Where is my local rock and mineral club?
Updated
On this page6
Look up your state in the table below to find its regional federation of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS), then use that federation's club list or the AFMS club map to find the clubs nearest you. The AFMS is organized as seven regional federations of member clubs [1]. Where a state geological survey or a club publishes its own list, or where a source cited here names a club, the table names it too. Everything here was checked on October 22, 2026. Club meeting places and websites change often, so confirm with the club before you go.
How to find a club in three steps
- Find your federation in the state table. Three states (Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota) are split between two federations by region [2][3].
- Open the club map or list. Each federation's page on the AFMS site carries the line "To Find a Club within the Regional Federations, click the link below," which leads to the AFMS club map [4]. Each federation also runs its own website, listed below, most with a member club list.
- Contact two or three clubs. Ask when they meet, whether field trips are for members only, what membership costs, and whether you may visit a meeting before joining.
If a club's details on the map are out of date, the AFMS provides a form for clubs to add or correct their entry [4].
The seven federations
| Federation | Website as AFMS lists it | States |
|---|---|---|
| California Federation of Mineralogical Societies (CFMS) | cfmsinc.org | California, Hawaii, Nevada [5] |
| Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies (EFMLS) | efmls.org | Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia [6] |
| Midwest Federation (MWF) | mwfed.org | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, and eastern Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota [2] |
| Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies (NFMS) | northwestfederation.org | Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington [4] |
| Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies (RMFMS) | rmfms.org | Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming, and western Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota [3] |
| South Central Federation of Mineral Societies (SCFMS) | scfms.net | Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas; "37 clubs and over 3800 members" on its own page [7] |
| Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies (SFMS) | southeastfed.org | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee [8] |
State by state
| State | Federation | Clubs or lists named in a cited source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | SFMS | Federation list |
| Alaska | NFMS | Federation list |
| Arizona | RMFMS | Federation list |
| Arkansas | SCFMS | Federation list |
| California | CFMS | Federation list |
| Colorado | RMFMS | Federation list |
| Connecticut | EFMLS | Federation list |
| Delaware | EFMLS | Delaware Mineralogical Society, Newark (Maryland Geological Survey list) [9] |
| District of Columbia | EFMLS | Gem, Lapidary and Mineral Society of Washington, D.C.; Mineralogical Society of the District of Columbia, which meets at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History [9] |
| Florida | SFMS | Federation list |
| Georgia | SFMS | Georgia Mineral Society, whose field trips are for members and invited clubs [10] |
| Hawaii | CFMS | Federation list |
| Idaho | NFMS | Federation list |
| Illinois | MWF | Federation list |
| Indiana | MWF | Federation list |
| Iowa | MWF | Federation list |
| Kansas | RMFMS | Federation list |
| Kentucky | EFMLS | Federation list |
| Louisiana | SCFMS | Federation list |
| Maine | EFMLS | Federation list |
| Maryland | EFMLS | The Maryland Geological Survey publishes a list of fossil, rock, gem and mineral clubs for the Baltimore and Washington area, including the Baltimore Mineral Society, Maryland Geological Society (Bowie), Gem, Lapidary and Mineral Society of Montgomery County (Rockville), Chesapeake Gem and Mineral Society (Oella), Southern Maryland Rock and Mineral Club (Clinton), Gem Cutters Guild of Baltimore, Patuxent Lapidary Guild, Calvert Marine Museum Fossil Club and the Natural History Society of Maryland Fossil Club [9] |
| Massachusetts | EFMLS | Boston Mineral Club, whose links page lists regional clubs including the Micromounters of New England [11] |
| Michigan | MWF | Federation list |
| Minnesota | MWF | Federation list |
| Mississippi | SFMS | Federation list |
| Missouri | MWF | Federation list |
| Montana | NFMS | Federation list |
| Nebraska | MWF (east), RMFMS (west) | Federation lists |
| Nevada | CFMS | Federation list |
| New Hampshire | EFMLS | Federation list |
| New Jersey | EFMLS | Federation list |
| New Mexico | RMFMS | Federation list |
| New York | EFMLS | Rochester Academy of Science, Mineral Section, a charter member of the Eastern Federation [12] |
| North Carolina | SFMS | Federation list |
| North Dakota | MWF (east), RMFMS (west) | Federation lists |
| Ohio | MWF | Federation list |
| Oklahoma | RMFMS | Federation list |
| Oregon | NFMS | Federation list |
| Pennsylvania | EFMLS | Federation list |
| Rhode Island | EFMLS | Federation list |
| South Carolina | SFMS | Federation list |
| South Dakota | MWF (east), RMFMS (west) | Federation lists |
| Tennessee | SFMS | Federation list |
| Texas | SCFMS | Federation list |
| Utah | RMFMS | Federation list |
| Vermont | EFMLS | Federation list |
| Virginia | EFMLS | Northern Virginia: Gem and Mineral Hunters (Prince William County), Northern Virginia Mineral Club (meets online), Micromineralogists of the National Capital Area (Arlington) [9] |
| Washington | NFMS | Federation list |
| West Virginia | EFMLS | Federation list |
| Wisconsin | MWF | Federation list |
| Wyoming | RMFMS | Federation list |
"Federation list" means none of the sources cited here names a club in that state; the federation's map and website are the place to look.
