The April BSNM meeting was hosted by Mama's Minerals, and featured guest speaker David Mueller (aka "David The Geologist" on Facebook).  David gave a fascinating talk to a full house of BSNM members on the formation of gemstones in the earth, how they are mined, and the chemistry that generates their unique colorations. (Who knew garnets = Ca,Fe,Mg,NF,Al,Si,O3?)

 

With a B.S. in Geology from UNM, David specializes in mining and petroleum geology. His research includes the Rio Grande rift, Colorado Plateau, and geomorphology of the Grand Canyon. He is passionate about geology as well as sharing his information, inspiring a number of us to go rock hunting locally!