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The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. (VGMS)
Rockhound Rambling
September 2005.

Table of Contents.

• PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE;
• WORDS TO LIVE BY;
• PROGRAM - SEPTEMBER 28, 2005;
• REVIEW - AUGUST 24, 2005;
• MARK YOUR CALENDARS;
• What's In A Name;
• PREPARING FOR OUR 2006 SHOW;
• CHIPS & BOULDERS;
• Help me to be;
• THE MUSEUM CORNER;
• HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES;
• THE ROCKHOUND SURVEY;
• Web Sites;
• Program Schedule for Monthly Meetings - 2005;
• OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS;
• HOSPITALITY;
• VGMS MINUTES;
• PUBLIC OUTREACH;
• MEMBERSHIP;
• Determining the Source of Gem Emeralds;
• COMMANDMENTS FOR SAFE DRIVING;
• "FIELD TRIPS ARE FUN";
• Minerals of the Wrong Feather Don't Flock Together;
• The Treacherous Mineral;
• THE REALITIES OF ROCKHOUNDING;
• Sign in a Veterinary's Office;
• HINTS & TIPS FOR ROCKHOUNDS - (Use at your own risk);
• The Charcoal Kiln Process;
• SHOW DATES;
• EDITOR'S NOTE;
• Digging for Words;
• EDUCATIONAL CORNER;
• VGMS PHOTO ALBUM;
• Commemorative Stamps.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.

Well, Fall is in the air and that can only mean one thing...Gem-O-Rama 2005 sponsored by the Searles Lake Gem & Mineral Society of Trona, California. For those who have never attended this show, it is a great opportunity to collect rare minerals such as Hanksite, Trona, Halite, Sulfohalite, Thenardite, Borax and Northupite, to name a few. For those who have never been to the Trona show I highly recommend it. It's more than a show or field trip. It's a one of a kind experience. Please refer to additional information printed in this bulletin.

We'll start meeting soon for our next show and Oxnard's show is just around the corner. It always seems so busy but one of the most important tasks at this time of year is to form a committee to nominate next year's officers. We'll be calling on people to assist with this and it's so important that everyone realize the only way our club succeeds and remains as respected by vendors, venues and other clubs is by each person doing their part.

Ed Clark,
VGMS President.

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WORDS TO LIVE BY.

Age is not measured by years, but by the amount of enthusiasm for life one has maintained.

The leadership instinct you are born with is your backbone. You develop the funny bone and wishbone that go with it.

No cowboy was ever faster on the draw than a grandmother pulling baby pictures out of her purse.

Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.

Collected by Wayne Ehlers.

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PROGRAM - SEPTEMBER 28, 2005:
Texas & New Mexico Rockhounding,
Presented by Sharon and Mel Hixson.

Our own members, Sharon and Mel Hixson, have done much traveling and rock/mineral/fossil collecting. They are going to share with us some of their experiences, favorite places and specimens from the Texas and New Mexico areas. Come and experience first hand the wonderful specimens they will be displaying and you may even find an idea for your next rockhounding adventure.

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REVIEW - AUGUST 24, 2005:
"Israel's King Solomon Mine",
Presented by Avraham Barshai.

Abe and his wife Esther came to UCLA in 1963 and have lived here ever since! They have dual citizenship with Israel. They both have their mothers and a daughter and her family in Israel, so a trip is made each year. Abe and Esther had many specimens to share along with the pictures of the countryside and the King Solomon Mine. This is the oldest copper mine in the world and is located at Timna. It is interesting to note that King Solomon was never at this site, they just wanted to name it after him. The mine covers over 35 sq. miles and had 10,000 pits/shafts that were about 100' deep. There were also cross tunnels between the shafts. The artifacts left behind have allowed them to create an accurate timeline of its operation which started about 6000 years ago and was operated until 1976 when it was no longer economical to operate it. When the mine closed the Government mining Co. gave the land over to the National Park. Collecting is completely forbidden. I'm sorry to have missed Abe and Esther's program as I have had many comments about how interesting and well presented it was. Thanks, Abe and Esther, for sharing your experiences with us.

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

9-28-05 - VGMS Regular Meeting - 7:30 pm - At the Lexington. "Texas & New Mexico Rockhounding" presented by Sharon and Mel Hixson.
10-6-05 - VGMS Board Meeting - 7:30 pm - At the I.B.E.W. Hall, 3994 E. Main St., Ventura, CA. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.
10-7, 8, 9-05 - Trona Show and Field Trip - See the "Gem-O-Rama" Flyer on the SLG&MS web site at the following http://www1.iwvisp.com/tronagemclub/flyer.htm and the Field Trips Are Fun Section in this Bulletin for more details.
10-10-05 - DEADLINE FOR OCTOBER/NOVEMBER Bulletin Articles to the Editor! - These two months are combined.
10-15-05 - VGMS Work Shop - Museum - Open - 9 to noon. Check with a shop supervisor to confirm (see "Chips & Boulders").
10-16-05 - 2006 Show Planning Meeting - 2:00 pm - At Jim & Nancy Brace-Thompson's home, 7319 Eisenhower Street, Ventura (call 805-659-3577 for directions). Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.
10-26-05 - VGMS Regular Meeting - 7:30 pm - At the Lexington. Silent Auction with Ray & Florence Meisenheimer.
11-3-05 - VGMS Board Meeting - 7:30 pm - At the I.B.E.W. Hall, 3994 E. Main St., Ventura CA. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.
11-9-05 - VGMS Regular Meeting - 7:30 pm - At the Lexington. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS THE 2ND WEDNESDAY! Program to be presented by Lowell Foster.
11-19-05 - VGMS Work Shop - Museum - Open - 9 to noon. Check with a shop supervisor to confirm (see "Chips & Boulders").

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What's In A Name?

Aegirite after Aegir, teutonic god of the sea.
Natrolite from the Latin for 'sodium' - it is sodium silicate.
Pyrargyrite from the Greek 'fire' and 'silver', because of its red color and silver content.

From Gems, Minerals, Crystals, and Ores, By Richard M. Pearl.

Contributed by Ed Clark.

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PREPARING FOR OUR 2006 SHOW.

We held a productive show-planning meeting on Sunday, September 11, and I thank Kathryn Davis, Ron and Jean Wise, Ray and Florence Meisenheimer, Greg Davis, and Nancy B-T for their participation. We have a lot to do between now and our show in March, and here's a quick recap where we could use your help:

• We need prizes for the Kids' Booth, especially colorful rocks and sparkly rocks that kids really like. Also, we need anyone who has a tumbler to tumble stones - the more colorful, the better - because we have more than 400 rock bags to fill and we need new tumbled stones, as well, for the Treasure Chest at our hospitality tables. Also, we discussed holding two get-togethers (either at the clubhouse or at a member's home) for everyone to bring in donations for the Kids' Booth. The actual dates are still to be determined, but we're aiming at early December and mid-February to have folks bring in donations of rock and fossil prizes, tumbled stones, and grab bag materials, and to help stuff grab bags.
• We could use more grab bags, so anyone with a sewing machine and some odds and ends of fabric, we welcome your handiwork! (Our thanks to Marie Ehlers, who has been superb at helping with this - check in with Marie if you need a pattern from which to work.)
• We're talking about different ideas for our Friday night dinner and will discuss this at our September club meeting; please come prepared with ideas!
• Our club rock pile is pretty well picked over for our Silent Auction. We still have a lot of material, but much of the really choice stuff has been auctioned off in past shows. Thus, we're asking individual club members to bring in some truly fine material to augment our club rock pile in order to better generate enthusiasm during the Silent Auction.
• Also, please stockpile garage-sale type items for the country store and start rooting plant cuttings for the plant sale.
• Finally, we'll hold another show planning meeting at the Brace-Thompson home at 2:00 PM, Sunday, October 16, and we welcome everyone's attendance and ideas!

