Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 7 PM in the dining room (cafeteria) of the Bristol Senior Center, 240 Stafford Ave. in Bristol. We will begin with a short business meeting, followed by refreshments and socializing, and then the program. WE’RE BACK IN THE DINING ROOM! PLEASE PARK IN THE FRONT THIS MONTH–NO ACCESS FROM THE BACK.
Our program for the evening will be a presentation by Fritz Moritz entitled “The Fillow Quarry at Branchville, Connecticut: A Classic Mineral Locality” (co-prepared with Ted Johnson). First opened in 1876, the Fillow Quarry immediately became the type locality for 9 new minerals, the most for any Conn. locality. Their descriptions were published by Brush and Dana of Yale in the late 1800s. Rich in phosphate and lithium, this pegmatite served as both a scientific and economic resource (feldspar, quartz, muscovite) until WWII. Specimens contributed to the understanding of the alteration of spodumene; the chemistry of amblygonite-montebrasite, columbite-tantalite and apatite group minerals; as well as the nature of the atom and the age of the Earth. Several investigators studied the formation of pegmatites. Richly illustrated, this presentation will show fine examples of the minerals found there, both common and rare, and some surprisingly fluorescent, many from the large collection amassed by Ronald Januzzi.
Hope to see you there!