Minerals online of Martins da Pedra
Tharsis Mines (Filon Sul) - Spain - 2004
My name is António Manuel Inácio Martins and i was born in 08/07/1959, Ambriz -Angola. I lived in Luanda city with my parents and brother until June 1975, when we had to flee of the war and we went to live in Portugal. Presently i´m married and have two daughters, a grandson and a granddaughter. I live in Barreiro city, near Lisbon. Professionally i am military of G.N.R. in reserve.
Fénix-Rocks
MY MINERALOGY STORY
I started to like stones at age 13 in Angola and i still remember to collected rocks of various colors from the railway next to Cazenga neighborhood (suburb of Luanda city) where i was going to play frequently. I also remember in the early 70´s of an exhibition in the downtown of Luanda, some Lunar rocks collected by astronauts (think Apollo 11) and which at the time marked me deeply. My interest with the mineralogy became more pronounced when i went to the school "Paulo Dias de Novais" in Luanda. The school was located near the Geology and Mining Institute, and i became a frequent visitor and interest throughout the geology work, mainly by boxes of samples taken from the interior of Angola. The first sample they offered me in this Institute was a small Quartz crystal that i keep in my collection. Since then i can say that i have become a obsessive mineral collector whose collection at the moment is 43 years old. I can tell you a good mineral collection requires long years of obsession and a high financial effort. Most minerals worthy of being collectibles are bought and did not "find". I like to go out to the field and go to quarries and dumps of old mines to collect minerals. My collection grew up with investment attending mineral shows over the years and now with the Internet tools enables me to exchange some minerals that i collect in my field trips with collectors from around the World. I´m currently doing an inventory of minerals that have and will make a rigorous selection to my collection. With this decision was born this Fénix-Rocks site where i think reducing the quantity, plight the collection quality and gain some money with the minerals surpluses.
Martins da Pedra
