Days – At St. John Fisher Gymnasium. Help is needed with this event!  Thursday, May 10th, 7:00-9:00pm – Open to the public!  Please feel free to stop by to see the many exhibits which include RAS Section exhibits, including our Mineral Section tables.

Friday, May 11th, 9:00am-1:00pm – For registered junior and senior high school students, and their teachers. This event is sponsored by the Central Western Section of the Science Teacher’s Association of New York State.  Mineral Section will be one of the many science exhibitors there with several mineral displays. Volunteers are needed!  Please contact Nancy at mineralpres(at)rasny.org or 585-395-1713 if you can assist for two or more hours, or help with set up (check with me for time) and tear down at 2:00pm on Friday.  For more info about this event http://www.ggw.org/~cws/sed.htm

Saturday, May 12th – Herkimer Diamond FIELD TRIP to Ace of Diamonds, Rte. 28 North, Middleville, NY. 9:00am – 5:00pm. Meet at the dig site whenever you’re able to arrive. Age 8 and older $9.50/day, Age 7 & under $4.50/day. Safety glasses, sturdy footwear required. To sign up and for carpooling, e-mail mineraltrips(at)rasny.org. For more info on this site and directions, go to http://www.herkimerdiamonds.com/

Tuesday, May 15th – MONTHLY MEETING – 7:30 - 9:30 PM in the Downstairs Meeting Room, Brighton Town Hall, 2300 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, NY 14618. Dan Robertson, Geosciences Chairman at MCC will give a talk titled: "Settling in with some Platinum: Why the Stillwater Mine near Yellowstone has so much of it."  Door prizes & Refreshments. Visitors welcome!  For update, check back here, or contact Stephen Busschaert at mineralvp(at)rasny.org or 585-288-5683.

Saturday, May 19th (POSTPONED Until July) - JUNIOR OPEN HOUSE at the lovely home of Bill Coons, former Mineral Section and RAS President. 7:30pm - till. Bill will show children his wonderful mineral collection and teach what is important when making a collection.  Refreshments. Child(ren) must be accompanied by a responsible adult.  To sign up and get address, please contact mineralpres(at)rasny.org or 585-395-1713.

Monday, May 21st - JUNIOR EVENT, 6:30 - 8:00 PM, Downstairs Meeting Room of the Brighton Town Hall, 2300 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, 14618.  Topic will "Radiation and Radioactive Minerals."   Door prizes and refreshments.   To sign up, or more information, contact  mineralpres(at)rasny.org.

Memorial Day Weekend Field Trip to South Carolina is CANCELED.

Sunday, June 3rd – Rochester Lapidary Society Picnic – We are invited to attend their annual picnic and Silent Auction at 12:00 noon – till, at Roberts Cabin, Henrietta Town Park, Calkins Rd. near the Fair & Expo Center.  Enter the park and take the first right to find Roberts Cabin on your left.  They furnish meat, cold drinks, paper goods, bread & plastic-ware. Please bring a dish to pass. Bidding increments in the Silent Auction are $1 and Lapidary receives 20% of the proceeds.  For more info or carpooling, contact mineralpres(at)rasny.org or 585-395-1713.

Saturday, June 9th – 15th Annual Adirondak Outdoor Expo. 9:00am – 4:00pm, Mendon Ponds Park, Beach area, Rochester, NY.  Our Section will be one of the vendors talking to the public about our local minerals and what our club has to offer. For more info, go to http://www.adk-gvc.org/expo You don't have to be an expert to help out - please e-mail mineralpres(at)rasny.org or call 585-395-1713.

Field Trips

A benefit of Mineral Section membership are the club-sponsored field trips.
An advance headcount is required for field trips, and you must be a member to receive field trip details.  

To sign up for field trips, or if you have an idea for a field trip, contact mineraltrips(at)rasny.org.

If you are not currently a member here is a link to the RAS membership form

2011 Field Trips

Saturday, April 9, National Limestone Quarry, Mt. Pleasant Mills, PA for clear calcite crystals, strontionite, wavellite, and flourite veins in rock. For more information, mineraltrips@rasny.org.

Sunday, May 1 - Marmora Quarry Field Trip, 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Stirling-Marmora Rd., Marmora, Bancroft, Ontario, Canada. Late arrivals OK. Well-supervised children & power tools allowed. Reflective orange or yellow vest or shirt required. Must have passport or enhanced driver's license. For more info, please e-mail mineraltrips(at)rasny.org

Saturday, May 14 – Penfield Quarry Open House.  For dolomite, calcite, gypsum, sphalerite, fluorite, and galena.  7:00 a.m. to noon.  Penfield quarry on Whalen Road between Atlantic Ave. (Rt 286) and Five-mile Line Road, Penfield.

Saturday & Sunday, October 8 & 9 – Walworth Quarry Open House.  Arrive at 6:45 a.m.   Off Atlantic Avenue (Rt. 286) east of Penfield and just west of Rt. 350.  Entrance on Tiffany Road. .

Some Previous Field Trips

Penfield Quarry (Dolomite Products Co., Inc.), Minerals that may be found here are Fluorite, Selenite, Dolomite, Calcite, Sphalerite, Celestine, Gypsum & Fossils.

Herkimer "Diamond" Mine, Herkimer, NY for quartz crystals..

"Diamond" Acres, Fonda, NY for quartz crystals.

Crystal Grove "Diamond" Mine & Campground, St. Johnsville, NY for quartz crystals.

Bancroft, Ontario, Canada area.  

Marmora Quarry (Aecon Corp.), Stirling-Marmora Rd., Marmora Township, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada.

Barton Garnet Mine, North River, NY and the abandoned Hooper Garnet mine. Garnet, gneiss, feldspar, hornblende.  

Lafarge, NA at Lockport (Quarry) -  Minerals usually found there include: Pink-tinged dolomite crystals, calcite crystals, celestine, gypsum (selenite & massive), anhydrite, and marcasite.

Spring Creek, Alden, NY depending on people's preference, for fossils, pyritized fossils & nodules and septarian nodules.

Lewis & St. Lawrence Counties.  Tourmalines, titanite, diopside, graphite, blue calcite, and more.

Bower Powers farm for uvite, quartz & apatite, Pierrepont, St. Lawrence Co., NY.

Meckley's Limestone Products, Inc. Quarry in Mandata, PA

National Limestone Quarry, in Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania for wavellite, calcite & strontianite.

Dolomite Products Co., Inc., Walworth Quarry, Walworth, NY. for dolomite, calcite, gypsum, fluorite, sphalerite, marcasite.

For more information on field trips, contact mineraltrips(at)rasny.org