BAM Biographies:   Gail E. Dunning

 

Gail E. Dunning (b. 1937) was raised in the Morgan Hill area and attended schools there before enrolling in Hartnell College at Salinas. There he met Fen Cooper while taking a class in geology and their friendship grew. A requirement of the course was to submit a mineral collection with all minerals properly identified with localities. The geology course included several field trips where many mineral samples were collected. With his studies in chemistry, physics and mathematics, Gail acquired a keen interest in naturally occurring chemical compounds (minerals).

After completing studies at Hartnell, he transferred to the University of California (Berkeley) and majored in physical chemistry. Following these years he was employed at General Electric Company as a chemist and later as a metallurgical engineer. However, his interest in minerals continued and with Fen, began a field study of the Kalkar Quarry in Santa Cruz with the help of Charles W. Chesterman of the California Division of Mines. During this study, the new mineral, pabstite, was discovered and published. His mineral collecting efforts were interrupted with a two-year Army stint. Following this, both he and Fen traveled throughout California and other western states collecting minerals from remote and obscure localities.

During his near fifty years collecting and studying minerals, Gail has authored or been a co-author of over 40 papers pertaining to mineralogical subjects, eight of which were descriptions of new minerals. His main interests have been in barium silicate and mercury mineralogy. He has been actively involved in mineral classification and developed a system for their classification using an alphanumeric nomenclature.

Gail has served as President (1988-89) and Treasurer of the Bay Area Mineralogists.

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Published Works

 

1.   GROSS, E., CHESTERMAN, C., DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1967) Mineralogy of the Kalkar Quarry, Santa Cruz, California.  California Division of Mines Special Report 92, 3-10.

 

2.   DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1969) Letovicite from The Geysers, Sonoma County,   California. Mineral Information Service, 22, 135.

 

3.   COOPER, J. F., JR., and DUNNING, G. E. (1969) Struvite found at Mono Lake. Mineral Information Service, 22, no. 3.

 

4.   DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1969) A second occurrence of Antarcticite, from Bristol Dry Lake, California. American Mineralogist, 54, 1018-1025.

 

5.   COOPER, J. F., JR., and DUNNING, G. E. (1972) Melanophlogite from Mount Hamilton, Santa Clara County, California. American Mineralogist, 57, 1494-1504.

 

6.   DUNNING, G. E., COOPER, J. F., JR., and WHITE, J. (1975) Chromian alumohydrocalcite from California and knipovicite discredited. Mineralogical Record, 6, 180-183.

 

7.   POHL, D., GUILLEMETTE, R., SHIGLEY, J., and DUNNING, G. E. (1982) Ferroaxinite from New Melones Lake, Calaveras County, California, a remarkable new locality. Mineralogical Record, 13, 293-302.

 

8.   STOLBURG, C., and DUNNING, G. E. (1985) The Getchell mine, Humboldt County, Nevada. Mineralogical Record, 16, 15-23.

 

9.   DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1986) Mineralogy of the Kalkar Quarry, Santa Cruz,     California. Mineralogical Record, 17, 315-326.

 

10. DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1987) Mineralogy of the Killie mine, Elko County, Nevada.    Mineralogical Record, 18, 413-420.

 

11. DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1987) Inesite from the Hale Creek mine, Trinity County,         California. Mineralogical Record, 18, 341-347.

 

12. DUNNING, G. E. (1987) Phosphosiderite from the Champion mine, California. Mineralogical Record, 18, 137.

 

13. DUNNING, G. E. (1988) Calcium arsenate minerals new to the Getchell mine, Nevada. Mineralogical Record, 19, 253-257.

 

14. DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1989) Stibnites of the Stayton District, Hollister, California. Mineralogical Record, 20, 427-438.

 

15. DUNNING, G. E., MOSS, G., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1991) The Outlaw mine, Nye County, Nevada. Mineralogical Record, 22, 171-182.

 

16. DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1993) History and minerals of The Geysers, Sonoma County, California. Mineralogical Record, 24, 339-354.

 

17. DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1995) Troilite from the Low Divide District, Del Norte County, California. California Geology, 48, 119-128 (Sept.-Oct.), Baymin Journal (2002), 3, 1.   www.baymin.org 

 

18. DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (2005) Mineralogy of the Spring Creek area, Plumas County, California. Axis, 1, no. 1, 1-30.  www.MineralogicalRecord.com  

 

19. DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR.  (1999) Barium silicate minerals from Trumbull Peak,   Mariposa County, California. Mineralogical Record, 30, 411-417.

 

20. DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (2000) Brookite from Hale Creek, Trinity County, California.  Mineralogical Record, 31, 341-343.

 

21. DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR. (1998) Namibite: a summary of world occurrences.  Mineralogical Record, 29, 163-166.

 

22. DUNNING, G. E., and COOPER, J. F., JR.  (2002) Pseudomorphic melanophlogites from California.      Mineralogical Record, 33, 237-242.

 

23. CHRISTY, A. G., DUNNING, G. E., HADLEY, T. A., MAGNASCO, J., and COOPER, J. F., JR.  (20xx) Paragenesis of mercury minerals at Clear Creek, San Benito County, California: Constraints from computer modeling.  (in preparation)

 

24. DUNNING, G. E. (2000) Chromian dawsonite and chromian alumohydrocalcite from Orestimba Creek,             Stanislaus County, California. Mineralogical Record, 31, 333-338.

 

25. WALSTROM, R. E., and DUNNING, G. E.  (2003) The Baumann prospect, Chickencoop Canyon, Tulare    County, California.  Mineralogical Record, 34, 159-166.

