New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

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Thirty years of Symposium presentations: A review

Ramon S. DeMark

https://doi.org/10.58799/NMMS-2009.345

It may seem as though the New Mexico Mineral Symposium has been around forever, but in reality, it was only an idea in the head of Pete Modreski in the spring of 1979. Pete discussed his idea with me, and we formed a committee composed of ourselves and Dr. Rod Ewing, at that time the chairman of the University of New Mexico Geology Department, to put the idea into reality.

The first symposium was held at the University of New Mexico. Notable attendees at that first symposium included Dr. Stuart Northrop (professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico), Robert M. North (curator of the mineral museum at the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources), and Dr. Robert H. Weber (eminent geologist from the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources). Speakers at the first symposium included Dr. Northrop (opening remarks), Dr. Ewing, Dr. Pete Modreski, Paul Hlava, Dr. Doug Brookins (UNM), Pat Haynes, Joe Taggart, and Dr. Gene Foord (USGS), and yours truly. The 81 attendees included four members of the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club (AGMC), Loyd Keller, Will Moats, Tom Schmierer, and Gary Young.

That this symposium has continued and flourished is a tribute first to Robert M. North who was able to enlist the support of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources to host and provide a venue for the next and following symposiums. The administration and financial support for the symposium by the NMBMMR was critical. With the departure of Bob North to private industry, the helm was passed to Dr. Virgil Lueth. Virgil, with the help of Bob Eveleth and the continued solid support of the NMBGMR, has given the symposium a new vitality that hopefully will continue for many years.

As for this review, it is a small sample of some of the new findings and timely information that has been presented by many speakers during the 30 yrs of the New Mexico Mineral Symposium.

