Monthly Mineral Chronicles Volume 1 Issue 1 by Steve Sorrell

Monthly

Mineral Chronicles Volume 1 | Issue 1 | Monthly Mineral Chronicles | August 2018

Announcement

Inside This Issue

Welcome to the very first edition of Monthly Mineral Chronicles. This is a publication pulled together by a mineral collector for mineral collectors. Each month, I will bring you mineral-related content from around the world. There will be a range of topics including mineral news and information, show reports, articles on minerals and localities, a spotlight on individual mineral dealers or collectors, and maybe an editorial now and again. The focus won’t be restricted to any particular genre. And all of this from just $1 per month. I hope that you enjoy the journey. Subscribe on Patreon

Steve Sorrell

Social Media Round Up Dealer Spotlight In Case You Missed It News and Views Around the World! Show and Tell The Trade Table The Media Centre Under the Scope

Social Media Round Up Love it or hate it, Social Media is here and in your face. Whether that be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or something else, you either have to ignore it or embrace it. Personally, I do use Facebook a lot. There are a multitude of mineral-based pages and groups to suit most interests. These can be general, such as mineral identification, to specific ones such as Garnets Worldwide, or Arizona Minerals. They may be dealer sites, or collectors showcasing their specimens. Educational or just plain fun. The best way to find what is out there is to type your interest into the Facebook search box. It looks like this:

One Facebook page that I manage, and is very active, is Mineral of the Week. It has now been running for over 75 consecutive weeks. The basic premise is that members share images of mineral specimens that fit with the particular Mineral of the Week theme. Some recent ones include: • Crocoite • Beryl • Tasmanian Minerals • The Spinel Subgroup • Minerals associated with the late John Veervaert • Realgar and Orpiment The theme is selected either by myself, or a volunteer group member. A couple of images from recent weeks are shown below.

Try “Type Locality Minerals” with over 250 members, or “Calcite Collectors” with over 1,800 members. Below: Realgar and Picropharmacolite on Calcite, Jiepaiyu Mine, Shimen Co., Hunan Province, China Steve Sorrell specimen and photo

Above: Spinel from Mogok, Myanmar Steve Sorrell specimen and photo

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Dealer Spotlight: Eric Vandusen

Q. Any tips you could give to others that may be contemplating a move to being a mineral dealer?

In this first Dealer Spotlight, I talk with Eric Vandusen. Eric is from Vermont and Maine and lived in Ireland in the late 1980s.

A. Tips for someone getting in the business: do your homework and be prepared for trial and error.

Q. When did you first become interested in minerals? And what triggered that interest?

Q. If you could go back in time and start again, would you do anything differently?

A. I went to my first rock shop as a boy about 12 years old and would get rocks and that started my collecting. I liked it better than comic books etc.

A. If I could go back in time I would have stuck with the business with no time off as my network of friends, connections and clients would be bigger. Apart from that I’m completely happy.

Q. You recently made a decision to become a mineral dealer. Can you share your thinking? Any regrets so far?

Eric’s contact details:

A. I sold minerals growing up traveling at concerts and I took time off until a year ago then I started collecting again. I have a son with autism so it made sense to start selling again to be at home more, as I also worked and still do construction work, painting and roofing.

Ericsminerals79@gmail.com Facebook Page: ERICSMINERALS SALES

Q. As a mineral dealer, what goals have you set for yourself? And when do you expect to be able to reach them? A. Goals are to get my business to a self-sustaining level, while still having good items and good prices. Endgame would be a store, or productive website. Q. You offer a mix of interesting and unusual specimens. You obviously have good sources. Without giving away trade secrets, how do you track them down? A. I try to offer unique and rare minerals when possible, as well as primarily, but not only USA material. I source from connections made at shows and old friends, as well as new friends.

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Dealer Spotlight (cont.) Some examples of specimens offered by Eric.

