FOR: TGMS Members and open to the public!  (Doors open at 6:30p.m.)

Mark Hay

GUEST SPEAKER: Mark Hay, is a mineral collector/dealer who lives in Phoenix with his wife, Mary Ellen. He has been collecting minerals for 40 years; starting when he was a geologist at the Magma Mine, Superior, Arizona. Mark has authored or co-authored numerous articles on Arizona mineral localities in The Mineralogical Record. He collects mainly Arizona minerals but has an appreciation of minerals form all over the world. Mark has a small mineral business, Minerals of Arizona, with long-time partner Dick Morris. Together they have a booth at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®.

LECTURE TITLE: “Minerals of the San Manuel Mine, Pinal Co., Arizona”

The San Manuel Mine got off to a very late start compared to most large copper mines in Arizona. The first shaft that would give access to the deep copper ores wasn’t completed until 1953. Even so, it soon developed into the largest underground mine in North America. Over its 44 year history it produced over 4.6 million tons of copper and 73 tons of molybdenum. It provided high paying jobs to 3,400 people and made a major economic contribution to southern Arizona and the Tucson area.

San Manuel had several significant “firsts” including the town of San Manuel which was the first Master Planned Community in Arizona. The complex mineral assemblages and alteration patterns in the San Manuel ore body inspired a new geologic model for porphyry copper deposits that still stands as the gold standard for porphyry copper exploration and research worldwide. Forty-nine mineral species have been identified at San Manuel. At least nineteen of these are known to occur in specimens of interest to collectors including wonderful azurite, copper, dioptase and pyrite.

Refreshments will be served!

For more information you can contact the TGMS Office, 520-322-5773 or tgms@tgms.org