Presented by Jeff Smith
When
Where
Free Seminar Presentation
Seating is limited, reserve your seat today!
(Walk-ins are welcome the day of the event, as space allows!)
Presentation: The Las Choyas Geode Deposit, Chihuahua, Mexico
The University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum is pleased to host a free presentation suitable for all ages by Jeff Smith on the unique Las Choyas Geode Deposit in Chihuahua, Mexico. Renowned for its amethyst “coconut” geodes, the Las Choyas Deposit is complex and contains a fascinating array of beautiful agate nodules, geodes filled with intricate silicified sedimentary patterns, faulted configurations, and oddities. Attendees will experience a virtual field trip including video from 70 feet underground mining geodes at the working face. Jeff will also discuss geode formation, the geology/mineralogy of the deposit, a history of mining, and different sorting and processing techniques. A stunning variety of photos of discovered material is also included in the adventure.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: JEFF SMITH
Jeffrey R. Smith field-collected his first geode in a creek bed in Tunnelton, Indiana in 1974. He earned an MS in Geology from West Virginia University. Jeff retired from the PA Department of Environmental Protection where he worked as a Licensed Professional Geologist in Pittsburgh for 30 years. Since1999 Jeff has also owned Jeff’s Geodes, offering unique presentations and sales of geodes from Mexico. He has made 20 field-collecting trips to the Las Choyas geode deposit since 2001, and collecting trip 21 is scheduled for November 2026. During one collecting adventure, Jeff cracked open a rare Las Choyas geode containing mordenite, which now resides in the Hillman Hall of Minerals at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. He has field collected, photographed, and cataloged nearly 8000 specimens from his 20 trips to Las Choyas. Jeff has authored three articles on geodes for Rocks and Minerals magazine (2007, 2010, 2023). He is a mineral photographer with published photos in Rocks and Minerals magazine and the book “Geodes, Earth’s Treasures.” Most recently, Jeff has a specimen photo in the newly published (7/15/2025) Agate Monograph published by Lithographie Ltd. In 2005 one of Jeff’s photos from the Trancas Station geode deposit in Mexico won 3rd place in the Macro Division at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show Mineral Slide Competition. Jeff’s current collecting goal is to create a comprehensive reference collection of the vast variety of material found at Las Choyas.
Images Courtesy of Jeff Smith