WELCOME TO THE MEMPHIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

MAGS Monthly Meetings are held at 7:00pm on the second Friday of each month
in the Fellowship Hall of Shady Grove Presbyterian Church, 5530 Shady Grove Road, Memphis, TN.
Youth and adult visitors are always welcome at MAGS meetings. CLICK HERE FOR A LOCATION MAP.

Click here for information on how you can become a MAGS member.

MAGS on Facebook

MAGS on Flickr

The Earth Wide Open Show

IMPORTANT NOTE: Non-members are not permited to participate in any MAGS or DMC field trips.
This includes all areas: public, private collecting, and pay sites. No exceptions.

FROM THE JUNE 2022 ROCKHOUND NEWS
June Membership Meeting date and format

06.14.022: WC McDaniel: The date for the June membership meeting at Shady Grove Presbyterian Church
has been moved from June 10 to June 24 at 7:00 pm. The meeting format will be modified.
There will be no speaker. Instead, there will be hands-on table activities. Here's a list of some of them:
• Amber—clean raw pieces of amber and discover if something is inside.
• Agate magnets—glue magnet and agate together creating a refrigerator magnet.
• Agates—hand polish using mineral or natural shoe polish/paste.
• Agate makes a pendant.
There will also be table displays and demonstrations:
• Silent auction of some MAGS memorabilia.
• Rock tumbling.
• Metal detecting.
• Artifacts and mineral identifcation.
More to be added.

To learn more about upcoming events and programs, check out the
June 2022 Rockhound News.

FROM THE MARCH 2022 ROCKHOUND NEWS
Groundwater in Southwestern Tennessee

03.03.022: Matthew Lybanon: The March presentation is about the geologic history of southwestern Tennessee and its water systems. The major source of groundwater in southwestern Tennessee and surrounding area is the approximately 40-million-year-old Memphis Sand. The Memphis Sand is an ancient river flood plain sand that was deposited during the
formation of the Mississippi embayment. To learn more about upcoming events and programs, check out the
March 2022 Rockhound News.

Dinosaur Paleontology with Jason Schein
FROM THE FEBRUARY 2022 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS

02.11.2022: Matthew Lebanon: Jason Schein founded the Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute in 2017 and the organization has thrived under his leadership ever since. In his extensive professional experience, including ten years as Assistant Curator of Natural History at the New Jersey State Museum, he has developed a diverse slate of engaging educational programming in the fields of natural history, geology, and paleontology for audiences of all ages Click here for the February Rockhound News.

FROM THE JANUARY 2022 ROCKHOUND NEWS
Recently Published Discoveries From the Blue Springs Fossil Site

01.06.2022: Matthew Lybanon: On November 21, 2009, a couple of MAGS members were exploring the Blue Springs, Mississippi Fossil Site, when one of them discovered the fish toothplate pictured above. Hoping to find someone who could tell them exactly what they were holding, George Phillips, Curator of Paleontology at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science just happened to visit Blue Springs that same day. He knew exactly what they had found--the bonefish toothplate pictured above. He asked if they would consider donating it to the museum, and they agreed. George will be presenting the MAGS program this month. To learn more about upcoming events and programs, check out the January 2022 Rockhound News.

FROM THE OCTOBER 2021 ROCKHOUND NEWS
Portland Basin Geology Zoom Meeting

FROM THE SEPTEMBER 2021 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
A Brief History of the Sue Project at Chicago's Field Museum

09.02.2021: MATTHEW LYBANON: The September program (in-person meeting, Zoom presentation) will be presented by Paul Brinkman. Paul has a Ph.D. in history of science and specializes on the history of American vertebrate paleontology. He is the author of The Second Jurassic Dinosaur Rush (University of Chicago Press, 2010). He worked for almost three years as a member of the team of fossil preparators who cleaned Sue’s bones, molded and casted them, and made them ready for display. Read about this and other MAGS activities in the September issue of Rockhound News.

