Mining Mecca by David K. Joyce
Rich veins of silver and cobalt were discovered in 1903, at Cobalt, during the construction of the railway to northern Ontario. In the following years, for several decades, over 600 million troy ounces of silver were mined in and around the Cobalt area. In addition, spectacular and interesting specimens of silver and associated minerals were recovered from the mines. Rich specimens of silver can still be recovered from the old mines around Cobalt to this day! This presentation will outline the history, geology and specimen mineralogy of the Cobalt area.
Bio of Our Speaker
David Joyce has been a mineral collector since he was 12 years old, growing up in rock and mineral bereft Scarborough where he was a member of the Rockids, the junior arm of the Gem & Mineral Club of Scarborough. He left Scarborough at 19 years of age to attend the Haileybury School of Mines and upon graduation, worked across Canada in the explosives and mining businesses. He later worked for mining and engineering contractors in the field of designing and building mining complexes and most recently, was Vice President, Business Development for SNC-Lavalin Engineers and Constructors. David was an adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto for eight years, was past vice-president of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIM), past Chair of the Toronto Branch of CIM and Past President of the Walker Mineralogical Club. His own collecting interests reflect his Canadian and Arizona residencies since he collects both Canadian and Arizona Minerals. David Joyce has had a mineral business either full or part time for almost 38 years. He is a founder of the Young Toronto Mineralogist Club that has been running for 23 years. He also volunteers at the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum in Tucson.