Clockwise from above: Celestite, Maybee, Michigan Calcite, Marcasite, Linwood Mine, Buffalo, Scott Co., Iowa Fluorite, Stoneco Auglaize Quarry Junction, Paudling Co., Ohio

“Eric’s Minerals”

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In Case You Missed It… To have a new mineral species named after you is a bit of an honour. But then to have the mineral redefined and the name changed, well that would be disappointing. But this has recently happened to Marshall Sussman. Marshallsussmanite from the Wessels Mine, South Africa, was described as a new mineral in 2013. It is an attractive pink intermediate member of the Pectolite-Sérandite series. A new mineral of the same composition in Greenland was described in 1900, and the name therefore takes precedence. So, marshallsussmanite is now schizolite. If you have one, you will need to change your labels! Hoganite is a rare copper acetate mineral first discovered at the Potosi Mine, Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, and named after Graham Hogan, a Broken Hill based mineral collector. Later on, it was recorded from Courtland, Arizona, and from Michigan. The most recent report is the discovery of superb crystals on matrix at the Bou Nahas Mine, Morocco. However, as the mineral species is relatively easy to synthesise, it is not certain that this occurrence is totally natural. The Jury is at least, partially out. Photo top right: Hoganite from Courtland, Arizona. Crystal is 1.5mm tall. Steve Sorrell photo.

“Minerals named after people”

Mindat is Seeking your Support Mindat.org needs $75,000 between now and the end of 2018 in order to continue. “You may have heard that one of our most dedicated supporters, who passed away in 2015, left a substantial donation from his estate towards keeping mindat.org alive, and you may have thought that means we don't need your money any more. Unfortunately, we do. The estate is tied up in the courts (as estates of this size often are). We won an original challenge to our share of the estate in court last year, but this victory is now being appealed meaning significant expense and yet more delay before we can finally get this money to support us.” See more details here.

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News and Views With apologies to C.W. McCall, “we got a little convoy”. I had been taking a mild interest in fluorescent minerals for a while, and late in 2017, started taking a bit more notice of reports about this ultraviolet (UV) torch that people were taking to mineral shows. I’d always thought that you really needed darkness to appreciate the UV reaction that some minerals give off. I was also of the opinion that you got more from shortwave than you did from longwave UV. But this “new” Convoy S2+ UV torch was longwave. And you could get a reaction in daylight in some minerals! Anyway, I decided in June this year to get one. It arrived in early July, and I have to say, I have been amazed at what I am seeing! I have been checking out every specimen that I pick up, whether I expected it to fluoresce or not.

“Cause we got a little convoy Rockin' through the night. Yeah, we got a little convoy, Ain't she a beautiful sight?”

Very recently, I have been cataloguing some new specimens that came as part of a recently acquired micromineral collection. After I started checking them with the Convoy, I began marking them as either fluorescent or not. Of the last 75, 39 fluoresce! That’s more than half! Granted, for some, it is the matrix, not necessarily the crystals, but WOW. Over 50%! And this is longwave! Hopefully, technology will come with a comparable shortwave solution soon. So what is this Convoy? Well it is a Chinese-made torch with a 365nm Nichia UV Waterproof LED. You can get one for around AU$38 (US$27, or GB£21). Try Gearbest or Banggood. You will need a filter like this one, a rechargeable battery, and a battery charger. Naturesrainbows website has a great write-up and instructions on fitting the UV filter. If I can do it, anybody can! Mark Cole, on Naturesrainbows says “Until recently, the only LW lights collectors had to use (effectively) in the field were complicated and expensive battery powered fluorescent UV lights. Folks tried using the myriad array of cheap 390nm/395nm LED flashlights (often falsely advertised as 365nm), or similarly poor 4W/6W fluorescent blacklight toys, but were quickly disappointed by the low power (in spite of claims to the contrary) and overwhelming blue/purple light from these low-end products. This light is different.” I whole-heartedly agree. The best $50 I have spent in a long time! Naturesrainbows also has a pretty comprehensive database of fluorescent minerals, and locations. This will help in some way to identify what the mineral fluorescing is (if you can’t tell in normal light). However, I think the Convoy has opened up a whole new world. As an example, I have a New Zealand hydromagnesite that fluoresces a nice baby-blue. That mineral is currently not in the database.