Submitted by Jim Brace-Thompson, Show Chair.

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CHIPS & BOULDERS.

Election of Officers: Our President will be appointing a nominating committee at the September meeting. Be ready to help with this in any way you can. It takes every one of us to keep the club active and interesting. The slate is to be presented in October, Elections in November and the Installation in December.

Next Bulletin - double month Oct./Nov. - Keep in mind that next month we will need your articles or information for the months of October and November. Also keep in mind that our November and December meetings are the 2nd Wednesdays of the month - not the normal 4th.

Thanks to our Webmaster - I would like to express our thanks and appreciation to our webmaster, Jim Layton, for our website. We are fortunate to have his expertise and interest. This was brought home when we received an email from one of our neighboring clubs asking if we would include their show in our bulletin and on our website. Their words were "We consider your list of upcoming shows on your 'Information' web page to be the best available in our area" and asked if we would include their show. We agreed and they will in turn include ours when it gets closer to the date. They ended by saying, "By the way, I envy your club's having a fantastic webmaster"! Kudos, Jim! Your comments, good and bad, are appreciated, after all it is "your" website!

Equipment For Sale - A Gold Dust brand dry wash gold finding unit has been donated to VGMS. It is in good condition, and is for sale. Interested parties please give Ray Meisenheimer a call - (805) 642-3155. With all the rain we have had the past year, it just might be productive on a field trip. - Florence Meisenheimer.

Reminder - On August 16th, cell phone numbers were to be released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS. To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888 382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. - Via Rock Chips - August 2005.

Hosts and Hostesses Schedule for 2005 Meetings - Thank you to all who have volunteered, many hands make tasks much more enjoyable! Also thanks to Sharon Cunningham for coordinating the schedule.
     September: Mel & Sharon Hixson,
     October: Emma Mayer,
     November: Pumpkin Pies - Everyone,
     December: Christmas Party.

VGMS Workshops - They are held on the third Saturday of each month from 9:00 am until noon unless otherwise notified. The Shop Supervisors are: Ron Wise (805) 647-4393 & Greg Davis (805) 647-9214. Stop and say thanks to these volunteers for the opportunity they give the rest of us. It is there for your use; take advantage of it. With vacations and business trips it is a good idea to call to make sure the museum will be open.

CFMS & AFMS Newsletters - Anyone interested in their own subscriptions to these, please contact Shirley Layton (805 717-9226). The cost for one year is $5.50 for the CFMS and $4.50 for the AFMS. I do share some information from these with you, but there is much more in each issue that you may be interested in.

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*************

Dear God,
     Help me to be even half the person my dog thinks I am.

From The Gringo Gazette.

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THE MUSEUM CORNER,
By Richard Knox, Museum Committee.

FALLBROOK GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY MUSEUM.
     The Fallbrook Gem & Mineral society is one of the few societies that maintain a museum. In fact they maintain two museums. The Rocky Crest Children's Museum is located at 200 Rocky Crest Road, Fallbrook, and the Alvarado Street Museum at 123 W. Alvarado Street, Fallbrook, CA.
     The Rocky Crest Museum displays a fine collection of mineral specimens, geological specimens, fossils and various phases of the lapidary arts. The Alvarado Street Museum displays mineral specimens with an emphasis, on San Diego County specimens. There are also cases on paleontology. Look for the CFMS intarsias of Chochise, Wild Bill Hickock, John F. Kennedy and the CFMS areas that rotate between the two museums. Mineral specimens and publications are for sale at both museums. It is anticipated that a "paliological" garden will be established next to the Alvarado Street museum displaying modern relatives of fossil plants.
     Currently the Alvarado Street Museum is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. and the Rocky Crest Museum on Thursdays and Sundays from 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. It is anticipated that the museums will be open from Thursday through Saturday starting in September if enough volunteers are available. If tours of the museums are desired, call Garth Bricker at 760-728-1333.
          CFMS Newsletter - September 2005.

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SUPPORT AND PRACTICE
THE AFMS CODE OF ETHICS.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES,
From June Culp Zeitner.

I'm pleased to be able to announce this year's inductees to the prestigious National Rockhound and Lapidary Hall of Fame.

They are:

• Minerals - John Medici,
• Lapidary - Dennis Batt,
• Jewelry - Walt Johnson,
• Fossils - no entry this year,
• Education - Bill & Lois Patillo and Ewing Evans,
• Deceased - Robert Lange.

Look for an article soon in Rock & Gem about how these leaders became winners.

AFMS Newsletter September 2005.

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THE ROCKHOUND SURVEY,
By Carolyn Weinberger.

     There is always speculation, lament, comment, guessing, etc. about the status of our rockhounding hobby. Several months ago Tina Tuttle and Kreigh Tomaszewshi decided to take a survey to try to discover who rockhounds are, their habits related to their geo-interest, and how they got involved in the hobby.
     The results are now in and have been formulated into "Rockhounding: Portrait of a Passion". Sections of the report include "Portrait of a Collector", "How do people get interested in the hobby", "Collecting habits", and "Implications".
     The report is well worth reading and is available in pdf format in its entirety by visiting: www.tomaszewski.net/Kreigh/Minerals/RockhoundsReport.v.4.pdf.

AFMS Newsletter - September 2005.

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Web Sites.

AFMS web site - http://www.amfed.org/,
CFMS web site - http://www.cfmsinc.org/,
CA BLM web site - http://www.ca.blm.gov/.

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Program Schedule for Monthly Meetings,
Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, 2005.

*The designated "Speaker" is responsible for one of the following options during the assigned meeting:
     Present a lecture;
     Invite a guest speaker, introduce him/her at the meeting;
     Present a video related to our hobby.

Please Note: A good source for material is the CFMS Slide and Video Library AKA "Podium People". For this and slide programs or CFMS Club rosters, please contact Florence Meisenheimer - CFMS website would also be of help.

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OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS.

Happy Birthday to all those born in OCTOBER. We all wish you good health and hope you have a Great Day! With our new members (and some of the old ones), I have some gaps in my list. Help me out - please let me know if I have missed your birthday. Call Shirley Layton at 805-717-9226 and leave a message if I'm not there or an email will also do the trick, jns@west.net. Thanks!

October - Happy Birthday!!
     Avraham Barshai - 9th,
     Dallas Stephens - 16th,
     Valli Davis - 23rd.

The October birthstone is the Opal and the flower is the Calendula.

Disorderly Opal,
By Bill Cordua, U. Wisconsin River Falls.

