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!

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Latest News

In Memoriam ~ Becky Hyne

Becky Hyne, known as Our Lady of the Yorktown, has passed away. MGS President Rick Smith notified the MGS membership, writing, "I'm certain everyone whoever collected fossils at Lee Creek will remember Becky for many reasons - one of those being that she drove the bus that carried fossil collectors to and from the mine."

January 17th Meeting

The MGS met on January 17th on Zoom. Members are seen here signing on.



During the business portion of the meeting, it was agreed that no dues for 2021 would be collected, and that dues paid for 2020 will be applied to a future dues payment. Resumption of dues collection will be determined at a later date. Individuals seeking to newly join the club for 2021 should fill out a membership application form and send it to Treasurer Rob King without paying the $15 membership dues. The application form and Rob's address can be found on the Join page.

The meeting featured a very interesting and thought provoking talk by paleontologist Bretton Kent on "Giant Sharks of the Maryland Miocene."





Dr. Kent discussed when, how, and why the mega-sharks arose and why many of them went extinct. The slides for his MGS presentation can be found on his website.


Next Meeting

March 21, 2021. Details on this meeting will be forthcoming.

Mineral of the Meeting

At the January 17th meeting, Bob Farrar presented the mineral of the meeting, sodalite, which features (as its name would suggest) a high sodium content. Sodalite is typically deep blue, but can be found in various other colors. The pink variety is known as hackmanite. Sodalite is particularly valued for its lapidary appeal, but is attractive to gem and mineral collectors as well. A forthcoming issue of the MGS newsletter will feature Bob's article on sodalite.



(Shown above is a specimen of hackmanite from Afghanistan. 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.)

EFMLS Online Programs

The Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies (of which MGS is a member) often announces online programs that may be of interest to club members. Check out the EFMLS homepage for announcements of these programs.

Shows & Related Events

The Gem Cutters Guild of Baltimore is holding two auctions on Zoom: the first on February 21, the second on March 21. Information on the auctions can be found under Events on the Gem Cutters' Facebook page.

WebSightings

Want to keep up with some of the latest information on fossils and minerals appearing on the web? Then check out the MGS WebSightings page.

Notable Quote

Paleontologist Bretton Kent at an MGS meeting:

Amateur collectors make paleontology possible.
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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