Club Contests
Currently Running club competitions
The club is planning on holding at least one ongoing contest per year to showcase what our members do for fun. Right now we are actively taking club member photography submissions for our 1st club-wide Mineral Photography Contest. The prize for the best photo image will be awarded at the 2021 Banquet held in January.
2020 Club Mineral Photography Contest Entries
The Rules
Club members in good standing can submit up to five photographs of minerals in their personal collection. The photos must be submitted in electronic format and emailed to either Brad Zylman (brad.zylman@mrm-mccann.com) or Dave Lurie (dlurie2001@comcast.net). Photos must be at least 1024 by 768 pixels in order to be posted for consideration.
The photos must be accompanied by a document (.doc) or text file (.txt) that lists what the specimen is, where it was found and whether it was purchased or self-collected. It can also contain any descriptive information that you wish others to know. This document must have the following wording in it: “I give my permission to post this photo and information on the MMS website, Instagram, and on Facebook in perpetuity.” In return, we will not use your name or publish personal information.
When: Starting in February 2020.
Where: Material, if sent in a usable format, will be posted within a month on the MMS website, www.michmin.org, under the About Us tab. It will be public-facing with the intention to generate interest and highlight our club.
Why: To promote the interests of mineral collecting, geology and to create excitement for the Michigan Mineralogical Society.
The Prize: At the Banquet each year, the Best Photograph of the Year will receive the President’s Award, a substantial cash prize given to the winner.
We hope all MMS Members take out their Smartphones or Cameras and Submit your Photos Today!!
February Submissions
Mineral Variety:
Red Pyrope Garnet
Locality: Shingar, Pakistan
Weight: 45 grams
Dimensions: 17 x 17 x 15 mm
Collection Method: Purchased
DESCRIPTION: Natural Stone, no heat treatments or man-made application other than removal from the base stone and cleaning.
Mineral Variety:
Bismuth iridescent geode
Locality: Made in China
Weight: 1.9 pounds
Dimensions: Approx. 4.5 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches
Collection Method: Purchased
DESCRIPTION: Oxidized bismuth iridescent hopper crystals inside of bismuth egg. Colors range from a rich magenta to gold in the oxidation layers. Completely man-made for elements collection.
MARCH Submissions
Mineral Variety:
Peristerite
Locality: McDonald Mine Hybla, Ontario
Weight: 7.2 pounds
Dimensions: 9 x 4½ inches
Collection Method: Self-collected, Circa 1965
DESCRIPTION: Consists of hundreds of alternating transparent layers of ¼ wave thick oligoclase and ½ wave thick albite, giving mirrorlike constructive interference for a variety of colors.
April Submissions
Mineral Variety:
Albite & hornblende
Locality: 1.1 miles North of Birds Creek, Ontario
Weight: 44.2 pounds
Dimensions: 15½ x 12 x 14½ inches
Collection Method: Self-collected, Circa 1962
DESCRIPTION: Large euhedral albite crystals (white), hornblende crystals (green), and weathered pink calcite (probably the original vug filler) - U.S. quarter for scale.
Mineral Variety:
Amethyst with Hematite
Locality: Blue Point Mine, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Weight: .49 oz
Dimensions: 1.25 x 1.25 x .5 inches
Collection Method: Purchased
DESCRIPTION: Under normal viewing, the specimen has a homogeneous red coating on this small amethyst cluster. Under microphotography, the individual hematite spherules can clearly be seen.
July Submissions
Mineral Variety:
Iridescent Turgite
Locality: Graves Mt. Georgia, USA
Weight: 9.5 grams
Dimensions: 30 x 23 x 20mm
Collection Method: Online Purchase
DESCRIPTION: Botryoidal iridescent Turgite - a mixture of two minerals, hematite, and goethite. Small, but beautiful specimen. Its beautiful colors are to be noticed on a rocky, crusty amalgam on matrix.
Mineral Variety:
Aquamarine Beryl
Locality: Shigar Valley, Gilgit, Pakistan
Weight: 278 grams
Dimensions: 7.5 x 8.2 x 7.5 cm
Collection Method: MMS Show Purchase
DESCRIPTION: Pale sky blue gemmy, perfect hexagonal crystal with distinct terminations, on golden muscovite mica matrix.
Mineral Variety:
Green Fluorite
Locality: Yiwu County, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China
Weight: 600 grams
Dimensions: 14 x 10 x 4 cm
Collection Method: Online Auction
DESCRIPTION: Bright green, frosted, stepped-growth fluorite octahedrons and cubes on a fluorite plate.
Mineral Variety:
Pink Elbaite Tourmaline
Locality: Skardu, Pakistan
Weight: 4.4 grams
Dimensions: 11 x 15 x 17mm
Collection Method: Online Purchase
DESCRIPTION: Pink Tourmaline specimen with Mica & Lepidolite. Several pink Tourmaline crystals in the mica matrix. Elbaite is one of the most varied minerals in terms of color. Colors include green, red, pink, and blue.
Mineral Variety:
Selenite Gypsum
Locality: Red River Floodway, Manitoba, Canada
Weight: 136 grams
Dimensions: 7.5 x 7 x 6 cm
Collection Method: MMS Show Purchase
DESCRIPTION: Golden yellow Selenite ball with swallow tail twinned tabular crystals - longest crystal is 4 cm.
Mineral Variety:
Boulder Opal
Locality: Winton Formation, Queensland, Australia
Weight: 112 grams
Dimensions: 6 x 6 x 2.7 cm
DESCRIPTION: Boulder Precious Opal with flashes of electric-blue, teal-blue, and dayglow-green on sawed ironstone matrix.
Mineral Variety:
watermelon tourmaline
Locality: Coronel Merta, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Weight: 270 grams
Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.7 x 5 cm
Collection Method: MMS Show Purchase
DESCRIPTION: Large, dark green crystal with a bright pink interior – like a watermelon.
