References - an introduction

Minerals

With nearly 300 years of scientific exploration, there is today a large literature for those interested in the minerals of Franklin and Sterling Hill.

The first single text describing all the minerals then known to occur in the district was The Minerals of Franklin and Sterling Hill, Sussex County, New Jersey, by Charles Palache (1935). Though some of the science has been revised in the intervening years, it remains a classic and carefully written locality study. A check-list was published in the 1970's by Clifford Frondel, marking the next integrated review of the minerals from Franklin-Sterling. Professor Frondel and John L. Baum later published a paper on the Franklin orebody which contains fascinating detail of the internal structure and composition of the deposit. Detail on the Sterling Hill orebody can be found in Geochemistry of the Sterling Hill zinc deposit, Sussex County, New Jersey, by Robert W. Metsger et al., published in 1958 (Geological Society of America Bulletin, 69, pages 775-788); as well as in several recent papers in Volume 35 of the Guidebook Series from the Society of Economic Geologists (pages 55-97), published in 2001.

In 1995 Franklin and Sterling Hill, New Jersey : the world's most magnificent mineral deposits was published by Pete J. Dunn. This work is by far the most comprehensive study of the district's minerals.

Full sets of the revised, complete, 2004 republication of this large work, in a two-volume, hardcover, royal-blue, buckram, sewn binding, are now available from Excalibur Mineral Company, 1000 N. Division Rd, Peekskill, NY 10566 (914-739-1134); info@excaliburmineral.com. Quantities are limited.

Individual copies of the 1995 paperback printing, except Part 2 (out of print), are available from the F.O.M.S., but full sets are unavailable.

A single summary volume was also published by Dunn for the beginner or general reader.

Additionally, a special volume tailored for children, co-authored by Susan B. Cooper and Pete J. Dunn, is now available:

Cooper, Susan B. and Dunn P. J.  (1997)
Magnificent Rocks: The Story of Mining, Men, and Minerals at Franklin and Sterling Hill, New Jersey; (74 pp.; a book for children). Published by Book Distributor, 14 Ravine Drive, Newton, NJ 07860 USA.
 

For a detailed listing of publications relevant to the local minerals consult the bibliography in Dunn (1995).

Mining history

A remarkable seven volume study of the area's mining history, Mine Hill in Franklin and Sterling Hill in Ogdensburg, Sussex County, New Jersey: Mining History, 1765-1900. Final report: Part One, has now been published. Focusing on the 19th century, this is the first serious documentary study of the district's unique mining history.

See Dunn (2002), Dunn (2003), Dunn (2003b), Dunn (2004a), Dunn(2004b), and Dunn (2005) for information on each volume of this work.

[to TOP of page]