Arizona Geological Society

Welcome to the Arizona Geological Society

Upcoming events - Register Here!

29 Sep 2023 6:30 AM • Patagonia, Arizona - To be Announced
03 Oct 2023 5:30 PM • Hexagon Office at 40 East Congress Street, Suite 150, Tucson, Arizona 85701



Diana Kamilli, Ph.D., 
"A life well-lived - 1941-2023"

Diana Kamilli

Diana Kamilli, longtime member of the Arizona Geological Society, passed away on 2 August 2023 after a brief illness. She was 81 years old. She earned her Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1968. Diana served for six years as Chair of the Geology Dept. at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA. Her interest shifted to archaeological geology and Diane operated a successful consulting business.

Photo of Diana and Robert Kamilli. ca early 1990s

(Courtesty of Science)

Science ran an article in 1993, “A Thoroughly Modern Marriage” by Ann Gibbons recounting the personal and professional lives of Diana and her husband, Robert (Bob) Kamilli. Diana served as an AGS Councilor from 2009-2011.  Diana’s husband, Robert (Bob) Kamilli, US Geological Survey retired, served as an AGS officer for 20 years.

The memorial service will be held at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona at 9:30 AM on Friday, October 20, 2023.  A reception will follow at the church from 11:45 AM to 2:00 PM.  Pleas RSVP for reception by October 13, 2023. Here is a link to her obituary.

Last, on behalf of AGS Executive Committee and AGS members present and past, we offer our heartfelt condolences to Bob, and to their children Robert Chapman Kamilli and Ann Chapman Kamilli.


June 2023 Meeting



Recent photos of AGS members at June 2023 social hour.


Clancy J. Wendt (1938-2023)


Clarence John Wendt, known as Clancy to most of us, was born in Indio, CA to Mary and Clarence Wendt on July 25,1938 and passed away peacefully on May 31,2023 after a short illness.

Clancy met and married his wife, Carol, fifty-one years ago in Tucson, Arizona where they both obtained master’s degrees and started their journey together. Clancy and Carol had two children and lived in three different states before settling down to spend the rest of their lives in Reno in 1987.

Clancy became a registered consulting geologist after spending years working for major companies, searching for base & precious minerals, uranium, and industrial minerals. He loved being a geologist and volunteered many hours with geological societies, especially the Geological Society of Nevada where he acted as president in 2003-2004. He traveled and worked in many different countries over the course of his career, and he and Carol continued traveling together for fun after she retired from teaching in Reno.

Clancy was a devoted family man who is survived by his wife, Carol, his daughter, Sandy, of Reno, his son, C. J., of Las Vegas, his two grandchildren, Jack and Katie, and his two brothers, Pat Wendt of Reno and Mike Wendt of Gilroy, CA, together with their families.


2022 Scholarship Recipients

Since 1996 the Arizona Geological Society (AGS) has presented scholarships to outstanding students at the state's three major universities, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University. 

The 2022 scholarship program drew 15 excellent applicants from Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona. Eighty percent of the candidates were women.

Maria Camila Sojo Aguero

Maria Camila Sojo Aguero was awarded the 2022 J. Harold Courtright Scholarship.  Maria earned her B. S. at the Universidad Nacional de San Juan (Argentina) in 2017 and a Specialist in Mining from the Universidad de Buenos Aires.  She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Arizona.

Her dissertation research involves the study of Filo del Sol, a telescoped, high-sulfidation, epithermal Cu-Au-Ag/porphyry Cu-Au system in the San Juan Juan Province of Argentina.

It was particularly difficult to chose the best applicant for the 2022 Allison Scholarship.  We decided to award this year's scholarship to two equally qualified candidates, Jessica Bersson (Arizona State University) and Emilie Bowman (University of Arizona).


Jessica Bersson

Jessica Bersson earned her B.A. with Honors at Whitman College,  Walla Walla, Washington in 2018.  She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. Degree in Geological Sciences at Arizona State University.

Ms. Bersson's research interest centers on investigating the mechanics of volcanic eruption triggers to better predict future eruptive behavior.

Emilie Bowman

Emilie Bowman earned a B.S at the University of Texas at Austin in 2017 and a M.S. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2019.   She is currently working toward a Ph.D. Degree in Geology at the University of Arizona.