     Minerals are crystalline solids, having regular long-range arrangements of their atoms repeating predictably in three dimensions. But there are a few substances, called "mineraloids" which have mineral-like occurrences, properties and consistency of composition but not a long-range crystalline structure. One of these is opal. Opal, a hydrated form of silica with variable amounts of included water. It is often described as amorphous (literally "without form"). Recent studies have clarified opal's atomic nature, subdividing it into categories, such as "opal-CT", that read like an alphabet soup. Recent articles, such as one on the origin of thunder eggs from Colorado (Kite, 2002), use these terms, so it is worthwhile finding out what they mean.
     Opal's lack of long-range atomic structure is verified by its response to x-rays. When x-rays pass through a mineral, they are affected by that mineral's internal atomic structure. When the x-rays emerge, they make a pattern that is recorded on film or graph paper and reveals the mineral's internal symmetry. In opal, the pattern that emerges is diffuse and not very regular. But "not very regular" is not the same as "random". Some opals do show a short-range arrangement of their atoms. This allows subdivision of opals into categories based on the type and extent of this order/disorder. The pattern in opal apparently consists of small spheres or chains of linked Si and O atoms. These structures are surrounded by more silica in a gel-like matrix. The arrangement of the spheres is similar to that of some high temperature forms of Si02, namely cristobalite and tridymite. The type of material found in the opal is the key to the alphabet soup.
     Opal A is opal that is truly amorphous, having little if any arrangement of atoms. Much gem opal is of this variety. Opal AG is the least structured, being all amorphous gel ( = AG. Get it?). Opal AN has a vague network structure in the gel. A lot of hyalite opal, thought to form as vapor condensate, is of this type.
     Opal CT has intermixed tridymite and cristobalite structure along with unstructured gel. It gives broad x-ray patterns, so at least is 'aspiring' to true crystallinity. Lots of common opal and some gem opal are of this variety. Within this is Opal CTm (massive structure), opal CTp (platy structure) and opal CTl (fibrous structure). In case you are wondering where the 'l' came from, (or what the 'l' is going on) this fibrous structured opal has been termed "lussaite".
     Opal C has a pattern dominated by a diffuse structure resembling cristobalite. Agate at the base of Uruguay amethyst geodes has some of this, so many of you have specimens of this.
     Over time opal becomes less disorderly. Its structure is not one that will last, as the atoms are more stable when arranged in a real crystal structure. Burial with moderate temperatures and pressures speed the breakdown process. Eventually opal passes from Opal A to Opal CT to fine-grained quartz or chalcedony. Much chert was probably common opal at one time or another. This nomenclature allows mineralogists who study opal to focus their attention of various types. Each type of opal has its own conditions of formation, and its orderly to disorderly pattern is often a window to those geological conditions.

References:
     Graetsch, H., 1994, "Structural characteristics of opalline silica and microcrystalline silica materials in Silica: Physical Behavior, Geochemistry and Materials Applications", edited by P. Heaney, et. al., Reviews in mineralogy, vol. 29, Mineralogical Society of America, p. 209-232.
     Kyle, Dan, 2002, "Occurrence and genesis of Thunder eggs containing plume and most agate from the Del Norte area, Saguache County, Colorado", Rocks and Minerals, vol. 77, p. 252-268.

Reprinted from the Leaverite News 2003, via Rockonteur August 2005.

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HOSPITALITY.

The August meeting sported 27 members, 6 guests and 2 Pebble Pups and, unfortunately, I was not one of them as we were preparing to leave on vacation and all was not going well! The guests were Bob & Stella Berman, Aniko Werner (sorry to have missed Aniko, hope she will be back), Judith Brenn, Roslyn Harris and Janet Friedman (sorry if I misspelled any names, as the handwriting is not always easy to decipher). Welcome to all our guests and hope they all will return. Our two Pebble Pups were Callie and Dallas Stephens who we are always happy to see! Door prizes were won by the lucky ones, the rest will try again next month. Ray and Florence Meisenheimer furnished the refreshments, which I am sure were enjoyed by all. Our hostess, Sharlyne Holloway, was there to greet people and get them signed in. It's always good to see everyone and get caught up on the happenings. Hope to see you all in September.

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VGMS MINUTES.

Minutes of the VGMS Regular Monthly Meeting,
Wednesday, August 24th, 2005:
     The regular monthly meeting of the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society was called to order by President, Ed Clark at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, August 24th, 2005 at the Lexington, Ventura, CA.
     The July meeting and August board meeting minutes were corrected and then m/s/c as shown in the bulletin.
Ed Clark welcomed everyone.
Richard Bromser gave the treasurer's report. Richard thanked all those who helped with the Fair, including the 19 members from our own club. Our club also produced 28 first place winners at the Fair's Gem & Mineral competition.
Ron Wise - The field trip for September to the Green Horn Mtn. has been cancelled. The Trona show in October will be in lieu of a field trip.
Ray Meisenheimer - Ray and Florence presented raffle prizes to those who had the lucky numbers. Ray also mentioned that a gold dry washer has been donated to the club and if anyone would be interested in seeing it, contact Ray. Ed Clark also has a 6-inch Rock Rascal saw that he's willing to give to an interested club member.
Jim Brace-Thompson - The first meeting for our 2006 show is scheduled for Sept. 11, 2:00 pm, at Jim's house and everyone is welcomed. Jim reiterated the need for an organized push and effort to locate another site for our museum.
     Ed next gave the floor to our own Abe Barshai who, with his wife, Esther, visited Israel and the famed King Solomon Mine. Located near Timna, it's the oldest copper mine in the world and started production in the 4th millennium B.C.E. Abe presented a talk with photos and sample mineral specimens from the area. The mining area involved more than 10,000 sophisticated shafts with ventilation systems, an amazing feat for the time. We thank Abe and Esther for sharing with us the beauty and history of this amazing country.
     Refreshments were provided by Ray & Florence Meisenheimer.
     The next Board meeting will be Thursday, September 1st, at the IBEW Hall, 3994 E. Main St., Ventura, CA. All are welcomed to attend and the next regular meeting will be held September 28th at the Lexington.
     There being no further business, Ed Clark adjourned the meeting at 8:45 pm.
          Respectfully submitted,
          Greg Davis,
          Recording Secretary.


Minutes of the VGMS Monthly Board Meeting,
Thursday, September 1st, 2005:
     The regular board meeting of the VGMS was called to order by Ed Clark at 7:30 pm on Thursday, September 1st, 2005, at the I.B.E.W. Hall, 3994 E. Main St., Ventura, CA.
Present: Ed Clark, Ray and Florence Meisenheimer, Richard and Shirley Bromser, Jim Brace-Thompson, Ron Wise, Lowell Foster and Greg Davis.
Old business:
Richard Bromser reported that water has been restored at the museum.
Greg Davis - Museum and work shop keys were given to Ed Clark.
Jim Brace-Thompson has not heard back from the Ventura County Museum regarding space at their facility for some or all of our museum materials.
Ron Wise contacted the Oxnard club concerning combining the clubs' workshops but that turned out not to be possible due to space and time restrictions with their facility, which is city owned.
Ray Meisenheimer reported that cases being built by Cal Clason are progressing nicely.
New business:
Jim Brace-Thompson - The first meeting for our 2006 show will be September 11th, 2:00 pm at Jim's house.
Richard Bromser presented copies of the treasurer's report and it was m/s/c to accept as written. Richard made a suggestion that some materials at the museum be boxed in preparation for storage. Richard also provided a notice of insurance liability for VGMS directors and officers. It was m/s/c to pay the $250.00 cost. Ed signed the form and it will be implemented as soon as possible. The application for our club raffle operation renewal was sent in along with premise liability insurance renewal. The struggle with the State for our property tax exemption is on going.
Greg Davis - Articles for the bulletin need to be received by the 10th of the month. Damaged windows at the museum have been repaired, the Edison Co. has been contacted to replace the damaged electric meter cover, and the chain link fence is scheduled for repair this weekend. Greg also requested and it was m/s/c to order 2 new grinding wheels and pump kits for the club's cab machines.
Ray Meisenheimer - Work is progressing on the tri-club project proposed by Donna Knapton to provide mineral collections for all Ventura County schools.
Ron Wise - The September trip to the Green Horn Mts. has been cancelled and October, of course, is the annual Trona show.
     The next general meeting will be on September 28th, 2005 at the Lexington in Ventura and the next board meeting is October 6th at the I.B.E.W. Hall in Ventura.
     There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:55 pm.
          Respectfully submitted,
          Greg Davis,
          Recording Secretary.

