The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. (VGMS)

General Information 1996 Archive.

Table of Contents.

1. AUGUST - "ROCKHOUND RAMBLING" TAKES FIRST AT CFMS;
2. SEPTEMBER - BELIEVE IT OR NOT;
3. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER - HOW CALIFORNIA GOT IT'S APPEARANCE;
4. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER - VOLCANOES AREN'T ALL BAD.

August.

"ROCKHOUND RAMBLING" TAKES FIRST AT CFMS.
     I was astounded and pleased, to say the least, that our bulletin came in First in the 1995 New Editor category for CFMS. We were also 8th in the AFMS New Editor contest. Thanks to all of you for your support in getting us the information to pass on and also to my husband Jim for his computer-ese!
     It was interesting because we took on the bulletin job just to pass on communications to the members. As the year rolled along, I heard about the CFMS Bulletin Editors manual, I wrote for a copy only to learn that it wasn't published yet! They are working on it and should have it ready before long. Mary encouraged me to join SCRIBE which I did. Then when the October CFMS came out and had the contest rules and entry forms within, I thought why not!!!
     So it just goes to show, knowing nothing about the job, you can do it!!!
     I will have the bulletins and the judges critiques at the next meeting for you to review. They are interesting and a great learning tool.
     THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE for helping us do a job. I have enjoyed it.
          Shirley Layton,
          "New Editor for 1995".

Table of Contents.

September.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
     In Kings County, Washington, Big Foot has been placed on the endangered species list. If you visit the area, and are fortunate enough to catch him, it is illegal to harm him in any way!
          From "The Montanans"
          6/96 via ALAA.

Table of Contents.

October/November.

HOW CALIFORNIA GOT IT'S APPEARANCE.
     According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Pacific Ocean at one time lapped against the shores of Nevada. California was little more than islands scattered over half of the world. Not more than 10-15 percent of California is truly a part of North America. Everything else seems to have been added on about 200 million years ago. About the only part of California that is definitely native is a strip along the Nevada border east of San Francisco and south to Death Valley to the Mojave Desert. The rest is like a patchwork quilt, sewn together of scraps that vary vividly in color, size and shape.
     The islands and submarine plateaus, some of them hundreds of miles across, were carried eastward on mobile plates of the Earth's Crust until they slammed into the west coast. The pieces arrived at different times. The gigantic collisions, broke, twisted, folded, and upended the expanding region. These pieces were cemented together by granite that rose up as molten rock through the cracks.
     The idea of continents growing by collision with islands was first suspected because the geology of one part of California often has no resemblance to an adjoining area. Later these ideas were confirmed from fossil evidence.
          From Las Vegas Gem Club's Gem Time, August 96,
          via Mineralog, July 1996,
          via CFMS Newsletter, October 1996.

Table of Contents.

VOLCANOES AREN'T ALL BAD.
     Despite the tremendous physical damage and great loss of life that can be caused by volcanoes (see Smithsonian, July 1996 edition, they are not all bad!
     Volcanic ash forms some of the world's richest soils. Pumice is used for polishing, grinding, and building materials. The volcanic cones form great scenery and recreation areas. Heat and steam formed underground near volcanoes are used by people for energy. Obsidian forms the finest surgical knives. Volcanic ash deposits have preserved plants, animals and people from ancient days that provide valuable information for us today.
          CFMS Newsletter, October 1996,
          via Orange Coast Gazette,
          via The Palomar Gem and others.

Table of Contents.

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