Clubs that are not local
Some groups serve a specialty across a region or the country:
- Micromount groups, for collectors of specimens that need a microscope, such as the Micromounters of New England [11] and the Micromineralogists of the National Capital Area [9]. Their mounting methods are on micromounts.
- Faceting guilds. The United States Faceters Guild joined the Rocky Mountain Federation and the AFMS [13].
- Youth programs. The AFMS runs a program for young collectors and a scholarship foundation [1].
What to expect when you join
Expect dues, a newsletter, monthly meetings, an annual show and a field trip calendar. Field trips onto private ground and quarries are usually for members only: the Georgia Mineral Society says every participant must be a member "(or an invited club)," that members follow the AFMS code of ethics, and that members "are covered by liability insurance; the general public is not" [10]. Clubs keep trip locations private out of respect for landowners [10]. How club trips and specialist societies work is on clubs and societies, and the code itself on the rockhound's code of ethics.
References
- American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, About, read October 22, 2026. https://www.amfed.org/about
- American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Midwest (MWF), regional federation page, read October 22, 2026 (federation site https://www.mwfed.org/). https://www.amfed.org/regional-federations/midwest-mwf
- American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Rocky Mountain (RMFMS), regional federation page, read October 22, 2026 (federation site http://www.rmfms.org/). https://www.amfed.org/regional-federations/rocky-mountain-rmfms
- American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Northwest (NFMS), regional federation page, read October 22, 2026 (federation site http://northwestfederation.org/). https://www.amfed.org/regional-federations/northwest-nfms
- American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, California (CFMS), regional federation page, read October 22, 2026 (federation site http://www.cfmsinc.org/). https://www.amfed.org/regional-federations/california-cfms
- American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Eastern (EFMLS), regional federation page, read October 22, 2026 (federation site https://efmls.org/). https://www.amfed.org/regional-federations/eastern-efmls
- South Central Federation of Mineral Societies, About SCFMS, read October 22, 2026. https://www.scfms.net/about_scfms.html
- American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Southeast (SFMS), regional federation page, read October 22, 2026 (federation site https://www.southeastfed.org/). https://www.amfed.org/regional-federations/southeast-sfms
- Maryland Geological Survey, *Fossil, Rock, Gem and Mineral Clubs and Societies in the Greater Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area*, undated (page footer 2026), read October 22, 2026. https://mgs.md.gov/geology/clubs.html
- Georgia Mineral Society, Field Trips, undated, read October 22, 2026. https://gamineral.org/ftcurrent.html
- Boston Mineral Club, Links, read October 22, 2026. https://bostonmineralclub.org/links/
- Rochester Academy of Science, Mineral Section Bylaws, amended 2011 and June 12, 2012. https://rasny.org/mineral-bylaws
- United States Faceters Guild, RMFMS/AFMS Membership, read October 22, 2026. https://usfacetersguild.org/rmfms-afms-membership/
