Applied Mineralogy Online

IMA-CAM

International Mineralogical Association 

Commission on Applied Mineralogy

About 1979, a group of applied mineralogists, mainly from South Africa and especially from MINTEK, approached the International Mineralogical Association - IMA to initiate a commission on applied mineralogy within IMA. However, they were turned down after little or no discussion by IMA members.  In response to that, the South Africans started a new organization on applied mineralogy and  its first (very successful) meeting was held in Johannesburg in 1981.  That new organization was called the International Council for Applied Mineralogy (ICAM), and decided to hold international meetings on applied mineralogy every 2-3 years.  The meetings were initially called the International Congress on Applied Mineralogy in the Minerals Industry (also ICAM), now just. International Congress on Applied Mineralogy.

Upon the initiation of ICAM, a number of IMA members felt that ICAM should function as a commission of IMA, and to that end IMA-CAM was initiated around 1979.

The aims of IMA-CAM are to co-ordinate or arrange conferences, symposia, seminars, or meetings devoted to applied mineralogy, to serve as a liaison body to other organizations active in the field, and to encourage interaction between applied mineralogists, particularly focusing on the areas of:

The first session sponsored by CAM was organized by Antony Naldrett and held in 1986 at the quadrennial IMA meeting at Stanford, California. In 1990 at the IMA meeting in Beijing, China, Richard Hagni was elected chair of the CAM committee and he is serving as its chair until the present. 

Subsequently, the idea of merging ICAM into IMA-CAM has been considered at quadrennial ICAM business meetings, but ICAM members have elected to have ICAM continue as a separate body but with substantial interaction with IMA-CAM.  ICAM decided to hold its quadrennial meetings during those years that fall exactly between the quadrennial IMA meetings.  ICAM also agreed to have IMA-CAM co-organize some of the sessions for the quadrennial ICAM meetings, and IMA by designating some of the CAM applied mineralogy sessions as co-sponsored by ICAM at the quadrennial IMA meetings. From 2003 ahead IMA-CAM business meetings will take place at all ICAM meetings.