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News and Views (cont.) Staying with the Convoy, I have an ordinary Broken Hill specimen labelled simply cerussite. Under the microscope, you can see some tiny yellow crystals. Mimetite? Pyromorphite? Neither. With the Convoy, you quickly realise that the crystals are the rare copper iodide species, marshite! That was a nice find. Right: Marshite on cerussite, Broken Hill, New South Wales. White light and longwave ultraviolet using Convoy. Marshite fluoresces bright red.

Another specimen provided a surprise. The specimen from Woodlawn below has greenockite crystals (the orange-red ones below the yellow area). These do not fluoresce. The yellow area is finer-grained greenockite/hawleyite and fluoresces an intense red! These are just two examples of some of the surprises that I have come across so far. Below: Greenockite/hawleyite, Woodlawn, New South Wales. White light and longwave ultraviolet using Convoy.

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News and Views (cont.) Queensland Minerals Heritage Museum The Minerals Heritage Museum (MHM) had a wonderful display located in Brisbane, with the aim of preserving, displaying and educating the public about the beautiful and wonderful freaks of nature. Tony Forsyth reports that the MHM has had to go into storage until further notice. The Queensland Museum are renovating the Science Centre and as a consequence, have had to move the display until this is completed. It seemed for a while that there might be issues resulting in the displays being permanently removed, but that seems to no longer be an issue. Tony will provide an update in due course.

Above: Azurite, Girrofla Mine, Chillagoe, Queensland. Mineral Heritage Museum. 80-ish mm across.

Pyrite Disease The opening sentence in Geological Curators' Group Blog: Pyrite Oxidation: Where Are We Now? “We have all been there; you open a box / drawer / cupboard that possibly has not been opened in a very long time. Then that sulphurous, acid smell hits you, and you see the yellow and white fluff all over your beautiful specimens!” I certainly have. And it usually results in throwing out the decrepit specimen, followed by half a dozen hand-washes to try to get rid of the smell! Nice to know that there is an alternative. Above: Partial pyrite sun, Sparta, Illinois. A form susceptible to Pyrite Disease.

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Around the World! Moving to Bisbee, Arizona by Rolf Luetcke Back in 1969, I came to Southeastern Arizona for the first time as an adult on my own. I had been to Tucson in 1963 with my folks and we had visited Old Tucson and I still have a few photos of me standing in front of the old buildings with no other people walking around the old tourist town in those days. I loved the big cacti and we have plenty of photos of those as well. It was my early introduction to Arizona that later became my home. When I came back in 1969, I was following my biological interests – snakes, lizards and insects. My friend and I went to the Southwestern Research Station in the Chiricahua Mountains, a field station of the American Museum of Natural History. We stayed at the station for two weeks and got to know the director, Vince Roth. We became friends and Vince said they had openings every summer for volunteers to work with leading scientists. I was one of three fellows who did a lot of things together and we all applied to be volunteers at the station. I was accepted for the next year and spent the summer of 1970 in Southeastern Arizona. I had a Volkswagen bus and spent my time off exploring the area and drove nearly every dirt road I could find. I used the VW like a jeep and could go almost everywhere. In those days I could boast I never got stuck, something that did happen a time or two in later years.

One working trip with Vince was to a zoo in Bisbee, which was run by a gentleman named Howard Hamm, who loved animals. At the time, we were studying the behavior of animals toward tarantulas. The big spiders were not often eaten by other animals and Vince was a spider expert and was studying why this was so. It turned out the spiders have defences besides their painful bite. They use urticating hairs that rub off if a predator is checking them out and these, when breathed in by a sniffing animal, cause severe allergic reactions. They can also cause itching in humans when the hairs are encountered by handling the spiders. This is something I did often and even had a pet female tarantula that was in my possession for over 35 years. The spider was an adult when I first got her and she was probably over ten years old at that time so these spiders can live a long time. My getting to meet the man who ran the zoo was eventful since he needed a full-time employee to help with the large number of animals the zoo had. I moved out to Bisbee in 1971 to work at the zoo. I found a place to live in old Bisbee, a house I rented for all of $50 a month. Bisbee was still a mining town at that time and the mines were still being worked. At that time, I was one of the few young people who moved to Bisbee who had nothing to do with the mines or mining. Below: The photo of the houses on Higgins Hill and the VW parked were two houses I purchased in Bisbee, the left house for all of $2,300 and the right house for $3,000 back in the mid 1970s.

