News Nuggets

Newsletter of the Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club

Volume 49 Number 8

Augustus Caesar clarified and completed calendar reforms begun by Julius Caesar. August became the first month with 31 days and was renamed after Augustus. August’s birthstone is peridot, "gemstone of the sun." Peridot, with It’s association with the sun may have led to the belief that peridot could dissolve enchantments and banish evil spirits.

We’re going to be busy from now till the end of the year so let’s banish the enchantments and get down to business.

‘stuff’ on our table. Invite them to a meeting, tell them about our programs and field trips. Basically, act like you would like to see them if they do come to a meeting.

Field Trips We still have four to go!

The picnic/fieldtrip at the San Pedro was almost perfect (lots more on that inside).

It’s not as large as the Tucson show in February but it will still exhaust you even if you just do the main show in the Denver Merchandise Mart. There are shuttle busses to the hotel shows every 15 minutes so you park for free at the Mart then take free shuttles to the other shows. What a deal! The $5.00 entrance fee to the Mart is for both the gem show and the fossil show, which are in separate areas of the building.

President/Editor- Orlando Garcia

Home phone: 345-0520

e-mail: jabog02@msn.com

Past President- Jim Winchell

Home phone: 831-6135

Cell: 401-4111

e-mail: galleryofminerals@home.com

VP-Programs - Grant Kuck

Home phone: 323-1520

VP-Field Trips- Kimberly Richie

Home phone: 296-8847

Home phone: 822-8715

e-mail: RayDeMark@msn.com

VP-Special Events- Hank Miller

Home phone: 255-7218

e-mail: rgmhgm2@quest.net

e-mail: beepbeep59@hotmail.com

Treasurer- Lloyd Keller

Home phone: 889-9357

Ad Hoc Board- Paul Hlava

Show Chairman

Home phone: 255-5478

e-mail: pfhlava@sandia.gov

Membership- Gwen Poe

Home phone: 247-1533

e-mail: gwenpoe@swcp.com

Club Historian: Tom Katonak

Home phone: 898-5592

e-mail: tkatonak@macconnect.com

Jr. Club: Carl Johnson

Home phone: 344-3178

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 prior to the monthly meeting. Mail news, articles or comments to: Orlando Garcia 1028 Solar Rd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107. E-mail: jabog@rt66.com

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. The general meeting is held on the 4th Monday of the month at 7:30 pm The Junior Club meets at 6:45pm prior to the general meeting. The public is welcome to both meetings. Board of Directors meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the first Monday of each month. (Call for location).

Julie and I went to the ContinTail show in Buena Vista, CO. on the 10th and 11th of August. Doug St. Pierre had told me it was a fun tailgater’s show and it met and exceeded my expectations. I was told that there were 185 dealers and it sure felt like miles of dealers were out on that hot county fairgounds. Other than the heat, there was every imaginable type of mineral specimen, tool, rough, etc. Here is the place to buy from and talk to the miners themselves. This one is a definite must see and is about a 6 hour drive from Albuquerque.

We are going to start taking mineral donations to add to our door prizes and to stockpile for the silent auctions for next year’s show in March 2003. Our show’s silent auctions are a major revenue source and we are always in need of donations. Some specimens can also be used in the silent auction at the New Mexico Mineral Symposium in November. We will have tax receipts for your donation records available. If you have any thoughts on this matter, call me or any officer with your opinion.

Special thanks to Jerry Simmons and Mr. & Mrs. Baca for allowing us to use the San Pedro mine location again this year for our picnic.

It's time once again to be thinking about selecting new AGMC officers for the next calendar year. Can YOU take time out of your schedule to volunteer your services? Do you know someone who would be good at doing one of the important jobs in your organization?

One of our "big holes" to fill this year is the treasurer position. If you have any experience in bookkeeping or accounting and can spare the club a little time each month, please contact us.

I've appointed Dave Moats and Tom Katonak to the Nominating Committee again this year. Call them or drop them a note with your ideas!

19th Annual Gem & Mineral Show

August 31, September 1& 2, 2002

Silver City Recreation Center

11th & Gold Streets

Over 30 dealers. Tailgaters too!

Sponsored by the Grant County Rolling Stones Gem & Mineral Society

New members and guests were introduced including the Katonak’s friend from China who is their source of spectacularly fine Chinese minerals.

Gwen, as Membership Chairperson, is the person to contact if you are not getting your News Nuggets as she will make the necessary arrangements. Tonight she had our updated membership list for everyone to review for errors and to note if you didn’t want your name or other information published. She will be printing up 30 to 40 copies for initial distribution to interested members.

