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 6:30 p.m. prior to the general meeting. The public is welcome at both meetings.

Board of Directors meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month. All club members are welcome.

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. You are cordially invited to mail news, articles or comments to:

Jay Penn

2324 Alvarado NE

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110

el.chivo.viejo@earthlink.net

Instructions for entering the Members' Page are provided in the new member packet.

Though the calendar says that summer is winding down it seems that the monsoon has only just begun. And it’s quite likely that all the erosion from record breaking rain has revealed some new treasures in tired old collecting spots so I sure hope you can take time to get out there and investigate. Just remember to be smart and safe. Avoid swiftly rising water and if you haven’t gotten the message about mine safety from recent tragic events, remember that nature’s engineering trumps man’s engineering every time and is less predictable… so avoid abandoned mine openings. Content yourself with the freshly washed tailings and live to tell us all about it.

Summer’s end has always been an exciting time for me. I love cooler weather, I loved going back to school, and I really love Fair Time! I get a kick out of seeing all the exhibits and collections put together by hobbyists and amateurs from all over the state. So much to see. And you can see it all for free!!! By volunteering to staff our AGMC table for a few hours at the State Fair you will be rewarded with free admittance and free parking for a full day at the fair. What a deal! And it’s fun too. So many people are thrilled to find out about us or want to talk about the cool things they’ve found. It’s one of our best opportunities to reach out to the community to share who we are and what fun we have. John Reinert is organizing this year’s effort and will be passing around the sign-up sheet for staffing at the August club meeting. If you can’t make the meeting but wish to volunteer call John [299-0732] as soon as you can to select the time slot that works best for you.

Well as always lots of great opportunities for all of us are in the offing. Read on and discover what they are.

Suzanne Seymour

The meeting was called to order by President Suzanne Seymour at 7:40 p.m. She welcomed new members and guests.

Grant Kuck reported on the annual picnic at the Section 21 Mine on July 21, 2007, indicating that about 30 people attended and that the food, of course, was great.

Jay Penn, the newsletter editor, requested that additional members try receiving the newsletter by email, in an effort to save costs.

John Reinert spoke regarding tables at the state fair, which runs September 7^th through 23^rd. Entry dates are August 30^th, 31^st and September 1^st. The categories to be judged will be minerals, fossils and lapidary. Additional information can be obtained on line at NMExpo.com.

Grant Kuck outlined the next field trip, which is scheduled for August 25^th at the Globe Mine near Petaca (north on U.S. 285 from Española to La Madera, near Ojo Caliente). There will be no underground collecting. Searching can be done in the dumps next to the road. Additional surface collecting might also be done at the Coats Mine, just past Petaca. Members should bring their digging tools, rock pick, chisel and sledge and wrapping material.

Upcoming shows were announced, including: August 9^th–12^th the "Contin-tail Show" in Buena Vista, Colorado, where there will be free camping (dry) available; and the Silver City, New Mexico, show on September 1^st through 3^rd.

Paul Hlava introduced himself as the speaker. He presented a very informative and colorful program on "The Materials Known as Gemstones."

The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m. for refreshments and door prizes.

Submitted by Janey Johnson, Secretary pro tem

There is going to be a Club Membership Roster available for distribution within the club. The board has had several requests for this and at the June 25th general meeting there was an overwhelming consensus of the members present that a Club Roster would be appreciated.

If you don't want your name and/or phone number on this, call Amy Penn, 883-4195, by Aug. 17.

The Membership Roster will be printed and available beginning with the Aug. 27th general meeting. I can email it to you, but we won't snail mail this roster.

Amy Penn

The September general meeting will be a silent auction instead of the typical invited speaker format. This auction is so that the club can convert no longer needed and donated items to cash for the general fund.

Some of the items are: 1) rock tumbler with grits, 2) trim saw with two attached grinding wheels, 3) rough & slabbed rocks, 4) display "pony" case, 5) books, 6) misc. rocks and minerals, 7) 5 yards of fabric 8) etc. etc. etc.