 

26. DUNNING, G. E., MOčLO, Y., ROBERTS, A. C., and COOPER, J. F., JR.  (2002) Ag-Cu-Pb-Bisulfosalts new to Darwin Mining District, Inyo County, California.  Between the Basins: Exploring the Western Mojave and Southern Basin and Range Province, California State University Fullerton, Desert Studies Consortium, April 2002, 69-75; Axis, Vol. 2, No. 4, 2006.

27. ROBERTS, A. C., GRICE, J. D., DUNNING, G. E. and VENANCE, K. E.  (2001) Fencooperite, Ba6Fe3+3Si8O23(CO3)2Cl3.H2O, a new mineral species from Trumbull Peak, Mariposa County California. Canadian Mineralogist, 39, 1059-1064.

 

28. BASCIANO, L. C., GROAT, L. A., ROBERTS, A. C., GAULT, R. A., DUNNING, G. E., and WALSTROM, R. E. (2001) Bigcreekite, a new mineral from eastern Fresno County, California. Canadian Mineralogist, 39, 761-768.

 

29. BASCIANO, L. C., GROAT, L. A., ROBERTS, A. C., GRICE, J. D., DUNNING, G. E., FOORD, E. E., KJARSGAARD, I., and WALSTROM, R. E. (2001) Kampfite, a new barium silicate mineral from Fresno County, California.  Canadian Mineralogist, 39, 1053-1058. 

    

30. DUNNING, G. E. and HENDERSON, W. A., JR. (2003) La dawsonite cromifera di Limoncino (Valle Benedetta, Livorno) Chromian dawsonite from Limoncino, Valle Benedetta, Livorno, Toscany, Italy.  Rivista Mineralogica Italiana, No. 2, April-June, 102-104.

 

31. COOPER, J. F., JR., DUNNING, G. E., HADLEY, T. A., MOLLER, W. P., and REYNOLDS, R. E. (2002) The Sulfur Hole, Calico District, San Bernardino Co., California.  Between the Basins: Exploring the Western Mojave and Southern Basin and Range Province, April 2002, California State University Fullerton, Desert Studies Consortium, 29-36. Axis, 1, no. 5, 1-14.  www.mineralogicalRecord.com        

 

32. ROBERTS, A. C., COOPER, M. A., HAWTHORNE, F. C., CRIDDLE, A. J., STERLING, J. A. R., and DUNNING, G. E. (2002) Tedhadleyite, Hg2+ (Hg1+-Hg1+)5O4I2(Cl, Br)2, a new mineral from the Clear Creek claim, San Benito County, California. Canadian Mineralogist, 40, 904-914.

 

33. ROBERTS, A. C., STIRLING, J. A. R., CRIDDLE, A. J., DUNNING, G. E. and SPRATT, J. (2004) Aurivilliusite, Hg2+Hg1+OI, a new mineral species from the Clear Creek claim, San Benito County, California, U.S.A., Mineralogical Magazine, 68, 241-245.

 

34. ROBERTS, A. C., COOPER, M. A., HAWTHORNE, F. C., STIRLING, J. A. R., PAAR, W. H., STANLEY, C. J., DUNNING, G. E., and BURNS, P. C. (2004) Vasilyevite, (Hg2)2+10O6I3Br2Cl(CO3,S), a new mineral species from the Clear Creek claim, San Benito County, California. Canadian Mineralogist, 42, 1167-1172.

 

35. COOPER, J. F., JR, DUNNING, G. E. and HADLEY, T. (2003) Mineralogy of the Victor Claim, Clear Creek area, New Idria district, San Benito County, California.  Baymin Journal, 4, No. 1., www.baymin.org

 

36. DUNNING, G. E., HADLEY, T. A., CHRISTY, A. G., MAGNASCO, J., and COOPER, J. F., JR.  (2005) The Clear Creek mine, San Benito County, California: A Unique Mercury Locality. Mineralogical Record, 36, 337-363.

 

37. DUNNING, G. E. (2008) The Challenge Mercury Deposit, Redwood City, San Mateo County, California.  Baymin Journal, 9, No. 1., www.baymin.org

 

38. DUNNING, G. E. (2009) The Vaughn mine, Santa Clara County, California.  Baymin Journal, 10, No. 1., www.baymin.org 

 

39. DUNNING, G. E. and LECHNER, W. (20xx) A Comparison of Barium Silicate Localities Along the Western Margin of the North American Continent from Baja California to Alaska.  Baymin Journal (in prep).

 

40. KAMPF, A. R., ROSSMAN, G. R., STEELE, I. M., PLUTH, J. J., DUNNING, G. E., and WALSTROM, R. E. (2010) Devitoite, A new heterophyllosilicate with astrophyllite-like layers from eastern Fresno County, California.  Canadian Mineralogist 48, 289-300.

 

41. KAMPF, A. R., ROBERTS, A. C., VENANCE, K. E., DUNNING, G. E. and WALSTROM, R. E. (2011) Ferro-ericssonite, the Fe2+ analogue of ericssonite from eastern Fresno County, California.  Canadian Mineralogist, 49, 899-906.

 

42. KAMPF, A. R., ROBERTS, A. C., VENANCE, CARBONE, C., BELMONTE, D.,D., DUNNING, G. E. and WALSTROM, R. E. (2013)  Cerchiaraite-(Fe) and Cerchiaraite-(Al), two new barium cycleslicate chlorides from Italy and California (USA). Mineralogical Magazine 2013, Vol. 77(1), pp. 69-80