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

May 22nd In-Person Meeting

The MGS will meet jointly with the American Fossil Federation on Sunday, May 22nd, at the outdoor picnic pavilion of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory located outside of Laurel, MD. This will be an in-person meeting running from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. Please note new times. MGS members have been sent an email with further information and detailed directions. The May issue of The Rostrum will include these directions as well.


MGS Mourns Passing of Longtime Member Flo Strean

Florence "Flo" Jones Strean passed away January 19, 2022. Flo, a committed collector of fossils, minerals, and shells, was a stalwart member of the MGS. She rarely missed a meeting and she typically had an array of recent finds on display. Flo was eager to learn and generous with her knowledge. She also was extremely generous with her financial support of the Calvert Marine Museum's Dinosaurs of Maryland exhibit in 2018. Flo will be missed.




MGS Portal to Recent Stories on Fossils and Minerals

The defining characteristic of the extinct saber-toothed cat is, of course, its long upper canines. The popular image of these cats has these long canines always visible, at the ready. New research suggest that for the most widespread species the full saber tooth was not on display until the animal attacked. Read about this research here. Links to this 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.

Next Meeting

May 22nd, Joint Meeting With the AFF

Featured Mineral

The featured mineral is anatase, known for elongated crystal faces. An article by Bob Farrar on this mineral will appear in the next issue of the MGS newsletter.




(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.)

Links to Upcoming Shows

  • May 13: Living Estate Auction of Virginia and Gary White under the auspices of the Chesapeake Gem and Mineral Society Mineral Society. To be held at the Westchester Community Center, 2414 Westchester Ave, Oella, MD 21043. Among items to be auctioned are minerals, gemstones, and fossils. More information available on the Society website.
  • June 4-5: Gem Miner's Show at the Howard County Fairgrounds, 2210 Fairgrounds Rd, West Friendship, MD 21794.

Trips

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 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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