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RS ASM 20th - 22nd April 2012 in Cornwall

RS ASM Logo The Russell Society ASM and AGM weekend 2012 will be held from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd April, 2012 near Falmouth, Cornwall at the Tremough Campus of the Combined Universities of Cornwall. This was the venue for the 2005 ASM and is the home for the University of Exeter, Camborne School of Mines and University College of Falmouth amongst others who share this modern, beautifully designed facility. The Russell Society ASM weekend is the main Society event of the year and it brings together members from all the branches to enjoy their interest in minerals and mineralogy with field trips displays, talks and social activities.

Details and booking forms were sent out to members in early December and should be returned, with payment, by 15th January 2012. Some of the planned trips on the weekend are going to be very popular and thus over-subscribed. If you want to get on a particular visit get your application in as soon as possible. If you have misplaced your forms duplicates can be downloaded from the links on the right.

The full programme for the weekend is given below and can be downloaded from this page. Links to other sites for visits accommodation and directions are also given on the right.


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Friday Afternoon Field Trips and Evening Events

Barstow "Lady's Slipper"

Siderite "Lady's Slipper" in the Barstow Collection.

Friday 20th April Afternoon Field Trips

  • Field collecting trip to Hingston Down quarry, a working quarry producing a wide range of minerals. Meeting at 12:00.

  • Field collecting trip to Ting Tang mine, famous for a wide range of minerals including the copper arsenates, the dumps have been recently excavated for the benefit of collectors. Meeting at 13:00.

  • Private viewing of the Barstow Collection at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery - members on this trip will have the opportunity to send in requests, in advance of the visit, for specimens they would particularly like to see (link on right). Meeting at 13:30.

Friday 20th April Evening Events

  • Starting at 19:00 Buffet dinner and bar.

  • From 20:00 there is a social evening in great company to include:

  • Judging of the Annual Photo' Competition by the members present. Details for submission of photographs are at: Photo' Competition.

  • The ever popular "Rock Swap" an opportunity to replace your surplus specimens with new acquisitions.

  • Displays of members mineral specimens in particular from the South-West Branch area.

Tables will be available for swaps and displays. Members are encouraged to bring a display of minerals, particularly those from the South-West.

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Saturday Programme

Camborne School of Mines mineral display

Display of minerals from the Camborne School of Mines collection.

All Saturday activities will be held at the Combined Universities of Cornwall Tremough Campus.

Saturday 21st April Conference Programme

  • 09:15-09:45: Coffee & Registration at the Tremough Campus.

  • 09:45-10:00: Introduction & Welcome.

  • 10:00-10:45: Talk 1: "Minerals of Devon", David Aubrey-Jones.

  • 10:45-11:15: Coffee / tea.

  • 11:15-12:00: Talk 2: "The genesis of orbicular rocks - making rock forming minerals interesting", Bob Symes.

  • 12:00-12:45: Talk 3: "Herodsfoot mine, Richard Talling and bournonite - a 19th century monopoly?", Roy Starkey.

  • 12:45-14:15: Lunch at Tremough Campus & Rock Swap.

  • 14:15-15:00: Talk 4: "Low temperature mineralisation in SW England", Richard Scrivener.

  • 15:00-15:45: Talk 5: "The involvement of a trio of Cornish mineralogists in the development of mineralogy at the turn of the 18th century", Ron Cleevely.

  • 15:45-16:30: Tea / coffee.

  • 16:30-The end: Russell Society Annual General Meeting

Saturday 21st April Evening Programme

  • 18:30: Assemble in the bar / lounge for drinks.

  • 19:00: Annual Dinner, please complete booking form for menu choices.

  • Following dinner there will be the traditional mineral auction in aid of Society funds. Please bring one or two good specimens for the auction.
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Sunday Field Trips and Visits

Ting Tang mine 2005

Leisurely collecting at Ting Tang mine in 2005.

Sunday 22nd April Field Trips

  • To be confirmed: Rosevale mine, Zennor. A non-collecting, underground visit to private show mine.