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PUBLIC OUTREACH.

On September 1, Steve Mulqueen presented a slide lecture titled "Solution Mining at Searles Lake" at the monthly meeting of the Del Air Rockhounds Club.

The California Oil Museum had an Associated Press story with museum information go out on the national newswire on August 12th. Included in that is information about their exhibits which includes the Ventura Gem and Mineral display, "Trace Fossils", set up by Steve Mulqueen. The museum has an average attendance of 110 to 125 visitors a week with the majority being out of state. There is also mention of the displays on the museum website www.oilmuseum.net/.

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MEMBERSHIP.

No new member activity to report. See Shirley Bromser for a new membership application if you have any prospects or inquiries.

Updated Email Address:
     Steve Mulqueen - mulques@slc.ca.gov.

Attention New Members (or anyone needing a badge).
Need a Club Badge?
Blue Engravers is giving us a $.50 reduction per badge
for advertising space in the club bulletin!
Ventura County Shape badge $11.28 (includes. tax & ship).
ACCOUNT: Ventura Gem and Mineral Society, Inc.
Name (print clearly. It will be on your name badge):

_____________________________________________

Address:

_____________________________________________

_______________________________Zip: __________

Make check payable to and mail to (takes 5-7 business days):
Blue Engravers,
1375 Caspian Ave.,
Long Beach, CA 90813.
If ordering more than 2 badges call them for exact shipping
costs at (562) 983-5140, FAX (562) 983-5146,
E-mail BLUEGRAVR@aol.com.

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Determining the Source of Gem Emeralds,
By Dr. Bill Cordua, U. Wisconsin, River Falls.

     Emeralds are among the most prized of gemstones. Owners, understandably, want to know about the source of these valuable gems in specimens and jewelry. Suppose, however, that the emerald is set in a Gallo-Roman earring, or in a 13th Century French crown, or a sunken Spanish galleon? What clues could one find in order to deduce the gem's history and origin without destroying the priceless object? A newly applied scientific technique from a team of French researchers may hold part of the answer (Giuliani et. al., 2000).
     This technique uses oxygen isotopes within the minerals. To give a little "chemistry-lite", most elements, including oxygen, come in several varieties called isotopes. Isotopes differ from each other in having different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus. Some isotopes are radioactive and break down. Many are not radioactive and are called stable isotopes. The isotopes of oxygen are stable, and behave mostly alike. You breathe all of them in any one breath. However, the ones that are slightly heavier (another neutron or two in the nucleus) do behave slightly differently from those that are lighter. For example, water that evaporates from the sea has more of the light isotope in it than the heavier stuff left behind. This persists in rain water. So a mineral formed from rain water will have a different mix of oxygen isotopes in it than one that forms from seawater - or groundwater - or volcanic water. Each source of water has a slightly different identifying ratio of these oxygen isotopes in it.
     So how does this relate to emeralds? Emeralds from various districts (and even mines within districts) have different oxygen isotope ratios in them - different oxygen "fingerprints". The French geochemists measured these values for many emeralds from known localities, then compared them to emeralds whose origins were not known. Fortunately these tests require only a tiny amount of material, and are not destructive to the gem.
     Their tests led to several surprising results. The emeralds in a 17th century French crown originated from Habachtal emerald mines in Austria. An emerald in a Gallo-Roman ring best matches the emeralds from the Swat-Minguora district in Pakistan. This ring dates back to 500 BC. It was previously thought that emeralds at that time were known only from Egypt and Austria. The new findings show that trade was going to Rome along the Silk Road long ago. An emerald from a Spanish Galleon sunk in 1621 was from the Muzo area in the western emerald district of Columbia, showing how rapidly the mines developed after their discovery. An emerald from a gem treasury in India was also from Columbia, showing an influx of New World gems into Old World collections in the 17th and 18th centuries.
     Similar techniques are being developed for rubies and sapphires. As more sources for gems and more artificial gems come on the market, such analytical tools will be increasingly important as ways to evaluate and validate gems from a variety of sources.

Reference:
     Giuliani, G., et. al., 2000; "Oxygen Isotopes and Emerald Trade Routes Since Antiquity", Science, vol. 287, p. 631-633.

Reprinted from the Leaverite News 2002, via Rockonteur, August 2005.

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SUPPORT AND PRACTICE
THE AFMS CODE OF ETHICS.

COMMANDMENTS FOR SAFE DRIVING.

1. Thou shalt hold nothing but the steering wheel.
2. Thou shall not make thee a god of thy horsepower.
3. Thou shalt not take the centerline in vain.
4. Remember the driver behind to let him pass.
5. Honor thy father and mother and thine other passengers.
6. Thou shalt not kill any pedestrian.
7. Thou shalt not commit drunken driving.
8. Thou shalt not steal thy neighbor's eyes with thy headlights, nor his ears with thy horn, nor his enjoyment with thy litter.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness with thy signals.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's right-of-way.

Author Unknown.

CFMS Newsletter, September 2004 - Chuck McKie, Safety Chairman, via Midwest Federation by Syl Schlageter Safety Program (Date unknown).

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"FIELD TRIPS ARE FUN."

Tri Club Fieldtrip:
Trona, CA, October 7-9, 2005.

On Saturday and Sunday we will take advantage of the activities offered at the Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Society's annual Gem-O-Rama. In addition to the usual exhibits and dealers, there are three unique and spectacular field trips offered; and the Trona Community has a great pancake breakfast. In addition we will head North of Trona on our own on Friday. (Note: There is a $8.00 to $10.00 fee for each trip.) Before you go check out their web site: http://www1.iwvisp.com/tronagemclub/.

Directions: From Mojave follow Hwy 14 North. Just before Red Rock State Park turn right on Redrock-Randsburg Road. Take the Garlock Turnoff (after about 12.1 mi.). When you reach Hwy 395 (about 8.2 miles), turn left (north). Follow Hwy 395 about 3.1 miles, then turn right on Searles Station Cut-off Road. Continue for 6.4 miles to Trona Road. Turn left (North) on Trona Road. Continue 8.5 miles, then turn right on SR 178. Follow this road into Trona. The show site (Gem and Mineral Building) will be on your left. To find the campground proceed north for 5.3 miles. It is on the right side of the road.

Camping: We will camp at the Valley Wells Recreation Area, located 5.3 miles north of the show. There are toilets and water available, but no hook-ups for RV's. There is a $5.00 fee per vehicle. Hotels are available in Ridgecrest, about 20 miles from Trona. We will arrive at the Valley Wells Campsite by 10:00 a.m. on Friday morning.

