FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Roy Starkey]

Like many mineral and other events we have reluctantly decided to run the British Micromount Symposium as a virtual event this year. Normally we would see 60-70 people converging on Leicester over the weekend of 18-20 September for three days of talks, workshop sessions, swapping and selling of specimens (micros and larger), an auction and long evenings socialising and talking minerals in the bar.

This year, we still plan to run a programme along the same lines, but with more talks and presentations on a wide variety of mineralogical topics using the Zoom videoconferencing platform. We have a great line-up of speakers. Socialising 'in the bar' is planned for Friday evening too - but it will be 'bring your own drink', and have it in your rock room!

Friday 18th September 2020
Speaker/Activity Title/Description.
2.00PM Frank Ince - Bologna Stone and Persistent Luminescence.
3.00PM Phil Taylor - Geology and Mineralisation of the Rogerley and Diana Maria Mines, Weardale, County Durham
4.00PM Rupert Harrison - The Lost Iron Deposit of Carhampton Parish
7.00PM Invitation to join other members for a virtual drink of your choice at the 'Miners’ Arms' or the 'Townshend Monckton Hall Wine Bar'
Join like-minded individuals via Zoom for a chat and perhaps show a few pictures or talk about what you’ve been up to recently
Saturday 19th September
9.00AM Roy Starkey - 'Very good value for a shilling' - F. W. Rudler and the Ludlam Collection.
10.00AM Tom Cotterell - Copper arsenates in Cornwall
11.00AM Colleen Thompson - Digging through History: A brief tour through time and tunnels in the Greenlaws Mine, Daddry Shield, Weardale, and the ongoing exploration, and news of recent discoveries by the project team. With Plenty of photos of fluorites to look at.
12.00 Noon Steve Sorrell - Minerals of the Ballarat Gold Region
2.00PM Walter Veldsman - Tsumeb: a 40 yr collection under a scanning electron microscope
3.00PM Quintin Wight - Gem and Mineral Trails in Tanzania.
4.00PM Specific Gravity testing of small stones. A short video presentation by David Binns.
Photographic Competition
Online auction.
7.00PM Quiz Night - A light-hearted, mineralogicallly themed quiz
Sunday 20th September
9.00AM Steve Rust - Frongoch Mine, Wales
10.00AM David Roe - Chemistry and crystal structures behind tungsten’s mineralogy at Hemerdon Bal.
11.00AM BMS AGM followed by results of the photographic competition and Society awards.
Close of Virtual Symposium.

We have a maximum capacity of 100 participants and currently we expect to have maybe 30 or so 'spare seats'. The event is free - no charge to take part!

Naturally we shall be giving priority to paid-up members of the BMS but we wanted to give the opportunity to open things up to the general mineralogical community as well.

So, if you would like to participate please send me your email address and we will get back to you in due course if a place is available.

Best wishes and 'stay safe' everyone.

Roy Starkey
Hon. Life President
British Micromount Society
www(dot)britishmicromountsociety(dot)homestead(dot)com(slash)