Volume 51 Number 1

The Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club annually presents two $1,000 scholarships to deserving college students who are have selected a career related to geology or mineralogy. The 2003 recipients were presented their scholarships at the December 6^th Installation and Scholarship Dinner.

Originally from southern California, where she worked fulltime while attending Cerritos Community College, she decided to make a career change and moved to New Mexico to study geology. She has been a student at New Mexico Tech since fall of 2002.

Johanna has worked at the Mineral Museum and has volunteered at the Waldo Mine and the NM Mineral Symposium. She is currently working for a Coal Geologist at the Bureau of Geology and enjoys rock and fossil hounding during her free time. Rocks and minerals have been a lifetime hobby, and she has recently developed an extra zeal for Soil Science and looks forward to a lifetime career in the geology field.

Chloe has lived in New Mexico her entire life. She grew up in Taos and is now a senior at the University of Mexico. She is studying geology and hopes to have a career in geophysics or geologic hazard assessment. She would also like to volunteer for the Peace Corps.

In her "free" time away from school, Chloe is a student intern at the National Forest Service working with GIS. She plays soccer on an Albuquerque city league and Ultimate Frisbee on the UNM women’s club team. Chloe says, "I love New Mexico and try to spend as much time as I can hiking, rock-climbing, and relaxing under the amazingly blue New Mexican sky".

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: Darlene

Happy New Year!  I hope 2004 will be a good one for you and the club.  The AGMC is off to a fantastic start this year with our January Speaker.

If you missed Mike Sanders' talk at the New Mexico Mineral Symposium, you now have second chance to hear an outstanding presentation on mining blue barite in Colorado.  Then beginning in January and going on in February, it's the Tucson Show - "The greatest Gem, Bead, Mineral, and Jewelry Show in the World!"  And in March it's time for our very own Gem, Mineral, and Jewelry Show.  (We may not be the greatest but we are getting a reputation for being the friendliest!)  But more about that at our next meeting and in future News Nuggets.

As you can tell 2004 is off to a good start and with your attention to two items we can keep it going that way.  First please make sure your
membership is up to date.  If you haven't renewed it for this year, just bring 20 dollars (cash or check)to our next meeting give it to nd Kimberly Richie or if it is more convenient you can always mail it to the Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club; P.O. Box 13718 ;Albuquerque, NM 87192-3718.

Secondly please think about being a volunteer.  As a new President I would really appreciate your help.  Our Past President Orlando did an incredible job but unfortunately he also left some big sandals to fill.  So whether it's bringing refreshments, leading a field trip, or helping out with our annual March Show the club benefits greatly from your involvement.  In fact it is your involvement which has made the club what it is today and it is your involvement which will continue to make the AGMC a top notch club.  In the words of J.R. Rockafella, "ask not what your rock club can do for you, but ask what you can do for your rock club!"
Grant   

Jan 28 – Feb 1

Quartzsite Pow-Wow, Quartzsite, AZ

Feb 12 – 15

Tucson Show, Tucson, AZ

Mar 12 – 14

Ada Gem, Mineral and Fossil Club Swap, Show and Sale, Ada, OK

Apr 23 – 25

Wichita, KS

Apr 23 – 25

Midwest Federation Show, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Apr 24 – 25

Lubbock, TX

May 7-9

McPherson Gem & Mineral Club Rock Swap, McPherson, KS

The annual Scholarship and Installation Dinner was on December 6^th and a fantastic time was had by all of the close to eighty people who attended.

Special thanks to all those helping hands…for picking up the meat trays, for taking care of the cupcakes, for bringing name tags and ice, for creating fabulous decorations, for bringing and buying all the great "white elephants"(the club added $288 to the treasury as a result), for bringing such delicious foods, for securing great door prizes, for moving tables and chairs, for setting up the room, for leaving the room in good shape, and - most of all - for showing up. Every single person is a special key to the success of the party. Charlotte arranged for the Great Bodini who was terrific.

The scholarship recipients were delightful, the installation of new officers was efficient, and we have labeled the evening a smashing success. Allen Velsley came from Crown Point, Barbara Bragg and daughter came from Gallup, four guests plan to become members, and the comfort zone was good with younger and older alike.

Ps The malfunctioning coffee pot has gone to re-cycling and the mal-functioning cooler jug is now a tote jug sans spigot. It will be brought to meeting for disposal.

