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On Sunday, May 22nd, the MGS held its first in-person meeting since the end of 2019. This joint meeting with the American Fossil Federation was held at the outdoor picnic pavilion of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory located outside of Laurel, MD. Plenty of specimens were on display including those from the late Mel Hurd's collection and Riker mounts of Muddy Creek fossils donated to the MGS by Mike Folmer. No decision was made about the July meeting but the plan is to hold the September meeting with the annual auction.

This was a great opportunity to catch up, see some wonderful specimens, and add to collections. Photos below were taken by MGS junior member David.

They are consummate collectors of tiny fossils, and their help is eagerly and very gingerly enlisted by paleontologists on the hunt for mammal bones. The collectors are harvester ants who build mounds to protect their subterranean nests, mounds they cover with bits of rock they gather. Amid those rocks are myriad miniscule mammal fossils. Unfortunately, harvester ants also pack a painful bite. Read about their contribution to the study of mammal fossils in this article. Links to this article and many other articles, reports, and blog postings highlighting recent fossil and mineral news can be found on the MGS WebSightings page. Please check it out.

To be announced

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.

The 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.

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.