Table of Contents

• Long Lake Zinc Mine, Parham, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada by Jon Amsterdam 1–5
• Silver Crater Mine, Faraday Township, Ontario, Canada: A Historic Uranium Prospect and Source of Exquisite Betafite Crystals by Sean Stimac 6–8
• Editor’s Note—The Richardson (Fission) Mine, Wilberforce, Ontario by Howie Green 9–10
• The Calcite Vein-Dykes of Gibson Road East: Geological Marvels and Mineral Treasures by Nad Ram 11–18
• Princess Sodalite Quarry, Town of Bancroft, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada by Travis Wolf 19–20
• The Davis Quarry, Bancroft, Dungannon Township, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada by Trevor Tremblay 21–24
• The CN Rock Pile: Bancroft’s Mountain of Minerals and Tourist Attraction by Nad Ram 25–26
• Hackmanite from the Sudbury District, Ontario, Canada by Jason Hefner 27–29
• From the Editor—The Heart of Darkness by Howie Green 30–45
• FTE—The Agony and the Ecstasy by Howie Green 46–50

Long Lake Zinc Mine, Parham, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada

By Jon Amsterdam · pp. 1–5

The former Long Lake Zinc Mine near Parham, Ontario, is presented as a collecting locality for fluorescent minerals in its marble dump material. The article summarizes the mine’s history and distinguishes the marble from its largely non-fluorescent sulfide ore. Calcite, diopside, chondrodite, hydrozincite, and aragonite occur in the marble, with strong shortwave response and additional midwave and longwave effects. The author also shares practical access, collecting, and specimen-selection advice, alongside a gallery of material from the site.

Silver Crater Mine, Faraday Township, Ontario, Canada: A Historic Uranium Prospect and Source of Exquisite Betafite Crystals

By Sean Stimac · pp. 6–8

Silver Crater Mine in Ontario’s Bancroft area is a historic uranium prospect best known to collectors for betafite crystals, as well as fluorapatite and zircon. The article outlines the carbonatite deposit’s geological setting, the mine’s limited history of mica production, and the highly radioactive, metamict nature of its betafite. It gives practical information about access and collecting, emphasizing detector use, radiation exposure, and careful specimen storage. The author also recounts finding complete crystals and fragments on a recent visit.

Editor’s Note—The Richardson (Fission) Mine, Wilberforce, Ontario

By Howie Green · pp. 9–10

The Richardson, or Fission, Mine near Wilberforce, Ontario, is notable for large uraninite crystals and mineral-rich calcite vein-dikes. The article recounts the 1922 discovery of uraninite and the property’s unsuccessful commercial history, then summarizes minerals reported from its rocks. These include large apatite crystals, pink calcite that darkens near uraninite, and fluorite whose color and fluorescence change in radioactive zones. Photographs show fluorapatite and calcite-fluorite specimens, including comparison material from the nearby Dwyer fluorite mine.

The Calcite Vein-Dykes of Gibson Road East: Geological Marvels and Mineral Treasures

By Nad Ram · pp. 11–18

The calcite vein-dykes at Gibson Road East, near Tory Hill, Ontario, host a diverse suite of collectible minerals in and around calcite-rich intrusions. The article describes proposed formation processes, the area’s mining history, and collecting conditions at Titanite Hill. It highlights pink calcite, fluorapatite, scapolite, microcline, titanite, and associated silicates, with attention to their occurrence and ultraviolet responses. Specimen galleries extend the discussion to nearby localities, including Bear Lake, the Paxton magnetite mine, Diamond Lake, and the Smart Mine.

Princess Sodalite Quarry, Town of Bancroft, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada

By Travis Wolf · pp. 19–20

The Princess Sodalite Mine near Bancroft, Ontario, has produced decorative blue sodalite and mineral specimens since commercial extraction began in the early twentieth century. The article traces the locality’s discovery and naming, including the sodalite’s use as architectural decoration, and describes the nepheline-albite pegmatite and gneiss that host sodalite along fractures and joints. Associated minerals include nepheline, feldspar, calcite, cancrinite, apatite, zircon, and sulfides. It also explains current visitor access to the shop and collecting area.

The Davis Quarry, Bancroft, Dungannon Township, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada

By Trevor Tremblay · pp. 21–24

The Davis Quarry near Bancroft was worked briefly for nepheline, but is now especially known to collectors for sodalite and its tenebrescent variety, hackmanite. The article describes the nepheline-albite pegmatite, the quarry’s industrial history, and the reversible color change of hackmanite after ultraviolet exposure and subsequent daylight bleaching. It notes other minerals reported from the site, including zircon, albite, tourmaline, cancrinite, apatite, and calcite. Access is difficult and collecting requires permission because the quarry and tailings are on an active claim.

The CN Rock Pile: Bancroft’s Mountain of Minerals and Tourist Attraction

By Nad Ram · pp. 25–26

Bancroft’s CN Rock Pile began as a railway-era accumulation of nepheline-syenite material that was never shipped after its quarry operation went bankrupt. The article traces the pile’s connection to the Golding-Keene Quarry and explains how the industrial byproduct became a public collecting landmark. Its minerals include albite, nepheline, sodalite, hackmanite, cancrinite, biotite, and small zircon crystals; some pieces also show unidentified green fluorescence. The site’s history as a free collecting and educational destination is considered alongside its diminishing supply of collectible material.

Hackmanite from the Sudbury District, Ontario, Canada

By Jason Hefner · pp. 27–29

Tenebrescent sodalite, or hackmanite, was discovered during exploration of the Spanish River Carbonatite Complex near Sudbury, Ontario. The article recounts the author’s permitted visit to the trench locality, where hackmanite occurred in seams and thin veinlets beneath weathered, caliche-coated surfaces. Freshly broken material could flash purple and fade, while cleaned specimens showed bright ultraviolet response and renewed color change after illumination. The account also discusses field conditions, overburden removal, wildlife precautions, and the geological context of sodalite in silica-undersaturated igneous rocks.

From the Editor—The Heart of Darkness

By Howie Green · pp. 30–45

Sodalite and hackmanite’s color changes are explained through crystal defects, trapped electrons, and the processes behind fluorescence and tenebrescence. The article introduces F-centers and the role of disulfide ions in sodalite, then follows how ultraviolet exposure can produce a persistent purple color that fades under visible light. It distinguishes tenebrescence from color changes in freshly fractured Greenland sodalite, discusses common misconceptions and photochromic sunglasses, and illustrates the phenomena with specimens from Greenland and other localities, including Sudbury, Russia, Québec, Ontario, and Afghanistan.

FTE—The Agony and the Ecstasy

By Howie Green · pp. 46–50

A long-unlabeled specimen becomes the subject of an investigation into mineral identification and locality. After years of uncertainty, examination and research connect the rock to the Egan Chute occurrence near Bancroft, Ontario. Its minerals include non-fluorescent corundum, scapolite, albite, calcite, and biotite, in a nepheline-plagioclase gneiss matrix. The article combines the personal story of seeking expert help with geological and historical information about the corundum-bearing deposit, including its prospecting history, reported crystal characteristics, and restrictions on collecting within the nature reserve.