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New Mexico Mineral Symposium

flourite on quartz
Photo by Jeff Scovil
Fluorite on quartz, Pine Canyon deposit, Burro Mountains District, Grant Co., NM. Gift of Gary & Priscilla Young.

Plan to attend the:

43rdAnnual Symposium — November 10-12, 2023
Macey Center
New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology
Socorro, New Mexico
[view map and Places to See Around Socorro]

A PDF version of this announcement is also available.

The New Mexico Mineral Symposium provides a forum for both professionals and amateurs interested in mineralogy. The meeting allows all to share their cumulative knowledge of mineral occurrences and provides stimulus for mineralogical studies and new mineral discoveries. In addition, the informal atmosphere encourages intimate discussions among all interested in mineralogy and associated fields.

This year's symposium will consist of a day and a half of formal papers presented in 30-minute time blocks. Papers will focus on mineral occurrences from New Mexico and adjacent states, as well as Mexico. A few selected papers may be presented from other parts of the world. An informal pre-symposium social and tailgating session will be held at local motels beginning on Friday, and will last through the weekend.

Wulfenite on malachite
Photo by Virgil Lueth
Wulfenite on malachite, Graphic Mine, Magdalena District, Socorro Co., NM.

The Mineral Symposium is organized each year by the Mineral Museum at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources.

Sponsors this year include:

  • Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club
  • Chaparral Rockhounds
  • Los Alamos Geological Society
  • New Mexico Geological Society Foundation
  • Friends of Mineralogy
  • City of Socorro
  • Grant County Rolling Stones
  • Friends of Mineralogy — Colorado Chapter
4 corners minerals
Photo by Kelsey McNamara
Barite, Day Tunnel, Pelican Mine, Hermosa District, Sierra Co., NM.

Featured Speaker:

History of collecting at the Mineralogy Museum of l’École des Mines de Paris

— Dr. Eloïse Gaillou, Curatrix, Mineralogy Museum of  l’École des Mines de Paris
(more information)

Micromineral Aficionados Gathering — Friday, November 10th

This year we are introducing a new feature to the symposium, The Micromineral Aficionados Gathering. The Micromineral Group of the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club will host a gathering for all interested in the small but glorious world of microminerals, i.e. specimens that require magnification to be truly appreciated. The gathering will be held in the Mineral Museum on NM Tech campus from 9-12.

This will be an informal gathering to look at and talk about (some exaggeration is expected) microminerals and their localities. Bring material you are willing to trade with other aficionados. We will provide many flats of giveaway material and are looking forward to seeing what you bring to share. We will provide a few extra microscopes and are happy to share ours but if you have your own it would be a good idea to bring it. The event is free and open to all. Questions? jaypenn246@gmail.com

Photomicrography Workshop — Friday, November 10th

If you were ever awestruck by a beautiful photograph of a micro mineral during a presentation and would like to understand how they were taken; or get started building your own assembly but don't know where to start; or have started putting together an assembly but don't know the next step...this is the workshop for you.

Patrick Rowe, Michael Michayluk, and Scott Braley will host a free 3-hour workshop, from 1-4, on how to take photomicrographs. Patrick is excited to share this information and most of you are familiar with Michael through his Mindat contributions, NMMS presentations, and quality photos taken for Ray DeMark's Symposium presentations over the last several years.

During this workshop Michael, Patrick, and Scott will discuss equipment; provide tips that they learned over many years and go through the complete workflow. They will cover setting up a system, taking the photographs, lighting tips, slabbing and stacking photos, all the way to post-processing. The process will be shown using a high-end assembly, but the principles and processes also apply to beginner and less expensive assemblies.

Friends of the Mineral Museum Reception — Friday, November 10th

A Friends of the Mineral Museum reception will be held at the museum on Friday from 5-7 pm. An informal tailgating session will be held at local motels beginning on Friday and will last through the weekend. You can join the “Friends” group at the reception with a donation of $25 or more.

Auctions & Dinner — November 11th and 12th

From 8:00 am am to 3:00 pm on Saturday the 11th, a silent auction will be held to benefit the New Mexico Mineral Symposium in the lower lobby of Macey Center.

A cocktail hour with a cash bar, followed by a dinner and auction (registration fee required), will be held in the Fidel Center Ballrooms on Saturday the 11th, starting at 5:30 pm. The cost for the dinner is $30.00 for adults, $10.00 for children (2-12 years old). A voice auction to benefit the symposium will conclude the evening's activities.

On Sunday, Nov. 12th, a silent auction will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the lower Macey lobby on Sunday. The auction is sponsored by the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club for the benefit of the Mineral Museum (FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC).

Registration

The registration fee for the symposium is $50.00, and the fee for students is $25.00 (with student ID). Registration includes a copy of the abstracts, two continental breakfasts, and coffee breaks. Registration for the dinner and auction on Sunday evening (see above) is extra. On-site registration will not be available, so please register in advance.

Registration for next year is not yet available.

Program

There will be eight presentations on Saturday and five on Sunday. See the Symposium Program for schedule details and links to abstracts.

Photographs

See our Gallery of photographs from past symposia and associated field trips. If you have photographs that you would like to share, please contact us.

For more photos and “live reports” of past symposia, please peruse Erin Delventhal’s in-depth coverage on Mindat.org: