MSA Monthly Meeting - September 16 2021
MSA MEETING PROGRAM & PLACE
Franciscan Renewal Center, (Piper Hall),
September 16th, 2021 @ 7.30 pm Arizona time
Limited to (50) member Seating.
Masks Required.
"Quartz – Another Mineral Arizona Should Be Famous For”
Presented by Mr. Les Presmyk
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SEPTEMBER meeting is on 3rd Thursday and will be first in person meeting at FRC since 2020 pandemic.
* RSVP required as seating limited to (50) members
* Masks required
* No refreshments
MEETING will be In-Person and Zoom.
The MSA September 16th program will be presented by our own Mr. Les Presmyk, "Quartz – Another Mineral Arizona Should Be Famous For.”
When a collector is asked to name five or ten mineral species from Arizona, azurite, malachite, copper, vanadinite and wulfenite will probably top the list. Quartz might make the top ten list but only if there are a few die-hard Arizona collectors and lapidarists helping to sway the vote. On the cutting and polishing side of the hobby, Arizona’s fire agates, gem silica, ang its multitude of agate and jasper localities are well known. Of course, this list would not be complete with the inclusion of Four Peaks amethyst, which is some of the best in the world.
Some of Arizona’s specimen quartz localities are the result of its long mining history. Sparkly, drusy quartz crystals covering chrysocolla, along with quartz colored by chrysocolla and pseudomorphs have been produced from the Old Dominion Mine (Globe), the Live Oak Mine (Miami), the Ray Mine (Kearny) and the Bagdad Mine (Bagdad). Interestingly, these combinations are rare to non-existent from the great mines of Ajo, Morenci and Bisbee.
Then, there are the number of Arizona’s quartz localities recovered as the result of collectors working the areas for specimens. These include Date Creek Ranch, the Fat Jack Claim near Crown King, the Huachuca Mountains south of Sierra Vista, Diamond Point northeast of Payson, the Stanley Butte area on the San Carlos Apache Tribe Reservation, and the Washington Camp/Duquesne localities in southern Arizona, to name a few. These localities have produced fine scepters, Japan-Law twins, amethyst, smoky quartz and even lustrous, clear and amethyst crystals that rival the famous Herkimer, New York crystals.
As an aside, the 2023 Tucson Show theme will be Silica and this will give us an opportunity to show the rest of the collecting world the quality of Arizona quartz specimens.
Quartz (Japan-Law twins), Washington Camp, Santa Cruz County, Arizona; Jeff Scovil Photo.
Quartz var Amethyst, Date Creek Ranch, Yavapai County, Arizona; Jeff Scovil Photo.
Quartz after chrysocolla after malachite after azurite, Live Oak Mine, Miami, Arizona; Jeff Scovil Photo.
Mark the date on your calendars as Mineralogical Society of Arizona is very lucky Les present this very special program!
Thank you, Les, for your long-standing membership and support of MSA!
Les grew up in our club and sharpened his collecting & competitive edge at MSA as a junior member before advancing to regional and national platform to compete and win at several major gem & mineral shows across the United States. He is a renowned collector, mineral dealer, competitive exhibitor and judge, lecturer, and author. He is recipient of prestigious 2017 Carnegie Mineralogical Award Medal, 2014 inductee into MSA Hall of Fame, an MSA Milestone Life Member, MSA President 1989 and 1990, recipient of A. L. Flagg Lifetime Achievement Award. He is founding member of University of Arizona Museum Foundation 2006-present. Chairman of our sister organization Flagg Mineral Foundation 1996-2002 and current Vice-Chairman. Tucson Gem & Mineral Society President 2019-present, Tucson Gem & Mineral Show®; Committee member 1987-present, Competitive Exhibits and Judging Chair 1987-present, Saturday Night Chairman 2004-present. He earned his BS in Mining Engineering from University of Arizona 1975. Les worked at Miami Copper Company 1970-1975, Magma Copper Company 1976-1987 and recently retired as Principal Mine Engineer at Salt River Project 1987-2017. He co-authored Collecting Arizona 2012 and numerous publications on Arizona type localities in Rocks & Minerals.
COLLECTING AND HOBBY ACHIEVEMENTS
57 years of collecting, starting at the age of 10. Started field collecting at 11 and went underground for the first time at 17.
Long-time competitive and non-competitive exhibitor, supporting local, regional and national shows.
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Seven AFMS National Trophies
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Seven California and Rocky Mt. Federation Trophies
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Tucson Gem and Mineral Show - One Desautels and two Lidstrom Trophies, four Bideaux Trophies, Best of Show and numerous Best of Species awards.
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Denver Gem and Mineral Show – Three Pearl Trophies (best single specimen), several Best of Species, Shorty Witters Award (best exhibit in show).
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Exhibitor and supporter of other local shows, including the Mineralogical Society of Arizona, Flagg Mineral Foundation, Gila County Gem and Mineral Club, and Arizona Mineral Minions.
Author/Co-Author/Contributor:
- Collecting Arizona – published January, 2012 – Co-Author
- Rocks & Minerals
- Red Cloud mine, Nov-Dec, 1997 – Author
- Brushy Creek mine, Jan-Feb, 1997 – Author
- Mining History of Arizona, Jan-Feb. 2012 – Author
- Minerals of the Americas – 2008 book – contributor
- Mammoth-St. Anthony Mine, Tiger, Arizona Chapter – Co-author
- Bisbee, Ray, and Morenci – edited and proof-reader
SMALL MINING/MINERAL COLLECTING PROJECTS
Underground mining project for wulfenite specimens. Surveyed and mapped existing underground mine workings and new decline.
Underground mining project for calcite specimens. Set up the ventilation and ground control programs to satisfy state and federal mine inspectors.
Open pit mine for wulfenite specimens. Responsible for all phases of the mine including the mine plan, training and safety.
Arranged and conducted field trips for the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society, the Mineralogical Society of Arizona, the Arizona Mineral and Mining Museum Foundation, the Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Society and the Los Angeles Gem & Mineral Guild.
Discovery made by prospectors with metal detectors. Cleaned and marketed the gold specimens to collectors and museums.
A small open pit to produce matrix specimens of quartz, calcite and barite while complying with National Forest regulations and successfully reclaiming the mined areas. Opened the project to field trips to members of the Mineralogical Society of Arizona, the Arizona Mineral and Mining Museum Foundation and the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society.
A small open pit specimen project requiring rewriting the Plan of Operations to allow for continuing operations within the Prescott National Forest.
The meeting will be first meeting back at FRC since 2020 pandemic.
* RSVP required as seating limited to (50) members
* Masks required
* No refreshments
Meeting starts at 7.30PM Arizona time.
