Local geology enthusiast society knows how to rock
Kristen Walker never found a rock she didn’t like. It was this passion with pebbles that led her to seek out a local organization where she could meet with like-minded people.
“I have been a rock hound probably my whole life. I used to like to go on walks with my grandpa to pick up shiny rocks and keep them in my bag,” said Ms. Walker. “I have been collecting crystals just forever. It’s just fun to share that with people who also get excited about rocks.”
The members of the Long Island Mineral And Geology Society, or LIMAGS, are as diverse as the geological marvels they collect. As you would expect, there are retired earth science teachers, but also artists and those interested in the minerals’ metaphysical properties. Regardless of their origin story, these rock hounds gather on the second Tuesday of the month at the George Young Community Center, 446 South Jamesport Ave., Jamesport, to celebrate their shared enthusiasm for the mysteries and beauty of the Earth.
“It’s people in different careers, different interests, who find geology and things related to geology fascinating and interesting. In our meetings, we have presentations that go down a lot of different paths in terms of minerals and fossils,” said Gene Genova, president of the club.
Ellen Wiener, a local artist, cited the love of natural history as the root of the members’ common interest.
“What we all have in common is a love and a fascination with natural history. Beyond that, there are many branches to the tree,” said Ms. Wiener.
Rock out, together
LIMAGS is one of three geology clubs on Long Island and the only one based on the North Fork. Their monthly meetings are an opportunity to gather, discuss their finds and learn from expert speakers. Topics range from Indigenous history to assessing how accurately earth science is presented in film, complete with rankings.
They also plan a number of field trips, both close to home and farther afield. Local beach walks are a favorite, but members also travel upstate to a club-owned mine for Herkimer diamonds. They have an annual trek to a geologically significant site, often out of state, to collect special samples.
The group also hosts an annual gem and mineral show that brings vendors from all over the country and features science activities for children. The show is the main outreach and fundraising effort for the club, and many members mentioned it as their gateway into joining.
“Especially on the north shore, we can find examples of all three types of rocks. Is there anything that’s worth a tremendous amount of money? No,” said Mr. Genova. “We try to go collect fossils in upstate New York. We’ve been to New Hampshire, where we’ve collected a number of times, different kind of minerals. We’ve been to Pennsylvania, collecting fossils and some minerals there as well. We go in the tristate and New England area as much as possible to do collecting trips. Not everybody goes, but there’s quite a few people interested doing collecting like this.”
Many members listed the field trips as the highlight of their time with the club.
“That was like a big thing for us because we’ve only done it a few times and really enjoyed it. We did mining up at Herkimer and then, come to find out, the club has a claim at Herkimer upstate, which is really unique. And we went down south to North Carolina to a big mine and had a great time, so it’s more reasons for us to get out and go do more of that, because we just really enjoyed it,” Ms. Walker said.
Rock inspiration
It was TV science personalities like the Mythbusters and Bill Nye who inspired Jonathan Moore’s interest in earth science. “All of them shared that same quality of just wanting to be like, ‘Look how cool the world is.’ … That group helps facilitate that my mind, where you can better appreciate the fact that … sure, the sand at the beach seems kind of boring, but have you really ever actually looked at it?” he said.
For Angelica Radacinski, a family history of rock hounding lead her to join LIMAGS. She attended gem shows with her father and watched her mother craft jewelry out of beads made from precious stones. Her own interest also encompasses the metaphysical characteristics of crystals and gems.
“When you think about the history of Long Island, whether it’s pirates, whether it’s bootlegging, all the way back to this huge crack that created the North and the South forks. So many people love to spend time on the beach, and when you think of what the beach is actually made up of, it’s really magnificent,” said Ms. Radacinski. “You have all of these different minerals, and whether you believe in healing properties or not, they’re what we use in our day-to-day lives, and it’s important to kind of recognize their part in our world.”
Ms. Wiener came to LIMAGS by way of her work. She was researching the history of the notion of purgatory for a project and began visiting caves. She sought out local experts, and this led her to the club.
“I began to distinguish between kinds of rocks and where they happened in the landscape,” said Ms. Wiener. “Then I started looking into the science. And the people in the Long Island Mineral and Geology Society, many of them are still science teachers, former science teachers, especially earth science. So, I figured that was a great way to learn more.”
The geological story of Long Island begins 20,000 years ago, when the Laurentide ice sheet pushed debris from upstate, New England and Canada to what is now the east coast during the Wisconsin glaciation. This jumble of rocks, soil and sediment, in sizes from boulders right down to sand, was left behind when the ice receded in something called a terminal moraine, forming Long Island. The club’s local lens magnifies the global story rocks tell, which is ultimately the story of all of us.
“Rocks are the book, right? They are the book,” said Ms. Wiener. “They are the pages of time, of this planet, and they can be read. And it’s right there. It’s on our beaches, it’s in our cliffs, it’s right there. And most of it is free.”
Can you find the quartz?
Can you find the pudding stone?