Fieldtrips:
     Friday. We will meet for our Friday fieldtrip at the Valley Wells campsite (mentioned above). Departure is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. We plan to visit the Queen Lace Travertine site. I hope to have a local resident guide us to some other sites as well. If you plan to attend on Friday PLEASE LET ME KNOW (phone: 805-647-4393 or e-mail: clintwise@hotmail.com).
     Saturday Morning. For this, and the other Searles Lake Gem-O-Rama trips, you'll need to line up your car in the areas provided by the show and register for the fieldtrip. Registration is from 7:30 to 9:00. You may want to line up earlier so you'll have some time to enjoy the Pancake Breakfast over at the church. The Saturday morning trip is the Mud Tour. You'll find large borax and hanksite crystals in the gooey black mud.
     Saturday Afternoon. Registration for the afternoon fieldtrip is from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The Saturday afternoon trip takes you to the Blowhole. You will watch a real spectacle as the mud and minerals are blown high in the air. When it all settles, you will find pretty large crystals of hanksite, borax, sulfohalite and cubic halite.
     Sunday. Registration is from 7:30 to 9:00. Sunday's trip takes you to the Brine Pools, containing the beautiful and famous, naturally pink Searles Lake halite. You'll find the halite in the briny water under the edges of the brine pools.

Tools:
     Old clothing, rubber boots or disposable shoes;
     Heavy bar, preferably long;
     Pad to kneel on;
     Plastic bags or lined boxes for your loot;
     Shovel;
     Sledge hammer;
     Garden tools;
     Gad and/or chisels (long handles work easier);
     Bucket, rags for clean up;
     Rock hammer, goggles, mask, hat, sunscreen;
     Water and lunch.
     Be warned: THERE IS NO SHADE AT THE SITES.

Ron Wise, Field Trip Chair.

World's Largest Mineral Collecting Tour,
By Carol J. Bova.

     The annual event at Trona every October seems to involve much of the local community and they go all out to make this experience a memorable one for the participants. In addition to staging a two-day gem and mineral show with an auction, tours of the local plant, visits to historical sites, and special breakfasts and dinners, there are the arrangements for the Searles Lake field collecting. This is an activity one local paper, The Inland Adventurer, refers to as possibly being "the world's largest mineral collecting tour in the country". With up to 800 participants, just the logistics of getting so many people lined up in their vehicles with tickets purchased in advance, is a wonder. Every open area adjoining the show buildings is filled with neat lines of vehicles, nose to tailpipe waiting for the moment of departure. And when it comes, there is the sense of a wagon train heading out to adventure.
     The North American Chemical Company opens its facility on Searles Lake and works with the Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Society to prepare safe areas filled with rare mineral specimens, some found nowhere else in the world, dredged or pumped from great depths. When was the last time someone pulled up specimens from 20-450 feet underwater for you? But that's part of what NACC and SLG&MS do for these field excursions.
     The drive in along the work roads is an experience in itself. The desert landscape is reflected in the huge salt lake. The salt drifts at the edges look like snow fields or wayward clouds depending on the day's lighting. This year, with rain squalls passing through and threatening the morning trip, the sky was a rapidly changing screen for light effects. By the time the caravan started toward the first collecting area, the clouds had retreated a safe distance away. Their reflections, though, created an unforgettable series of images, different from minute to minute.
     There are four field trips. The first is one where pressurized air is forced down one pipe and as it comes back up a second, larger one to the surface, it carries with it brine and crystals loosened by blasting the previous day. A dike is bulldozed around the dry sand collecting area, with the Jetting machine in the center, at one edge.
     While waiting for the technicians to prepare for the actual jetting, collectors gather up specimens brought up the previous day for them. When the equipment is ready, everyone is asked to move back beyond the dike for their safety. The process is explained, and then it begins.
     It has the sense of excitement that an old-timer would recognize from the street hydrants being opened for the first time in the summer in the big city. But this gush of water also carries Searles Lake mineral crystals with it: hanksite, halite, borax, trona, and the sought after halosulfites. After the water jetting stops, there is a rush into the collecting zone, with brine still running rapidly across the sand. For a first-timer, it's hard to know what to pick up, and it is probably easier to scoop first, sort later. The puddles and running brine are great, though, for quickly rinsing your finds before popping them in your collecting bucket. Dignity is something you leave back at the parking area. The only way to pick up these crystals is to get down there with them.
     Once you've broken the dignity barrier, it's not a far step to the mud. Yes, mud like you have never seen before. Briny, sulfurous smelling and hiding potentially enormous clusters and crystals of the same hanksite, trona and borax as the morning jetting session, but also other minerals as well. Sometimes, you won't know what you have until you get to the brine trough and wash off the mud with the brine provided by NACC. Ordinary water will dissolve these crystals.
     After extracting your potential treasures from the gooey, clay-like, black mud, you take it to the brine trough and apply elbow grease with toothbrush and scrub brushes. I personally saw a lucky collector at the trough hold up a single hanksite crystal about 12 inches long and as thick as his forearm. Sometimes, what you thought was a solid cluster disintegrates into a thousand chips and tiny crystals, and sometimes, you get a beauty to take home.
     There is a night-time fluorescent collecting trip to a local closed quarry led by the SLG&MS. That is one that we'll try to report on next year.
     The Sunday morning trip is to the red brine areas of the lake to collect pink, peach or cranberry colored halite. This takes a few strong arms in the party to wield the long, chopping tools used to break off halite plates from the underwater ledges.
     The color of halite is affected by the conditions while it was growing. In the desert summer, these waters can be 150 degrees F, and there are saline loving bacteria who thrive in it and add shades of red coloring to the halite. The crystal formations are beautiful in both single halite crystals and clusters. Brine is also used to clean these specimens, but not much cleaning is needed.
     For those less able to dig for the deep ledges, there are surface uplifts that provide access to the younger halite formations.
     Whether or not you find the elusive sulfohalites, gaylussite, pirssonite, searlesite, galeite, teepleite, thenardite, nahcolite, northupke, burkeite or tychite is a matter of luck and probably experience. But the good feeling of collecting in a friendly crowd, at sites well prepared for you, and among people glad to see you is something you'll definitely take home.

Source: The Eclectic Lapidary Online Journal; Copyright, 1997 by Carol J. Bova, permission to reprint granted by author.

If you'd like to follow up and learn more about Searles Lake, Jon Gladwell has published a small book about Mineral Collecting at Searles Lake with illustrations of the various crystal forms, details on each of the minerals, and citations of scientific papers and journal articles. You can contact him at myrddin@zephyr.net.

IF YOU GO...
     October 8-9, 2005, TRONA; www1.iwvisp.com/tronagemclub or call Bonnie Fairchild (760)372-5356.

Field Trips:
     Searles Lake, Mud Trip, Blow Hole, Pinnacles National Natural Landmark, Searles Valley Minerals' Plants, Searles Lake pink halite.

ACCOMMODATIONS:
     Valley Wells Recreation Area - 5.3 miles north of show, $5/vehicle (dry camp, no reservations).

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was written in 1997. It may not be completely up-to-date but it gives a very good idea of what goes on there. It's interesting and a lot of FUN.

Via Rockonteur, September 2005

TRI-CLUB FIELD TRIPS 2005:
Before going on a field trip PLEASE
contact field trip leader to confirm.

  Table of Contents.

