Inaugural MSA Annual Meeting
Inaugural MSA Annual Meeting
MSA will be holding its first Annual Meeting on February 16-19, 2026 at the Pima County Historic Courthouse in Tucson, AZ, and at the Tucson Doubletree Hotel Convention Center. This meeting will immediately follow the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.
Events at the 2026 MSA Annual Meeting
- Field trips on Monday, Feb. 16
- Welcome Reception on the evening of Feb. 16 at Mineral Nexus.
- Presentations in the GEM Ballroom at the Doubletree on Feb. 17-19, and Posters in the Turquoise Room of the Historic Courthouse on Feb. 17 and 18.
- Evening Reception in the Courtyard of the Courthouse of Feb. 17 and on Feb. 18.
Program
View the full program and schedule here.
Poster Specifications
Posters should be 44 inches by 44 inches. We will provide boards and materials to mount your posters. Please contact Ann Benbow at abenbow@minsocam.org with any questions.
Registration
Registration for the MSA Annual Meeting is now closed.
Field Trips
Registration for the field trips is now closed.
The field trip bus will pick up participants in front of the restaurant El Mezquite restaurant at the Doubletree off W. Cushing Street!
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Copper Queen Mine and Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum
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This field trip will visit the famous
Field trip cost (includes transport, fees for tours): $75/person
Dress: Casual. No open-toed shoes or high heels can be worn on the mine tour. At one stop on the tour, there are 36 steps to climb, but visitors can elect to stay on the train for that stop. You may also want to bring a sweater or jacket, as it is cool in the mine.
Pick-up/drop-off location: Front of the restaurant El Mezquite restaurant at the Doubletree off W. Cushing Street
Pick-up (Departure) time: 8:30 AM
Participant limit: 30
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Biosphere 2
The University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2 site in Oracle, AZ represents an extensive facility that was originally designed to research and develop self-sustaining space-colonization technology. Its mission has evolved over the years to now include study of Earth’s biomes, with areas under glass devoted to the oceans, mangrove wetlands, tropical rainforest, savanna grassland, fog desert, and much more. Bus transportation will be provided. The Biosphere 2 staff are expecting the group at 10:00 AM, for a guided visit. This special tour will be led by Dr. Joaquin Ruiz, Director of Biosphere 2 and former Head of the Department of Geosciences and Dean of the College of Science at the University of Arizona. Box lunches will be available, and there is a picnic area at Biosphere 2 that visitors can use. Bottles of water will be provided, and you are welcome to bring a refillable water bottle. The bus will depart from Biosphere 2 to return to Tucson at 1:30 PM. Please click on the link above for more information about Biosphere 2.
Field trip cost (includes transportation, lunch, fees for tours): $100/person
Dress: Casual. You are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes and sun protection.
Pick-up/drop-off location: Front of the restaurant El Mezquite restaurant at the Doubletree off W. Cushing Street
Pick-up (Departure) time: 9:00 AM
Participant limit: 20
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Sonora Desert Museum
This field trip is to the renowned Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ. Bus transportation will be provided. The bus will depart from the Doubletree Hotel Convention Center, front entrance at 9:25 AM for an expected arrival at the museum at 10:00 AM. This will be a mostly self-guided visit, and docents will be on hand to answer questions. Lunch is on your own at either the Ocotillo Café or the Ironwood Terraces at the Museum. Bottles of water will be available to participants. The bus will depart from the Museum for the trip back to Tucson no later than 1:30 PM. Please click on the link above for more information about the museum, restaurants, and gift shop.
Field trip cost (includes transport, fees for tours): $75/person
Dress: Casual. Since the museum is mostly an outdoor experience, you are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes and sun protection.
Pick-up/drop-off location: Front of the restaurant El Mezquite restaurant at the Doubletree off W. Cushing Street
Pick-up (Departure) time: 9:25 AM
Participant limit: 20
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Silver Bell Mine
The Silver Bell porphyry copper deposit is operated by Asarco and includes four open pits. The mine is located in the Silver Bell district, west of Marana, Arizona. The tour will be led by Professor Mark Barton and others from the Geosciences Department at the University of Arizona. The tour will include visits to one or more of the open pits to observe skarn, supergene, and hypogene mineralization, and to provide a district overview. Transportation to and from the mine will be provided by bus, as will box lunches. The bus will depart for Silver Bell from the Doubletree Hotel Convention Center, front entrance at 9:00 AM, with arrival back in Tucson expected to be between 4:00 and 5:00 PM. Click on the link above for more information about the mine.
Field trip cost (includes bus transportation and lunch): $60/person
Dress: Casual. All participants must have hard-toed shoes, with steel-toed shoes preferred but not required. Soft-toed shoes (sneakers, tennis shoes) or sandals or open-toed shoes are not permitted. Much of the time will be spent outdoors visiting outcrops.
Pick-up/drop-off location: Front of the restaurant El Mezquite restaurant at the Doubletree off W. Cushing Street
Pick-up (departure) time: 9:00 AM
Participant limit: 30
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Caris Mirror Lab
The Caris Mirror Laboratory at the University of Arizona produces giant, lightweight mirrors of unprecedented power for a new generation of optical telescopes. This 90-minute tour will introduce visitors to the processes employed to design and manufacture large mirrors for state-of-the-art space exploration. Participants must arrive at the entrance to the Mirror Lab no later than 9:55 AM on February 16. The entrance is on the east side of the University of Arizona football stadium near gate #4 (see map below).For those staying at one of the meeting hotels near the Convention Center, the free Sun Link streetcar runs from near the Convention Center with a stop at the main gate to the University of Arizona campus. From there it is about a 15-minute walk to the stadium.
The tour of the Mirror Lab will end at approximately 11:30 AM.
After the Caris Mirror Lab tour, participants are invited to visit the University of Arizona LaserChron Facility for a tour of this world-class analytical facility. This optional tour will last about 90 minutes and will begin at noon. Directions from the Caris Mirror Lab to the LaserChron facility will be provided for those who are interested in participating.
Field trip cost: $10
Dress: Casual. Flat, closed-toed shoes are required for this trip. Also, be aware that there are a number of stairs to navigate during the tour.
Participant limit: 20
Lodging
Home2Suites (Available February 14-19, 2026)
DoubleTree (Available February 16-19, 2026)
Abstract Submissions Are Closed
Download the Abstract Submission Form here as a template for future years.