If you have any items that you would like to donate to the club for this auction please bring it to the September meeting or contact: Suzanne Seymour, Amy or Jay Penn, or Rex Nelson. (See Board of Directors roster on page 2)

Jay Penn

If you find yourself cleaning out your rock pile, I mean "mineral collection", please remember the junior table at the AGMC TOTE Show. And on field trips, don't hesitate to pickup some specimens that aren't good enough for your collection but would be great for a young person's collection. We are gathering donations throughout the year. You can bring donations to the general meetings or call Jay Penn at 883-4195 to arrange pickup.

The juniors thank you.

If you have computer access and are still receiving the News Nuggets via US mail please consider letting us deliver it via email. You will receive it a week earlier, and save the club money, and it means less work for your board of directors.

If you can help out contact Amy Penn with your email address. (See Board of Directors roster on page 2)

Thank you,

Your Board of Directors

PS. We are getting very good at this, so if you are hesitant because of past bad experience, please let us try again. You can always switch back if it doesn't work out.

It's getting to be that time of the year. The 2007 State Fair will run from Sept. 7th through the 23rd. To those of you who plan to compete or just show off your specimens the entry dates are Aug. 30 and 31, 8:00AM to 6:00PM. and Sept. 1. , 8:00AM. to 5:00PM.

Each of you is responsible for your own entries. There will be two and probably a third display case. Space will be available on a first come first served basis. All entries are to be picked up on Sept. 24th. Good Luck!

There will be thousands of fair goers stopping at the displays and table sponsored by the AGMC. We hand out rock and mineral specimens and explain to the public about our club. There will be handouts.

Our table needs to be manned each of the three weekends of the Fair. (Nine hours per day and each three hour shift has two people.)

Sept. 8th. & 9th: 9:00 to noon, noon to 3:00 and 3:00 to 6:00

Sept. 15th, & 16th: 9:00 to noon, noon to 3:00 and 3:00 to 6:00

Sept. 22nd. & 23rd: 9:00 to noon, noon to 3:00 and 3:00 to 6:00

Those who volunteer will get their parking passes and entrance passes free. If you are interested, call me at 299-0732 and let me know what your shift preference is. The sign up sheet will be at the next meeting also. This is really a lot of fun!

John Reinert

The next field trip is 25 August and is to two pegmatite sites. Both are reclaimed or at least sealed mines. The Globe Mine is the primary collecting target but if enough club members are interested we will continue to the Coats just outside of Petaca. Both are in the Petaca Mining District.

The ball plan is this. We will gather at La Madera between 9:00 and 9:30 AM at the intersection of NM 111 and NM 519. To get to La Madera take US 285 North from Espanola to just north of Ojo Caliente and exit on NM111. Continue on NM 111 for about 5 to 6 miles to La Madera.

The general list of minerals to be collected are as follows. Globe Mine: mangano and ferrocolumbite, monazite and muscovite. Coats Mine: manganocolumbite, monazite, fluorite, biotite, spessartine garnet, and apatite or beryl. Please read the article about the Globe Mine by Ray DeMark in this issue of the Nuggets.

The usual collecting tools and lots of water will be appropriate with ample paper to wrap specimens. The adits and shafts are closed but waste piles abound and occasional outcrops exist. Some shade is available but sunscreen will be needed.

See you there. Rex and Grant

Crystals- Everything is made of them (well---almost everything)

Bring your test kit, journal, and favorite crystal specimen to share.

Questions? Contact Jim Hill or Earlene Shroyer (See Board of Directors roster on page 2)

_________________________________

Asteroid Impact over Sahara Desert

Our speaker for the August 27 meeting will be Sandia National Laboratories physicist Mark Boslough. Discover magazine has recognized work done by Mark as one of the "Top 100 Science Stories of 2006." Boslough’s Red Storm computer exercise that modeled an asteroid impact with the atmosphere over the Sahara Desert is featured in the January 2007 issue of the magazine. He also described in a documentary telecast on the National Geographic Channel the conditions that would have been required to create desert glass like the piece that is the central jewel in King Tutankhamen’s pectoral jewelry.

