Museum bill advances in state Senate

Senate Bill 1200, which would transfer the former Mining & Mineral Museum from the Arizona Historical Society (AHS) to the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS), passed 5-0 in the Arizona Senate Rural Affairs and Environment Committee yesterday.

The bill directs AZGS to re-open the museum as the Mining, Mineral, and Natural Resources Education Museum, to include the elements planned for the proposed Centennial Museum that was never developed - agriculture, livestock, specialty crops, tourism, and education. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Gail Griffen, told the committee that her intent is that the museum would encompass forestry, range management, and wildfire impacts as well.

The bill would also transfer $428,300 from the Arizona Historical Society to AZGS to cover the rent on the building and the salary for one curator. [Right, the former museum drew as many as 25,000 school students each year]

A report from the Arizona Dept. of Administration and AHS completed in December, estimated it would cost an additional $2.1 million in one-time capital costs to make the building ready to open and annual operational costs including an educational program, would run $294,000.    Those costs are not factored into SB1200.

Trilobites featured in new UA Mineral Museum exhibit

The University of Arizona Mineral Museum previewed its new exhibit on trilobites last week.  The delicacy of some of the specimens legs and antennas is astonishing, especially if you are used to seeing the fossils mostly as flattened bodies embedded in the rock.   To my knowledge, this is the first time the museum has had a fossil exhibit, focusing instead on minerals.

Bill would task AZGS with re-opening Mining & Mineral Museum with '5C's' theme

Legislation was introduced late on Friday afternoon that would transfer the former Mining & Mineral Museum building in Phoenix [right] and all of its assets from the Arizona Historical Society to the Arizona Geological Survey to re-open it as the Arizona Mining,  Mineral, and Natural Resources Education Museum.    A hearing on the bill, SB1200, is scheduled for 9 a.m., Tuesday, February 17 in the Senate Rural Affairs and Environment Committee.

The bill says the State Geologist may "promote the recognition and celebration of the historical, cultural, economic and social contributions to this state made by the mining, mineral and natural resource industries in this state, including the livestock and agricultural industries."

A 14-member Advisory Council, appointed by the Governor, would be comprised of two representatives from the mining industry, two from the tourism community, two each from agriculture, livestock and specialty crops communities (total of 6), an education representative, and two from the public.  The State Geologist would also be a member.   The Council makeup is the same as that for the Arizona Experience museum proposed for the Centennial but never implemented.

SB1200 was initially introduced to make a technical correction but a 'strike everything' amendment added all the new language.

AZGS at Mining Day on the Capitol

AZGS participated in the Mining Day at the Capitol in Phoenix on Wednesday, with an informational table, and filming interviews with legislative leaders about mining and mineral resource issues for the next episode of our online video magazine, Arizona Mining Review.  That episode should air on February 25 at 10 a.m. and posted to YouTube afterwards.     [Right, Chris Hanson, Nyal Niemuth, and Stephanie Mar preparing for a video interview]

Mining and supply/service companies filled the mall in front of the state legislature with equipment and hands-on displays.

Mining Day at the Arizona State Capitol

The Arizona Mining Association (AMA) and the Arizona Rock Products Association (ARPA) are hosting Mining Day at the State Capital from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, February 11, at the Arizona State Capitol. Large mining trucks, tires and equipment, informational booths on mines in Arizona, equipment simulators, state agencies and university mining programs are part of the Mining Day displays and activities.

The event is open to the public but mostly members of the Governor’s Office, Legislature, and state agencies are expected to attend.  The goals are to showcase the role of mining for employment opportunities, economic impacts, and how minerals and mining impact Arizona.  [Right, House Speaker David Gowan, Sr. at the 2014 Mining Day event.  Credit, ARPA]

AZGS will share an information table with the Arizona State Lands Dept. to display our publications and work on mineral resources and mining.   

Tucson gem, mineral, and fossil show continues to overwhelm

I've only had time to pop in for a few minutes to a few of the dozens of independent shows around Tucson as part of the Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase that officially kicked off a week ago.   I was taken by the Peruvian pyrite on quartz with sphalerite specimens at the Days Inn.  The one at right is priced at only $1,500.


Up at the Tucson Inn Suites, Tynsky's Fossil Quarry is displaying a cast of what they say is the only complete Eohippus ("dawn horse") recovered from the Green River Fm lake beds in Wyoming.

Arizona Petrified Wood has beautiful tables with petrified wood slab insets and a wide range of slabs for inclusion in other furniture.

Making copper the official state metal of Arizona

 Arizona has a state fossil - petrified wood, and a state gemstone - turquoise.   Under a new bill, SB1441, Arizona would designate copper as the state metal.

 The list of official state emblems includes:

a)      state colors- blue and old gold;

b)      state fossil- petrified wood;

c)      state bird- cactus wren;

d)     state flower- saguaro blossom;

e)      state tree- palo verde;

f)       state neckwear- bola tie;

g)      state gemstone- turquoise;

h)      state animals- ringtail, Arizona ridgenose rattlesnake, Apache trout and Arizona tree frog;

i)        state butterfly- two-tailed swallowtail;

j)        state nickname- The Grand Canyon State; and

k)      state firearm- Colt Single Action Army Revolver. 

Many states have a state mineral but Nevada designated silver as the official state metal in 1977.

Mining claims in Arizona dropped by 9,000 in 2014

Mining claims on federal lands in Arizona decreased by approximately 9,000 in 2014 from their highest level in at least a decade, to the lowest level since 2008.  The causes may be in part the lower commodity prices last year, but the federal land agency fee increases may be the bigger factor, with marginal or low priority claims being dropped, particularly by small companies and individuals.

More aftershocks to Duncan and Oak Creek Canyon earthquakes

We had aftershocks on Wednesday from both of last year's more prominent earthquakes in Arizona.

A magnitude 2.5 quake (orange dot  on AZ-NM border) is likely an aftershock to last June's M=5.3 Duncan earthquake.  It occurred at 3:50 p.m. local time on January 28.  The yellow dot is another aftershock, M=3.4 that occurred earlier in the week.

Another magnitude 2.5 quake hit south of Flagstaff, at 9:33 a.m. the same day, an aftershock to the November 30, -M=4.7 earthquake that occurred in Oak Creek Canyon near the Kachina Village area between Flagstaff and Sedona.   Our calculated located is a few miles west of the USGS location (yellow dot). We think ours is the more accurate location because we are using the stations in the AZGS and NAU networks for the epicenter solution.

Record rain fills rivers and washes in Tucson area

Friday's record rains in the Tucson area are generating huge flows in the regions rivers, that typically run dry much of the year.  The Catalina Mountains received over 5" of rain during the storm. Rain continues this morning.  Mike Conway, Chief of the AZGS Geologic Extension Service, reports that

at midnight, flooding on Tanque Verde Wash reached ~5,500 cfs. That is a high for the area, and much greater than flow on other washes and rivers in the area – see the hydrographs from the USGS for the Santa Cruz River Basin and San Pedro River Basin -  http://waterdata.usgs.gov/az/nwis/current/?type=flow

For comparison, Mike says the Colorado River at Yuma rarely gets above 5,000 cfs.