Dear Friends of Mineralogy,

I hope this newsletter find you sorting through some of the material you’ve recently collected, or cleaning the shelves in your display cabinet and rearranging some of your treasures, or getting ready to head off to a show with a enough resources to "significantly add" to your collections. In other words, I hope you’ve had a productive summer of collecting, researching, or just enjoying the many aspects of the mineral hobby. Summer is the time to "make hay" so to speak.

Unlike last year, I have not had much time to field collect or even attend many shows (sad to say, only one). Instead, I have spent most of my summer attending research conferences where most things are admittedly "mineralogically esoteric." One of the most fundamental things I’ve learned at these meetings is that mineralogy is far from "dead." Minerals are still the fundamental building blocks of things geologic and are studied to the "nth" degree. If you have been paying attention to the Mars exploration programs, Martian mineralogy is all the rage and is considered a fundamental component in the search for life or past life on the planet. We are even discovering mineralogical byproducts of life that we never would have considered "biologic" prior to the discovery of sulfur-based life forms at deep sea vents, hot springs, deep subsurface and other extreme environments. Some scientists even propose amino acids, critical for the development of live were formed on a clay mineral templates. The list of fascinating mineralogical research is long and complex. This community is highly populated with bright young and enthusiastic researchers highly interested in mineralogy – that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned on my "summer vacation."

So why do you hear that "mineralogy is dead" and our hobby will soon disappear? Like most things, interest is quite cyclic. I have noticed a greater interest in mineralogy by the college students here at New Mexico Tech over the last 3 to 5 years. Why is that? Is it because of the latest "sexy" discoveries about mineralogy on Mars, ocean floor life, and new generation analytical equipment? Probably so, just as those people who made the decisions for such scientific investments intended, over 20 years ago (your tax money at work by the way). With curiosity kindled, many inquisitive humans broaden their horizons and expand their interests into many more fields "mineralogic" and the hobby lives on.

I heard many folks lament a "graying of the hobby" in conversations at shows and in club meetings. With so many more activities open to young people, will mineralogy and mineral collecting be forgotten? I think not. Of all the things mineralogical that fascinate, entertain, and inspire curiosity in you, do you think in will not in others? Little children visiting our museum still shout and jump when look-ing at fantastic specimens and treasure their samples they take home. Planting the seeds of interest by hosting shows, convening symposia, and promoting the hobby will bring others into the fold. If we do our teaching and nurturing, there is nothing to fear about "graying." It has been my experience that those who are retired have the most time to pursue their hobbies and are more active. Don’t forget many of our kindred mineral enthusiasts "picked it up again" after retiring. As if they ever lost their fascination in minerals...

Virgil W. Leuth, President

Previous Leters from the President

• May 2008
• January 2008
• May 2007
• December 2006
• May 2006
• December 2005