The Maryland Geological Society, a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to the collection, study, and display of all aspects
of the geological sciences, is composed of amateur and professional fossil and mineral collectors. Membership is open to all and
visitors are always welcome!
To view the most recent version of the MGS homepage,
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Sad News
Phil Schmitz, a long time member of the MGS, passed away on December 29, 2022. In a notice to club members, President Rick Smith noted that "Phil
was a very active MGS member for many years until health issues forced him to step away from many of his activities." An obituary can be found
here.
Future Plans
MGS leadership is considering when and how the club will meet in the near future. When decisions are made,
the membership will be notified via email and on this website.
MGS Portal to News Stories on Fossils and Minerals
Sixteen years ago, a dog named Raffles on an outing with his owner on the shoreline at Lyme Regis, England, began scratching in the sand. He'd uncovered a
vertebra which, as it turned out, was the first of 750 fossil bones found at the site of a plesiosaur from the lower Jurassic. Remarkably, these bones retained their
three dimensional shape and were not flattened as is true of nearly all of those from the period. A recent article in The Guardian newspaper
(link) describes the find and features
a picture of the skeleton as well as one of Raffles.
Links to this and other paleontological and geological articles on the web can be found at the MGS WebSightings page. Snaggletooth Shark Teeth From The Maryland Miocene
Pictured below is a selection of teeth from Hemipristis serra (snaggletooth shark) found at the northern end of the Calvert Cliffs south of Bayfront Park
(also known as Brownie's Beach). These teeth are Miocene in age and were collected by MGS member Jim Stedman as "float" along
the beach, the teeth having eroded out of the cliffs. The largest of these teeth is about 3 cm in length on the slant. At the present time, by
resolution of the town of
Chesapeake Beach, MD, only residents of the town are permitted to access Brownie's Beach.
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Next Meeting
To be announced
Featured Mineral
The featured mineral is anatase, known for elongated crystal faces. An article by Bob Farrar
on this mineral appeared in the latest issue of the MGS newsletter.
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(Shown above is a specimen of anatase from Minas Gerais, Brazil. This image is reproduced with permission of
Rob Lavinsky under Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, and is available from
Wikimedia Commons.)
TripsThe MGS Trips page has information on policies regarding trips and details about any upcoming trips.
MGS trips are restricted to members. There are no trips currently scheduled.
Smithsonian Publication about the Calvert Cliffs
The Geology and Vertebrate Paleontology of the Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, edited by Stephen J. Godfrey, offers detailed
descriptions and stunning pictures of vertebrate fossils from the Cliffs. A PDF copy of the book is available
here.
Notable QuotesAmong the enduring lessons of geology is a recognition of how fleeting,
fragile, and precious our present moment is.
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The Maryland Geological Society is a member of the
Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies
and the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies.
![]() ![]() The Maryland Geological Society is NOT affiliated with the Maryland Geological Survey, a state governmental organization. |
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