September Submissions
Mineral Variety:
Phantom NailheaD Calcite
Locality: Unknown
Weight: 1.3 lbs.
Dimensions: 7 x 3 x 2 inches
Collection Method: Purchased
DESCRIPTION: Transparent nailhead calcite crystals with phantom zones of black goethite and yellow opaque calcite underneath at a 60-degree axis.
Mineral Variety:
Sphalerite & Pyrite
Locality: Arkansas
Weight: 1.1 lbs.
Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 2 inches
Collection Method: Purchased
DESCRIPTION: Zone of deep reddish-black sphalerite crystals with Pyrite polyhedrons and pyrite druzy. Calcite crystals are in zones near the back and fingerlike calcite crystals cover the entire bottom of the piece.
Mineral Variety:
Spirit Amethyst
Locality: Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Weight: 18.5 lbs.
Dimensions: 14.4 x 6.1 x 6.5 inches
DESCRIPTION: Many fine towers of cactus amethyst in a clustered formation. Clean sparkly crystals shine with multiple points of light when viewed in person.
Mineral Variety:
Fluorite & Galena
Locality: Rogerley Mine in County Durham, England
Weight: 11 ounces
Dimensions: 5 x 3 x 2.2 inches
DESCRIPTION: Cubic gemmy mint green crystals with zones of druzy corroded Galena (left) under normal light. The second photo (right) is under UV spectrum lights where the crystals glow a deep blue-ish purple as shown. In 1852 fluorite gave its name to the phenomenon known as fluorescence, or the property of fluorite to glow a different color depending upon the bandwidth of the ultraviolet light it is exposed to.
Mineral Variety:
Calcite with Sphalerite
Locality: Unknown
Weight: 5 ounces
Dimensions: 3.5 x 4 x 1.7 inches
DESCRIPTION: Yellow Calcite cubic formed crystals with Sphalerite on Calcite caps (left) under the daylight spectrum. (Right) The Calcite glows yellow under the UV spectrum and bright purple near the Sphalerite zones creating a multi-spectral fluorescent piece.
DECember Submissions
Mineral Variety:
Fluorite
Locality: Annabel Lee Mine, Harris Creek Sub-district, Hardin County, Illinois
Weight: 134 grams
Dimensions: 6 x 4.5 x 3 cm
Collection Method: Purchased at Detroit Gem & Mineral Show
DESCRIPTION: Yellow with purple zoning at end of crystallization. Step growth and hillocks seen on the crystal. No dissolution.
Mineral Variety:
Blue Halite & Sylvite
Locality: Kerr McGee Mine, Carlsbad, Postash District, Eddy County, New Mexico
Weight: 182 grams
Dimensions: 8 x 6.5 x 4; Large Halite crystal is 20 mm side
Collection Method: Purchased from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
DESCRIPTION: Halite is NaCl and Sylvite is KCl. In the case of the blue halite radioactive potassium naturally present in the Sylvite decays through gamma-ray emission causing damage to the halite crystal structure. The dislocated electrons emit light in the blue wavelengths. Since K-40 has a half-life of over a billion years, it takes a very long time for this color change to occur.
Mineral Variety: Fluorite, Barite, & Sphalerite
Locality: West Green Mine, Cave-in-Rock, Illinois
Weight: 233 grams
Dimensions: 7 x 6 x 5 cm; fluorite 25 mm
Collection Method: Purchased.
DESCRIPTION: Beautiful undamaged sky blue fluorite crystal and creamy barite crystals aesthetically arranged on sphalerite. A classic for this locality.
Mineral Variety: Quartz with included hematite
Locality: Tinejdad, Errachidia Prov., Draa-Tafilalet, Morocco
Weight: 177 grams
Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 4.5 cm
Collection Method: Purchased from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
DESCRIPTION: Quartz crystals with hematite inclusion in the last stages of growth.
Mineral Variety:
ALMANDINE GarneT
Locality: Steeli Mine, Iveland, Norway
Weight: 47 grams
Dimensions: 3 x 2.7 x 2.5 cm
Collection Method: Purchased.
DESCRIPTION: Very nice layering of black, deep red, and yellows. Crystal is opaque with transmitted light. Great faceting with step growth showing.
Mineral Variety: Okenite
Locality: Bombay (Mumbai), India
Dimensions: 4 x 2 x 2 cm
Collection Method: Family Purchase
DESCRIPTION: Okenite is an acicular silicate mineral associated with zeolites that appears like a little snowball. Its chemical formula is Ca10Si18O46 · 18H2O
January Submissions
Mineral Variety: Stilbite
Locality: Limbe-Jalgoan Manarashtra, India
Weight: Approximately 1.2 pounds
Dimensions: 6 x 8 x 10 centimeters
Collection Method: Purchased
DESCRIPTION: Bladed and radiating pink Stilbite crystals with Zeolite. Classic location. Stilbite formula (Na,Ca,K)6-7[Al8Si28O72] · nH2O
Mineral Variety: Calcite
Locality: Sylvania Quarry, S. Rockwood, MI
Weight: -
Dimensions: 4.5 x 4 x 3 cm, rhomb is 2.5 cm.
Collection Method: Self-collected
DESCRIPTION: Translucent butterscotch Calcite crystal in a rare rhombic habit growing from the matrix. It has some opaque, cubic, white crystals of unknown material on the lower left side.
Mineral Variety: Pyrite
Locality: Sparta, Randolph County, Illinois
Dimensions: 84mm diameter at 2mm thick
Weight: -
Collection Method: Purchase
DESCRIPTION: Lusterous Pyrite medallion from Illinois. Round radiating striations generated from the central point. Chemical formula of FeS2.