Minerals of the Wrong Feather
Don't Flock Together,
By Dr. Bill Cordua,
University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

     Most rockhounds know that minerals are identified by their physical and chemical properties. Many also know that an important clue in mineral identification is association - certain minerals are often found together. For example, malachite often is found with copper and gold is often found embedded in quartz. What many don't realize is that another important identification clue is that many minerals are NOT found together. For example, lazurite, sodalite, and corundum are never found associated with quartz. As another example, beryl does not occur with dolomite in our local limestones. Well, why not? Doesn't that seem a bit arbitrary? Isn't "never" sort of a strong term to be used by a scientist? It turns out that there are good chemical reasons why this is so.
     In some cases, it is simply a matter of a particular rock type not having the needed chemicals to make the minerals. There is no chemical incompatibility between dolomite and beryl, yet we don't find beryl in limestone. Why not? In order to make beryl, you need to have beryllium, a chemical present in, at best, trace amounts in most limestones. By analogy, you can't make a chocolate cake with no chocolate - no matter how hard you try. The fact that chemicals tend to segregate in certain places in our earth leads to the commonly observed mineral associations. Certain granites have lots of beryllium in them - it's an element that tends to accumulate in such magmas. Thus beryl is found in granites, along with the typical quartz, feldspar, mica and tourmaline.
     In other cases the mineral won't form because the proper temperature, pressure or other geochemical conditions (such as acidity) were not achieved in the rock. For example, diamond won't form in a rock unless certain conditions are met.
     In yet other cases there is a true chemical incompatibility. It is because of this that quartz is never found with olivine, corundum, sodalite or lazurite. These minerals are just not chemically stable together. Does this mean if you put a piece of corundum next to a piece of quartz that they'll explode? Of course not. The point is that the two minerals will simply not form together in the same environment. If corundum forms, quartz won't form and vice versa. The reason is that corundum forms only in a low silica environment, but quartz only in a high silica one.
     Let's consider a hot magma. There are no minerals in the magma - only loose atoms darting around. As the magma cools, these atoms begin to bond together to form minerals. Let's suppose this is a low silica magma. There are lots of other chemicals, such as aluminum around.
     The aluminum likes to link to what silica there is around to form feldspars. But since this is a low-silica magma, there isn't enough to go around. The extra aluminum has to go somewhere, so, when it gets concentrated enough, it forms corundum. Now let's suppose this is a high-silica magma. All the aluminum finds silica and makes feldspar. Now there is silica left over, so quartz eventually forms. In the first case, you have a rock formed consisting of feldspar and corundum, in the second case you have a rock formed consisting of feldspar and quartz. You can never get a rock with quartz and corundum forming together in it. There are similar relationships between quartz and sodalite, olivine and several other minerals.
     So if someone offers you a specimen of corundum crystals embedded in quartz, start looking for the glue!

Reprinted from the Leaverite News 1998, via Rockonteur, August 2005.

  Table of Contents.

The Treacherous Mineral,
By Bill Cordua, U. of Wisconsin, River Falls.

     Mineral names are often given to commemorate a famous scientist or locality. Sphalerite (ZnS) however, has a name based on the Greek word for treacherous. Blende, a German synonym for sphalerite, means blind or deceiving. What is it about this common mineral (which forms very attractive collector specimens) which led its namers to be so negative about it?
     The name comes from the tendency of people to misidentify it. It was often mistaken for galena, which was mined for its lead, and sometimes silver, content. Sphalerite yielded neither at the smelter, and, until the nineteenth century, there were few if any uses for the zinc that was present. So, to the old-time miners, the mistaken identity was a costly error. Things changed for sphalerite in the 1850's with the advent of galvanizing. In Wisconsin, many deposits worked for lead suddenly became zinc mines as well, with hundreds of thousands of tons of metal produced. This was also true for deposits elsewhere, notably in the Tri-state District and other mid-western deposits, now prized for the beautiful sphalerite crystals found during mining.
     So this is a bum rap for poor sphalerite. It is actually a relatively easy mineral to identify, and has a number of very distinctive properties that can be tested with little equipment. Yet, true to form, I find many students misidentifying it with depressing regularity.
     First, when well crystallized, its form is distinctive. Sphalerite forms complex crystals that have a generally tetrahedral habit, although many modifying forms commonly occur. A tetrahedron has 4 faces, each one an equilateral triangle. Even with the complex modifications frequently present on sphalerite crystals, the generally triangular outline is usually visible. Few minerals have this crystal habit.
     The color of sphalerite is extremely variable, and this is probably part of the identification problem. Though usually some shade of brown to nearly black, red, yellow, green, blue and clear sphalerite is known. The colors represent the effects of chemical impurities, generally iron. The percentage of iron controls how dark the brownish hue is. Chemically pure sphalerite is clear (a variety called cleiophane). Translucent red sphalerite is sometimes called ruby jack.
     The streak plate helps even out the color problems. Sphalerite will generally give a pale yellow streak. The hardness of 3 - 4 on the Mohs scale, distinguishes sphalerite from quartz or feldspar. You can scratch Sphalerite with a steel nail, but not with a copper penny.
     Sphalerite breaks readily along a number of regular cleavage planes. Ideally, there are 6 preferred directions of break (the so-called dodecahedral cleavage). While it is not usually possible to count all 6 directions on any particular specimen, an observer will clearly see this is a mineral with at least 4 cleavages. Few minerals have more than three.
     A chemical test is also helpful. When powdered and moistened with weak HCl (muriatic or brick-cleaning acid), sphalerite emits a potent rotten egg odor of sulfur compounds. Kids generally love to do this test. So sphalerite gives many cues to its identity, yet is still viewed as treacherous. Many minerals for which sphalerite is mistaken, such as calcite, fluorite, siderite or goethite, will never emit sulfurous fumes. Among the sulfur-bearing minerals, few have the color, luster, streak and cleavage of sphalerite. Galena, for which it is most frequently mistaken, is always metallic; always some shade of gray, breaks along 3 sets of cleavages as cubes, and never crystallizes as tetrahedrons. Who could honestly mistake it for sphalerite? Poor sphalerite. Sometimes life ain't fair.
     Last fall, I took my mineralogy students to visit the core labs of the proposed Crandon copper-zinc mine in Wisconsin. While viewing a length of core, I pointed out to my students what I thought was an interesting zone of coarse siderite in one of the cores. The mine-site geologist looked at me and said, "Oh, no, that's one of our main ore minerals up here, it's sphalerite." Boy was my face red. The treacherous mineral had struck again!

Reprinted from the Leaverite News 2002, via Rockonteur, August 2005.

  Table of Contents.

THE REALITIES OF ROCKHOUNDING,
By Bernie Mauldin.

1. The best rocks are always found by somebody else.
2. The bigger the rock you find, the farther it is from the car.
3. Never hunt for rocks larger than your wife can carry.
4. The better rocks are up the steeper hills.
5. Don't lick rocks called coprolite.
6. The most good looking and valuable rocks always break during polishing.
7. When you receive the gift of a new rock tumbler, your relatives have already received 25 lbs. of jewelry.
8. At airport searches you always recognize rockhounds. They trip the alarm with large belt buckles, bola ties and 5 lbs. of key chains.
9. Statistically, the only person you can count on living with for the rest of your life is yourself.

From the Green Valley Rocker 7/04 via Del Air Bulletin, September 2005.

  Table of Contents.

Sign in a Veterinary's Office:
     "All unattended children will be given a free kitten."
From The Gringo Gazette.

  Table of Contents.

HINTS & TIPS FOR ROCKHOUNDS,
(Use at your own risk).

Obsidian Tip - Earth Science News Via Dusty Rocks has an obsidian tip. "When grinding and sanding obsidian, always grind from the center outward. Otherwise the wheel and sanding belts will pick up tiny chips of glass that will scratch your stone." From the Lapidary Journal via Del Air Bulletin - September 2005.

Is Jade Tough? - Diamonds are hard but jade is tougher! A diamond will scratch and easily cut jade but a jade hammer will crush a diamond to powder. It is the cross-matted structure of jade that makes it nearly impossible to break. Never fear if you accidentally drop a solid jade cabochon on cement. If it breaks, better check it, it's probably not jade. Via Del Air Bulletin - September 2005.

