Field research is a critical part of our activities and a way we ensure that our information on mineral distribution is kept as up-to-date as possible.

Not only do we get valuable scientific information from field trips but the trips foster enthusiasm in the subject with amateurs and professionals alike. We are always keen to point out that you do not need to be a scientist to make an discovery on a field trip, you just have to have a keen eye and, most importantly, good luck!



There are three categories of fieldwork that are undertaken on behalf of mindat.org.

Private Trips

By far the most numerous are the multiple private research trips carried out by the thousands of mindat.org contributors across the world every week of the year. Individually or in small groups, often in conjunction with local mineralogical societies, unusual finds are discussed on the messageboard and, when something new is found for the area, it can be added into the database (if supporting evidence backs the claim.)

Mindat Conference

Approximately every two year mindat.org organizes a large international conference in an area of renowned mineralogical interest combining expert presentations with several days of field work. Previous Conferences include Poland (2011), Morocco (2012), Madagascar (2014) and Myanmar (2016)

Mindat Adventures

Mindat Adventures are field trips designed for a smaller group of people (10-30 depending on the trip) to places of mineralogical importance. In 2017 we held the first of these trips to the Kola Peninsula of Northern Russia. Click here to read our live report from this trip.



You can see what adventures are available in the future here.