The door prizes at the club scholarship and installation dinner on December 6, 2003 were generously donated by the following businesses.

Mama’s Minerals

1100 San Mateo Blvd. NE

Southwestern Minerals

7008 Central Ave. SE

Thomason Stone Supply

4100 Menaul Blvd. NE

The Cripple Creek Park and Recreation Department has announced its Cripple Creek School of Prospecting to be held January 24-25 at the Cripple Creek Park and Recreation Center. This course will be taught by Steven Veatch, sgeoveatch@att.net, 719-520-6364.

It will include discovering Colorado’s mining heritage; exploring modern mining methods; discovering the basics of rocks and minerals; learning where mineral and gems can be found in Colorado; discovering the fundamentals of paleontology; learning about the basics of geologic and topographic maps; reviewing field and collection techniques.

The course fee is $99.00 and includes all fees, materials, and course completion certificate. Call 719-689-3514. Housing is at the J.P. McGill’s/Midnight Rose Casino (1-800-635-5825). You must ask for the special rate ($49.00 + tax) for the course.

Tonight Orlando Garcia presided over his last meeting of his two consecutive years as President of the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club. After introducing our two guests and one new member, he introduced the new Board of Directors to the 54 people in attendance. There have been no changes since last month’s publication of names and positions. The Field Trip Chairperson(s) position is still in need of a volunteer(s). Gwen Poe went over all the details for our Christmas party into which she and Charlotte Cooper have put a lot of thought and work. This is one of our Club’s really fun events of the year where we have the official installation of the new Officers and the presentation of our two $1000 scholarship awards to a student from UNM and from N.M. Tech.

Ray DeMark reported that there were 40 participants to his Bingham Mine claims. Luckily we were allowed underground (in the #3 adit) as there were sixty mile an hour winds blowing on the surface. Ray also distributed tonight an addendum to the Rocks & Mineral magazines latest issue that had Ray’s article concerning the Bingham Mines. The publishers had inadvertently published two copies of a map and had left another one out. He also had a Water Blaster he was willing to sell at his cost of $100. Ray brought in a flat of microminerals he was giving to members that were collected at the Willow Spring Draw near Cuchillo in Sierra County, N.M. In this flat one could find pseudobrookite crystals, titanite, hematite, magnesia, and hornblende.

Grant Kuck announced that Mike Sanders would be giving his symposium presentation to our club in January concerning the Stoneham blue barite location where he and several of his friends, using heavy equipment, dug and found spectacular pockets of blue barite crystals. Grant then introduced tonight’s speaker, John Scully. John, of course, is our Club’s Webmaster in which he has been doing a spectacular job. Tonight John would be showing us his slide pictures he took earlier this year while on a mineral purchasing expedition into Brazil with other dealers.

John is now able to pursue his dreams as he retired in November of ’97 after spending 28 years working for the Federal Government in management and executive roles in the Department of Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, and NASA. He says he spent the last and best four years of government service with former Vice President Gore’s reinventing government effort and the National Academy of Public Administration’s Alliance for Redesigning Government. He has been a rockhound since he could crawl and returned to this first love as his kids graduated from college leaving him with a little money in his pocket. He moved to New Mexico to pursue his love in our wonderful outdoor and free environment. He still has the enthusiasm of a little boy towards mineral collecting and sells minerals and fossils at club shows and on the internet. His website is www.feraloldguy.com.