Safety Hint - Remember to sand wet whenever possible. We know that in most cases dry sanding produces better results faster. But consider the hazards to your health. Many of the materials that we work with are toxic or just plain poisonous. The less dust we inhale, the better. Water also helps keep the shop cleaner. Be sure to clean out the sanding machine after each use. The dregs from wet sanding will dry out and become available for a real dispersion. Dust to Us!! From Golden Spike News via Del Air Bulletin, September 2005.

  Table of Contents.

The Charcoal Kiln Process,
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park,
Near Ely, Nevada.

The charcoal-making process took a total of 13 days and 35 cords of wood (per kiln), from the time each kiln was filled, burned, and then emptied. The wood was hauled by wagon or handcart to the front of the oven, and the process of layering the wood inside the oven began. Once it was filled as high as possible using the front door, the wagons or handcarts were moved to a platform on the backside of the oven. The platform was level with the window above and the layering process was completed. Both openings were then closed off with iron doors, and the wood was set on fire. In September of 1879, the platform burnt to the ground.

Around the bottom of each oven are three rows of air vents. These were used to control the rate at which the wood burned. During the first 3 or 4 days the two lower rows were blocked off with rocks or bricks leaving the top row open. The smoke was watched to make sure the wood was burning at the desired rate. At first, the smoke was white, almost steam-like, in appearance. It would then change to yellow for 36 to 48 hours. The yellow smoke then changed to blue and was timed for 12 hours at which time the top row of vents was closed and the second row of vents was opened. The process was then repeated, after which time the second row of vents was closed and the first row was opened. After this process was repeated one last time, all the vents were sealed and the fire was allowed to extinguish itself.

The oven remained sealed for approximately 3 days to insure the fire was completely out.

Once the kiln had cooled down, the doors were opened and the charcoal was removed by way of the lower opening. It was put into sacks holding one bushel each and hauled either to a holding area or to the furnace at Ward.

The text in this article was transcribed from an historic plaque at the site of the Ward Charcoal Kilns. Steve Mulqueen, July 2004.

(Editor's Note: See the Educational Corner for a drawing of the charcoal ovens.

  Table of Contents.

SHOW DATES.

     The Del Air Rockhounds Club is hosting The San Fernando Valley Gemboree - 2005 on Friday, November 18th - Noon to 9:30 PM and Saturday, November 19th - 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at The United Methodist Church, 9650 Reseda Blvd. (at Superior), Northridge, CA. Take the Reseda off ramp north from the US 101 freeway or south from the CA 118 freeway. E-mail Del_Air_Rockhounds@Yahoo.com or phone Maxine Dearborn 818 883 7851.
     There will be exhibits, displays, Dealers and Demonstrators, silent auction (with materials collected over 15 years ago), Food and Unique Holiday Gifts. Admission and parking is FREE. This is a show for the whole family.

2005 CFMS SHOWS.

SEPTEMBER 23-24; SAN BERNARDINO, CA - Orange Belt Mineralogical Society, Western Regional Little League Park, 6707 Little League Drive. Hours: Fri. & Sat. 9-6, Sun. 9-4. Mike Woolery (909) 882-6806. Email: ROCKPIK98@aol.com.
SEPTEMBER 24; LOS ALTOS, CA - Peninsula Gem & Geology Society, Rancho Shopping Center, Corner of Foothill Expressway & Springer Road. Hours: 9:30-4:45. Dave Smith (650) 967-7392. Email: rdsmeks@sbcglobal.net.
SEPTEMBER 24-25; DOWNEY, CA - Delvers Gem & Mineral Society, Downey Women's Club. 9813 Paramount Blvd. Hours: Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-4. Earl Liston (562) 865-1348. Email: ejliston5@juno.com.
SEPTEMBER 24-25; MONTEREY, CA - Carmel Valley Gem & Mineral Soc., Monterey Fairgrounds, 2004 Fairgrounds Road. Hours: Sat. 10-6; Sun. 10-5. Sky Paxton (831) 755-7741. Email: sky@familystones.net, Web site www.cvgms.org/.
SEPTEMBER 24-25; SAN DIEGO, CA - San Diego Lapidary Society, Bernardo Winery, 13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte. Hours: 10-4 both days. Kim Hutsell (619) 294-3914. Email: sdlapidary@yahoo.com.
OCTOBER 2; FALLBROOK, CA - Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Society, Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Museum, 123 W. Alvarado Street. Hours: 10-4. FGMS Board; Email: FGMS@tfb.com, (760) 728-1130.
OCTOBER 8-9; GRASS VALLEY, CA - Nevada County Gem & Mineral Soc., The Nevada County Fairgrounds, 11228 McCourtney Road, Main Exhibit Hall. Hours: 10-5 both days. Cliff Swenson (530) 272-3752.
OCTOBER 8-9; LAKESIDE, CA - El Cajon Valley Gem & Mineral, Lakeside Rodeo Grounds, Hwy. 67 & Mapleview Street. Hours: 10-5 both days. Peggy Bowery (619) 561-1823. Email: Docsgirl9@aol.com.
OCTOBER 8-9; TRONA, CA - Searles Lake Gem & Mineral Society, 13337 Main Street. Hours: Sat. 7:30-5, Sun. 7:30-4. Bonnie Fairchild (760) 372-5356. Email: jbfairchild@verizon.net.
OCTOBER 15; WEST HILLS, CA - Woodland Hills Rock Chippers, 22700 Sherman Way (101 Fwy. Off at Fallbrook north and right on Sherman Way). Hours: 10-6. Virginia Rotramel Email: show@rockchippers.org.
OCTOBER 15-16; ANDERSON, CA - Shasta Gem & Mineral Society, Shasta District Fairgrounds, Five Miles South of Redding. Hours: 10-5 both days. Alex Stoltz (530) 474-4400.
OCTOBER 15-16; LONG BEACH, CA - Mineralogical Society of Southern CA, Long Beach Convention & Expo Center, 300 East Ocean Blvd. Hours: 10-5 both days. Jason Butts Email: msscshow@hotmail.com.
OCTOBER 22-23; SANTA ROSA, CA - Santa Rosa Mineral & Gem Society, Veterans Memorial Auditorium, 1351 Maple Avenue. Hours: Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5. Shirley Mottson (707) 795-1730.
OCTOBER 22-23; STOCKTON, CA - Stockton Lapidary & Mineral Club 54th "Earth's Treasures Show". San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, Bldg. 2, 1658 South Airport Way (corner of Charter Way & Airport Way). Hours: Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-4. Laure Haines (209) 838-0108 or Jim Dunlap. Email: jimsopals@Comcast.net.
OCTOBER 22-23; WHITTIER, CA - Whittier Gem & Mineral Society, Whittier Community Center, 7630 Washington Ave. Hours: Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5. Jay Valle (626) 934-9764.
NOVEMBER 5-6; CONCORD, CA - Contra Costa Mineral & Gem Soc. Centre Concord @ 5298 Clayton Rd. Hours: 10-5 both days. Bill McKay (925) 439-8195. Email: williammckay@hotmail.com.
NOVEMBER 5-6; RIDGECREST, CA - Indian Wells Gem & Mineral Society, Desert Empire Fairgrounds, Mesquite Hall, 520 S. Richmond Rd. Hours: 9-5 both days. John DeRosa (760) 375-7905.
NOVEMBER 4, 5, 6; EUREKA, CA - Humboldt Gem & Mineral Society, Redwood Acres Fairgrounds, 3750 Harris Street. Hours: Fri. 9-6, Sat. 10-6 & Sun. 10-5. Pat Bunselmeier (707) 677-0131.
NOVEMBER 12-13; LANCASTER, CA - Palmdale Gem & Mineral Club, Fairgrounds @ 2551 West Ave. H. Hours: Sat. 9-5; Sun. 9-4. John Martin (661) 916-9479. Email: pgmc@antelecom.net.
NOVEMBER 12-13; YUBA CITY, CA - Sutter Buttes Gem & Mineral Soc., 442 Franklin Avenue. Hours: Sat. 9-5; Sun. 9-4. Barbara & Charlie Brown (916) 652-4240.
NOVEMBER 11-13; SACRAMENTO, CA - Sacramento Mineral Society, Scottish Rite Temple, 615 H Street. Hours: Fri. 9-6, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 10-4. George Sterpka (916) 984-9730. Email: sterpka@comcast.net.
NOVEMBER 18-19; NORTHRIDGE, CA - Del Air Rockhounds, Northridge United Methodist Church, 9650 Reseda Blvd. Hours: Fri. 12 -9 pm, Sat. 10-5. Julie Marin (818) 886-7190. Email Del_Air_Rockhounds @Yahoo.com.
NOVEMBER 19-20; LIVERMORE, CA - Livermore Valley Lithophiles, "The Barn", 3131 Pacific Avenue. Hours: Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-4. Dick & Joyce Friesen (925) 447-8223. Email: friesenr@ix.netcom.net.
NOVEMBER 19-20; VICTORVILLE, CA - Victorville Valley Gem & Mineral Club, San Bernardino County Fairgrounds, 14800 Seventh Street. Hours: Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-4. Mavis Mushaney (760) 241-8282.
NOVEMBER 26-27; BARSTOW, CA -Mojave Desert Gem & Mineral Soc., Barstow Community Center, 841 South Barstow Road. Hours: 10-5 both days. Bob Depue (760) 255-1030.

AMERICAN FEDERATION / REGIONAL
SHOW SCHEDULE - 2005.

SOUTHEAST FEDERATION,
November 12-13, Melbourne, FL.

SOUTH CENTRAL FEDERATION,
December 2-4, Austin, TX.

  Table of Contents.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Just for the record any unsigned articles are by the Editor. We all enjoy articles from you members. How about writing up your thoughts about the show, vacation experiences, rock-collecting trips, Great Finds or anything of interest to share. Contributions from you members keep the Bulletin interesting and I thank you for them.

Trili - The Editor's Pet Trilobite.

  Table of Contents.

SUPPORT AND PRACTICE
THE AFMS CODE OF ETHICS.

Digging for Words.

Click on this small image for a larger one. Place your cursor on the image and you can enlarge and print it if you wish. (Close the new window to return here.)

Taken from Del Air Bulletin, September 2005.

  Table of Contents.

EDUCATIONAL CORNER.

Definition of the Month.

Charcoal.

     Charcoal is a manufactured fuel source consisting of a dark-colored or black porous form of carbon. Charcoal is made from wood or other forms of vegetable matter. In ancient times, some charcoal was made from the dried bones of animals.
     Charcoal is prepared in a kiln in which a portion of the wood is burned to provide the heat for the baking process while a greater portion is retained as charcoal fuel, allowed to cool and then stored for future use. To make charcoal, large amounts of wood are gathered, transported, stacked and allowed to dry (seasoned wood). Building a kiln to bake the wood may also involve a great amount of labor in order to quarry rock, transport rock, manufacture the cement and to build the structure. The more efficient charcoal kilns were built in a general cone or "beehive' shape (parabolic in cross section). This design would maximize the amount of heat that would be reflected back to the wood that generated the heat and on to the wood being baked.
     Charcoal was an important fuel source used in the early mining industry in the United States. It is still used in many 3rd-World countries. Today, there are many other fuel sources more readily available. Charcoal would provide fuel for steam boilers and provided intense heat for smelting metallic ores. In the smelting process, high temperatures are required in order to melt and/or decrepitate rock that contains metallic minerals and to force the oxidation of metallic sulfide minerals.
     In metallic ores containing native metals such as gold, charcoal provides the heat to melt the crushed rock in order to extract the metal contained within the rock. In ores containing galina (lead sulfide) with argentite (silver sulfide), charcoal provides the heat to liberate the sulfur ions in the mineral so that it can combine with oxygen from the atmosphere to form sulfur dioxide gas. In this violent chemical reaction, sulfur dioxide gas is driven off to the atmosphere while the metals (lead and silver) flow in a hot liquid form to the bottom of the smelter. Intense heat, provided by charcoal, is also required for treating many industrial mineral commodities. An example would be the manufacturing of lime from raw limestone.
     One of the most interesting aspects of mining history is the hard work and tremendous obstacles that had to be overcome in order to produce mineral commodities. The next time you are on a field trip near a mine in the middle of the Mojave Desert, try to imagine the logistical problems that had to be overcome in order to operate a mine in that area. These problems may include: hauling food, water, mining tools, food and water for draft animals, explosives and fuel; building habitable structures, assembling a stamp mill, water tanks, smelter, powder magazine and providing money for paying the miners, cooks, mill workers and teamsters. And most of all, imagine working in those harsh and remote environments. The economy and standard of living we enjoy today is based in part on the successful economic ventures of the past. Mining was and still is an important part of today's standard of living. Our relatively high standard of living is the result of lots of hard work from many generations of people trying to scratch out a living, some in the most remote locations in our nation.
     The "Definition of the Month" features words related to geology, paleontology, mining and desert history. Written by Steve Mulqueen for the VGMS, September 2005.

Illustration of the Month.

Ward Charcoal Ovens.	An illustration from the brochure "Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park", prepared by the State of Nevada, Division of State Parks, Carson City. The "Illustration of the Month" features a drawing, sketch, pen & ink rendering, engraving print or any form or art rediscovered in books, maps, manuscripts and many other sources related to geology,
paleontology, mining and desert history. This illustration was chosen for its educational content by Steve Mulqueen for the VGMS, September 2005.

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VGMS PHOTO ALBUM:
Photos by Avraham Barshai in conjunction with his August Program.

1) Most famous landmark of the King Solomon mine - "Pillars of Solomon" - The valley floor is almost sea level (150') and these go up to 2,600' so are very impressive.

2) A naturally formed "mussel" formation. Water flows around this in the winter. However, the area is very arid in the summer. This is in the King Solomon Mine area. When Abe was there the temperature was 124 degrees! You don't stay out too long!

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Commemorative Stamps,
By Wendell Mohr, Chair.

     The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies is attempting to attain gemstones on U.S. stamps. We need you to actively support and promote the project by continuing letters or notes to the USPS. You do not have to be an AFMS member to write. Please mail the application or personal letter to: The Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, Stamp Development, US Postal Service, 1735 North Lynn St., Room 5013, Arlington VA 22209-6432.

Competition is stiff with about 50,000 proposals to the USPS annually. We are convinced that gem stamps would be attractive. We and the public would use them, keep them, and we would all enjoy their beauty. Don't you agree?

AFMS Newsletter, September 2005.

Web Master: Go to the Commemorative Stamps Form (applications/USPS-commemorative-stamps.htm). When you arrive there use your browser to print it. Don't forget to fill out and mail it. Print some for your friends.

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SUPPORT AND PRACTICE
THE AFMS CODE OF ETHICS.

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