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

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 on Jefferson Road.

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 Wednesday May 11 and Thursday the 12th, 2011.

June Picnic as guests of the Rochester Lapidary Society. Sunday June 5, 2011.
Roberts Cabin at Henrietta Town Park, Calkins Rd., Henrietta, NY. We're invited! Bring a covered dish, salad or dessert. Silent auction. 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 11, 2011.

Annual Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show  Co-sponsored with the Rochester Lapidary Society at Minett Hall at the Monroe Co. Fair and Expo Center.
  2011 Dates:
    Saturday October 22 – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Sunday October 23 – 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.

Saturday, February 18th – JUNIOR OPEN HOUSE at member, Bill Coon's home - For serious children ~age 11 and over who are interested in making a mineral collection. Time to be announced. Please e-mail Nancy McCann at mineralpres(at)rasny.org to sign up and for more information. Alternate date - Sat., Feb. 25th.

Tuesday, February 21st – MONTHLY MEETING - 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM at Brighton Town Hall, Downstairs Meeting Room, 2300 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, NY 14618. Speaker will be a reschedule of Dr. Asish Basu of the University of Rochester on "Meteorites: Rocks from Space."  Refreshments and door prizes. Visitors are welcome.  Please check here for updates.

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