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 The Canadian Geological Foundation |
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What is the Canadian Rockhound?The Canadian Rockhound is a free online earth science magazine for collectors, beginners, children and teachers with an interest in learning more about geology, minerals, fossils, gemstones and lapidary techniques.The Canadian Rockhound publishes two online issues per year. A printed edition is not available. Each issue contains feature articles on mineralogy, gemstones, fossils, geology, and rockhounding in general. Most articles are written by Canadians with a professional or avocational background in geology or mineralogy. In addition to the online issues, the Canadian Rockhound publishes a children's magazine (The Junior Rockhound), a club directory, a list of Canadian dealers and suppliers, and it maintains a news and events section. The Canadian Rockhound is committed to publishing quality Canadian content. Subscription is not required to view any part of the magazine. Feel free to browse the magazine.
History of the Canadian RockhoundThe period from 1950 to 1980 saw the appearance of many rock and mineral clubs in Canada. During that period the rockhounding hobby became very popular, and many Canadians, both young and old joined local clubs to learn more about the earth sciences, minerals, fossils and lapidary techniques. Monthly meetings attracted families, youth, individual collectors and geologists from Canadian universities. Some clubs recall meetings that were packed with over 100 people!
Most Canadians who were active members of clubs during this era recall a popular magazine that was published for many years by the Lapidary Rock & Mineral Society of British Columbia. The society was a provincial association that was formed in 1955. In November 1956 the society decided to publish a "Quarterly Bulletin" to keep members informed. Cleo Sparkes became editor of the Bulletin in February 1959, and in May 1960 the name was changed to the "Canadian Rockhound". The first few issues of the Canadian Rockhound appeared in the form of a newsletter-style booklet, which soon evolved into a true magazine with many illustrations and a colourful attractive cover. This "original Canadian gem magazine" was filled with many well-written articles on mineral localities, gemstones, facet cutting, fossil hunting, and lapidary techniques. More important, the magazine offered Canadian content. One article from the August 1969 issue presented an interesting account of the development of rockhounding in Ontario. In another article, which appeared in the February 1968 issue, some of the notable minerals and fossils found in each Canadian province were described. Publication of the original Canadian Rockhound continued throughout the 1970's, until February 1980, when with spiraling costs of printing, paper and postage forced the Lapidary Rock & Mineral Society of B.C. to discontinue it. The society later reverted to printing a provincial newsletter.
In 1981, another magazine "Rocks & Minerals in Canada" took over from the Canadian Rockhound starting with the January/February 1981 issue (Vol. 14, No. 2), and became the official magazine of the Gem & Mineral Federation of Canada. Rocks & Minerals in Canada existed throughout the 1970's and was edited by Barry L. Penhale. The magazine was published by Consolidated Amethyst Communications Inc., a company based in Scarborough, Ontario. By the mid 1980's, increased publication costs and declining subscriptions could no longer sustain the magazine.
In 1989, Marilyn Fraser of Mississauga, Ontario, began a new Canadian publication for rockhounds. Called "Cab & Crystal", the magazine was published in a style similar to the original Canadian Rockhound. Cab & Crystal was published until 1994, when the magazine was discontinued due to declining subscriptions and high printing costs.
The internet played an important role in promoting the rockhounding hobby during the 1990's in a way unimagined 30 years before. In January 1997, Dirk Schmid, a graduate student studying in Saskatoon, began an internet magazine under the name Canadian Rockhound - without prior knowledge of an earlier magazine by that name. The lack of suitable educational content on the internet related to the earth sciences was the primary reason for the magazine's creation. The goal of the new Canadian Rockhound was to provide a high quality earth science magazine in electronic format on the internet. The first few issues were a success, and content increased with each new issue. In October 1999, the magazine secured its current domain name (www.canadianrockhound.com) and relocated to its new home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In May 2000, the National Library of Canada officially archived the magazine and created a mirror site on its libary system. Since 1997, the Canadian Rockhound has been visited by tens of thousands who enjoy reading the online issues. Through the internet, the Canadian Rockhound has become an invaluable source of information to collectors, beginners, and teachers, and as a tool in promoting interest in the geological sciences. About the EditorDirk Schmid is a microbial ecologist and environmental microbiologist holding a Master of Science degree from the University of Saskatchewan. His areas of interest include the study of microbial community structure and evolution, and in the use of microbial communities in the removal of environmental pollutants. He was a research participant in the recent Prairie Ecosystem Study in Saskatchewan, an interdisciplinary, Tri-council Eco-Research project funded by NSERC and Environment Canada's former Green Plan. Dirk developed an interest in mineralogy as a hobby in 1992, while working as a summer student at the Manitoba Museum of Man & Nature's Natural History Department. His specialization is in the responsible collection, preservation and study of Canadian minerals. He is also a founding member of the new Canadian Mineral Society.RecognitionThe Canadian Rockhound was cited as one of Canada's best internet magazines in the May/June 1999 issue of Sympatico's NetLife™ magazine. The Canadian Rockhound is also listed in the 1999 and 2000 editions of the Canadian Internet Directory Handbook.AcknowledgementsThe Canadian Rockhound gratefully acknowledges the following organizations and institutions for their generous support:
The Canadian Rockhound thanks the following organizations and institutions for their technical assistance and help in promoting the magazine in Canada:
The Canadian Rockhound also thanks the following individuals for their valuable technical assistance and special contributions:
Viewing this Magazine OnlineThe magazine is best viewed with at least Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or Netscape Navigator 3.0, or later versions. You may want to download the Arial and Verdana True Type Fonts for both the Macintosh and Windows platforms. They are free of charge and will improve the legibility of this magazine.If you are using Windows 95, please download the free Windows 95 Font Smoother for best quality. The font smoothing feature is already available in Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Macintosh OS 8.5.
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Copyright © 2000 Canadian Rockhound
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