The 1,027 th meeting of
The Mineralogical Society
of
Southern California
MSSC ZOOM PRESENTATION
Program: Amethyst Scepters,
Ashaway Village, Hopkinton, Rhode Island
Presented by: John Rakovan
Friday, July 12, 2024 at 7:30 pm.
See program notes below
Visitors are always welcome
About us…
The MSSC is a member of the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies and is dedicated to the dissemination of general knowledge of the mineralogical and related earth sciences through the study of mineral specimens. We are a scientific non-profit organization that actively supports those endeavors through public outreach, field study and related programs.
For more information info@mineralsocal.org
Chuckwalla National Monument BLM issued a Media Advisory that called a community meeting on management of Southern California public lands, namely H.R. 5660, the proposal to establish the “Chuckwalla National Monument”. The meeting was to be held this morning (6/14/24) in Indio, CA. MSSC’s issue is similar to our involvement with the Mojave Trails National Monument and the rights to collect minerals, to rockhound and conduct educational field trips to students and others who share like interests. If you were able to participate, thank you! If not, and you wish your voice be heard, I encourage you to review the paperwork sent to each of you this past Wednesday by MSSC’s Bulletin Editor Linda. Write your comments and address them to Secretary Deb Haaland include CC’s to the Bureau of Land Management and to your local Congressional Representative:
U.S. Department of the Interior BLM Calif Desert District DAC
Secretary Deb Haaland c/o Shelly Lynch, District Manager
1849 C Street NW 1201 Bird Center Dr
Washington, DC 20240 Palm Springs, CA 92262
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Notice of July 29, 2023 regarding Mojave Trails National Monument. Reprinted with permission from San Diego Mineral & Gem Society. Great commentary in the notice by its author, Lisbet Thorensen, SDMG’s Public Lands Representative. Thank You, SDMG and Lisbet. Angie Guzman, MSSC President. Please click here to read article and commentary.
Program Notes: Friday, July 12, 2024 at 7:30, join us for “Amethyst Scepters, Ashaway Village, Hopkinton, Rhode Island. Presented by John Rakovan.
Dr. John Rakovan is the state mineralogist and senior museum curator at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. He has been an executive editor of and regular contributor to Rocks & Minerals magazine since 2001 and was a professor of mineralogy at Miami University for 25 years. John has broad research interests including crystal growth, structural and morphologic crystallography, and mineral deposit formation. He has been a mineral collector for more than forty years. One of this most memorable collecting experiences is the codiscovery and excavation, with Sal Avella and others, of the scepter amethyst site in Hopkinton, Rhode Island. John’s talk will be about this occurrence.
The East coast of the US, from Maine to Georgia, is well known for its many occurrences of amethyst. In the Spring of 1981 an occurrence of amethyst was discovered in Ashaway Village, Hopkinton, Rhode Island that has produced some of the most beautiful and sought after amethyst specimens in North America; typically found as scepters with gemmy amethyst caps on opaque, porcelain white stems. This talk will present the discovery and some science used to understand the formation of these beautiful specimens.
SPECIAL ZOOM MEETING NOTICE
MSSC members will be automatically on the invite list each month.
Non Members, you must request to attend the MSSC zoom meeting every month. Email our Speakers chair, Carolyn Seitz at speakers@mineralsocal.org no later than the Thursday before the scheduled meeting Please include “ZOOM Meeting” in the subject line of your response. We will send you the meeting link.
Upcoming Events
all events, except field trips are via ZOOM
- August 9, 2024: Jim & Gail Spann – Topic yet to be determined
- September 13, 2024: TBA
- October 11, 2024: Scott Braley
- Board Meeting, Sunday June 30, 2024 at 1:00 pm, all are welcome to attend
- August 24, 2024: MSSC Picnic-Technology Park, Caltec Campus Watch for more details
The MSSC is pleased to offer the updated 2023 edition of Bob Pedersen’s X- Dana