FROM THE JULY 2021 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
Archaeology of the Reelfoot Basin -- July Adult Presented By Bill Lawrence

07.01.2021: "Archaeology of the Reelfoot Basin": Reelfoot Lake, in northwest Tennessee, was created by the New
Madrid seismic events of 1811 and 1812. Well known for its nesting and wintering population of bald eagles, Reelfoot Lake is also home to a dense concentration of prehistoric archaeological sites. This presentation will examine the archaeological record of this unique area and discuss the role that the New Madrid seismic events played in the preservation of small prehistoric earthworks. Read more in the July issue of Rockhound News.

FROM THE JUNE 2021 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
The Greenbrier Site [3IN1] -- June Program

06.11.2021: JULLIET E. MORROW, ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY: This presentation summarizes past research on the Greenbrier Site (3IN1), an exceptionally wel lpreserved Mississippian town in the White River Valley, and presents results of research geophysical survey at the site. Read more in the June issue of Rockhound News.

FROM THE MAY 2021 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
Coon Creek and it's Cretaceous Deposit

05.09.2021: DR. MICHAEL A. GIBSON: The most famous fossil deposit in West Tennessee is arguably the Cretaceous Coon Creek lagerstätte deposit exposed at what was originally called the “Old Dave Weeks Place”. The deposit is well known to paleontologists globally and a favorite of fossil collectors. The original site has had a long history that is entering a new phase Read more about Coon Creek in the May issue of Rockhound News and attend the May meeting to hear Dr. Gibson. Dr. Gibson will be speaking to MAGS via Zoom. The MAGS meeting will be held at our regular location. See information above for location and time.

FROM THE APRIL 2021 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
April meeting plans

04.06.2020: WC McDANIEL, MAGS PRESIDENT: April 9, 2021 Membership Meeting will be heldheld in the Fellowship Hall at the Shady Grove Presbyterian Church at 6:00 PM [note that this is an earlier start time than normal]. [01] There will be no program speaker. [02] Bring a display of something you have found, or lots of things that you have found. If you made something, bring it to show us. If you have added to your collection, bring it and show us. Or just bring a display. [03] There will be a petrified wood auction, the MAGS cookbook, MAGS stickers, and surprises. [04] 12 months of door prizes. [05] It's never too late for an Easter egg hunt. [06] Drinks and packaged snacks will be provided. [07] COVID-19 rules apply: face mask required and social distancing will be maintained. [08] There will be a field trip and rock swap on May 22, sponsored by Memphis Stone and Gravel. More details will come later. Read about Roadcut Gravel, Martian Blueberries and much, much more in the April issue of Rockhound News.

FROM THE MARCH ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
Who Are The Native Americans And Where Did They Originate?

03.04.21: MIKE BALDWIN: Before the first European explorers set foot on the shores of North and South America, there were people here. It is suggested that man appeared in Asia around 35,000 years ago. Further evidence suggests that man arrived in North America around 14,000 years ago. Recently, new evidence has surfaced. We will talk about that and much, much more during the March MAGS Zoom meeting. To learn more about upcoming MAGS events and much, much more, check out the March Rockhound News.

FROM THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
What zircons in sedimentary rocks can tell us about plate tectonic processes

02.04.2021: DR. WILL JACKSON, DEPT OF EARTH SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS: Detrital zircons are common accessary minerals in sandstone and conglomerate rocks. Zircons also represent the ideal mineral for calculating U-Pb ages. To investigate the development of the Tibetan Plateau, the largest and highest plateau on Earth, we dated zircons from syntectonic sedimentary deposits in southwest Sichuan Province, China. To learn more about Dr. Jackson work with zircons and much, much more, check out the February Rockhound News.

FROM THE JANUARY ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
Sphering

01.04.2021: MATTHEW LYBANON, MAGS Newsletter Editor: The sphere on the left above is carved out of quartz crystal. Usually the sphere is milky white with fractures. It is difficult to see through and get a clear view. The sphere on the right is glass or reconstituted quartz. It is usually clear and easy to see through. See the similarities between spheres and and our current programming situation in the January issue of Rockhound News. On Friday, January 8, Stacy Walbridge will provide a MAGS Adult Program Zoom presentation on “Collecting in the Sonoran Desert” that will cover the geology of the area, soft and hard tools, and collecting sites, showing some samples they’ve collected.. To learn more about Sphering, Collecting in the Sonoran Desert and much, much more, check out the January Rockhound News.

