Archives for May 2016

Members need to be aware of a change to requirements for footwear used on field trips at quarries:

Rigger boots wellies are no longer allowed in quarries.

The new safety requirement for lace up boots in quarries is:
1. High ankle support with the laces set above ankle height
2. Steel toe caps not permitted, we now have to use composite toe caps (if the steel gets crushed it stays crushed on the foot, the Kevlar doesn’t, apparently).

All members are strongly suggested to get a pair of boots that meet this requirement, for example:

http://www.safetybootsuk.co.uk/safety-boots/composite-non-metallic/Amblers-FS009C-S3-Boot-With-Composite-Toe-Caps-and-Midsole-p-91434.html

 

Members who are visiting Chamonix in the French Alps this year might like to take time out to see some fabulous minerals from the Blue Mine in Chessy – which is particularly famous for azurite specimens.

A temporary exhibition is at the Musée des Cristaux in Chamonix, and is referred to by the museum in this way:

Denis Boël has obtained the authorization from the Musée des Confluences in Lyon, to select in the Museum’s reserves, Mineralogical Specimens issued from the Blue Mine in Chessy. These pieces were extracted within the period 1811-1835. As soon as they came to light, they were carefully preserved, and most of them were never presented to the public. More than 60 specimens with sizable crystals, very fresh and of the best quality will surprise the connoisseurs and the public about the richness from this mine located in the Beaujolais area. Come and enjoy the symphony of blues and greens in every kind of nuance. That’s an outstanding opportunity to discover azurite, malachite and cuprite.

More details about the museum can be found through this link here