News Nuggets January 2009

Volume 56 Number 1

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 PM

"Turquoise: Natural or Otherwise"

by Dayton Simmons

The presentation will focus on the fact that well over 95% of all turquoise currently available on the market is not NATURAL, which is defined as turquoise that is hard enough to cut and polish as it comes out of the ground. This includes rough material, cut cabochons, beads, carvings and finished jewelry. The vast majority of said material has gone through one of several hardening processes to make it commercially viable. Become aware of the various turquoise treatments, learn about discerning natural turquoise from treated material and have an opportunity to see and tell the difference.

Dayton Simmons, a native of Kansas City, has been involved with turquoise since he set his first piece at age 12 in 1975, never realizing at the time how deeply connected he would eventually become with the wondrous gemstone. 20 years later, he moved to Santa Fe, NM to become a turquoise trader. He established his business, Silver Day Trading Co, and has never looked back. Miners, mentors, and teachers of all sorts have provided a most unique education for Dayton - a degree not currently available at any institute of higher learning, even GIA. He is currently involved in the industry as a surveyor of gem grade natural turquoises and fine turquoise jewelry, a miner, an expert repairman of antique American Indian jewelry and an educator on various aspects of turquoise.

Happy New Year !!!

This is a momentous date in time, not only for myself, but for our Club. This month is the 65^th anniversary of the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club and I’m honored to be the 71^st President of the club.

In 1944 the Club dues were $1.00 for adults and $.50 for students.

Today: $20.00 per household.

A 1960 newspaper clipping (undated) entitled "Gem Club Gives U. Scholarship" states:

"The Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club has established a scholarship of $150 to be given annually to a University of New Mexico student majoring in geology with special interest in mineralogy.

According to John F. Beavers, president of the club, this year’s recipient will be named within the next few weeks.

The Gem and Mineral Club’s interest in the university is one of long-standing, Beavers explained. The organization meets in the Geology Bldg. about twice a month and its honorary members list several professors of the geology department including Dr. Stuart A. Northrop."

24 Oct 1960 newsletter - A scholarship of $150.00 has been presented by the club to the University of New Mexico. It will be given to a deserving student in the school of Mineralogy or Geology and under the direction of Dr. S.A. Northrup and Dr. A. Rosenzweig of the Geology Department.

13 Jan 1964 News Nuggets - Our Scholarship was raised $50.00 this year which makes it a $200.00 Scholarship for 1964.

Today: Two $1,000.00 scholarships. One for New Mexico Tech and one to UNM.

These are some of the changes that your Board of Directors have made over the years. There are too many to list.

I am very lucky to have a group of tireless and knowledgeable members on the board. They make my job a lot easier. There are many things the Board and I would like to improve on.

All officers, chairpersons and committee members are volunteers. So when you sit beside a Past President, Board or Committee member, say Hi and thank them for a job WELL DONE!

There are two persons that I would like thank this month.

1) Dave Moats. Dave is the keeper of the club archives. All of our club records are sent to him. That includes: Field trips, speakers. financial records, door prizes, refreshments, scholarships, News Nuggets, memberships, and on and on and on.

2) John Scully. John is the club’s Web master. Our web site is very important to our club in the sense it lets the world know we are here and what we are about. There will be some changes and additions to our website.

If you have pictures of specimens that you found on one of our field trips or of members on said trips to send to Dave or John; PLEASE include the following information: Where (members are or specimen collected), When (date of trip), Who (is in the picture), What (are people doing or name of mineral). Pictures to go on our web site should be sent to John Scully in .jpg format.

Last of all, thank your fellow members FOR LIKING ROCKS!

John D. Reinert/President

All memberships expired Dec 31, 2008. Dues are still only $20 per household for 2009.

The membership form is near the end of this news letter as well as on our web site. You can print a copy and fill it out ahead of time to renew at the general meeting or mail it to: AGMC, PO Box 13718, Albq., NM 87192-3718.

PLEASE: We need ALL THE INFORMATION on the form FILLED IN for insurance and/or club purposes. Yes, even if you filled out all the information last year.

The February issue of the News Nuggets will be the last issue sent to households that have not renewed their membership for 2009.

You may have heard that the annex where the Junior Club and Board of Directors meet would not be available to us anymore. Well, after the museum's new management took over plans changed and we will have use of the annex "until at least August".

So if you are a Junior Clubber they will be at the same place and same time as always.

For those wanting to attend the board meetings, where all club members are welcome by the way, they will be held at the same place but one hour earlier than last year (i.e. at 6:30pm on the 1st Monday of the month).

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Our Treasures of the Earth show is quickly approaching and it's time to make your plans for the silent auction – whether you are donating, selling or buying.

