Posted on behalf of the North West Highlands Geopark. In 2015 UNESCO accredited the North West Highlands Geopark as one of their Global Geoparks in recognition of the importance of managing outstanding geological sites and landscapes in a holistic manner. They work closely with their remote communities and warmly welcome large numbers of geologists and visitors to their region every year from countries all around the world. Throughout the course of every year they publish a series of newsletters highlighting the geology, features and events in their geopark. They kindly ask you to consider subscribing to their newsletters. Subscription is free and can be done via the following page within their official website: As well as their newsletters they would also send you news of their geotours which have been very well received by many geologists over the years. Each touring group is led by a local geology expert who has an encyclopedic knowledge of their region, aptly called the ‘Cradle of Geology.’ Further details of the geotours can also be found within their website via the following links: They would be delighted to add you to their mailing list and share the best of their geopark’s news and attractions with you. Sent by Jonathan Archer North West Highlands Geopark Project Assistant email: projects@nwhgeopark.comNorth West Highlands Geopark Limited Registered Scottish Charity no. SC046510 Registered office – The Rock Stop, Unapool, Kylesku, Sutherland, Scotland IV27 4HW Reg. no. SC422047
Read MoreAn index of articles, authors, minerals and photographs in BMS Newsletters is now up to date and can be found here. Many thanks to Trevor Devon for this daunting task!
Read MoreIssues 73, 74, 75, 79, 80, 81 and 83 have now been uploaded. You can find them in the Newsletter Archive.
Read More
The 40th Annual Symposium of the British Micromount Society has just finished, this year totally on the Zoom platform. The last talk was “John Ruskin and his mineral collection”, presented by Roy Starkey. Roy made mention of the extensive published works of John Rankin, some of which relates to rocks and minerals, and it is available as scanned pdf versions here.
Read More
The British Micromount Society’s 2021 Symposium is on this month. This one is the 40th and once again will be held on the Zoom platform due to Covid. The program is as follows: Friday 17th September.18.45 ‘Doors’ Open.19.00 -20.00 ‘Microminerals of Mont St. Hilaire’, Quintin Wight.20.00 -21.00 ’40 years of the BMS’, Roy Starkey.21.00 Social Evening – an invitation to show and tell – what have you been doing over the last year? Let other members know and see where you have been or what you’ve been up to. Saturday 18th September.08.30 Doors Open.09.00 -09.45 ‘Tsumeb’, Phil. Taylor.09.45- 10.30 ‘Broken Hill under the Microscope’, Steve Sorrell.10.30-10.50 Break.10.50 – 11.35 ‘Aris Quarry’, Michael Doel11.35 – 12.20 ‘The Chemistry of Lead and Copper Secondary Mineral Formation’, Frank Ince.12.20- 12.40 ‘Ten specimens that mean something to me’, David Ifold.12.40 – 13.00 ‘Ten specimens that mean something to me’, Susan Tyzack.13.00- 14.00 Lunch Break.14.00- 14.45 ‘Contemporary Fluorite Locations of Weardale’, Peter Briscoe.15.15-15.30 Break.15.30 – 16.30 ‘Michigan’s Keweenaw – Where Copper was King’, Paul Brandes.16.30- 17.30 ‘The Journey from an Unknown to a new Mineral’, Tony Kampf.17.30-19.00 Break.19.00 – 20.00 Quiz – Roy Starkey.20.00 -21.30 Social Evening. Sunday 19th September.08.45 Doors Open.09.00 – 10.00 ‘Devon Gems’, David Roe.10.00 -11.00 ‘John Ruskin and his mineral collection’, Roy Starkey.11.00-11.15 Coffee Break.11.15 British Micromount Society AGM followed by the results of the Photographic Competition and Society Awards. Photo: Scorodite from the Hemerdon Ball Mine, Plympton, Devon. Width of view 3.5mm. Steve Sorrell photo and specimen. Click on the […]
Read More
A lot of collectors like fluorite. Whether it be for the isometric (cubic) symmetry (for those that might be a little obsessive-compulsive 😁), the range of colours and zoning, the fluorescence, or for other reasons. This specimen is from Wheal Remfrey China Clay Pit, Saint Enoder, Cornwall, and has good colour and zoning with darker edges, but no fluorescence. I have not had the opportunity to collect in Cornwall although it is one of my favourite mineral-producing areas. I have only been there once. I was about 9 or 10 years old at the time on a family holiday, a long time before I became interested in minerals. But fortunately, I have been able to acquire some specimens from friends, this one from Richard Bell 15 or more years ago. Width of view 3.5mm. Stack of 55 images. Steve Sorrell specimen and photo. Click on the image below for a higher resolution version.
Read MoreTrevor Devon has kindly started the task of creating an index of articles, authors, minerals and photographs in BMS Newsletters. As at June 2021, the index has been completed for issues 1 to 8, and 85 to 112, and can be found here.
Read More
There are a number of ways that you can share photos of your microminerals, or simply enjoy others’ posts, on Social Media. On Facebook, there is the British Micromount Collectors Group (set up for members of the BMS, then opened more widely), The Micromount Club, and Minerals of Slags if that is something you are interested in. If you aren’t that keen on Facebook, there is an alternative in MeWe. On this site, there is a mineral hub with groups set up for Micromounts, Specimen a Day, and Mineral of the Week, amongst others. In the latter, this week’s Mineral of the Week is olivenite, and this specimen from Wheal Gorland in Cornwall is one of the olivenite specimens posted. Click on the image for a higher resolution version.
Read More
Ask my granddaughter and she will tell you that my favourite colour is blue. And what can be nicer than a blue caledonite, particularly when it is from a locality that I visited on a trip to the UK. This specimen was previously in the Bernie Day collection. Many society members would know Bernie from his trips over to the UK many years ago. It is a specimen of caledonite with cerussite and quartz from the Red Gill Mine, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England. The width of view is a tiny 2.5mm, and the photo was created from a stack of 100 images. Now in my collection. Steve Sorrell
Read More