Symposium	Topic Presented
1. September 29-30, 1979	Mineralogy of the Red Cloud mining district, Gallinas Mountains, New Mexico Agardite-(La) First New Mexico occurrence Mimetite conichalcite, vanadinite, wulfenite, and mottramite-First reported from this location
2. October 25-26, 1980	Beryl at Iron Mountain, Sierra County, New Mexico First report of beryl from Iron Mountain Large helvite crystals from Scheelamite artea
3. November 13-14, 1982	Minerals of Point of Rocks Mesa Euhedral free-standing crystals of rare minerals found in vugs
4. November 12-13, 1983	Minerals of Point of Rocks: New findings First report of lorenzenite and rasvumite from New Mexico First report of sulphides (galena, sphalerite, and pyrrhotite) from Point of Rocks
5. November 10-11, 1984	Minerals of the Alhambra mine, Grant County, New Mexico Discussion of uncommon minerals collected from the stock piles in autumn, 1979
6. November 9-10, 1985	A micro mineral collector's tour of New Mexico Twenty-eight locations briefly discussed
7. November 8-9, 1986	A new occurrence of cypine (blue idocrase) in New Mexico Blue idocrase (now vesuvianite) found in Pilar Cliffs Piedmontite, zoisite (thulite), grossular, dravite, andalusite (viridine) also found
8. November 14-15, 1987	Mining development and minerals of the Hansonburg mining district, Socorro County, New Mexico Tennantite confirmed from Hannsonburg copper mine. Olivenite and conichalcite confirmed Recent discoveries: scrutinyite, antlerite, large selenite, and fluorite crystals from Sunshine No. 1 adit
9. November 12-13, 1988	The Blanchard mine: New developments Sunshine #6 adit reopened Clarence Barrett workings smithsonite Ore bin area specimens (wulfenite on fluroite and barite), cinnabar Sunshine #4 discoveries (hemimorphite with cuprite and native copper, malachite pseudo after linarite, chalcanthite, and goslarite
10. November 11-12, 1989	Minerals of the Carnahan mine, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, with Judith L. DeMark Twenty new species added to list of minerals from the Carnahan mine (includes adamite and agardite-(y) First reported occurrence of hetaerolite from New Mexico
11. November 10-11, 1990	New discoveries from the Cuchillo Negro, Sierra County, New Mexico Dictator mine: large willemite crystals, smithsonite Black Knife mine: scalenohedral calcite and pseudos with fluorite, mottramite, ramsdellite Confindence mine: wulfenite, willemite, hemimorphite, vanadinite, linarite, and brochantite
12. November 9-10, 1991	The amazing Sunshine #1 tunnel, Blanchard mine, Bingham, New Mexico with Paul Hlava February 1978-Linarite pseudos after galena on sale at Tuscon Gem and Mineral Show Late 1979-World class linarite crystals discovered 1988-Scrutyinite described; type location, Sunshine #1 adit Caledonite confirmed and large crystal (7mm) found Otavite confirmed (first New Mexico occurrence with hydrozincite, pyromorphite, and corkite)
13. November 14-15, 1992	Spangolite and other secondary minerals from the Buckhorn mine, Lincoln County, New Mexico, with Paul Hlava Noteworthy occurrence of spangolite Twelve to thirteen species new to the mine reported (arsentsumbite needs XRD confrimation)
14. November 13-14, 1993	New developments and mineral occurrences at the Linchburg mine, Socorro County, New Mexico, with Chris DeWitt Two new species for New Mexico-ktenasite and serpierite Unknown zinc-carbonate, sulphate, possible new species
15. November 12-13, 1994	A New Mexico fluorite dig, with Mike Sanders Pine Canyon deposit. Located as Judith Lynn claim, April 1983 Material erroneously reported as fluorite from Catron County, New Mexico Dig conducted July 1-14, 1994
16. November 11-12, 1995	Carminite and other arsenates from Granite Gap, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, with Paul Hlava First reported New Mexico occurrence of carminite Large suite of colorful, secondary arsenate minerals and other uncommon minerals Unknown copper arsenate found in red octahedrons
17. November 9-10, 1996	Gahnite, margarite, and other new mineral occurrences from Taos County, New Mexico, with Jesse Kline First reported occurrence of margarite in New Mexico First noteworthy occurrence of gahnite in New Mexico Pilar Cliffs-fuchsite, purple muscovite
18. November 8-9, 1997	Mineral collecting in northern New Mexico Tribute to Jesse Kline (chrysoberyl, gahnite, margarite) Garnet altered to hisingerite Kyanite (sillimanite) and andalusite (viridine) Foitite Mention of numerous northern New Mexico locations
19. November 7-8, 1998	New Mexico wulfenite Historical locations-Stephenson-Bennett mine, Ground Hog mine, Lucky Bill mine Fifty-five locations reported Denver shaft
20. November 13-14, 1999	Mineral collecting in iron country Famous mines New discoveries Shigaite
21. November 11-12, 2000	A new psuedobrookite location in Taos County, New Mexico, with Jesse Kline Brushy Mountain, United Perlite Corporation open pit mine New finds: pseudobrookite, aegerine, monazite, tridymite
22. November 10-11, 2001	MInerals of the Macy mine and other selected mines near Hillsboro, New Mexico AKA: Percha (Macy's mine), Barking Frog, Bobbi-Dee 1893 Columbian Exposition Kentrolite discovery (1981)-Big Chief mine Melanotekite
23. ovember 9-10, 2002	Mines and minerals of Socorro Peak, New Mexico May Flower mine History of mines and Billing smelter Listing of minerals
24. November 8-9, 2003	Native silver and wulfenite at the Anchor mine, Magdalena district, Socorro County, New Mexico Silver and acanthite found on second level Wulfeinte on adit level Other wulfenite occurrences in Magdalena district
25. November 13-14, 2004	New mineral occurrences from New Mexico's bootheel, with Paul Hlava Apache mine-ten new species from this location reported Jixianite-Third world occurrence Red Hill mine-wulfenite confirmed, pyromorphite, mimetite, and vanadinite
26. November 12-13, 2005	A review of New Mexico's great mineral speciment locations that are now lost, closed, abandoned, or otherwise extinct New Mexico School of Mines fire, 1928 Early eastern dealers and ads in The Mineral Collector Listing of sites and status
27. November 11-12, 2006	Selected minerals from the Grants uranium region Mining activity from 1950s-1980 Listing of uranium, uranium/vanadium, and vanadium minerals Type of minerals (goldmanite, grantsite, santafeite), zippeite/uranopilite(?)
28. November 10-11, 2007	Eminent New Mexico fluorites and collectors, with Mike Sanders History of fluorite mining and speciment preservation in New Mexico Obsessed and otherwise notorious New Mexico fluorite collectors
29. November 8-9, 2008	New Mexico vanadinite History of New Mexico vanadinite discoveries and early distribution Noteworthy locations

pp. 27-29

30th Annual New Mexico Mineral Symposium and 1st Annual Mining Artifact Collectors Association Symposium
November 14-15, 2009, Socorro, NM
Print ISSN: 2836-7294
Online ISSN: 2836-7308