Donations: We need donations to sell at the club tables. You can take them to the silent auction area beginning Thursday night at the pot luck dinner. Most of the tables get sold in advance to dealers and club members so your donations of a few better pieces rather than large numbers of the same thing are much better for the club. While your donations are greatly appreciated, we don’t need flats of scrap material.

Selling: Selling at the silent auction is a great way to offload some of your excess material - it also makes money for the club which is a good thing.  You can expand your collection by purchasing flats of material for a good price, keeping the best for yourself and selling off the remainder for enough to pay your table cost and recover your cost of the whole flat.  Minerals for free!

You can buy a six foot section of lighted table for $20 per auction.  There are three auctions per day of the show and you or a representative needs to be at the table during the auction (limit of two adults per table, please).  You can sign up for table space on a first-come basis beginning Thursday night at the pot luck dinner.  You will need to pay for the table in advance in order to reserve it.  See Rex Nelson or Jim Van Loan to sign up.

Buying:  Because of the way we now do the silent auction, there is often some really nice material available at great prices.  You should try to attend as many of the auctions as possible to see what is offered. Whether you are working at the show at auction time or not, it’s worth the trip to attend every auction if you love a bargain!

Thanks for your support.

The Silent Auction Staff:  Jim Van Loan, Grant Kuck, Jim Hill and myself, Rex Nelson

Saturday, November 22nd was a day that Goldilocks would have liked. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right - right for collecting rocks and minerals, that is. To that end an army gathered around 9 in the morning just east of the Bingham Rock Shop on US-380. I say army because there were 99 members of the Duke City’s best rock hounding organization, the pride of New Mexico, the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club. Members came armed with rock hammers, sledge hammers, pry bars, chisels, safety goggles, and the grim determination to find treasure.

Shortly before 9:30 Ray DeMark led the troops into the field. Stopping at the base of the Oscura Mountains he briefed us on the history of the Hansonburg mining district, variously known as the Bingham Mine and the Blanchard claims. According to Melinda Crow in The Rockhound’s Guide to New Mexico, the district is among New Mexico’s premier collecting localities and is also generally considered one of the finest collecting localities in the United States! (A very big thank you and tip of the hat to Ray DeMark who so graciously shares this treasure year after year with the club. Thanks to his generosity members enjoy an incredible privilege and Ray doesn’t charge the club a cent.)

Preparatory to our reconnoiter of the area, Ray briefed the troops on what we could expect to find. After reminding everyone how dangerous the area was, Ray then led a convoy to the collection site up in the mountains. Once a parking spot high up in the Oscura Mountains had been secured the 99 members of the club went in 99 directions. Well actually, Ray did lead a contingent underground to do some collecting. And in the opposite direction, John Reinert and his son Mike went to the top of the mountain to do some surveillance work in a number of dump piles.

With an army of rock collectors swarming the area the minerals didn’t stand a chance. Rachel Shroyer (daughter of Earlene the Co-VP of the Junior Club) is said to have found a really nice piece of linarite. Roy Greiner came across some really nice fluorite cubes. Unfortunately they were on a boulder too big to carry. But after several blows from a hammer a portion of the big rock was persuaded to go with him. Besides the abundant fluorite, members also found specimens of brochantite, chrysocolla, galena, malachite, and quartz.

Unfortunately in one instance the rocks did fight back. While collecting underground Jim Hutchinson stepped on a rock that rolled out from under his foot pitching him head first to the floor. Fortunately Jim was wearing a hard hat and glasses without which it could have been much worse. Another thanks and tip of the hat goes to Anita Willard (the club’s VP of Programs) who when not a humble rock collector is a professional nurse. Anita was able to clean the head wounds and put some disinfectant gel on them before covering everything with a gauze bandage. The end result for Jim was about 12 stitches in an emergency room.

Jim’s story is what Ray DeMark, Rex Nelson, and many others have been reminding us when we collect. In some places it really is dangerous to be collecting. In Jim’s case he took every precaution, wore the right safety equipment, but in his own words, "it could have happened to anyone." Long time club member Paul Hlava said it was the worst accident that he has ever heard of on any field trip. Let me just echo Ray and Rex in saying what we do is dangerous and danger does not always happen to somebody else. Remember the old TV show Hill Street Blues? After briefing all the policemen on their assignments the last words of the Sergeant were, "Let’s be careful out there!"

Since this is my last report as Co-VP of Field Trips I just want to thank the club for the opportunity to serve in this capacity and a really big thank you and tip of the hard hat to my rock collecting pal, Rex Nelson, whose experience and in depth knowledge formed the basis of all those field trips, over two years, that were enjoyed by those who attended them. I also want to thank you for your being part of the Duke City’s best rock hounding organization, the pride of New Mexico, the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club!

