NE-AIPG Fall Meeting
October 02, 2026
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Field Trip: Little Falls and Fonda, NY; Dinner: Rustic Loft Pub and Grill, 4740 NY-30, Amsterdam, NY 12010
Herkimer area, NY
Field Trip and Dinner Meeting - Herkimer Diamonds. Field trip focus is on high accuracy mapping, structural Geology and stratigraphy of the Little Falls Dolostone and quartz bearing zones. Evening presentation expands on field trip content.
Meeting/Event Information
The anticipate 2026 meeting schedule for the Northeast Section is presented below. As dates and times may change, please check back for updates and specific meeting announcements. Meetings are open to all members—hope to see you there!
2026 Executive Committee Meeting Schedule: typically the first Monday of the month, adjusted for holidays.
• ExCom Monday Jan 5
• ExCom Monday March 2
• Spring Meeting Wednesday April 15
• ExCom Monday May 4
• ExCom Monday July 6
• ExCom Monday September 14
• ExCom Monday October 5
• Fall Meeting early October
• ExCom Monday Dec 7
Executive Committee Meetings are typically held from 4:00 to 5:30 pm via Zoom. Spring and Fall Membership Meetings are often in-person events with exact dates, times, and locations TBD.
NE-AIPG Fall Meeting
October 02, 2026
12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
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Field Trip: Little Falls and Fonda, NY; Dinner: Rustic Loft Pub and Grill, 4740 NY-30, Amsterdam, NY 12010
Herkimer area, NY
NE-AIPG Fall Meeting: 10/2/26
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Geological Research in NY's
Herkimer Quartz Crystal District
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Afternoon field trip (3 PDH*)
Dinner meeting (1 PDH*)
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Registration is open and closes on Monday, September 28th.
Don't miss out, register now.
Need a hotel? - contact [email protected] for a group code for rooms on hold at the Microtel in Amsterdam, NY, before September 25th.
Topic of event:
Preliminary Re-examination of the Upper Cambrian Little Falls Dolostone & Quartz Crystal Occurrence Using High-Accuracy Mapping and Coring Techniques. - Herkimer Diamonds
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*Approved for a total of 4 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) by NYSCPG for PGs and other Design Professionals (LA, LS, PE, RA) as defined in section 7201 of the Education Law.
When:
Friday, October 2, 2026.
Field Trip: 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Social/Networking and Dinner: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Dinner Presentation: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where:
Herkimer area, New York
Field trip to Fonda Mountain and Treasure Mountain mines in Fonda and Little Falls, NY.
Dinner Meeting location – Rustic Loft Pub and Grill, 4740 NY-30, Amsterdam, NY 12010.
Presenters:
Directors of the Herkimer Diamond Research Institute (HDRI)
-Bill Stephens, PG (DE, GA, NC, PA, SC, VA, & UT), Stephens Environmental Consulting, Inc., Friends of Mineralogy - National President
-David Tibbits, PhD Candidate, Rutgers University
-How modern surveying & mapping technology is used in high accuracy mapping projects.
-How field coring and in-lab core examination coupled with high accuracy mapping can be used to assess stratigraphy at a centimeter level of accuracy.
-How modern isotope geochemistry can be used to date unconventional materials.
-How these methods can be used to target productive zones for mining purposes.
Expected Field Trip Conditions:
Site and meeting location details will be sent to registrants. Expect roadside/slightly off-road parking, moderate walking conditions on unpaved and uneven surfaces through some areas of potential obstructions. Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes and appropriate clothing. Questions: [email protected].
11:30 AM to 11:50 AM: Attendees arrive at Treasure Mountain entrance.
12:00 PM to 12:30 PM: Attendees receive instruction via poster and cores.
12:30 PM to 2:00 PM: Walking reconnaissance and examination of exposures with posters, cores and instruction at each of the 3 main pits.
2:00 PM to 2:30 PM: Travel to Fonda Mountain.
2:30 PM to 4:30 PM: Walking tour of exposures and pits showing mineralogy, stratigraphy, quartz crystal occurance and other features in the LFD.
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM: Social/Networking and Dinner
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM: Presentation describing methods, process and results of the preliminary work completed to date.
Abstract:
Survey-grade GPS, robotic total stations, drone photogrammetry, LIDAR, and portable diamond coring now allow geologic mapping and subsurface sampling at a resolution rarely applied outside large mining and exploration companies. These techniques are rarely taught in academic geology programs. This Course applies these tools to the Upper Cambrian Little Falls Dolostone (LFD) and the Herkimer Diamond quartz crystals it hosts.
Herkimer Diamonds, the doubly terminated quartz crystals found in vugs in the LFD, are highly collectible and world famous, first reported in the 1820s. Interest in these crystals has grown substantially in recent years and many new public and private mines have opened.
