2026 Tucson Mineral Symposium

In conjunction with the Mineralogical Society of America and the Tucson Gem & Minerals Society®, Friends of Mineralogy is pleased to announce the 44th Annual Tucson Mineral Symposium

Red, White & Blue – Celebrate the Spirit of Minerals!
Saturday, February 14, 2026 from 10am to 3:30pm

West Meeting Rooms 102/103
Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, AZ

Program

  • 10:00 AM    Opening of symposium
  • 10:00-10:15 AM    Introduction by symposium chair, Mark Jacobson
  • 10:15 – 10:45 AM John Stuart McCloy, Cuprorivaite: Egyptian Blue, humanity’s first inorganic pigment.
  • 10:45 – 10:55 AM break
  • 10:55 – 11:55 AM  Johan Maertens, Heaven and Hell in Ohio [about Celestine].
  • 11:55 – 1:00 PM    Lunch
  • 1:00 – 1:40 PM      Donald A. Dallaire, New Hampshire’s Red, White & Blue Minerals .
  • 1:40 – 1:45 PM      break
  • 1:45 – 2:15 PM       John Rakovan, Pleochroism in minerals.
  • 2:15 – 2:20 PM      break
  • 2:20 – 2:50 PM      Markus Raschke, An ocean within – new insights into structure and phases of water in minerals.
  • 2:50 – 2:55 PM       break
  • 2:55 –3:25 PM       Bruce Kelley, Finding Art in Minerals: How an interest in color and form ignited my passion for minerals.
  • 3:30 PM                close of symposium

Acknowledgments
The Friends of Mineralogy executive board, Bill Stephens PG, Nicole Childs, Jeanine Mielecki, and Bill Besse, has been very supportive of proceeding with this symposium as well as our co-sponsors, the Mineralogical Society of America represented by J. Alex Speer and Ann Benbow, and the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society, represented by Pat McClain. Mineral News, managed by Tony Nikischer, Rocks & Minerals, managed by Marie Huizing, and the Mineralogical Record, managed by Wendell Wilson all helped with providing publicity for the symposium. The abstract booklet was edited and assembled by Mark Ivan Jacobson.

A copy of the Abstract Book is available for download by clicking here.

If you would like to attend our symposium, please register using the form below. If you are a professional geologist, it is worth 6 credits whether you attend in person or virtually. There is a small fee of $15 to attend virtually so that we can cover the technology costs of hosting a webcast.