Kimberly reported that nearly all arrangements have been made for our upcoming, much anticipated annual picnic on June 27th at the San Pedro Mine. She had several minerals on display, collected last year from this location. She says we are expecting about 75 people to attend. Jerry Simmons, as the Mine Caretaker and speaking on behalf of the owner of the property, has asked that no pets be taken on this trip. Gates will be locked upon entering the property and no one will be able to access the area after that time and we will be leaving in mass about 3 p.m. Exceptions to this will have to be worked out with

Kimberly and Jerry. The next field trip will be the Ray’s Small Fry claim near Abiquiu, N.M.

Hank sent a sign-up sheet around for people to volunteer 3 hours of their time at our club’s desk promoting our club during the State Fair’s three weekends. For this good duty you get free parking and admission to the Fair and get to meet a lot of people that may be influenced into joining our club. This is an exercise to introduce people to the Club and get new members so when they do come to our meetings make them feel welcome by introducing yourself and speaking with them. Hank is also looking for people to act as Judges of the mineral/fossil exhibits.

Jim Winchell announced that his new Earth Science Auction Web Site is going to be up and running by August 15th when the first auction is slated to be held. He is offering a free one-week classified ad to registered bidders each month as well as Q&A Bulletin Board for relevant mineralogical discussions. For details talk to Jim and check out his web site at www.galleryofminerals.com.

For our tonight’s program, Grant made a very clever and witty introduction of Mike Potts and Tom Katonak, fellow club members who presented us with "Do Batopilas or Trip Two: In Quest of the Silver - An Adventure in

Barranca del Cobre." Their trip into the Mexican state of Chihuahua and to the towns of Santa Eulalia, Creel, Batopilas, Nueva Casas Grande and several other towns was a highly entertaining presentation of two adventurous guys. About 18 km south of the border there is a customs stop where they had to do a lot of paperwork for the various required forms and had to stand in five different lines, paying money at each one to accomplish all these formalities. Their next stop was in Santa Eulalia where they got separate rooms at a very reasonable price for a room with basically only a bed. That night they heard noises thru the air-conditioning vents (connecting adjacent rooms) that they thought must have been an exciting TV program. They came to a different conclusion the following morning when they found themselves the only occupants of the establishment and a sign advertising a room for only 100 pesos for three hours! Being a little chagrined upon realizing their situation and not wanting to give any false impressions, Tom hid himself on the floor boards as they departed this fine establishment. Winding their way along the cobble stone streets of the town they contacted their guide, Alfredo, who would take them into the San Antonio Mine. Leaving their car parked near the

mine was not a concern as Alfredo assured them that everyone in town knew it was theirs and wouldn’t bother it. That would be bad business. Accessing this mine via a very narrow, near vertical hole using 6 cables and 9 ladders to level 12 with Alfredo leading the way using a carbide lamp (batteries would be too expensive) they encountered a huge natural cavern whose walls were covered with crystals of aragonite and calcite! Most of this material fluoresces green. Alfredo, thankfully being very familiar with this mine, was able to direct Mike and Tom clear of potential hazards such as advising them which boards were safe to walk on and which weren’t, etc. Starting back out at about 1 pm they found the climb back up in the hot but dry conditions to be very difficult, especially with the full packs. Back in town, where mining equipment is ubiquitous, they began searching for and finding mineral stores where dealer Jose Nunez had for sale lots of mimetites and other minerals for their review. The north side of the valley was observed to be honeycombed with caves that are now used as cool areas to store food. Also observed were long stone walls demarking parcels of land that extend over steep hills and valleys that must have taken much time and effort to construct. The next town they

spent time investigating was Creel where they encountered speed bumps 4 or 5 inches high and if hit at even five miles an hour could do damage to the car. Painted totem poles were erected in town and tourists were in abundance amongst the Taramara Indians who make up about ½ the population. Traveling the 175 km to Batopilas took about 4 ½ hours, along the way encountering the very scattered habitations of the Taramara Indians. In fact a notable observation was that you can travel for miles and miles seeing no sign of human activity and then all of a sudden you will see a person or burro with no other signs of human activity nearby, posing the question: where did they come from and where are they doing? Copper Canyon, deriving its name from the general color its volcanic rock imposes from a distance, was accessed by a very narrow, winding, dirt road which is used by infrequent two way traffic. In those instances everyone comes to halt and decisions have to be made as to who would back up to a suitable wide spot and get out of the way of the opposing traffic. Copper Canyon is a little deeper than our Grand Canyon but the areal extent is about seven times that of the Grand Canyon with seven major rivers making up the canyon. This April temperatures were in the low 90’s