These trips became important when I later discovered minerals since my memory of where I had been and what I had seen were always quite good. One place I remember driving to back then was the Hilltop Mine, a place I visited many years later and it became a favorite place to go.

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Moving to Bisbee, Arizona (cont.) When I lived there the first couple of years I met the mine geologist at the time, Richard Graeme, and he introduced me to minerals. Still being a good friend, I have often told Richard he was the one responsible for my interest in minerals today. Having a lust for knowledge I realized I knew nothing about minerals and had to learn. I had done the same with my biological background, gotten all the reading materials I could lay my hands on and then worked in the field. This was similar with the minerals. This was before the internet so all my learning came from literature and talking to knowledgeable people like Richard, and then just hands on with the actual minerals. Having a binocular microscope that I used for identifying beetles came in very handy when studying minerals. I still have that microscope today. I soon learned that I was practically walking around history in Bisbee. I learned a lot about the mining history of Bisbee and when Richard gave me several bags of Bisbee minerals he had collected while working underground, I had to learn what they were. This was the beginning of the love of minerals I have now. Richard helped me greatly with identifying the things I brought over to him and with the help of books, I started to study minerals.

My early years of life in Bisbee were still as much biological exploration as they were my newly found mineral interest. I found a lot of interesting plants and animals in my hiking around besides many of the old mines up on the hills. I explored those old mines as well and started collecting minerals on many of the old mine dumps. I also found the old mine tunnels that allowed access to the Bisbee underground. Some were on open and public land but a number were on the mining company land. Going up the Quarry Canyon, I could access many of the old mines without going past any signs. I found the Higgins mine entrance a nice place to enter the underground and I did this often. At first, my going underground was purely for exploration, but later became a mineral collecting interest as well. The access to the mines changed quite a bit over the years I lived there and today it is all fenced and posted.

I loved to hike and the place I lived at was just below the old Higgins Mine, on Higgins Hill. I hiked all the hills around Bisbee and there were many places to hike at that time with no signs or fences to keep one out. The end of Higgings road was right at the highway that bypassed the Tombstone Canyon road that went down through old Bisbee. Across from the highway was Quarry Canyon, the main access to the Southern hills of the Mule Mountains, called Escabrosa Ridge. This ridge ran east-west and for a good hiker, allowed access to that whole side of the Mule Mountains. From the Escabrosa ridge, one went east and at the end of the ridge one looked down to the Lavender Pit in Bisbee. Below the last hill of the ridge was the famous Shattuck Mine and many others not quite as well known.

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Moving to Bisbee, Arizona (cont.) This is my early experience with Bisbee and I plan future articles on the adventures I later had in the area and the minerals that are found here. Walking the many roads and hills of Bisbee was like absorbing the history wherever one went. Bisbee has a very colorful human history besides the mines and minerals found here. Over my fifteen years of living in Bisbee, I learned a lot about this interesting town. Now I live about 50 miles from Bisbee in the rural town of St. David, my place being only about 3 miles from the town of Benson Arizona, which has just as long a history in Arizona, also connected to the mining in the area. After working with minerals now since about 1972, I have learned quite a bit about the minerals of Southeastern Arizona. I hope people enjoy the various mineral related stories I put to paper. Next issue will be an article on collecting minerals at the Higgins and Twilight Mines in Bisbee. Photos by Rolf Luetcke.