FROM THE DECEMBER 2020 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
Club Update

12.07.2020 WC McDaniel, MAGS President: The last time I ate inside a restaurant was at a hamburger place in Arkansas, coming home from a show in Kansas City. It was March 16. On the same weekend, I did my last show and had my last meal inside a restaurant for the year. Enough about me. Here are the MAGS plans for the next few months:
December 2020
• No Membership Meeting or Holiday Party
• No field trips
January/February 2021
• Membership Meetings most likely will be with ZOOM. Additional information on that process will be coming.
• In person meetings will be determined by Covid-19 status.
Read more about MAGS activities and interests in the December issue of Rockhound News.

FROM THE NOVEMBER 2020 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
"November ZOOM Meeting"

11.13.20: Matthew Lybanon, Newsletter Editor: The Board is continuing to monitor the situation. The November meeting will be November 13 at 7:00 via Zoom. Members should have received Zoom log-on instructions. Planning for the remainder of 2020 remains inclusive as we monitor local Covid-19 status and determine what will be in the best interest of the club’s members. Check your email regularly for updates from the president. Check this website regularly for updates as well. All meetings and events will continue to maintain COVID-19 guidelines for Shelby County. Click here for more meeting details and other stories in the November Rockhound News.

FROM MAGS PRESIDENT, W.C. McDANIEL
"September MAGS Board and Membership Meetings"

09.11.20: WC McDANIEL: update on the current plans for the September MAGS membership meeting. The next scheduled membership meeting is Friday, September 11, Our plans are somewhat complicated as the church’s air conditioner system is not working and we have no AC update. Since the AC is not working we will have an outdoor meeting within the limits of Pandemic Guidelines.

Final decision was made on Thursday, September 10 to have an outdoor meeting. Members check your email on Thursday for any last minute details.

Here are the plans for the Friday meetings.
Board Meeting at 6:15 via ZOOM. Board members--check your email for ZOOM log-on information
Membership Meeting at 6:45
01. No formal meeting agenda
02. No non-member visitors
03. No food/drink to share. You are welcome to bring your own food and drink.
04. You MUST wear a mask
05. You MUST maintain social distancing
06. You MUST stay home if you feel sick, have a fever or if you may have been exposed to Covid-19
07. Your temperature will be checked before you enter the area
08. You must stay in the assigned areas [you will have access to the restrooms]

Members--check your email early on 09.11.20 for details of planned displays and activities. Bring a display of things you have found. Every member that attends will receive a door prize.

Click here for more meeting details and other stories in the September Rockhound News.

FROM THE AUGUST 2020 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
"MAGS Update"

08.05.20: WC McDaniel: We have entered our fifth month of cancelled events and restrictions due to the Covid 19 virus. It remains uncertain as what the near future will bring. However, MAGS is looking ahead and here is an update.
[1.] Currently Memphis/Shelby County is in Phase 2 and has delayed moving into Phase 3. [2.] The next two Membership meetings would normally be scheduled for August 14 and September 11. [3.] The August 14 Membership
Meeting is cancelled. [4.] Field trip—Charles Hill has scheduled a field trip for Saturday, August 15. As usual we will not publish field trip details and will distribute to Members upon request. The trip will be to Crow Creek with a new site and access point. Members only. Contact Charles Hill for details. [5.] When a membership meeting is scheduled I will update you as to the date and format-It will be differe. Click here for the August Rockhound News.

FROM THE JULY 2020 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
"Looking forward and remembering the past"

FROM THE JANUARY 2020 ISSUE OF MAGS ROCKHOUND NEWS
King Mastodon Excavation

01.05.2020: MATTHEW LYBANON: The King Mastodon Site is named after George King, who brought some large bones to the Arkansas State University Museum in April 1999. Dr. Julie Morrow, Station Archaeologist at the Arkansas State University-Jonesboro station of the Arkansas Archaeological Survey will be talking to us at the January MAGS membership meeting about this excavation. Read more about this, learn about the Younger Dryas Period in ancient history, Jewelry Bench Tips and more in the January Rockhound News.

