New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

While the Graphic Mine in Magdalena, New Mexico has been closed for decades, the dump is still capable of producing good, quality specimens. I have collected over most of the dump, finding specimens ranging from micro- to cabinet-sized. The majority of the specimens however, are in the thumbnail to micro range. The thumbnails and micro have come from 2 locations on the dump. One location has produced more smithsonite specimens then other minerals and has also produced sections of smithsonite stalactites. The second location has produced an extraordinary number thumbnail, micro specimens and even fossils. From surface scrounging to dirty digging, specimens are there for the finding if one is willing to put in the effort. In this talk, I will review the process I used for collecting and preparation of the thumbnails and micro mounts.

Specimens from A to W have been collected.
Allophane
Anglesite
Aurichalcite
Azurite
Barite
Calcite
Cerussite
Chrysocolla
Copper
Christobalite
Cuprite
Galena
Goethite
Gypsum
Hematite
Hemimorphite
Hydrohaeterolite
Limonite
Malachite
Mangenese Oxide
Obsidian
Quartz
Ramsdellite
Rosasite
Silver
Smithsonite
Wulfenite
Fossils