Scott will tell us about the Red Cloud mines of Lincoln County, N.M. They are two small and distinct mines, just a few hundred feet apart in the Gallinas Mountains, and all within the Ibola National Forest. Though they are very close together, each tapped into separate REE-Fluorite hydrothermal veins and each has distinct characteristics.

The Red Cloud Fluorite mine, which operated for a short time during and after World War II, presents interesting micro fluorites and some rare earth minerals. The Red Cloud Copper mine, operated intermittently over a period of about 60 years, yields beautiful vanadinite, wulfenite, mimetite, cerussite, and more. Since mineralogical literature has very little written information on these two mines, they are rarely visited. The Gallinas Mountains are home to over 80 small mines and prospects, and are currently under investigation as a potential source of rare earth minerals.

Scott’s presentation includes many wonderful photos he has taken of specimens from these two mines. Scott’s photographs were created by him, and many using new technology (available to all) that creates images with all points in sharp focus. In general, many specimen photos have a limited “depth of field” (only one plane of sharp focus), whereas, Scott’s photographs have an infinite “depth of field” with all of the planes in focus. Scott will show us his equipment and show us how he produces his wonderful images.

Scott has been collecting minerals since childhood, with a focus on micro-minerals and photography for the last 15 years. After retiring from the Air Force, he completed a Ph.D. and is now a professor at a small college in northern New Mexico. With the recent limitations on travel, he spent much of the last year investigating some less well-known micro-mineral localities in his area of New Mexico.