in the canyon while in the 70’s on the rim. Plant life was tropical in the canyon with flowering cactus, bananas and other fauna showing vibrant red and yellow flowers. One or more bridges that needed crossing had noticeably rotted planks and holes and in one pictured instance a shrine at one end making one wonder if one should make the proper supplications before, during, or after crossing or all of the above! It was noted that there were many marihuana fields nearby that appeared to be a cash crop for the area. The villages in the area date from as early as l632, established by the Spanish in their search for earth’s riches. The area here represents one of three major silver producing areas in the country with about 350 silver mines. In the canyon village of Batopilas they searched for a hotel and ended up at the "Juanita" Hotel, so they named after the proprietor. This nice establishment was found serendipitously when Mike’s car wouldn’t start and all the dash lights were blinking ominously after the long, dusty and bumpy several hours ride. Fearing the worst they knocked on the door of the above establishment seeking help. Well, as fate was on their side the proprietor’s brother knew something of the mechanical wonders of the modern auto and after careful inspection, pronounced his

evaluation of the situation as being only a bad battery. To his skeptical observers he proceeded to procure a battery from a nearby truck and install it for a test. Voila! It worked! And then would you believe, another miracle, just around the corner in a grocery store, they were able to purchase a new battery for $52 bucks. So, paying this gentleman his fee of $10 for this invaluable service they then rented two of his sister’s rooms for $50. It was the "best hotel in town" and this man the best mechanic in town. After making inquires about where they could purchase silver mineral specimens they found two or three old men who really did not want to sell any of their specimens as all are highly prized. All were very evasive but finally one produced some specimens hidden at the bottom of his food freezer. They were stored in jars and the specimens showed only small indications of any silver hidden in the calcite matrix. They were purchased, at no small expense (the miners know their value), with the hope of finding silver after dissolving the matrix in acid. Our duo then began their return trip home via Mata Ortiz. It was a logging town about 30 or 40 years ago, but about 15 or 20 years ago a potter decided to see if he could make pots in the old Indian tradition which included hand painting and etching. He was so successful that

now there are about 350 potters in this town. Virtually everyone there is connected with the pottery industry and their works are highly sought after and comparable in quality to pieces seen in our states Indian markets. Mike and Tom bought numerous pieces at excellent prices. After arriving home, they spent much time carefully using HCl acid to etch away the calcite matrix from the silver but not all the matrix as it is needed to hold the crystals in place. Then they used another method to brighten the silver crystals, many of which were on display and some for sale at tonight’s meeting. Thanks guys for giving the 75 people present at tonight’s meeting an armchair adventure most would never be able to experience in person!

Orlando called for a break in the meeting, at which time we were able to see in person some of these magnificent silver crystals, have some refreshments and talk about what we had all just vicariously experienced. After awhile the meeting was called to order and twelve door prizes were drawn, after which the July 2002 General Meeting was closed.

Dave Moats, Secretary

The field trip for August will be on Saturday the 31st to the Small Fry Prospect in Rio Arriba County. This is a fluorite location but calcite, barite, and some zeolites may also be found. Fluorite at this location is found as purple reniform (botryoidal) masses in altered Tertiary volcanics. Fractures in the rock have been predominantly mineralized with fluorite and calcite, but barite xtals are also found associated with both types of veins. About 1,000 tons of handpicked fluorspar containing more than 65% CaF2 was shipped from these deposits to a flotation mill at Los Lunas, New Mexico.

To reach our meeting point, take U.S. 84 north from Santa Fe, through Espanola (en route to Abiquiu). We will meet at 9:00 a.m. just west of the intersection with NM 554, which is about three miles east of Abiquiu. There is a small store there with a large parking lot in front. From there, we will proceed north on NM 554 for 4.1 miles (from the Chama River bridge). To reach the prospect, we must cross a barbed wire fence and hike about ¼ mile. Much fluorite and calcite can be found on the

surface but a rock hammer and or pick would be useful. Chisels and digging tools might also be of use.

Driving time to the meeting point is a minimum of two hours and there are no facilities or water in the area of the mine. En route to the Small Fry prospect on U.S. 84, we will pass through a road cut between mile markers 197 and 198. The road has been cut through a basalt flow and zeolites can be collected. This is called the Del Oso River zeolite location. Harmotome, levyne, chabazite, thomsonite and a couple of unknowns occur here. Barite xtals can also be collected. I will discuss the geology and mineralogy of the area more thoroughly at the Small Fry prospect.