Right top: The Lavender Pit in today’s time, taken from the pull out stop alongside the pit. Right bottom: The Queen Mine Tours is in today’s time and this was not a public tour at the time I moved to Bisbee but is a must-see place when going to Bisbee now. The tour is managed by Richard Graeme’s son Doug, who we knew since I first moved to Bisbee and we try and say hello when we go to town. Previous page: Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee. When I first moved to Bisbee, Howard Hamm rented the brown building right next to the Hotel with the scaffolding in front and before I found my own place he let me live in the top floor he used as his studio. I have often told folks we meet in Bisbee that I had lived in the Copper Queen Hotel at one time for half a year.

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Around the World! (cont.) Shigar Valley, Pakistan Kamran Shinwari reports on a special trip to the Shigar Valley, Pakistan. The journey was a dangerous one with an eight hour delay due to landslides.

On this superb aquamarine (Kamran Shinwari photo and specimen), Kam says “I got to see this gift from Mother Nature when I was on top of the mountains. It has some extraordinary natural 3D artistry that will always amaze me. It weighs 93 grams”. Kam plans to return. Can’t wait to see what other treasures he can find!

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Around the World! (cont.) Chiavennite Photos and text by Ole-Thorstein Ljøstad In March 1981 the CNMMN received two descriptions of the same mineral within a few days, one from Chiavenna in Italy, and one from a road cut at E18 Blåfjell in Norway. The new mineral was approved after a joint submission of the data from both the Italian and Norwegian localities. The name chiavennite was chosen because of the rule of priority. So chiavennite has two type localities, one from a syenite pegmatite in Norway and one from a granite pegmatite in Italy. In Norway chiavennite has been found at 19 different localities within the Langesundsfjord District. It occurs as spear-shaped, micalike crystals, often in spherulitic aggregates lining vugs or in fractures of the pegmatite. The color varies from deep orange to yellow, beige and almost white. It often forms attractive specimens associated with natrolite, analcime, aegirine, epididymite, eudidymite, calcite and hambergite. Rarely with helvite, tvedalite and sphaerobertrandite. Chiavennite has also been found in Mexico, Sweden and Madagascar. References: Alf Olav Larsen (2001): Historien om Chiavennitt. Bergverksmuseet Skrift nr 18. Alf Olav Larsen (2010): The Langesundsfjord. History, Geology, Pegmatites, Minerals. Bode Verlag Gmbh. Photos from top right: Yellowish crystals of chiavennite on grey balls of epididymite from the Almenningen Quarry, The Langesundsfjord District, Norway. FOV 2.5 mm. Orange crystals of chiavennite on grey analcime from the Tuften Quarry, The Langesundsfjord District, Norway. FOV 1.82 mm. Orange chiavennite crystals from Tvedalen, The Langesundsfjord District, Norway. FOV 2.55 mm.

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Around the World! (cont.) Congo

Brazil

Above: Orange crystals of chiavennite on prismatic aegirine crystals covered with a white, unidentified mineral from Tvedalen, The Langesundsfjord District, Norway. FOV 1.12 mm. Left: Light yellowish-orange crystals of chiavennite from the Vevja Quarry, The Langesundsfjord District, Norway. FOV 1.84 mm.

Next page: Orange chiavennite crystals from the Vevja Quarry, The Langesundsfjord District, Norway. FOV 4.5 mm.

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Inner Mongolia Ed Richard from Pristine Minerals has new stock of roweite, olshanskyite, johnbaumite, and cassiterite. Below left: Roweite

Ed also says to look out in August for world-class specimens of valentinite from a new find in 2018. See facebook.com/pristineminerals Below right: Roweite and johnbaumite

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Around the World! (cont.) Gem Elbaite from the Congo Photos and text by Paul Cyr A new find of gem tourmaline has solidified in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In March 2018, a discovery of some of the most spectacular elbaite crystals in recent memory was made around the city of Goma, the capital city of North Kivu Province on the Eastern edge of the DRC. The initial finds of small, terminated gem crystals began to hit the international market a few years ago. Most of these crystals were under one gram, and were a fairly vibrant green colour with a pink/red zone sandwiched between a yellow-green colour just under the termination. The tips of these crystals often had a nearly black look, but are actually green. The new tourmaline find, which has come to light very recently “since Tucson” 2018, has produced a wide range of gem crystals that is sure to excite the mineral and gemstone community.

