The seminar/workshop/field trip is designed for persons in the gemstone, jewelry, and minerals industries who want to know more about the precious gemstone and precious metal deposits in Montana and how these materials are extracted, processed, graded, and marketed. It is also open to members of the general public with strong interests in these topics. Lecture and lab sessions will be held in addition to visits to the mineral deposits and the mines and mills for sapphire, platinum, and gold. These will illustrate the unusual conditions of formation and emplacement of the ores. Characteristics of gemstones and metals used in the jewelry industry will be discussed; especially those that indicate place of origin. Special purpose microscopes using polarized light will be used to study ores and gemstones, giving practical "hands-on" experience. Society's continuing demand for primary production of gemstones and precious metals and its demand for preserving the environment are challenges for the 21st Century that will be discussed at specific sites illustrating restoration and remediation efforts.
The field trip starts in Great Falls, Montana at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 16, 1999. Two options are available for Saturday afternoon. The Western Art option includes a tour of the Charles M. Russell Museum with a knowledgeable docent. The geology option includes a trip across the east end of the Highwood Mountains looking at dikes and laccoliths on the Geraldine-Geyser Road. Both options meet at the Meadowbrook Inn at 6:30 p.m. for dinner. Lecture, lab, and mine visits will be conducted from the Guest Ranch on Sunday. Monday is a drive to the platinum deposit and a tour of the mine and mill on the north flank of the Beartooth Mountains. Tuesday is a tour of the Montana Tunnels Mine, a sapphire mine, and several other features in the Helena Area. The field trip officially terminates late Tuesday afternoon. However, for those needing flights on Wednesday morning, dinner and overnight accommodations can be arranged in Helena.
The Precious Gemstones and Metals Field Trip is the 8th in a series of field trips to geologic features in Central Montana put on by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP). The geology field trips are conducted by Dr. David W. Baker. FWP holds many field trips and workshops to educate the public about the natural features and natural resources in the State of Montana. FWP is the agency responsible for big game hunting and an extensive system of State Parks in Montana. The Precious Gemstones and Metals Field Trip is recommended by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology--contact Robin McCulloch).
David W. Baker is an earth scientist with broad experience. He
conducted gold exploration in West Africa and performed comprehensive
appraisals of gemstone deposits in southern Africa for North American
investors. For a World Bank project he edited a 4 volume in-depth study
of the gemstone industry of Zambia. His paper on Montana sapphire is
the most up-to-date scientific account of these deposits. Dr. Baker has
degrees from MIT, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and UCLA and was a
post-doctoral fellow at Yale. He has taught at the University of Illinois and elsewhere. He has
conducted many field courses, seminars, and conferences.
Robin McCulloch is a Research Mining Engineer with the Montana Bureau of Mines and
Geology. He is familiar with all of the actively worked mineral deposits in the State of
Montana.
Platinum
Gold
Plate Tectonics
Last Updated Oct. 27, 2000 by David Baker
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