Mark developed a simulation that suggests a 400-foot-wide stony asteroid slammed into the Earth’s atmosphere at 12 miles a second and exploded. For 20 seconds, the resulting fireball would have been hot enough to melt quartz on the ground, creating the glass that can still be found in the desert.

"I had stumbled into the debate by accident in 1996, when I attended a conference in Bologna on the subject of the 1908 explosion of an asteroid or comet that knocked down nearly a thousand square miles of trees in Siberia," said Boslough.. "I stayed an extra day to attend a meeting about the desert glass, where I argued that similar — but larger — atmospheric explosions could create fireballs that would be large and hot enough to fuse surface materials to glass," he says. "Much like the first atomic explosion generated green glass at the Trinity site in 1945."

I’ve been working with Mark for a number of months to get him scheduled for a date for this talk (he’s a very busy guy!). Please plan to join us to hear about this very cool project!

Mike Sanders

One subject that often comes up concerning mineral collecting is the "ethics of collecting." This is especially true when collecting on someone's personal mine or claim. This article addresses that subject.

As club members we are "hobby collectors". This means that we collect for personal pleasure, recreation, and interest. If you dig out your samples or specimens with hand tools and carry them away unassisted, you are probably a "hobby collector".

The following rules apply when collecting on a personal claim or mine:

The specimens collected should be for your personal collection. The specimens may also include material collected to give as gifts or to trade with friends or club members.

The amount collected should be below any designated amount (poundage, value and so forth). If you aren’t sure, ask the field trip leader or the claim owner before you begin collecting.

You should have no intention of selling collected specimens.

Museum or exceptional quality pieces belong to the mine owner unless otherwise stated. If you are not sure, show the specimen to the owner. This rule applies to exceptional pockets or to "hot spots".

Rex Nelson

_________________________________

This section is for the not for profit exchange of goods and services between club members. For profit (stock in trade) items will not be published. Deadline for submission to the current month's issue is the 2nd Monday of the month at 12 noon. Submit to editor. (See Board of Directors roster on page 2)

None this month

________________________________

The following is solely the opinion of the editor------------today.

I might change my mind tomorrow.

I have no opinion this month.

Four people gathered in a forested area near the Section 21 Mine for the AGMC field trip and picnic.  However as the picnic wasn't till the next day they simply enjoyed the great outdoors by camping out.  The next day they were joined by about 26 other club members who came prepared to have a great time.  Even though the pits and shafts of the Section 21 mine had been filled in there were still nice pieces of fluorite to be had by just looking in the dumps.  Members found blue and green pieces with some both blue and green. The best specimens though, with more intact crystal faces could be found by digging.  The best specimens of the trip were collected by John Reinert and his son Mike.  They dug up quite a number of good sized pieces with dark blue crystals.

Somewhere around 1 in the afternoon people started disappearing from the collecting area and re-gathering by a collecting area of another kind.  Two long tables were laid out end to end and covered with food.  Another two tables held coolers with ice and all the drinks.  AGMC members were able to collect green beans in matrix (I think laymen call it a 4 bean salad), Sandwiches with seams of bologna and cheese, and salad conglomerates with all kinds of fruit.  In addition there were bean dishes, (Jim Hill made a real good one - ask him for the recipe), a dish with cucumbers, roasted green chilies, cheese crunches, and much, much more.  The most common specimen collected during the picnic was watermelon.  On a hot July afternoon it really hit the spot.

People tended to grab chairs and eat in the shade.  As they finished some members got into swapping rock and mineral specimens.  Some of the younger members even tried to sell some of the rocks they found that day.  John Scully gave some specimens to the kids who then started selling that too.  At one point four kids, who were dividing all the sales, made $1.25 each.  Later they were up to $3.40 each.  I asked them what they were going to do with all that money.  One of them told me, "buy more rocks!"

