Announcing the Mindat Magazine

Mindat.org is proud to announce that starting from Summer 2005 we will be publishing an on-line magazine - The Mindat Magazine.

This will be published in electronic format, but following the structure and layout of a printed magazine. It will be possible to print out copies to have a 'hard copy' of each issue. Each issue will have front and back covers, and have a professionally designed appearance.

The magazine will be distributed free of charge from mindat.org, and you are encouraged to print out copies for your friends, local club members, etc.

Content will be aimed primariy at amateur mineralogists and collectors - and we WANT YOUR ARTICLES! If you would like to write an article for the Mindat Magazine drop me an email or leave a message here.

The magazine will be subject to peer-review in the same way that traditional magazine articles are reviewed prior to publication. We want to specifically encourage new authors - and we want to help anyone who is keen to write to team up with more experienced authors to help them learn how to write in the style that is needed for the magazine.

Articles wanted: Anything to do with location mineralogy (eg "The Zeolites of the Isle of Skye, Scotland", news on new minerals, etc.

What we don't want: Articles at a basic/beginner level (eg "What is a mineral?" - although a different article called "What is a mineral?" if it's informing about new IMA guidelines as to the classification of minerals and non-minerals would be appropriate!

(But if you want to do more basic articles, we are also planning a Mindat Education Center that would be very grateful for those!)

We don't want field trip reports, or show reports (except where specifically requested).

- WE NEED YOUR ARTICLES!

If you want to write something let me know!

Jolyon

Hi Jolyon!

Sounds great! Would you be interested in a field description of Styrian lazulite occurrences with the EXACT locations given, locality photos, brief mineralogy?

And, of course, thanks for being back online. I lost quite a lot of data, but I very much enjoy the new, very fast server!

Best regards
Franz Bernhard

Do "Notes for Authors" already exist?

Cheers, Uwe

Jolyon:
Good to see you back online. Your plan to start a mineral magazine sounds great; I would be willing to help out. I have been actively field collecting in southwestern Montana and throughout Idaho for the past 27 years, plus I have worked various localities in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and South Dakota. I have done extensive work in the area of identifying minerals from many of these localities, although my "long suit" is on Boulder Batholith pegmatite minerals and the Tertiary-age miarolitic granites of Idaho & Montana. Currently I have a claim on a rare-earth carbonatite deposit in SW Montana that produces a number of unusual and rare minerals. What do you think your readers would like to see?

P.S. I see that the thread I started on the "Collecting" message board is gone. What happened?

Chris van Laer
Butte, Montana

How about articles on rockhound politics? E.g. collecting bans and what can we do about them? Lambasting anti-collecting authorities (whilst staying within the laws of libel!) etc.???

As long as such an article was done fairly and accurately I wouldn't see a problem with it.

Jolyon

FANTASTIC, what a great idea, many of the better known mineralogical publications are becoming too price prohibitive for individuals and here in Australia, many university library's don't subscribe to them anymore. Me thinks anything to do with the Earth Sciences is considered by many in academic circles to be politically incorrect, as they have the view that it is environmentally damaging area of science. We all know that is bollocks. Great to see the site is back up and running.
FANTASTIC JOB JOLYON
Regards NEIL RICHARDS

would book reviews fit in the mindat magazine ? not only new ones but also older ones ??

greetings and thanks for your new idea !!
Paul Bongaerts

Yes, book reviews would be appropriate - I would probably want to combine 2 or 3 of them into a small section now and then.

Jolyon

i could make some revieuws for the new magazine , not only new books that come on the market but i think it would be intresting to if we talked also about the older ones .
Paul Bongaerts

hi jolyon,
good idea the magazine!
i can make some articles for local mineralogy (mostly northern italy) and i can also translate some abstracts published on our naturalistic magazine (intended as my mineral society's naturalistic magazine...).
i can begin with the new finding of melanophlogite here in parma province, does this sound good to you?
let me know!
chris

HI JOLYON,
CAN I WRITE ABOUT THE MINERAL DEPOSITS OF PAKISTAN,ABOUT HOW TO GET THERE?,WHAT TYPE OF MINERALS ARE COMING FROM MY COUNTRY.I AM NOT A WRITER BUT I AM KEEN TO WRITE.
I HOPE YOU WILL ENCOURAGE ME
THANKS,
GHAZANFAR

I would be delighted for your information on this, and it is an excellent idea for an article.

Regards,

Jolyon

An online magazine is a great idea. Inviting rockhounds & collectors who have not been published in current publications could greatly increase knowledge in this field. I have had extensive experience collecting at the 600 m Pit in Sanford, York County, Maine & the Swamp Quarry #1 in Topsham, Sagadahoc County, Maine. Any interest in articles about these 2 sites?

Don Swenson

Definately!

Jolyon

Dear Jolyon,
What about an article on collecting geodes in the Keokuk Iowa area ? There is a new fee collecting site called Jacob's Geode Farm which has never been written about.
Yours Truly,
Dennis W. Haas

What is the projected timeframe for the magazine? In other words, when should I start writing?

You should start writing now!

I don't want to fix a date for launch just yet, as we want to make sure it is right before launching, we don't want to rush it out, but I expect several months before we can be ready to do anything.

Jolyon

I have written a draft article for the Trebilcock (uraninite) Locality (aka The Swamp Quarry) in Topsham. It is anecdotal, vis-a-vis, scholarly. I have not shown it to Cliff Trebilcock, the discoverer of the locality, but I can. I will transmit a copy to you as long as you don't share it until I talk to Cliff. There is a long, sad story attached to this site. I won't divulge any details without his permission.

Dear Jolyon,
What is the latest with Mindat Magazine ? How can I write an article on Brushy Creek Mine in Missouri that I recently was a part of a field trip to.
Yours Truly,
Dennis W. Haas

Hi Don,
I knew Cliffs mother and father Edith & Cliff.
I collected with them on many occasions as I lived most of my young life in Brunswick. I know Edith was very bitter about her son for suing her over
control of the extensive collection she and her two children had amassed over the years. I only know Edith's side of the story however but I suspect that you are referencing something related to this. When I knew her she had formally disowned her son. I am pretty sure Edith is gone now as she was quite elderly when I saw her last in the mid 80's. I can only hope she reconciled with her son. I really enjoyed spending time with Edith and Cliff Sr.
talking minerals and collecting. I have seen the Uraninite crystals Edith had stashed away behind a wall in her small shop. Spectacular! She trusted me enough to show them to me. She knew I was interested in radioactives. She even let me saw a Ruggles mine uraninite/gummite specimine in half and polish it flat so I could
experiment with autoradiographs. It is a wonder I didn't develop a uranium body burden. I have been working in the US Commercial Nuclear Power industry since 1984 and as such am required to have a body count at every plant I work at (I'm a contractor). I have never shown positive for uranium or any other radionucleides associated with this ore locality
other than the normal enviromental ones (Carbon 14 & Potassium 40). I am sure we contaminated her equipment and shop though.

All in all these fine folks were good friends and encouraged me when I was a young collector.

Frank Golden

Any update on the magazine and articles. Would love to write something on the CRATER OF DIAMONDS STATE PARK.