Prospecting young minds and mines

Den #3 and Den #4 of Florida Pack #44 Cub Scouts recently earned their geology activity badges, thanks to the efforts of geologist Philip LaPorta of Warwick. LaPorta gave the scouts a guided tour of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum and mine. He followed that up by taking the scouts to the Franklin Mineral Mine in Franklin, N.J., where they dug through the rock piles and collected numerous specimens. In all, the trip took about nine hours. Later, LaPorta attended the scouts’ meeting where he helped them identify the minerals. According to one parent, the boys said that this was the greatest event that they did as Cub Scouts. (Photo provided by Diane Matuszewski)