Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Sphalerite vs. Anorthite
Both zinc ore Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar Anorthite have perfect cleavage that will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes!
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Bill Hamel's mindat.org home page

Loading...
Bill's PageBill's PhotosBill's GalleriesBill's ArticlesBill's FavouritesBill's Sponsored PagesBill's Events

Bill Hamel's Home Page

Verified Account
Registered member since 16th May 2010

Bill Hamel has uploaded:
580 Specimen Photos
342 Locality Photos
40 Other Photos

Bill Hamel has published 7 articles on mindat.org
 
Retired as a senior manager with 30 years in the nuclear field (areas included: construction, environmental remediation, infrastructure, operations & test reactors). With more time available, I am on the hunt for unique or obscure North American localities and/or specimens.

I am an avid outdoors-man, back-packer, & hiker with a chemistry degree who has been collecting minerals for over 30 years. I have a passion for specimens from old North American collections & museums. My current areas of interest are:

- North American systematic minerals;
- Agates from volcanic environments (especially Idaho agates & agates collected by myself);
- Unique ore specimens from North American localities;
- Minerals from little known, seldom mentioned North American localities; and
- North American rockhounding memorabilia.

I would rather have a rare, unattractive, ore specimen than a beautiful, but relatively common, “pretty” specimen. I am always looking for North American oddities, rarities, & systematic specimens.

Any day outdoors is a good day!

Messaging Statistics

Total messages posted:377
New threads started:83
First message posted:24th Dec 2011
Latest message posted:12th Aug 2026

Latest Discussions and Replies

3wL. Hanson’s Lapidary Journal article “Gems of Idaho,” v. 10, no. 1, April 1956, pp. 60-61.Posted by Bill Hamel in General.15wFrom Specimens to Data: How Mineral Collecting Is EvolvingPosted by Bill Hamel. 20 replies to an article.Apr 2026Mindat Capability Questions?Posted by Bill Hamel. 8 replies in General.Mar 2026Copper Canyon Region - Geology and Silica Occurrences, Sierra Madre Occidental, MexicoPosted by Bill Hamel. 14 replies to an article.Mar 2026🦟 BUG: Search Function not working?Posted by Bill Hamel. 13 replies in General.Mar 2026Idaho Experts - Looking for Hells Canyon Gem Club documentPosted by Bill Hamel in General.Mar 2026The Art of Field Observation - How Careful Observation Turns a Collector into a Better Geological ObserverPosted by Bill Hamel. 14 replies to an article.Mar 2026Obsidian & Uranyl Ion Fluorescent Responses?Posted by Bill Hamel. 20 replies in UV Minerals.Jan 2026Agate Hunting in the Challis Volcanics Part III - Collecting in the Little Wood Reservoir area, Blaine Co., IdahoPosted by Bill Hamel. 5 replies to an article.Jan 2026Agate Hunting in the Challis Volcanics Part I - Collecting the High Ridges Outside Challis, IdahoPosted by Bill Hamel. 7 replies to an article.Jan 2026Agate Hunting in the Challis Volcanics Part II - Collecting Lime Creek, South of Challis, IdahoPosted by Bill Hamel. One reply to an article.Dec 2025Does anyone recognize this label?Posted by Bill Hamel in General.Dec 2025Copy of Rocks & Minerals, “Chips and BITS from EFMLS Clubs” vol. 48, no. 7-8, pp. 458-463?Posted by Bill Hamel. 6 replies in General.Dec 2025Enamel Pins as Data Carriers: Clubs, Shows & Federations in Gem & Mineral CollectingPosted by Bill Hamel. 11 replies to an article.Dec 2025Photos from article put in user gallery Posted by Bill Hamel. 3 replies in General.Dec 2025 Manager Help - Could I get the WYSIWYG Rich Article Editor enabled for my account.Posted by Bill Hamel. 6 replies in General.Nov 2025Oregon Experts &/or Thunderegg Experts - Locality HelpPosted by Bill Hamel. 2 replies in General.Oct 2025Searching Old Posts by User??Posted by Bill Hamel. One reply in General.Sep 2025Interesting Non-mineral Items Found When Purchasing Old Mineral Collections?Posted by Bill Hamel. 17 replies in General.Jun 2025Old CFMS club directories from 1975 - 1989?Posted by Bill Hamel in General.

 
 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 3, 2026 08:28:31
Go to top of page