One of the first major show debuts of the material was at the NY/NJ Mineral, Gem, Fossil & Jewelry Show in Edison, New Jersey in April 2018. The author gave witness to a luxurious spread of the new crystals at one of the booths, offered by a group of African dealers. The colour range in the new crystals is superb. Limpid grass green, aqua greens, canary yellow, wine pinks, a little blue and even peach orange, with all combinations possible and variations between. The colour palette can generally be described as pastel, also offering a sharp luster on the surface with ample transmitted light from the inside. The gem quality on these tourmaline crystals cannot be understated. Many of the tourmalines contain the coveted open C-axis, offering temptation to gem cutters the world over. One may compare the glassy clarity with the well-documented occurrences at Barra do Salinas, Brazil. Even the stout shapes and unique terminations feel somewhat familiar. Most of the crystals have complex terminations, some even showing striations on each terminal face.

Below: 2018 find tourmaline selected from the new find, showing a rare colour combination of orange and aqua (3.3 grams).

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Gem Elbaite from the Congo (cont.) The size of these tourmalines is much more substantial than what most of the community would expect for Congo tourmaline, ranging in weight from one to about thirty grams. Mine direct prices have imposed high value for these tourmalines, and more sustainable mining regulations are finally being enforced in the DRC congruent with this new discovery.

The majority of the finds are made during artisanal mining operations, where diggers utilize simple tools to move earth. With prices being quite stiff on the gram weight, it will be interesting to see how long the supply of these beautiful crystals will last on the market. The discovery of these crystals is sure to provide a rainbow of colour opportunities for our collections, wallets and minds!

Below: Limpid green pleochroic tourmaline crystal with superb clarity and gradual colour zoning (5.7 grams).

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Show and Tell: Sainte Marie-aux-Mines 2018 It was a fairly standard St Marie show – the weather was absolutely terrific, not too hot like last year, no thunderstorms either. Attendance was very good, I noticed more and more traders and dealers are coming in very early and trading as early as Tuesday was brisk. The weekend audience was very much about low-end shiny things. I would say trading for minerals and with mineral collectors was actually a bit disappointing. As for mineral news, from my perspective there were some very good old European locations represented. Nice things from Romania and Bulgaria, and also new finds from Trepca, Kosovo of high quality. Very well represented on the mineral front (as usual) was Morocco. The quality of vanadinite was stunning, and the amount of good silvers (etched from calcite) from Imiter was impressive. The gersdorffite was spectacular and I saw some more (just a few) of those gold on erythrite specimens that made their debut last year. Ed Richard, Pristine Minerals Photos by Ed Richard Next page clockwise from top left: Cuprite from Africa; Tourmaline from Brazil; Out Front.

________________________________________________ Jordi Fabre, Fiebre Verde, and Roger Warin have posted a comprehensive photographic report on Friends of Minerals Forum. Many many stunning specimens. I particularly like the Chessy azurites, and the butterflytwin calcite from Cumberland (Cumbria). One day, I may get there. Steve Sorrell

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Sainte Marie-aux-Mines (cont.)

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Vanadinite, Mibladen, Morocco Sainte Marie-aux-Mines 2018 (cont.)

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Vanadinite, Mibladen, Morocco Trade Table

Sulphur, Sicily

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The Media Centre Flinders is a small town on the Mornington Peninsula, approximately 86kms south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Zeolite minerals were first reported from near Flinders over 120 years ago. There are three main localities, Cairns Bay (the most important and prolific), West Head, and Little Bird Rock. Mineralisation also occurs at Cape Schanck, approximately 10km to the west of the Flinders township. Somewhere in the region of 35 mineral species are recorded, and 25 of these are described, with photos. Publication is imminent and will be around the 50+ page mark

At right: Levyne, Cairns Bay, Flinders, Victoria, Australia. Steve Sorrell specimen and photo. Front page image: Connellite and paratacamite on natrolite, Cairns Bay, Flinders, Victoria, Australia. Steve Sorrell specimen and photo.

