Previous Programs

To get an idea of the types of monthly programs we have, please take a look at some of the diverse subjects that our speakers have presented.

All about Zeolites and their industrial uses”, Kaeden Hill

History of Stone Mountain”, Pamela J. W. Gore

Minerals of Georgia”, Jose Santamaria, Director of Tellus Science Museum

Turquoise USA 2020”, Dr. Dion Stewart, Georgia State University Professor of Geology

Caving and cave systems in the Southeast”, Jeff Sorensen

Geodes and geode locations”, Wayne Dodd

Tucson Gem & Mineral show”, W. Dodd, B. Hohn, Sarah Christensen

The Art of Suiseki – Japanese ‘Viewing Stones’”, Bob Shively

Lost in the Desert – Trip to the Searles Lake Halite Festival, Trona CA”, George Libby

Gems and Jewelry from Space!”, Dr. Dion Stewart, Georgia State University Professor of Geology

Fossils Localities and Collecting in Georgia”, Dr. John Anderson, Invertebrate Paleontologist at Georgia State University

Garnet – One of the most interesting of all gemstones”, Dr. Dion Stewart, Georgia State University Professor of Geology

Close Encounters of a Different Time – Dinosaur hunting”, David Braswell

Rubies, Sapphires and Spinels”, Dr. Dion Stewart, Georgia State University Professor of Geology

The Writing of ‘Roadside Geology of Georgia’ with Bill Witherspoon”, Pamela J. W. Gore

6 Rocks That Started the Earth”, Dr. Dion Stewart, Georgia State University Professor of Geology

Jewelry Techniques that Highlight Your Mineral Specimens”, Dallas Vinson, JFF

Caves of the Southeastern U.S.”, Jeff Sorensen

Space, Rocks, and Craters: An Astrophysicist’s View”, Dr. Laura Whitlock, Assistant Professor of Physics at Georgia Perimeter College

California Opals”, Bob Shively

Mineral History of Graves Mountain”, Jose Santamaria, Director of the Tellus Science Museum

Manned Spaceflight History”, Chris Thompson, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador

A Photographic Tour of the Two Most Exotic Caves on Earth”, Dr. Dion Stewart, Georgia State University Professor of Geology

Exotic Places on my Bucket List and the Science behind them”, Dr. Dion Stewart, Georgia State University Professor of Geology

Geological Formations of Georgia”, Sam Pickering, Georgia State Department of Geology

Locations for Rockhounding”, Forest Cole

Rock Hunt in Japan”, Ms. Yuzy Sato, past President of California Federation of Mineralogical Societies

Crystals, crystallography and their growth, formation”, Ben Crawford, Past President Rome GA Gem & Mineral Club

Fossils and Fossilization”, Dr. Howard Cramer, Professor of Paleontology, Emory University,

Collecting Staurolite and Amethyst”, Gil Withers

The Crown Jewels of Europe”, Dr. Rufus Speaks, Past President Eastern Federation

Continental Drift of Plate Tectonics”, Preston Watts, past president of the Huntsville, AL Gem and Mineral Society

Georgia’s rich mineral deposits and their location”, Sam Pickering, Geologist for State of Georgia

Emeralds – The World’s Most Precious Stone”, Gil Withers

Synthesis of Gemstones and Minerals”, Dr. Vernon Hurst, Head of Geology Department, University of Georgia Athens

Minerals from North and South America”, Dr. Robert B. (Bobby) Cook, Professor of Geology, Auburn University

Gold, Gold, Gold”, J. Forrest Cole, past president Dahlonega Mineral Society

Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift – Ideas on how the earth works”, Dr. William Size, Associate Professor of Geology, Emory University

Fossils – How fossils are formed and the earth’s past history as read in the fossil record in ancient rocks”, Dr. Howard Cramer, Professor of Paleontology at Emory University, School of Geology

Bone Valley Fossils”, W. G. Swofford, past president Tennessee Paleontology Association, member of Chattanooga Geology Club

The Geological History of Georgia in Relation to Minerals”, Dr. Vernon Hurst, Head of the Geology Department, University of Georgia

Jewelry Made from Georgia Gemstones”, Aubrey Bottoms

The Role of Water in Forming Gemstones and Minerals”, Dr. William H. McLemore, State Geologist of Georgia

Petrified Wood”, Dr. William J. Fritz, Professor of Geology, Georgia State University

Diamonds from their birth deep in the earth until they get on your finger”, Mrs. Jean Litchfield, Registered Gemologist

The Geology of Yellow Stone Park”, Dr. William Size, Professor of Geology, Emory University

New Thinking on the Origin of Gold in the Dahlonega Gold Belt”, Jerry German, Senior Geologist, State of Georgia, Department of Mines

Granite”, Dr. Bill Size, Professor of the School of Geology at Emory University

 “Mining Herkimer Diamonds and Other Rock Hunting Trips Out West”, Charley Royston

Graves Mountain and Gold”, Dr. Robert B. (Bobby) Cook, Head of the School of Geology, Auburn University

Making Flint Arrow Heads”, Tom White

How to collect fossils and start a fossil collection”, Theo Miller, Paleontologist

Minerals of Cobb County”, Carol Sneed, Paleontologist, Cobb County Archaeological Department

Mining operations of the Georgia Marble Company”, Bill Whyte, Georgia Marble Company

Colorful material that may be found in the State of Georgia”, Tommy Durden

Lapidary Arts, Faceting and Cabbing of Gemstones”, Tom Vassy

Garnet Group of Silicate Minerals”, Frank Decaminada

Gold – looking for it, finding it, prospecting”, Leon Richards

Marble Mines”, John Castello, Georgia Marble Company

How to find and locate places to dig”, Mary Ingram

Modern and Ancient Environments, A Look at the Patterns in Rocks and What They Tell Us”, Bill Waggener, geology instructor at Georgia Institute of Technology,

The Trilobites of Northwest Georgia”, Bill Montante

Earth Geology – Plate Tectonics”, Dr. Jim LaJour, Georgia State University

How to Locate Mines”, Kim Cochran

Preparing the Fossils of Northwest Georgia”, Larry Osterberger

Trilobites – the Conasauga Shale Formation in Rome”, Bill Montante

Mineral History of Graves Mountain”, Jose Santamaria

Birthstones and What they Stand For”, Pat Brown

Fluorescent Minerals”, Dr. James O. Hamblen, Professor of Computer Engineering at Georgia Technical University

Cobb County Gem & Mineral Society