A special thanks to everyone who participated and an extra "Atta-boy!" and "well done!" to Jay and Amy Penn for hauling tables, coolers full of ice and all those drinks.  To John Reinert for also hauling tables.  To our President Suzanne Seymour for not only coming early but holding down the fort with Amy on Saturday by signing people in and watching all our stuff while members left everything behind to see if they could make their fortune in fluorite.  To John Scully, Rex Nelson, Earlene, and everyone else who brought specimens for trade or sale.  And finally an extra big "Thanks" to Rex Nelson who contacted the forest service and procured the group use permit.  Rex also came early to clean up the picnic area, posted the signs to make it easier for people to find their way around, and even came out to check on the area prior to the picnic.

Til the time, keep looking down!

Grant Kuck

Aug 25, Globe Mine near Petaca

Sept, 29, Questa Molycorp Mine

Oct 20, Turquoise Trail Geological Tour

Nov 24, Blanchard Mine at Bingham

Dec 8, Potluck Christmas Party

Questions? Contact Grant Kuck or Rex Nelson (See Board of Directors roster on page 2)

The Globe mine was the principal producer of the Alamos group of mines which included the Little Julia, Julia No. 1, Sunnyside, and others. This group of mines lies within the Petaca district and was operated primarily for mica. The Globe mine had an estimated production of 80,000 pounds of plate mica, 5000 tons of scrap mica and 5000 pounds of columbite. The mine produced hand-cobbed mica in 1953 and scrap mica from the late 1950s up until at least 1965.(1)
The Globe mine was the only patented property in the Petaca district. The mine is located in the NE ¼, NE ¼ sec. 36, T. 26N, R. 8E and is accessible by a gravel/dirt road from NM 519.

Up until recently the underground workings were accessible via a decline at the south end of the property. The Abandoned Mines Program has closed the portal with storm duct and a bat grate. Collecting, however, is possible from the dumps which are extensive. Muscovite, albite and microcline are ubiquitous and can be found throughout the area. Albite occurs as sugary masses or lustrous, lamellar plates (clevelandite) and is mostly white. Microcline is generally orange to brick-red in blocky masses. Ferrocolumbite, manganocolumbite, and monazite are generally considered the most desirable minerals to be collected. Ferrocolumbite is found in blocky feather-like crystals that may be several inches long, up to an inch wide and less than 1/8 inch thick. They usually occur in the albite but occasionally occur in microcline. Manganocolumbite crystals are black and usually blocky or tabular and almost always found in the microcline or as loose single crystals. Monazite is a cerium phosphate and occurs as tabular to blocky, brown to brown-red crystals. It usually contains some thorium which is radioactive and thus often has a "halo" of orange, radiation-damaged rock surrounding the crystals. Green masses of anhedral fluorite can be found on the dumps. This fluorite contains yttrium and fluoresces a cream color under short wave uv. Blebs of purple anhedral fluorite also occur on the dumps. Beryl, samarskite, limonite and apatite have been reported from the Globe but are rarely found.

Ray DeMark

Reference
(1) Jahns, R. H., 1946, Mica deposits of the Petaca district, Rio Arriba County, N.M. New Mexico Bur. Mines and Min. Res. Bull.25

We received the following response to an email asking for information on the field trips hosted by the Silver City club at their show Sept 1-3. See "Upcoming Events in the Southwest".

Howdy,

We have a field trip leaving each day (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) from the Show parking lot at 9:00 a.m.  None of the trips are very far, and you can easily be back in town by noon if you choose. The trips are free, and it's not necessary to preregister, but participants must sign a liability waiver.  I haven't scheduled which day we will go where, but the three locations include:

1) Our Bear Mountain Geode Claim.  Here you can dig for rhyolite balls (thundereggs) with banded agates inside, usually black, gray, white, and clear, sometimes colored with reds and yellows. It is possible to find actual hollow geodes lined with crystals, but they are less common.  It is also possible to collect cutting and polishing material in the roads and on the surface.  There are also fossils in the area, but are harder to find now.