John contacted Dave Douglas, a fellow dealer and participant in our March Show, who would lead a handful of people to the Minas Gerais area in Brazil on a 2,200 kilometer mineral buying trip. They were there at the end of July and into August so it was winter but you couldn’t tell it with the summer clothing everyone was wearing at a latitude nearer the equator than we are. One of their group was able to act as their Portuguese translator as they traveled through the country. They found the people very friendly and mineral and gem shops a-plenty in virtually every town. The people would swarm around each one of them vying with each other to make a sale. Maybe 30 to 40 people would surround each one of them and all trying to sell something. John said it was almost scary. Usually the initial asking price would be ridiculously high but with persistent bargaining they usually would come down significantly in price. Dave Douglas brought minerals to trade but didn’t do as well as Klaus, one of the others in the group, who brought with him very cheap watches (worth about $1 each) and was doing a "land office business" with his trades! One of the towns was Ouro Preto which was very hilly and picturesque having originally been built by slaves centuries ago. Just outside of town was the large open pit Imperial Topaz mine. We were shown some of the operations of this mine and explained that the alluvium was scooped out, hosed down with water and then placed on a conveyor belt where people handpicked the topazes out manually, showing their hands to the company’s camera anytime they picked anything up. There were diggings everywhere along the road leading to the town. The dirt appeared to be very cohesive, as the pictures displayed high vertical or near vertical walls where mining was taking place. John said he was frustrated in not understanding the geologic formations. He took a cute picture of four young children who he got to stand for the photo by waving a $10 Real note in front of them. That is more than most of their fathers make in a week. After taking the picture he gave it to them, much their amazement and delight. They couldn’t believe it and were last seen closely checking the note to see if it was real as they headed back to their soon to be pleased parents. There was one guy they meet early on who followed them throughout their trip trying to sell them a box of tourmalines for $1200. He followed them everywhere even to their table in the lunchroom and always coming down-down-down in price. Other towns visited were Roy Pedras, Governor Valadares, Itaobm, Diamantina, Gouveia, and Divino Das Laranjeras. At this last town was an aquamarine mine with huge tunnels that lead way, way back, up and around. The owner was very friendly and let them look around, not appearing to worry as would be the case in the U.S. with lawyers always waiting for their chance to pounce. Beryls and aquamarines were profuse as were mineral shops and gargantuan show rooms displaying huge quantities of quartz crystals, botryoidal lepidolite, tourmaline and all the other minerals the area is famous for. Pictured was one beryl two inches thick and five inches across and emeralds one inch across! Beryls are cheap in Brazil. John initially came looking for tourmalines and ended up with emeralds, hematite roses, beryls, aquamarines, quartz scepters, smokey quartz, rose quartz, & epidote. In the town of Corinto he found cut quartz with included crystals, not to be confused with phantoms. After eleven days of travel and adventures in very inexpensive but good food and booze and spending $2900 (including air fair), it was time to fly back after a nervous passing of customs with all the goodies. This dollar amount did not account for the many more dollars spent in mineral purchases. He brought with him checks, cash and credit cards that where accepted. John said that the street dealers most of the time don’t know what they have. One dealer offered him a beautiful beryl for $10 and John said he became the "fastest draw in the west" getting his wallet out. Cherry picking pays if you have the time. He advised to look for lot-deals and bargain, bargain, bargain.

The AGME position for Vice President in charge of Field Trips has not been filled. If you are willing to assume this responsibility, please contact Grant Kuck.

Until the position is filled, club members are asked to act as facilitator/coordinator for individual trips. The currently

planned trips are listed below. If you are willing to sponsor a trip, please sign the sign-up sheet at January’s meeting.

FEB: Rex Nelson – Banner Mine

MAR: Vacant

APR: Vacant

MAY: - Vacant

JUN: - Vacant

JUL: - Kimberly Richie – San Pedro

AUG: Vacant

SEP: Vacant

OCT: Vacant

NOV: Ray DeMark – Blanchard

DEC: Vacant

As you can see, the club needs your help desperately to make this year’s trips a success.

Forty club members showed up for the Blanchard Mine field trip on Saturday, the 22^nd of November. Wind was the operative word for the trip. Gusts up to 60 mph occurred on top of the mountain, and the winds blew continuously during the day. A saving grace for the day was the opportunity to collect underground (and get out of the wind). Groups of collectors were rotated in and out of the Sunshine #3 adit, which at 460 feet is the longest adit on the property. Getting in and out of the adit is somewhat of a challenge, as you have to climb through a small metal door that wasn’t designed for easy access. This little impediment did not, however, deter our hardy group of collectors. Soon, the area was reverberating with tapping hammers and specimens were coming forth. Galena, fluorite, barite, and gypsum specimens were quite common, and occasional specimens of linarite and brochantite were found.

Comments from club members indicated that lots of nice specimens were collected and a good time was had by all.

The February field trip is currently in the planning stage. The primary site of interest is the Lordsburg Mining Company holdings in the Lordsburg Mining District (St. Cloud Mining Company). The problem is the availability of the supervisor during the weekend in question. This will be a long, possibly weekend trip for most, since it is over 300 miles away.

This is a closed area and if entry is arranged, a tour of the old "Banner Mine" by one of the last supervisors will be the main treat. Release forms will be required and available at the next meeting.

The alternative for the Lordsburg trip is the "Desert Jewel" scepter claim at the Mule Creek area. This would be another long – possibly weekend trip. The Jewel is another closed area open only for club members during this trip.

The FOUNDATION is probably concrete (limestone, clay, shale, gypsum and aggregate mining).

The EXTERIOR WALLS may be of brick (clay mining) or stone (dimension stone mining).

The INSULATION in the walls may be glass wool (silica, feldspar and trona mining), or expanded vermiculite (vermiculite mining).

The INTERIOR WALLS are usually wallboard (gypsum mining).

The LUMBER will be fastened with nails and screws (iron ore and zinc mining).

The SEWER PIPING is made of clay or iron pipe (clay mining or iron ore mining).

The WATER PIPE is of iron or copper or aluminum (copper mining or bauxite mining).

The ELECTRICAL WIRING is of copper or aluminum (copper mining or bauxite mining).

The SANITARY FACILITIES are made of porcelain (clay mining).

The PLUMING FIXTURES are made of brass (copper and zinc mining) or stainless steel (nickel and chrome mining).

The GUTTERS are made of galvanized steel (iron ore and zinc mining).

The PAINT is manufactured with mineral fillers and pigments (from minerals obtained from mining).

The WINDOWS are made from glass (trona, silica, sand and feldspar mining).

The DOOR KNOBS, LOCKS AND HINGES are brass or steel (copper, zinc and iron ore mining).

Finally, the MORTGAGE is written on paper made from wood or cloth fiber, and fibers with clay (clay mining).

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.

It is a hydrated and hydrous borate of sodium and calcium so it is obviously an evaporite mineral. It is triclinic with perfect cleavage in 2 non-perpendicular directions. Colorless or white and translucent to transparent. It has a fibrous, satiny, to chatoyant luster, Sp. Gr. of 1.95, and a hardness of 2.5. This mineral occurs in acicular/fibrous/capillary habits, often in compact fibrous masses.

What is the name of the mineral?

Who is the mineral name for?

What is the mineral’s rock shop nick name?

Why did it get this nickname?

What causes this optical effect?

What is the mineral used for?

What minerals might it be associated with?

Why did I say this mineral is hydrated and hydrous? (This looks like a redundancy but it is not.)

Localities – (Just list the famous/important ones)

--NM –

--USA –

--World –

What is the name of the mineraloid? Opal

What is the origin of the name? Sanskrit – upala meaning stone or precious stone.

What is the name of the colorless variety? Hyalite

What is the name of the special, optical property some of this mineraloid displays? Play of Colors. NOT opalescence! That is the milky aspect of the stone.

What causes this optical effect? Diffraction of light by perfectly aligned, uniformly sized spheres of anhydrous silica surrounded by hydrous silica. (As you all remember from my talk on color mechanisms.)

What is the name of the ordinary stuff? Potch

What is the mineral used for? Jewelry. Diatomite, the microscopically porous rock formed from the opaline tests (shells) of diatoms, is used as a filtering medium and insecticide.

What minerals might it be associated with? Chalcedony for sure. Most opal is precipitated by meteoric waters and can be associated with a lot of common minerals. Some opal is precipitated from hypogene hydrothermal solutions and can be associated with ores of gold and mercury.

Localities – (Just list the famous ones)

--NM – Jemez Mtns

--USA – Virgin Valley, NV; Stanley, ID, OR, CA

--World – AUSTRALIA!, Mexico, Brazil, Canada (British Columbia), Ethiopia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey, Indonesia, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.

According to a research at Cambridge Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer inwhatoredr the ltteers in a word are, the only iprmoetnt thing is that thefristand lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses andyoucan still raed it wouthit porbelm. This is bcuseae the human mind deosnotraed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe.

The pyramids of Egypt contain enough stone and mortar to construct a wall ten feet high and five feet wide running from New York City to Los Angeles?

For transporting material from one part of the country to another, rockhounds are almost as good as glaciers.

Need used lapidary equipment. If you have any for sale or know of someone with used equipment, please call Phil Hontz at 505-293-8778.

Mike Sanders and Frank Bendrick

Mike Sanders will give a presentation on a July 2002 mining operation that was conducted for blue barite mineral specimens at the famous Stoneham, Colorado barite locality. This is an excellent talk with beautiful mineral slides and an easily understood discussion of the geology of the area. Do not miss this talk.