-Ray

July 27, 2002

If numbers are a guide, the San Pedro mine Field Trip and annual picnic was a huge success. Kimberly registered 75 on our club forms, but Jerry Simmons said he had 88 signatures on his release forms! In any case, there were 40 vehicles in our caravan. After our rendezvous at 9:00 a.m. we

traveled east for about a mile to the site of the historic mining village of San Pedro (now gone). Jerry gave a very thorough presentation on the mining history of the San Pedro mine accompanied by enlarged and matted historical photographs and a rare stock certificate issued in 1881. An additional treat was a trip agenda and a listing of minerals to be found at the San Pedro mine. Jerry had copies for all our members!

We proceeded to the slagheap at the mine and consolidated vehicles for the drive up to the Apex Pit area (Garnet Ridge). As in the past, everyone collected excellent andradite garnets. Gwen Poe collected a beautifully marked horned toad, which of course she released after showing it around. Speaking of wild life, Jerry said a cougar ran up the hill just ahead of our group on our way to the garnets! On the way back down to our lunch/picnic/rock swap, we stopped at the Old Spanish cut for a brief history by Jerry and some discussion of the mineralization and ore deposits.

The picnic was terrific. It seems everybody brought food to pass and we even had homemade ice cream! My compliments to all the contributing club members and

particularly the ice cream maker. There was some mineral swapping/selling, but most people seemed to be more interested in eating. Jerry introduced Frank and Sally Baca, the owners of the San Pedro mine and presented them with a mineral specimen compliments of the AGMC for allowing us on their property.

Following lunch, we loaded up the back end of the pick ups and headed up hill to the dumps from the Old Spanish mine. Additional garnets (some with chrysocolla and malachite) were collected along with a few specimens of laumontite and some tremolite. About 4:00 p.m. we headed back to the picnic area to load up vehicles for the trip out. On the way out, we stopped at the Carnahan (Lincoln-Lucky) mine to search the old dumps for rare minerals. The portal to the Carnahan mine has been bulldozed shut aand dump material has been pushed down ventilation shafts effectively closing all underground access. Some nice specimens of hemimorphite were collected and I did see specimens of smithsonite calcite, rosasite and chalcophanite as well. One very nice stalactite "finger" of chalcophanite was collected. Most everyone was on their way home by 5:30 p.m. A great trip due in large part to a lot of

preparations by Jerry Simmons. Thanks Jerry!

P.S. Our very own Mike Sanders wrote a very nice article on the San Pedro mine in the Nov/Dec 1992 (Vol. 67, No. 6) of Rocks and Minerals magazine. It contains some nice color photographs as well.

-Ray

Our speaker at the August 26 meeting will be Jerry Simmons.

He will give a talk on what collecting was like at this classic site before it was closed to collecting.

This is a symposium of the Friends of Mineralogy, and other agencies to be held at the Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado September 7-10. The symposium precedes the Denver Gem/Mineral Show, September 13-15. All interested persons, amateur and professionals interested in the geologic occurrence of gem minerals are invited.

Symposium registration is $30. Saturday evening banquet is $25, field trips are $35 each trip,

need to register by August 15. Registration fees can be sent to FM, Colorado Chapter, P.O. Box 5276, Golden, CO 86401-5276. For more information call Pete Modreski at 303-202-4766.

This deadline had already passed by the time I saw this in the Obsidian Observer. Call Pete anyway to register. -OG

A newly revised membership list will be available at the August 26 general meeting. If you cannot attend this meeting please call Gwen Poe or myself and a copy will be mailed to you.

A record number of club members went to the July picnic and collecting trip (88 by last count). The Baca’s were gracious hosts and invited us to come back next year.

Bobbi Shelton sent a not of thanks to the folks who provided oxygen and emergency cell phone calls when her mom was overcome by a combination of the heat, wrong medication and altitude. Her mom was in the hospital for four days. First thing she did at home was go through her bag of garnets. Rockhounds !!

Field Trip August 31 2002

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August 26 Meeting- ‘Once upon a time in the Sierra Blanca’ - Jerry Simmons will speak on collecting on Sierra Blanca before this area was closed to collecting.

The Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club meets on the 4th Monday of every month (May’s meeting is on the 20th due to Memorial Day falling on the 27th) except December. All meetings are held at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Sciences. The meeting begins at approximately 7:30 PM. There will be a short business meeting prior to the evening’s talk, which begins at approximately 8 PM.

Refreshments and door prizes will follow immediately after the talk. We have the room till 10:00 PM.