2) Ft. Bayard orthoclase crystals.  This site has white orthoclase feldspar crystals ranging from about 1/4 to 1 inch, some nicely formed with twins or double terminations.  They are mostly on the surface and in the washes, but can be hammered out of the matrix.

3) Saddlerock Canyon marcasite, marcasite is an iron sulfide related to pyrite, in this case occurring as gold-colored sprays in dark gray limestone.  It is a fine stone to cab and polish for jewelry.

Depending on whether or not it has recently rained (a distinct possibility!) these sites can be accessed by most vehicles, but high clearance could be an issue for Bear Mountain and Saddlerock Canyon.  Parking for the orthoclase is right off the pavement.  Trips may be canceled if it is raining at the time of departure.  Always bring plenty of drinking water, and snacks or lunch, if you choose. Rock hammers will be useful, and perhaps a shovel at Bear Mountain.

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to email me.  Hope to see you there.

Kyle Meredith

Bruce Walker, Mine Geologist for Questa Molycorp Mine has gracefully consented to provide us with a tour of this world class mine on 29 Sept, 9:00 am-3:00 pm, as well as provide us with some mineral collecting opportunities, molybdenite being one of them. We will be required to wear long pants, boots. Safety glasses and hard hats are also required so bring your own if you have them. Extras will be made available for the few who don’t bring them. Gloves are desirable also as rocks can easily fall down on your hands. The minimum age in the past has been (9) nine years old and I will check before the next issue of the Nuggets to make sure this is correct.

This mine is about 3-3 1/2 hours drive from Albuquerque. We will meet at the mine’s Administration Bldg for a briefing at 9 AM sharp so allow plenty of time to be prompt.

Drive north of Espanola on NM68 to Taos and continue north from Taos on NM 522 to Questa. Travel east from Questa on NM 38 towards Red River. The cutoff to the left is about 3 1/2 miles east and across from the Goat Hill Campground. Follow the road uphill to the Admin Bldg. Be sure to ask questions at the briefing.

A more detailed article will follow in the next Nuggets.

See you there, Rex and Grant

Here are events located in NM, TX, OK, CO, UT, and AZ for as far ahead as there is space available. You can get more comprehensive lists at: www.rockngem.com/showdates.asp

www.lapidaryjournal.com/cal1.cfm

Aug 17-19--Tahlequah, OK: Swap, show and sale; Tahlequah Rock & Mineral Society; Tahlequah Community Bldg., 1st St. and College; Fri. 9-5, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 10-4; free admission; demonstrations, children's booth, live auction; contact Sara Brasel, (918) 458-0801, or Maxine Woods, (918) 456-8198.

Aug 25-26--Jasper, TX: Annual show; Pine Country Gem & Mineral Society; VFW Bldg., FM 2799 and FM 1747, 9 miles west of Jasper; Sat. 9-5, Sun. 10-5; adults $2, students free; displays, dealers, jewelry, gemstones, rocks, fossils, minerals, polished and faceted stones, findings, jewelry, demonstrations, door prizes, silent auction; contact Sharon Kerr, (409) 384-3441 or (409) 489-0487; e-mail: seadigest@aol.com.

Sept 1-2--Arlingtin, TX: 50th annual show; Arlington Gem & Mineral Club; Arlington Convention Center, 1200 Ballpark Way; Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; gems, jewelry, beads, SCFMS convention, annual Rolling Rock meeting; contact Karen Cessna, (817) 860-5232, Rick Kupke, 2004 N. Meadow Way Cir., Arlington, TX 76015, (817) 465-5270; e-mail: rickkupke@nwiis.com; Web site: http://tses.org.

Sept 1-3--Silver City, NM: 24th annual show; Rolling Stones Gem & Mineral Society; Recreation Center, 11th St. and Gold St.; Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-5, Mon. 10-4; free admission; field trips, exhibits, more than 40 vendors, silent auctions, live demonstrations; contact Judy Allen, 16 McKinley St., Silver City, NM 88061, (505) 388-4054; e-mail: Show@stockmanfamily.net.

