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LocalitiesBancroft area, Ontario, Canada

10th Aug 2017 19:46 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Does anyone know how many species are found in the Bancroft area? The list is incomplete. Is there some way of automatically adding the minerals from all the localities in the area to the area list?

10th Aug 2017 19:54 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

Create a non hierarchial locality for bancroft area.

10th Aug 2017 19:57 UTCAndrew Debnam

Reiner several sources I have seen quote the figure as over 1600 species. None of them have a reference as where that number came from.


here is an example


https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/mining-canada/bancroft-history-circa-1900-gold-fever

10th Aug 2017 20:05 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

The entire country of Canada only has 1667 species and 80 unnamed minerals

http://www.mineralogicalassociation.ca/doc/catcanmin.pdf

10th Aug 2017 20:11 UTCAndrew Debnam

so are you questioning the number David? It is referenced by several entities including the town itself. It could well be an "urban" myth :)

Although I would not be shocked if was well over 100 due to the very complex geology of the grenville province.

10th Aug 2017 20:13 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

Yes, the number is probably lower. They might be counting varieties.

10th Aug 2017 21:57 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

The article says 1600 different mineral specimens not species. "since over 1,600 different mineral specimens have been collected within a 50-mile radius of the village." If whoever wrote that doesn't know the difference then I doubt they know what they are talking about.

10th Aug 2017 22:04 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Hastings County has only 182 species listed and that covers an area much larger than the Bancroft area, so 1600 is ridiculous.

10th Aug 2017 22:06 UTCAndrew Debnam

agreed, a dubious number. It is quoted on many sites-the number 1600, It must have been published on some Gov. tourist document and is now used everywhere. I googled it and it even appears on some real-estate agent web pages.


It even appears on the Gemboree web page........as species


http://www.bancroftontario.com/rockhound-gemboree/

10th Aug 2017 22:37 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

" Create a non hierarchial locality for bancroft area." Trouble is if you say Bancroft area is everything within 100km that would cover parts of various townships and counties and there is no way of creating a hierarchy that would include only parts of these. I am tired of this Mineral Capital of Canada nonsense it is just plain false. It is only the mineral capital in the sense that more collectors come to the Bancroft collecting than any other area in Canada so it is the mineral collecting Capital in that sense. I am would argue that Mount Saint Hilaire area (100km radius) has more species than the Bancroft area by far. Also Madoc and Marmora are not part of the Bancroft area so saying 50miles is also ridiculous. I would say 50km is more reasonable.

10th Aug 2017 23:17 UTCKelly Nash 🌟 Expert

"It is especially favoured by rockhounds who have made Bancroft and its “Gemboree” world famous since over 1,600 different mineral specimens have been collected within a 50-mile radius of the village. " Maybe "collected" includes the Gemboree and the various rock shops within 50 miles.


(On edit, OK "specimens", not "species". but, why?)

11th Aug 2017 01:26 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

1600 specimens is way too small by a couple orders of magnitude! I've probably collected 1600 there all by myself ;))

Or is that perhaps the number of specimens in the holdings of the Bancroft museum?

11th Aug 2017 10:00 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

"there is no way of creating a hierarchy that would include only parts of these" - that is why you do a nonhierarchial location (defined by a map including the area that you want.)

11th Aug 2017 11:07 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Hello David,


But that would mean having to enter all the species again. However until a reasonabe definition for Bancroft area is established that would have to wait. In my opinion a 50 mile radius is not reasonable. I know Goderham (28mi) has some issues with being included in the Bancroft area and I am sure Marmora (40mi), Madoc(43mi), Minden (46mi) and Haliburton (33mi) would as well. I think this is a case of Bancroft trying to make itself bigger (and more important) than it is.

11th Aug 2017 11:18 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

"But that would mean having to enter all the species again. " - no it does not. For nonhierarchial locations, the locality includes all those localities within the map boundaries (it does mean that the program needs to be able to determine those localities within the boundaries - either by the lat/long within the area or the estimated lat/long is within the boundary)

11th Aug 2017 11:37 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Hello David,


I didn't know that. Can this be done simply by specifying a radius? That would be a very useful function.

11th Aug 2017 11:56 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

05442740016034612467832.jpg
No, you have to draw a map now.

http://geojson.io/#map=10/45.0216/-77.8683

Click on pentagon to draw a boundary.

Save as a geojson file to your computer.

copy data (you will probably have to unzip file) to the geospatial field in Bancroft area locality edit

Also click non-hierarchial check box in same area.

https://www.mindat.org/loc-224159.html

11th Aug 2017 13:06 UTCJohn Collins

Speaking of local importance, how many towns in the Bancroft "area" claim to be the Geocaching Capital of the World? I know of at least two - Wilberforce and 'Bancroft.

11th Aug 2017 20:58 UTCLászló Horváth Manager

The 1600 species is total nonsense. The whole country as David says has about 1650 species. My guess is less than 400 depending on how you define the area.


There are no species-rich localities in the area. Most localities have less than 20 species, which are repeated over and over.


Andrew,

Please read your so called reference:


" It is especially favoured by rockhounds who have made Bancroft and its “Gemboree” world famous since over 1,600 different mineral specimens have been collected within a 50-mile radius of the village."


They are talking about 1600 specimens not species. Whatever that means.

11th Aug 2017 21:12 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

I think 1600 was a misprint for 160


I've put in a basic circle (ish) for the region. It may need editing, that can be done if you are willing to do it.


https://www.mindat.org/loc-224159.html

11th Aug 2017 21:14 UTCLászló Horváth Manager

"Why is Bancroft known as the “Mineral Capital of Canada”? Because of the variety and quality of the mineral species found here. 1600 +/- mineral species have been identified in the Bancroft region."


How can anybody come up with these numbers. Even as commercial BS this is extreme. I will write to the Bancroft Chamber of Commerce to change these numbers. There is no 50 km radius area in the world that has that many species.

11th Aug 2017 21:21 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Thank you Jolyon! Much appreciated.

11th Aug 2017 21:27 UTCLászló Horváth Manager

Thanks Jolyon,


I would have been generous to include Madoc, which would boost the numbers over 200 species.


The mythical Bancroft balloon has been deflated.

12th Aug 2017 14:26 UTCAndrew Debnam

http://www.bancroftontario.com/rockhound-gemboree/


Laszlo, please take the time to read the thread completely. It is not my reference I was only pointing out what out in the media and did not believe the number. If you read my post with the link above you will see it states species. The other post where I put a link does say specimens as you stated. The intent was not to point these out as scientific references for mindat.

12th Aug 2017 17:40 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

The Bancroft Gemboree site does have a useful list of mineral species:


http://www.bancroftontario.com/mineral-descriptions-2/



That helpfully lists '15' species, but out of those only 5 are actually valid mineral names as they are :)
 
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