The most relevant published geology remains Zenger’s 1981 stratigraphic study and Fisher’s 1980 bedrock map of the central Mohawk Valley. Zenger’s four-member subdivision was never adopted by the USGS, which combines the LFD with the overlying Beekmantown into a single unit, and he was unable to establish reliable correlation layers between sections. Despite this foundational work, the depositional setting, stratigraphic framework, and structural controls on crystal-bearing horizons remain poorly resolved, including the tilt of the wrench fault blocks that control where the LFD is exposed near the surface.
The presenters lead the Herkimer Diamond Research Institute (HDRI), formed in 2025 with mine owners, collectors, authors, and researchers from Rutgers, RPI, and Columbia. HDRI has begun coordinated field mapping and portable diamond coring at Treasure Mountain and Herkimer Mountain (Fonda) mines, with additional reconnaissance at Mohawk Valley Mineral Mining and Area 52, both potentially sharing a fault block. Survey-grade mapping and core locations, paired with recovered core, are being used to develop detailed maps and stratigraphic position of crystal bearing zones, index layers and to build the stratigraphic and geochemical framework, including isotopes, fluid inclusions, and geochronology, needed to constrain the age, fluid history, and formation of the crystals.
Attendees will walk outcrops and mine exposures to see the mapping and coring approach applied directly to productive zones, followed by an evening session covering the mapping, stratigraphic analysis and structural data acquisition and calculation methods in more detail.
BONUS for attending - Fonda Mountain property owners have offered a discounted fee ($90 reduced from $120) to anyone who wants to stick around and dig at Fonda Mtn on Saturday. Those that want to dig on Saturday should bring the following tools: shovel, scratchers, trowels, 4lb crack hammer, various pointy and flat blade chisels, paper towels and containers for crystals. Arrive at 9am and pay when you arrive. If anyone finds a good weathered out or rock pocket, it will be surveyed and added to the database. This is an extra activity that is not a technical part of the NE-AIPG Fall Meeting.
Thank you to our meeting Sponsors:
Diamond Sponsors:
Spectro Technology, https://www.spectotechnology.com/
Alpha Geoscience, https://www.alphageoscience.com/
Quart Sponsors:
Wilcox & Barton, Inc., https://www.wilcoxandbarton.com/
Posillico Inc. - https://posillicoinc.com/
CGE (PRM - CGE Division), https://www.cleanglobeenv.com/
Sponsorships are still available - Get company exposure to regional geologists and help keep our meeting costs low.
- DIAMOND LEVEL SPONSORSHIP..............……........….......…………...…..….…$300.00
INCLUDED IN SPONSORSHIP- One registration for the event (although one registration is included, attendance is not required for a sponsorship).
- Includes PDH for registrant, as appropriate (pending NYSCPG approval for PGs and Design Professionals, must be in attendance for the entire talk).
- Company logo in marketing materials, such as flyers, emails, on the NE‐AIPG website, and displayed during the meeting.
- Acknowledgement at the meeting and in the NE‐AIPG’s quarterly newsletter.
- Company can present an introduction at the meeting. This is not intended to be a full presentation; rather, a few minutes will be allowed for a representative to give a brief introduction to the company and its services. Meeting attendance is not required for this sponsorship ‐ if preferred, NE‐AIPG could read a few sentences about the company, if provided in advance.
QUARTZ LEVEL SPONSORSHIP..........…........…...………….........……………...…$150.00
INCLUDED IN SPONSORSHIP- One registration for the event (although one registration is included, attendance is not required for a sponsorship)
- Includes PDH for registrant, as appropriate (pending NYSCPG approval for PGs and Design Professionals, must be in attendance for the entire talk).
- Company logo in marketing materials, such as flyers, emails, on the NE‐AIPG website, and displayed during the meeting.
- Acknowledgement at the meeting and in the NE‐AIPG’s quarterly newsletter.
Questions? - Contact [email protected]. Watch this website and your emails for updates.
Need a hotel? - contact [email protected] for a group code for a discounted rate at the Microtel in Amsterdam, NY, before September 25th.
AIPG and Friends of Mineralogy members can register at the Member rate.
- One registration for the event (although one registration is included, attendance is not required for a sponsorship).
Tickets
$0.00 Member Field Trip - no PDH
$30.00 Member Field Trip - 3 PDHs
$20.00 Non-Member Field Trip - no PDH
$40.00 Non-Member Field Trip - 3 PDHs
$55.00 Member Dinner - no PDH
$65.00 Member Dinner - 1 PDH
$65.00 Non-Member Dinner - no PDH
$75.00 Non-Member Dinner - 1 PDH
$300.00 DIAMOND LEVEL SPONSORSHIP
$150.00 QUARTZ LEVEL SPONSORSHIP
