Walker Mineralogical Club Banquet

Speaker:    Dr. Kim Tait

              Curator of Mineralogy, Royal Ontario Museum

Topic:        THE OSIRIS-REx Space Mission and Canada's contribution to it.

Dr. Tait is very interested in minerals from all over the solar system and is a collaborator on the Canadian science team for the OSIRIS-REx mission. OSIRIS-REx is en route to the asteroid Bennu where it is expected to extract mineral samples and return them to earth for analysis. Dr. Tait is expecting to receive some of this extraordinary material for analysis.

Come and hear about the mission, the samples, and how the ROM is involved!

                         Cost -               $65.00 per Ticket      (please note, this is an all-in price - taxes and gratuities paid - equivalent to a restaurant meal priced at $50.00).

 - for tickets, please email Mr. Steve Szilard at sszilard@rogers.com

Michael Gordon - Mineral Collecting in Ontario

Speaker: Michael Bainbridge

Topic - The William W. Pinch mineral collection at the Canadian Museum of Nature

Viewing Starts at Noon

Annual banquet with meal starting at 7. Drinks at 6PM.

Quintin and Willow Wight will be our special speakers - topic will be Gem and mineral mines in Tanzania.

Speaker - Peter Russell, University of Waterloo

Our monthly meeting.

Speaker is Corey Lablans will talk about mineral collecting in Ontario with a focus on Bancroft.

Minerals and their unusual crystal habits, from the old volcanoes in the Eifel region of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany

Note: Please arrive at the main door by 7:55PM as it is locked and a member will let you in to attend the meeting.

The volcanic rocks of the Eifel region are interesting and have undergone alteration that has produced unusual mineral assemblages. The unusual minerals, some of which are very rare, are, on a micro basis, very well formed crystals in vugs in the rock. Mike will lead us in a tour of this interesting geological/mineralogical area and the minerals that occur there.

The Evolution of the Valentine Lake Gold Camp in Newfoundland

Phil Walford, President and CEO
Marathon Gold Corp.

Phil with present a talk that will cover the evolution of the gold deposits of the Valentine Lake Area during the formation of the Appalachian mountain system, the geology and the history of the property he has been working on since gold was first discovered there in 1985

Katherine M. Dunnell, Technician
Natural History – Earth Sciences, Royal Ontario Museum

Collecting Pink Fluorites in the French Alps. A DVD of a lecture by the late Ernest Schlichter

Evolution of Minerals by Robert M. Hazen

In this presentation I hope to be able to convey my own wonderment at the extensive reworking of our planet by life forms including our own. And the implications of this point of view upon the search for life on other Planets are such that certain minerals discoveries will constrain and possibly confirm the presence of life. 

Bring your favourite mineral specimens, that you have acquired during 2015, to the meeting! They will be separated into two categories “field collected” and “Silver Pick (purchased specimens)”. Everyone will have the chance to view them and vote for your favourite specimen amongst the submissions.

The party portion of the meeting will feature a fantastic array of finger foods, munchies and dessert items. Eat a light supper and come prepared to have some fine food and conversation with fellow club members, reminiscing about the past year and looking forward to the new year of mineral collecting.

The ROM's earth and space lab

The ROM has recently upgraded its laboratories in the Centre of Earth and Space through the help of donors, including the Walker Club. This talk will show the transition from "old" to "new" and describe the new X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy equipment. The ROM has made significant contributions to mineralogy and our knowledge of the Earth and our Solar System. This talk will also discuss some of the great discoveries of the past and current research occurring in the Centre of Earth and Space. The story of how our planet and the Solar System formed and evolved is written in the minerals we all love. This talk will show how the ROM is trying to help unravel this exciting story.

Brendt C. Hyde

Brendt has worked as a mineralogy research technician at the ROM since 2010.  His primary role is to keep the laboratories in Earth and Space up and running and help Kim Tait<http://rom.on.ca/en/collections-research/rom-staff/kim-tait> (Research Chair) meet her research goals. Brendt has had a long time interest in space and has developed an appreciation for the instruments used to analyze minerals and rocks. His interests have taken him into the world of meteoritics where he has begun studying melting processes in the early Solar System.  This type of research gives us a better understanding of how asteroids and planets formed.

Click here for details

Viewing begins at Noon with the Auction starting a 1PM

President and CEO of Probe Mines

A talk on the Borden Gold deposit, geology, and exploration of Norther Ontario's newest (and most surprising) gold discovery

Several YTMC members will give short talks on a topic of their choosing.

A Talk by Bill Pinch - Minerals of Tsumeb

Owner of one of world’s finest mineral Collection and major contributor to Canadian Museum of Nature.

To be confirmed.

Held jointly with the Gem and Mineral Club of Scarborough

Gems and Minerals of Baffin Island

Brad Wilson

This is a member only event. Please see the Member Area for details.

This is a member only event. Please see the Member Area for details.

Two crystal systems and their associations

Presented by Kathy Lahay

Borden Gold Deposit, Geology and Exploration of Ontario's Newest (and most surprising) Gold Discovery

David Palmer, President and CEO of Probe Mines

Steedeite - A new mineral from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec

Presented by Monika Haring, 2013 Peacock Prize winner