  • Field collecting trip to Ting Tang mine. A supplementary charge will apply. Meet at 10:00.

  • Morning field collecting trip to Highdown quarry. The trip will run 11.00-13.00 with the option to move on to Bampfylde Mine in the afternoon.

  • All day field collecting trip to Herodsfoot mine. Meet at 11:00.

  • All day field collecting trip to Bampfylde mine. Meet at 11:00.

  • Afternoon field collecting trip to Bampfylde mine. Meet at 14:00 to join the all-day party.

  • Caerhays Castle visit. Meet at 11:00 to view the recently re-discovered Williams Collection - includes a slide presentation by Courtenay Smale followed at 13:00 by a buffet lunch in the Grand Hall in the company of Mr & Mrs Williams. At 14:30 the party will split into two groups for a house and garden tour and mineral collection viewing, swapping over at half-time. There will be a supplementary charge to include admission to the house and gardens, house tour, lunch, wine and the mineral collection viewing. Payment advice will be given once places are confirmed.
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2011 ASM Report

The photographic report of the Annual Social Meeting 2011 at the Hollowford Centre, Castleton, Derbyshire is available so you can get an idea of what happens on an ASM weekend.

See what a good time we had.


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2012 Programme

Friday programme

Saturday programme

Sunday programme

Please note that all trips to working quarries require you to comply with the Society Safety Requirements. Health & Safety
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ASM Downloads

ASM booking form

Full ASM programme


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Useful Links

Search for B&B in the Penryn area as that is closest to the Campus. Visit Cornwall

Your can browse the Barstow collection here and if you wish select specimens that you can then view, by prior arrangement, during the visit. The Barstow collection

Restored by the Rosevale Historical Mining Society this former tin mine in Zennor is a good trip to see some unique mining history. Rosevale mine

Information on the Williams mineral collection. Caerhays Castle minerals


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Directions

Sat-Nav information and directions to venues from Google Maps®

Tremough Campus, Penryn, TR10 9EZ

Directions to the Tremough Campus

Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AJ

Directions to Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery

Caerhays Castle, Caerhays, St. Austell, PL26 6LY

Directions to Caerhays Castle


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Mineral Sites

Information on the minerals found at these sites is available on Mindat.

Bampfylde mine.

Herodsfoot mine.

Highdown quarry.

Hingston Down quarry.

Ting Tang mine.

Note: This listing confers no right to access.


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  • ASM Venues

  • Hosting Branches, Locations and dates for ASM weekends.

  • Prior to 1989 the Society only held a formal AGM. In 1989 the first ASM weekend was hosted by the Northern Branch in Durham.

    • 1989: NB, Durham, 7-9 April.
    • 1990: W&W, Cardiff, 6-8 April.
    • 1991: SWB, Truro, 5-7 April.
    • 1992: CB, Loughborough, 3-5 April.
    • 1993: SB, Bath, 2-4 April.
    • 1994: NWB, Lancaster, 8-10 April.
    • 1995: CB, Oxford, 17-19 March.
    • 1996: NB, Durham, 29-31 March.
    • 1997: W&WB, Cardiff, 12-13 April.
    • 1998: SWB, Truro, 3-5 April.
    • 1999: CB, Loughborough, 9-11 April.
    • 2001: NWB, Ambleside, 6-8 April.
    • 2002: SB, Bath, 5-7 April.
    • 2003: NB, Durham, 11-13 April.
    • 2004: W&WB, Caerleon, 16-18 April.
    • 2005: SWB, Tremough, 1-3 April.
    • 2006: CB, Leicester, 7-9 April.
    • 2007: NWB, Chester, 13-15 April.
    • 2008: SB, Bath, 28-30 March.
    • 2009: W&WB, Coleford, 3-5 April.
    • 2010: NB, Durham. 16-18 April.
    • 2011: CB, Castleton, 1-3 April.
    • 2012: SWB, Tremough, 20-22 April.

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