Sept. 6-9, Tucson, AZ - Gem & Lapidary Wholesalers, Inc. Holiday Inn Palo Verde/Holidome, 4550 S. Palo Verde Rd. 6th-8th, 10-6; 9th, 10-3. 601-879-8832, fax 601-879-3282, info@glwshows.com, www.glwshows.com.

Sept. 7-9, Tucson, AZ - Crystal Myths, Inc. Fall Tucson Best Bead Show. Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. 7th-8th, 10-6; 9th, 10-5. Lewis or Jennifer Wilson, 505-883-9295, crystalmyths@msn.com, www.crystalmyths.com

Sept. 8-10, Grapevine, TX - Southwest Jewelry Show. Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, 1501 Gaylord Trail. 8th-9th, 10-6; 10th, 10-3. Janisue Rigel, 972-660-3831, janisue@southwestjewelryshow.com, www.southwestjewelryshow.com.

Sept 12-16--DENVER, COLORADO: 3 shows, (see web pages listed above for details)

A few folks emailed me that they read the Mystery Mineral and try to decipher the mineral names. Email me at hpf5@qwest.net and let me know your guesses by copying the Questions below and answering them. This includes AGMC members and everyone else who reads "News Nuggets". I have been gratified by folks responding that they WORK at these minerals. Good, that IS the idea. This way you learn about them.

The Game Plan – I will describe a mineral and you have to guess/decipher/research the name of the mineral and the answers to the other questions asked about uses, history, notable facts, etc. I expect the Top Guns in the club to be able to guess the name off the top of their heads. The learners will need a reference book or two. You will benefit most if you do not ask others for the answers but work it out for yourselves. When you have decided on the name you can compare notes with others or wait for the answers to be announced at the meetings or published in the News Nuggets. Good luck and have fun.

Last year I discussed minerals that are named for geographic localities. This year I thought I’d concentrate on minerals named for some physical property that they possess.

This month’s MM is an important rock forming mineral of magmatic and pegmatitic rocks. It is an triclinic, usually white or clear but can be gray, greenish gray or bluish green, vitreous, Sp. Gr = 2.62, H = 7, cleavages - 1 perfect and 1 good @ ~94 degrees.

What is the name of the mineral?

What is the origin of the name?

What is the name of the platy variety?

What is the origin of that name?

What is it mined/used for?

What metallic element(s) is(are) present?

Besides oxygen what other non-metallic elements are present?

Do you have some in your collection?

In NM –

In the USA –

In the world –

What is the name of the mineral? Barite or barytes if you are British

What is the origin of the name? From the Greek baryos for heavy

Where is/was this stuff mined in NM? The Hansonburg district

What is it mined/used for? A lot is used in drilling mud to help buoy up the drill pipe. Also the major source of barium.

What metallic element is present? Barium (same root)

Besides oxygen what other non-metallic element is present? Sulfur, barite is barium sulfate.

Do you have some in your collection? Most of you should.

In NM – Hansonburg district

In the USA – all over but CO, NV, & OK come to mind.

In the world – all over, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, England, etc.

OK. Trick question! What is heavier, a pound of feathers or a pound of gold? (They are NOT the same.)

Paul Hlava

NEXT MEETING: Monday, August 27^th, 2007. The Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club meets on the 4^th Monday of the month. All meetings are held at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, 1801 Mountain Road NW in Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The entrance is on 18^th Street. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. There is a short business meeting prior to the evening’s presentation, which begins at approximately 8:00 P.M.

Our speaker for the August 27 meeting will be Sandia National Laboratories physicist Mark Boslough. Discover magazine has recognized work done by Mark as one of the "Top 100 Science Stories of 2006." Boslough’s Red Storm computer exercise, that modeled an asteroid impact with the atmosphere over the Sahara Desert, is featured in the January 2007 issue of the magazine. He described the conditions that would have been required to create desert glass like the piece that is the central jewel in King Tutankhamen’s pectoral jewelry. (Editors note: See "AGMC This Month" for this article in entirety.)

Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club

Jay Penn, Editor

PO Box 13718

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87192