“A Collector’s Guide to the Minerals of Flinders, Victoria, Australia”

How Can You Get A Copy? As a subscriber to the Monthly Mineral Chronicles, you will automatically get an electronic PDF version of the publication, once it is completed. Printed copies will be made available using Print on Demand technology. The pricing structure has not yet been determined for this (it will depend on how many pages are ultimately to be printed). If you are a Patreon Collaborator or above, you will be able to get a printed copy at cost. A Collaborator Patreon is $5 per month (the cost of a cup of coffee) and attracts other benefits. Check that out on my Patreon page.

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Minerals of the English Midlands A celebration of the minerals of the Midland counties. By Roy Starkey The book provides a broad overview of the geology of the English Midlands, and the mineral deposits which occur in the area. The bulk of the book is a county by county account of key localities in varying detail, according to their relative importance, both economic, and in terms of fine mineral specimens. The area covered embraces Cheshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. This is followed by a review of historical collectors and collections, together with the activities of mineral dealers. A concluding chapter briefly mentions the various decorative stones associated with the area – Blue John, Alabaster, Ashford Black Marble etc. Below: Baryte. Dirtlow Rake, near Castleton, Derbyshire

This will be a substantial volume – estimated at over 400 pages, and featuring more than 900 specially taken images of minerals, localities etc. The book will be portrait format, 276 mm high x 218 mm wide, to match the style of other British regional mineralogies, and Roy’s previous book Crystal Mountains – Minerals of the Cairngorms. Anticipated publication – Autumn/Fall 2018 (that’s in the Northern hemisphere).

How Can You Get A Copy? For more details when available, and to register your interest, email roy@britishmineralogy.com www.britishmineralogy.com

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Under the Scope In this first issue, Under the Scope has a wee look at a few minerals from the South Island of New Zealand. Why this region? Well, there is talk of a possible New Zealand issue of the Australian Journal of Mineralogy soon. And I will be over there in September, so this is generating some enthusiasm. Maybe I might find a specimen or two!

Clockwise from top right: • Cowlesite, Levyne, Lyttelton Harbour Board Quarry, Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand. Photo width 2.54mm. • Erionite, Moeraki Point, Otago Region, South Island, New Zealand. Photo width 2.64mm. • Cuprite, Champion Copper Mine, Nelson Region, South Island, New Zealand. Photo width 0.95mm. Next page: • Hydromagnesite, Lee Valley, Nelson, South Island, New Zealand. Photo width 3.33mm.

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Advertisements and Submissions Interested in placing a full, half or quarter page advertisement in the Monthly Mineral Chronicles? Get in touch to learn more. A number of potential contributors have been approached with some already having registered interest or confirmed. I will be seeking articles of interest that have anything to do with minerals, from anywhere around the world. Examples might include: New Discoveries, Interesting Finds, Locality Reports, Show Reports, Club or Society News, Publications, Educational Articles, and anything else that is mineral-related.

In addition, this issue would not be so wide-ranging without the input from: Mark Cole, Paul Stephen Cyr, Tony Forsyth, OleThorstein Ljøstad, Rolf Luetcke, Ed Richard, Kamran Shinwari, Roy Starkey, and Eric Vandusen. _______________________________________________ Below: One of the smaller zoned crystals intially reported from the DRC, ca. 2016. 1cm length.

In upcoming issues, you can expect to see reports from around the world, including from the US, the UK, South America, Europe, Africa, the Asian Sub-Continent, and of course, the Australasian region. So, if you are interested in being a Monthly Mineral Chronicles Roving Reporter, please get in touch! The following Patreon Patrons are thanked for their support in producing this issue: Philanthropist and Art Lovers: Keith Compton, Ed Richard, Frank Ruehlicke Major Sponsor: James Melville Collaborators: Bob Beattie, Fletcher McDonald Supporters: William Mason, Evan Sorrell Paul Cyr, Deep Seeded Trading Post

Volume 1 | Issue 1 | Monthly Mineral Chronicles | August 2018