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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.

View program schedule and abstracts here!

Plan to attend the:

44th New Mexico Mineral Symposium — November 1-3, 2024
Macey Center
New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology
Socorro, New Mexico
[View map and Places to See Around Socorro]

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. Many papers will focus on mineral occurrences from New Mexico and adjacent states, as well as Mexico. Other 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
  • City of Socorro
4 corners minerals
Photo by Kelsey McNamara
Barite, Day Tunnel, Pelican Mine, Hermosa District, Sierra Co., NM.

Featured Speaker:

“Stories of the King of Kashmir" [one of the world’s finest mineral specimens]

— Daniel Trinchillo, founder of Fine Minerals International
(more information)

Field Trip: Lake Valley Mining District — Friday, November 1

The Los Alamos Geological Society is hosting a field trip to the historic Lake Valley Mining District on Friday, November 1st, in conjunction with the 44th Annual New Mexico Mineral Symposium.

Lake Valley was a silver-manganese mining district. Silver was discovered in 1876, and the area was extensively mined until the silver crash in 1893 (Donegan et al., 1965; McLemore and Nutt, 2002). The Lake Valley district includes the famed Bridal Chamber, which was found in 1881. The Bridal Chamber was among the richest silver deposits ever mined (Eveleth, 1986). The spectacular Bridal Chamber ore body composed of silver chlorides and silver bromides was nearly two hundred feet long and 25 feet thick (Clark, 1895; MacDonald, 1909: McLemore and Nutt, 2002). Chlorargyrite (cerargyrite; AgCl), the main high-grade ore taken from the Bridal Chamber, was mined out by the late 1880s. Manganese minerals, mainly manganite and pyrolusite, were mined in the Lake Valley district during and after World War II (Creasey and Granger, 1953). No significant mining activity has occurred in the area since 1959 (McLemore and Nutt, 2002).

Sorry, but slots are limited and all participants must be registered with the 44th New Mexico Mineral Symposium. Because of the limited slots, there are no guests and no substitutions.

If interested, please send an email to la.geo.society@gmail.com with the following information:

  • Name of all participants:
  • Contact e-mail:
  • Contact phone daytime:
  • Contact phone evenings:

Further information on when and where we will meet will be provided to those filling the available slots. All selected participants will be notified on or before October 6th.

Micromineral Aficionados Gathering — Friday, November 1

For the second time we are holding 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, Rm. from 9am - 4pm.

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

Friends of the Mineral Museum Reception — Friday, November 1

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— Saturday, November 2 and Sunday, November 3

From 8:00 am am to 3:00 pm on Saturday, 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, 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, a silent auction will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the lower Macey lobby. 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 Saturday 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.

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: