News Nuggets

Newsletter of the Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club

Volume 52 Number 4

The show is over and it was a Success! So, everyone that helped make this show great, give yourselves a big pat on the back!

What things do I consider when I say the show is a success? Lots of things! We got the supplies (tables, chairs, skirting, paper, etc.) and the site in good order. Our crews got the stuff from storage. The set up folks were there to position the tables (which we had to sort by height!) and get them prepped (special thanks to set-up honchos DeMark, Sanders, Reinert). A few more folks to drape the tables would have been good. Sanders got the dealer signs up.

All the dealers showed up, got their dealer’s packets (thanks to Carolyn Wood) and set up in good time. Many of them had wonderful sales. We had a great pot-luck (special thanks to Gwen Poe).

We opened on time and closed about the right times. We had better control of admissions (and people in general) with new signs, badges, etc. thanks to Orlando Garcia and Kimberley Richie.

We had several compliments about our overnight security (thanks all). We had power almost all of the time.

The weather cooperated, and people came. I think this is a function of our excellent advertising (thanks to me: classified ads, flyers, and bus ads, the Attaways: postcards, and Grant Kuck: radio & TV).

The people made most of our dealers happy. Some of the folks came to the Fair Grounds for the motorcycle show and then came over to browse and shop at our show.

The silent auction was a great success (thanks to Dave Moats) in terms of popularity and income.

Hank & Rosemary Miller did a great job with the door prizes and raffle.

Gwen, Bob & Jan Burrows, Suzanne Seymour, and Carolyn Wood kept the troops in coffee and power pills.

No one got hurt.

As far as I know only a few items were stolen and these were small.

Takedown went smoothly and ended early (although we could have used a few more helpers and another pickup). Et hoc genus omne.

Did we end up without any glitches? No. But, no glitch was really terrible. We actually could have used more help during the show.

The show committee will have a detailed post-mortem in the near future. If you have some good ideas, let us know about them.

Well! I certainly can go on (and on and on…). Thanks to everyone that helped and I’ll see you at the next meeting on April 25^th.

Paul Hlava 050411

There are so many things to talk about this month that the best way to begin is just to dive right in. First, the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club is looking for a new Treasurer. Jake Jacobs has been working hard in that capacity since the beginning of the year but is finding his schedule more and more constrained due to time conflicts. Jake has graciously said he'll stay on until we find a new Treasurer and he is even willing to help out that person after that. And since we are already into April we just need someone who can finish the year for us. If you can help, please contact a Board member or me. Thanks.

Do you like kids? Would you be willing to do a program for them just one month out of the year? Maybe lead a field trip once? Assist somebody who is doing the program? Or maybe just organize a list of people who will help out on a month-to-month basis? If you answered yes to any of those questions the Board of the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club needs to hear from you. As you may recall from a News Nuggets from last year, Karl Johnson asked for some help, and the board has been thinking about how to provide that help. Your input is needed. If you can help or if you have some ideas please let Paul Napolitano or me know.

On a more somber note, I have been informed of the passing of one of our club members. I was told that John Tooker was suffering from heart disease and he died in his sleep. I realize in a club like ours that not everybody knows everybody, but I suspect there were a number of people who knew and will miss John. Having lost a father to cancer I know it's not an easy task trying to make sure everyone is informed. Hopefully this will make that job a lot easier.

Well that's enough for now. I hope you are having a good April and I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting. ‘Till then, "Keep looking down!"

Grant

30-1 — KINGMAN, ARIZONA: Show, “Gems of Arizona” Mohave County Gemstoners; The Kingman Academy of Learning, 3419 Harrison; Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-4.

30-1 — LUBBOCK, TEXAS: 47th annual show; Lubbock Gem & Mineral Society; Lubbock Civic Center; Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5.

7-8 — GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO: 58th annual show, “Mesa County Barites” Grand Junction Gem & Mineral Club; Two Rivers Convention Center, 1st and Main.

7-8 — LAFAYETTE, INDIANA: 48th annual show; Wabash Valley Gem & Mineral Society; Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, Teal Road; Sat. 10-5, Sun. 11-4.

7-8 — LOGAN, UTAH: Show and sale; Cache Geological & Archeological Society; County Fairgrounds, 400 South 500 West; Sat. 10-7, Sun 10-5.

7-8 — RENO, NEVADA: 39th annual show, “Jackpot of Gems” Reno Gem & Mineral Society; Reno Livestock Events Center, Exhibit Hall, 1350 N. Wells Ave.; Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-4.

21-22 — SALIDA, COLORADO: Commercial-retail show; Dave Zarecor; Heart of the Rockies Campground, 16105 W. U.S. Hwy. 50. Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-5.

President - Grant Kuck; Home phone: 323-1520; E-mail: gkuck@flc.org

VP-Membership - Kimberly Richie; home phone: 296-8847; E-mail: cattrax55@wmconnect.com

VP-Field Trips - Ron Boyd; Home phone: 262-0053; Email: RGB417@aol.com

Secretary - Suzanne Seymour; Home phone: 877-3621; Email: suzannerox5@aol.com

Treasurer - OPEN -- Howard (Jake) Jacobs; Home phone: 869-1565; E-mail: goldpanjake@msn.com

Historian - Dave Moats; Home phone: 892-8163; E-mail: beepbeep59@hotmail.com

Editor - Paul Napolitano; Home phone: 856-2157; E-mail: tcot@spinn.net

VP-Programs - Kimberly Richie; Home phone: 296-8847; E-mail: cattrax55@wmconnect.com

VP – Programs - Mike Sanders; Home phone: 256-1797; E-mail: mrsande@sandia.gov

Special Events - Orlando Garcia; Home phone: 345-0520; E-mail: jabog02@msn.com

The Club Newsletter; News Nuggets exists to assist the membership in communications and to provide information on club activities. Contributions from all members are welcome on any information that will promote club activities or that would be of interest to club members. News Nuggets is scheduled to be mailed approximately one week prior to the monthly meeting. Mail news, articles or comments to: Paul Napolitano, Editor, 7304 Yorktown, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, or email to tcot@spinn.net.

The Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club was organized on January 22, 1944. The club is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and enjoyment of the Earth Sciences and associated subjects. Its primary purpose is the exchange of information and the furtherance of knowledge of Mineralogy, Fossils, Geology, Rock Cutting and Gem Faceting and to stimulate interest in the development of these studies.

All Meetings are held at the NM Museum of Natural History, Albuquerque, NM. The general meeting is held on the 4^th Monday of the month (unless otherwise announced) at 7:30 p.m. The Junior Club meets at 6:45 p.m. prior to the general meeting. Board of Directors meetings is held at 7:30 pm on the first Monday of each month. (Call for location). The public is welcome to both meetings.

Being a member of the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club does not make you an official of the AGMC. This makes it inappropriate for any member to take on any responsibility or authority for any club activity without explicit instruction from the AGMC Board of Directors.

At a recent AGMC board meeting, it was brought to my attention that some people have troubles with many terms I use in my Mystery Mineral column. This means to me that it is time for me to redefine these terms because a lot of folks in the club weren’t in AGMC the last time I did so. In order to alleviate this problem I wrote a column about the terms ending in -hedron or -hedral for the February News Nuggets.

So this month I’ll concentrate on morphs. This Greek term refers to the shape of an object. It can be used in a number of contexts unlike hedron, which is only used in crystallography. I shall start with crystalograhically-related morphs.

Poly- is the prefix meaning many, so polymorphs are crystals of the same exact composition with different crystal structures. There are many common examples and one of the prime ones is the calcium carbonate series. Calcite is rhombohedral and aragonite is orthorhombic. There is a third polymorph that is quite rare. See if you can find out its name. Oh, there are lots of others – pyrite/marcasite, argentite/acanthite, orthoclase/microcline, and of course, the silica family of high-quartz/low-quartz/tridymite/cristobalite/-coesite/stishovite.

The opposite of poly is iso-, meaning the same (e.g. - Isometric crystals have 3 perpendicular axes that all have the same length and symmetry relationships). Isomorphs are crystals that have the same crystal structure but different cations or anions/anionic groups. There are a number of minerals that are isomorphs of calcite. Magnesite, rhodochrosite, siderite, smithsonite, et alia are all rhombohedral carbonates (like calcite but with different cations). On the other hand, vanadinite, pyromorphite, and mimetite have lead and chlorine but different anionic groups. The general formula is written Pb₅(XO₄)₃Cl where X = vanadium (V), phosphorous (P), or arsenic (As). For REAL fun with isomorphs you gotta luv the garnets with two different sets of cations and lots of combinations.

By the way, there are oodles of isomorphic groups out there -- there are lots more of them than polymorphs. In the back of my less-recent Fleisher’s “Glossary of Mineral Species”, he groups these as mineral families (tourmaline family, turquoise family, garnet family, etc.).

Next time I may tackle the pseudomorphs.

Paul Hlava 050411

President Grant Kuck called the March AGMC meeting to order. He issued a warm welcome to visitors, guests, and new members. A microphone was passed to these folks who introduced themselves and provided a brief bit about how they came to know about us and/or their interest in rocks, gems, and minerals. Welcome all, and certainly we have some new “keepers”. Grant then offered the floor to Paul Hlava for a TOTE Show review.

Paul began by thanking the members who worked in various capacities to make the show a success. These members were asked to identify themselves by a show of hands. After the applause died down, Paul noted a couple of minor wrinkles in the effort. The skirting and papering process that preps the dealers’ tables was understaffed, and the donut supply was a bit skimpy, but at least these issues are easily rectifiable next year. Most of the dealers reported strong sales. A few were more than well pleased and a couple were not so. Forecasting the market in any given year or location is at best an inexact science, but Paul offered some thoughts on what unique market variables exist locally and statewide. Paid attendance for the three days totaled 1560 with the bulk on Saturday at 700. Using the bus panel ad media seems to have been a great choice and it’s anticipated that four strategically weeks next year should be very effective.

Paul is missing a pair of Fiskars (they say “DAD” on the handle). I know he’d like to get them back.

Mike Sanders stood to give out the results of the popular vote on the displays exhibited during the show and relay some of the feedback he experienced. Our own Ray DeMark took First Place for his beautiful and thematically correct display of New Mexico fluorite. Second Place went to Steve and Nancy Attaway for their case on the Hope diamond. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History garnered Third Place for their entry. Fourth Place went to Rex Nelson and John Scully for their display showing what they’ve been up to at their Naciamento claim. Mike and Ray DeMark both gave special tours to school groups on Friday to the mutual delight of all. Teachers were very enthusiastic and will pursue next year (both the Denver and Tucson shows are doing this to rave reviews).

Ron Boyd announced that Tom Massis would be leading the April 23 field trip [see this issue for full details]. The material to be collected here is labradorite that is pale to golden yellow with good potential for faceting. This trip will be an over-nighter. The campground is good, making this ideal for a weekend trip. Incidentally (or not), the x-ray diffraction analysis lab that Paul works with had occasion to analyze some material Tom supplied, and their tests showed it to be solidly in the plagioclase feldspar region. This super silicate is rich in Mg and Fe. Slow cooling formed a rinded depositional form and contributed greatly to the euhedral nature of this material.

Grant gave a brief rundown of the field trip to the Rio Puerco. Because of spotty attendance caused by weather or late News Nugget publication, he asked for a show of hands to see if there was enough interest to try to schedule this again.

Mike Sanders announced the evening’s speaker, Chandler Jones. Before he became one of the migratory species Mr. Jones worked to develop a battery pack used on the Mars expedition, among other projects. Chandler began his program on the minerals of Nova Scotia with map orientation to the Bay of Fundy, particularly the northeast area that hosts the collecting sites. The deposits here are Permian to Traissic in age and at one point were part of Africa. Volcanic activity along the fault lines through successive opening and closing actions, created zeolites and a whole bunch of other stuff: calcite, scolecite, melanite, dolomite, ankerite, pyrite, quartz, chalcopyprite, uvalite, magnetite, copper, azurite, malachite, chabazite, stilbite, and apophyllite. Not only minerals can be found here, but Chandler also found a very nice shrimp of Devonian age and in 1986 a professor or two from Princeton identified a therapod and some fossil trackways. Clams cover some surfaces; both the fossil variety and the fresh live edible kind (someone needs to tell the Rock and Chowhounds of Bosque Farms Club about this place!).

Cliffs that form the shoreline are composed of vesicular basalt and assemblies of basalt ash and sands and are inclined almost vertically (like sliced bread). The annual freeze/thaw cycle, coupled with exceptional tidal changes of 50-60’, liberates the material from vugs and seams and deposits it on the flats. A tidal surge of this order reveals a lot of real estate when it goes out.

Certain minerals can be localized like pyrite on Clark Head; analcime, agate, and quartz/amethyst on the east side of Partridge Island; heulandite at Mc Kay Head on the Brother Islands; and native copper was once mined a mile and a half north of Cape D’Or. Collecting is unpredictable and tricky because of the tides. There is no room for losing track of time or gathering buckets full -- you need to remember that a 5/16 Dacron lifeline hangs over the cliff to help you haul yourself (and what you’ve collected) out of the way of the bay snapping at your heels as the tide comes in.

Chandler had plenty of slides of the locale showing the collecting areas, points of historic interest, and the comfortable campground that is his summer headquarters. He has a special fondness for the local people, scenery, and luscious seafood that sustain him while he’s there. He had a representative sample collection (i.e. his good stuff) with him that we were invited to peruse during the break, and from which he generously donated to the door prize offerings. We thank you heartily, Chandler, for sharing such a unique and exotic collecting locale (<sigh>, how cool would that be?). And thank you for your enrichment of our club.

I have run out of superlatives for the refreshment situation. Was it Rex and Darlene Nelson doing the damage this time?

The door prize situation likewise. In addition to minerals we purchased in Tucson for this purpose we get donations from club members, the families of former club members, and even our guests. Thanks to the communal generosity, we started one or two nice Junior collections, I think. All the winners know who you are. Congratulations to you!

I adjourned myself about 9:45 leaving a dozen or so. Hmm... I wonder if they had to put away all the chairs and tables.

Saturday and Sunday

April 23^rd and 24^th

Pueblo Park in the Apache National Forest

Tom Massis has graciously offered to lead our April field trip. The trip will be a weekend adventure to Pueblo Park located in the Apache National Forrest, Catron County (SW New Mexico near the Arizona border). It's about 225 miles from Albuquerque and it should take about 4 1/2 hours to get there.

Take I-25 south to Socorro, then US 60 west to Datil, then NM 12 to Reserve (206 miles). Continue through Reserve on NM 12 to US 180 (7 miles) and go south on US 180 about 5 miles to a sign that will say Pueblo Park Campground. Go west on this dirt road about 4-5 miles to the campground. We’ll meet Tom there at 10:00 A.M.

This is a National Forest Campground so it is in good shape. It is a great place for kids (i.e., flat and plenty of room). Everybody can spread out. It is at an elevation of about 7000 feet so it will be cool at night and probably very pleasant in the daytime. It is mostly old forest fir trees, very shaded and a beautiful place to return to after the trek to the collecting area.

We'll be collecting faceting grade labradorite that is pale to golden yellow in color. Gem quality pieces up to approximately 100 carats have been collected there in the past. This has been a popular collecting site for over 20 years, so collecting won't be as plentiful as in the past; however, the rains this winter should have helped unearth new labradorite, so prospects for new material couldn't be better.

The best collecting spot requires hiking about 1/2 a mile down a creek bed and then up the side of a hill about 200-300 feet, which could be strenuous for some people. Please know your limits and carry plenty of water.

The labradorite is found loose on the flat surfaces over a wide area. Their yellow contrasts well to the brown volcanic rock out of which it weathers. You only need a rock pick, small garden rake and/or bag for your "treasures" -- the area is surface collecting only.

Be sure to take plenty of water or other beverages – people usually do not take enough. Gloves and kneepads will be helpful for crawling on the ground. Tom will take people to the collecting area both Saturday and Sunday.

Stephanie Melof

It was a dark and stormy night that gave way to a dark and stormy day with clouds and snow flurries that degenerated into rain. That's what it was like in Albuquerque but at the meeting spot for the March Field Trip the sun was shining and there was no snow or rain...okay it was a little windy. Outside of that it was good collecting weather as we visited a site on the Rio Puerco just south of Highway 6 (which intersects with I-25 by Los Lunas).

The place itself was a rough 14 miles from the Highway 6 and I-25 intersection. The last half mile of the sandy road we took had a few bumps in it but Karl Johnson was able to negotiate it in a Subaru but he admits he did bottom out a couple of times. Generally speaking the spot can be reached without 4WD as long as you have clearance.

Seven members showed up for the trip and spent a couple hours at the site. The site by the way is a series of rock-strewn hills and arroyos that stretch along the Rio Grande Rift. I'm told that the Rio Puerco itself extends from the Cuba area in the north to the Socorro area in the south.

Then just to make everything confusing there's the little town of Rio Puerco (in the Rio Puerco) on the old 66 Highway.

Within a couple of hours most members had a bucket of material unless they were really discriminating. I kept telling myself that I would not pick up any more red jasper or yellow chert, but then I encountered a specimen that just seems to catch the sun and... Okay, I still pick them up, but not as much as I used to. Karl Johnson found a beautiful piece of black obsidian and John Reinhart found some interesting sandstone specimens that had been sculpted by wind (and water?) John also found some sandstone/iron concretions in an unusual and striking form. In addition he also found a wonderful piece of chalcedony, which I would like to expose to ultra violet light.

As for the rest of us, we found petrified wood in abundance as well as agates, sandstone/iron concretions, basalt, etc. †In addition, I also found a fossilized shell (clam maybe?) and a pebble of green epidote. The amount of material is amazing and what's also amazing is what can be picked up in such a short space of time. It's an area I'm sure I'll visit again and one I hope the club will too!

Grant

The following is the tentative schedule for field trips this year. Changes may be made, so check the News Nuggets for actual dates and destinations.

May: Harding Mine (and more?), to check out a classic pegmatite and maybe some of the metamorphic minerals in the area.

June: Questa Mine. Tentative at this point. Molybdenite and other minerals can be collected here.

July: San Pedro mine. Annual picnic and some great collecting!

August: Tentatively Crystal Peak, Contin-Tail show, and Ruby Mt. all in central Colorado. More later!

September: Small Fry mine in Rio Arriba Co., or Zuni Mts. Both of these localities are Fluorite deposits.

October: A geologic trip along the Turquoise Trail.

November: Blanchard Claims. Fluorite etc.!

During those summers, I spent many evenings hanging out at Axel Niemi's Gitche Gumee Agate Museum. He operated the museum from 1954 until 1978.† Axel not only infected me with the rock hound bug, but he also influenced tens of thousands of other people.

After working in several different careers, I became a corporate refuge and moved full-time to Grand Marais in 1994 to†co-found a brewpub restaurant. Not long before that, the Gitche Gumee Museum was purchased from Axel, who had left Grand Marais in the early 1980s. When I met Ron Marshall, I asked to see the museum again.† It was unknown to everyone that Axel had never taken anything out of the museum.† Later, Ron offered to sell the museum to me.† After significant renovation to the building and reorganizing of the museum's contents, I reopened the museum on July 4, 1999. Each summer around 8,000 people visit on site along with nearly 5,000 people who visit the web site each month.

A few years ago, I left the brewpub and now split my time between operating the museum in the summer and working as a mineral artist the rest of the year. As I explained at the club meeting in February, this is the first winter I've spent in New Mexico. I was recently juried in to the Nob Hill Gallery and will have my art displayed there beginning in May. My art is also being sold at the Mamma's Mineral store in Albuquerque, and soon will be at their store in Santa Fe.

In January of this year, I also published "Understanding and Finding Agates." I have spent considerable time this winter marketing the book.

Karen Brzys

Someone brought something on Sunday in an oval corning dish. Identify the contents and I will return the dish to you.

Gwen

On your mailing address label on each issue, there is an expiration date of your membership. If you are paid through 2005, there will be an “05”. If you have an “04” on your label, you have not yet paid membership dues for 2005, and this will be your last News Nuggets until your membership fees are received. Thank you.

Karen Brzys

“Think Like an Agate”

The purpose of this talk is to help you think like an agate so that you will be more successful in finding them. Karen will review the agate formation process, describe specific characteristics to help you to identify and find agates, present different types of agates, and talk a little bit about the Lake Superior agate and the Lake Superior region. She will†also display agates, including†most of the specimens that are pictured in her Power Point presentation. Finally, she will donate a few ‘lakers to the door prize raffle.