This article was originally published by The-Vug.com in January, 2016
Book Review
The-Vug.com reviews “Minerals, Fossils, and Fluorescents of Arizona by Neil R. Bearce”
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9. Minerals Fossils, and Fluorescents of Arizona Reviewed by Justin ZzyzxI have to admit, I am a little biased. I’m an avid field collector, plus I got to meet Mr. Bearce at the Tucson show, so how could I say anything critical of such an interesting man? Well, I don’t have to, because there is hardly a negative comment to be said about this book. Any good field collecting book is going to get a high approval rating from me. But each one of those field guides has to fight for my love! Well, let me share with you the lead runner in that race, Minerals, Fossils, and Fluorescents of Arizona. You might be familiar with Mr. Bearce’s earlier work, Minerals of Arizona. I’ve heard that many people believe this to be a reprinting of the original book with more added, but it is a completely new book.
Collecting minerals in Arizona
Written by: Neil R. BearceThat being said, if you live or visit Arizona and you enjoy field collecting, this is a fantastic resource. While unfortunately there are no gem Tourmaline, Beryl, or Ruby crystals to be had in Arizona, there are tons of Copper minerals like Azurite and Malachite, Serpentine minerals, multicolored fluorescents, uncommon minerals and quartz crystal locations. There are 90 locations listed in the book and the author has a fantastic method of labeling the locations to inform you of the difficulty, driving, digging and hiking. I’ve been to several locations listed in the book and let me tell you, I’ve NEVER had as much success collecting at any other location in a typical field guide. So far, from the locations I’ve visited, the difficulty guide has been extremely accurate.
The real test of any field guide is the amount of quality locations for actual minerals, as opposed to the countless tan agate locations. Well, I was surprised to find quite a few fantastic locations included in this book. I was impressed to find something I had been looking over topo maps for, the Big Bertha Extension, outside of Quartzsite. Wow…then I read about the Cummingtonite deposit nearby. Wow, this book just planned out an amazing weekend trip for me!
There are tons of classic locations and ones I’ve never heard of, but all offering interesting collecting opportunities. I almost want to keep this book away from everyone, for fear that too many people will go to some of these great locations and attract too much attention! No more confusing hand drawn maps. The author included a topo map of each location, with the directions, roads and locations clearly marked. The GPS cords and the geology characteristics are given for each location. So far I have had no problem with any of the directions in the book, they are all very clearly mapped out.
The bits of interesting information on the locations is fun as well and the user of this guide has a pretty good idea of what to expect, which is surprisingly uncommon among most field guides!
The Fluorescent and Fossil locations are just as good as the mineral deposits. I had the chance to check out one of each and from my experience at those two locations, I can’t wait to check out the other locations.
It is, hands down, the best field guide I’ve ever owned! Just writing this review makes me want to plan another few trips out collecting. If there is one negative about this book it would be the tension that it builds while you wait for the chance to visit sites! Sorry to sound so gushing in this review, but I really love this book.