Ms. Bowman's research interest focuses on the study of arclogites and using geochemistry to constrain crustal thickness in the Andes through time.



September 2023 Newsletter



October 2023 Meeting Sponsor



2022 Spring Field Trip to Altar Valley


The 2022 Arizona Geological Society Spring Field trip, “Mountains, Mines and Structural Settings of the North and Central Altar Valley, Coyote Mountains to Sierrita Mountains, Pima County, Arizona” was held April 16. Forty-two people attended the day long field trip led by Jay Chapman, Assistant Professor, University of Wyoming and Dan Aiken.

Starting and ending at the historic King’s Anvil Ranch in the Altar Valley, poster sessions were held at four additional sites with outcrops to view and collect samples. Other speakers included Phil Pearthree, Gordon Haxel, Larry Dykers, Linda Sheehan, Laural Goodwin, John Stitzer, Stephen Richard, Floyd Gray and Bob Schmaltzel. All of those participating enjoyed the great field trip and look forward to attending another AGS field trip this fall.

We wish to thank our sponsor, Skyline Assayers and Laboratories and the King family for allowing us to use their ranch for parking and presentations.


Tim Marsh's Presentation on Big Sandy Project

Dr. Tim Marsh’s ZOOM presentation to AGS & friends is now accessible at the Arizona Geological Survey’s Youtube channel, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doEOcnWh-C4). 

Tim, CEO/President of Bell Copper Corp., delivered the presentation to ~75 AGS members & friends on Tues., 6 Sept. 2022.

On behalf of AGS members, the AGS Executive Committee thanks Tim Marsh for an excellent talk.


Women in Arizona Mining History



Member News




Long-time Arizona Geological Society members, Jan Rasumssen and Stan Keith have recently published "Arizona Mineral Districts v. 2, Pima County.  This is a detailed reference work describing the geology, mineralogy, age dates, locations, and past production of the mineral districts within Pima county, Arizona.  It is profusely illustrated with 1"62,500-scale topographic maps, mine maps, cross sections and photographs of old mines, scenery and minerals.  It also includes a detailed table of the geologic history of Arizona.

Copies of both hardback and paperback versions of this publication can be purchased from Amazon.com.


AZGS News

Old Dominion Mine and Smelter, circa 1901

The Arizona Geological Survey has recently published a Contributed Report, Geology and History of the Globe-Miami Mining Region, Gila and Pinal Counties, Arizona, which examines the economic geology, ore production and mining history of the Globe-Miami area.

The Globe-Miami mining region of Gila and Pinal Counties comprises the northwest vertex of Arizona's Copper Triangle.  Copper production from the Copper Triangle totals about 37.3 billion pounds, or 13.6% of the total historic U.S. copper production.  Globe-Miami encapsulates four separate mineral districts renowned for their copper mineralization and production.



Virtual Presentation on the Sweet Home Mine & Detroit City Portal of Colorado

Rhodochrosite of Sweet Home Mine & Detroit City Portal - Blog/video

The Arizona Geological Society’s (AGS) first virtual evening presentation was a smash hit. More than 100 people ZOOMed in on the evening of 5 May 2020 to see geologist Phillip Perrson tell the story of the origin and mining history of rhodochrosite and associated Pb, Ag, Zn sulfides, tetrahedrite, and fluorite from Colorado’s renowned Sweet Home Mine and the newly opened Detroit City Portal.

Visit the Arizona Geology blog for a primer on one of the world's great rhodochrosite mines. There is a link, too, to the entire 55-minute presentation

To go directly to the 55-minute ZOOM presentation at AZGS Youtube channel.



AGS Digests Now Available On-line

Articles contained within the Arizona Geological Society Digests 1 through 22 are now available on-line at our publications page.  Our out-of-print Digests are available to the public, While our in-print Digests are only accessible to AGS members. 

Anyone who is interested in purchasing Printed Copies of In-Print AGS Digests can do so on-line or contact the AGS Secretary for more details.  Copies of current AGS Guidebooks and Digests are also for sale at a reduced price at AGS monthly dinner meetings.




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