Why St. Lawrence County Minerals?

Why collect St. Lawrence County mineral specimens?  Wouldn’t it make more sense to collect a specific species or perhaps minerals from anywhere in New York State?  Maybe, but I have chosen this course of action for a number of reasons: 

1. Specificity.  A topic as narrow as this allows one to become an expert in the field.  I have lived most of my life in this area and have collected its minerals in the field for more than four decades.  Slowly but surely I work my way toward mastery of this topic.

2. Diversity of species.  The mostly metamorphic geology of the region has allowed for a large variety on species to form here.  New species are being discovered and due to their complexity, old species are being reclassified.

3. Scientific interest.  Though not always aesthetic the minerals of this area hold scientific interest to me and others.  This can be seen in the dozens of fine articles about the minerals of St. Lawrence County in the periodicals of the past decade. 

4. Field collecting possibilities.  St. Lawrence County has been debated as being the top county in the US for mineral collecting since the 1800s.  It still provides ample opportunity to collect quality specimens at historic as well as contemporary locations.

5. Geography.  Living in the region I study and collect minerals from has its obvious advantages. 

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