HERE'S A VERY IMPORTANT WEBLINK FOR YOU FROM THE TN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Click on the image below to learn about Tennessee fossils

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PUBLICATIONS [listed here by permission of each owner]
T.O. Fuller Excavation	Coon Creek Fossils: Part 1	Coon Creek Fossils: Part 2
Lower Devonian Fossils of West Tennessee
The 50mm-wide specimen represented here is Dalmanites retusus. Known only from isolated pygidia. The pygidium is distinct from other Birdsong trilobites in that it has a rounded profile and lacks a pygidial spine.	Excerpt from Devonian Fossils of West Tennessee, by Kieran Davis. The Lower Devonian system is well represented in Tennessee, forming part of an almost unbroken sequence of deposits ranging in age from the Middle Silurian to upper Lower Devonian. The Ross Formation of west-central Tennessee contains the most diverse and abundant Lower Devonian invertebrate fauna and this guide focuses on the most fossiliferous member of the Ross--the Birdsong Shale. The Birdsong Shale is well exposed in road cuts along State Highway 69 and in the many active and disused quarries of western Tennessee. Click here or on the trilobite to download your copy of this 40-page PDF.
Late Pleistocene Megafauna From Mississippi Plain Gravel Bars
	Excerpt from Late Pleistocene Megafauna, by Dr. Nina L. Baghai-Riding, Danielle B. Husley, Christine Beck, and Eric Blackwell. The late Pleistocene of North America is characterized by vertabrate animals (mostly mammals weighing ≥ 44kg) including Mammut americanum (American mastodon), Bison spp. (bison), Megalonyx jeffersonii, and Arctodus simus. Disarticulated skeletal elements of vertebrate fauna are frequently exposed on floodplain and gravel bar deposits after floodwaters retreat throughout the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Click here or on the lefthand image to download your copy of this 24-page PDF.
Survey of Florida's Invertebrate Marine Fossils
	During the Cenozoic Era, the geologic and stratigraphic history of the State we now call Florida left invertebrate fossils that reflected the rise of a diverse marine fauna. Two geologic formations, the Tamiami and Caloosahatchee, were deposited through central and southwest Florida. Many researchers have cataloged and documented the evolution of the fauna, and describe how the regression of the Atlantic Ocean during the Cenozoic was the result of periods of glaciation and climatic warming that resulted in the changing shorelines, and the deposition of beds of invertebrate marine fossils. This article focuses on a small sample of invertebrate fossils that reflect the form and shape of their extant fauna. Click here or on the lefthand image to download your copy of this 14-page PDF.

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EXPLORE MAGS A LITTLE BIT MORE
The Earth Wide Open	Pictures			MAGS Field Guide
For information about The Earth Wide Open, the annual Rock Show sponsored by MAGS and held at the AgriCenter in Memphis, TN, click here.		In addition to the Gallery listed in the top navigation, you can find pictures of MAGS events in our Online Album and picture pages such as these: 2014 Sugar Creek Field Trip		Click here to visit, ask questions, or leave comments on the MAGS Field Guide to Rocks, Minerals and Fossils. Click here for an index of topics on the blog.
Chucalissa Indian Village
	CHUCALISSA (Choctaw word meaning "Abandoned House"): The ruins of this native American town sit on the Mississippi bluff five miles south of downtown Memphis. At one time the population of Chucalissa could have been a thousand to fifteen hundred. The town existed into the seventeenth century, when its townspeople left and never returned. Hence, the name Chucalissa. Since most native Americans north of the Rio Grande never developed a written language, we can never know the town's real name. Read about MAGS' involvement in the early years of Chucalissa.

ON THE WEB
Visit the MAGS Flickr gallery of pictures

MAGS MEMBERS: We have a place to showcase your field trip, rock show, and mineral-collecting vacation pictures. Visit our Flickr gallery of pictures. If you have pictures you would like to share, send them to the MAGS webmaster and [if they are pictures all members of MAGS would enjoy] he will get them in the gallery.

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MAGS Contact: WC McDaniel 2038 Central Ave Memphis TN 38104 901.274.7706 email: WC McDaniel

MAGS is a member of: The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies

MAGS is a member of: The Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies

"When out fossil hunting, it is very easy to forget that rather than telling you how the creatures lived, the remains you find indicate only where they became fossilized."
–– Richard E. Leakey