Grant & Rex

PS Keep looking down! And let’s be careful out there!

The November Jr. Club meeting was dedicated to exploring the fossil preparation laboratory at the Natural History museum annex, and was attended by 13 Jr. Club members. We first visited the fossil prep lab this past April, so this was an opportunity for our newer Jr. Club members to see the lab. A special thanks to Larry Reinhart and Lanois Neely for letting us view the lab and telling us about what they do there, answering all of our questions, and even letting us touch several of the fossilized bones. A special treat was getting to see the bones of a recently discovered Oreodont, which was found at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. This Oreodont was a hoofed mammal that is distantly related to camels and pigs, and is over 10 million years old!

NEWS FLASH!!! The Jr. Club will continue to meet in the Natural History museum annex at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of the month. We will meet again on January 26, 2009, and begin a new year with lots of fun and, of course, lots of rocks!

Earlene Shroyer

Oops, I guess nobody took the minutes.

As I recall we toured the fossil lab, trimmed rocks and elected the board of directors for 2009.

Submitted by the editor

Dear Friends.....

Special Thanks to each of you for making the Holiday Party such a success.  The set-up, the callers, the door prizes, the decorations, the auction, the action, the FOOD, and especially the attendees, were fabulous.  I liked the hugs and kisses.  Let's keep rockin'.

See you in March at the Show... Gwen

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This year’s picks by NM Tech and UNM were there to receive their awards, enjoy the eating, greeting, and the shopping. Niranjan Khalsa, NM Tech, and Stephen Soltero, UNM animated the table with their enthusiasm and delight at having been chosen to receive our support. These two great students make it a pleasure to do our encouraging work in scholarship, and remind us of our collective power to foster excellence. And they had fun too, thanks to the lively program so ably orchestrated by Gwen Poe and crew. They were good sports when the ex-President lost the checks and fumbled the handoff and were made to feel welcome by many. Following are printed their acknowledgements to my contact emails. In fairness to Niranjan Khalsa, my note to her did not contain the request for a brief bio that I expressed in my note to Stephen Soltero, so hers, while short, is certainly no less gracious and heartfelt. Thanks members, for keeping this program going, we are all the better for it. Here are the letters…

Suzanne Seymour

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Hi Suzanne!

I wanted to touch base with you and informally introduce myself. First I would like to thank you and the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club as a whole for your continued support of Earth Sciences. You've been a community pillar, and a great asset to the students of Earth Science for over 50 years, and I'm honored to be the recipient of this year's scholarship.

A brief introduction of myself: I'm a New Mexican native who had the pleasure of growing up in the East Mountains where I fostered an appreciation for the outdoors and its many wonders. My Mom, having been amazed by an introductory Geology course at UNM, was eager for me and my sister to learn about our geologic diversity, and as such, frequent visits to New Mexico's geologic wonders and our local Natural History Museum were summer staples. I attended Cibola High School where I had the opportunity to take my first Geology class under the tutelage of Robert Welch who introduced me to basic concepts of Geology and instilled a greater thirst for Earth Science knowledge.

My choice to become a student of Earth and Planetary Science should have been an easy one given my background, but like many Freshman I was overwhelmed with possibilities! I tried a little Chemistry, became interested in Sociology and Political Science (both of which remain as hobby interests today), before finally settling on Environmental Science. I was/am very interested in Atmospheric Science, and quickly devoured the climatology tract of the Envi Sci degree leaving me with very little else of interest. I settled on Mineralogy which counted towards my Envi Sci degree expecting an interesting, albeit potentially boring class, but was pleasantly surprised with the results (in particular studying hand samples, and internal crystal structure)! I decided to take the subsequent Igneous/Metamorphic Petrology course and was hooked.

I am extremely happy with my choice to become a student of Geology, and my knowledgeable, friendly, and easily accessible professors have further nurtured my inquisitive mind and solidified my love for the science. With regards to fields of interest: I made the official move to E&PS in the middle of spring semester 08, and there are many things left for me to discover before settling on a particular field of interest. I am currently vetting a few professors to start a Senior Thesis, and topics to be examined may include sed/strat, metamorphic petrology, and volcanology. I had the opportunity to take Professor Jane Selverstone's advanced metamorphism class, and was introduced to several potential fields of interest, briefly: microstructures within metamorphic rocks (including the study of diffusion/dissolution creep regimes), Fluid interactions with metamorphic rocks both internally and externally and their effect on rock assemblage (high on my list), exhaustive look at the production of helpful pseudo sections using modern programs such as Perplex.

I am taking both Structural Geology and a Caldera Formation Seminar that will conduct field study at the Ossippe Ring Complex in New Hampshire, Coastal Maine Magmatic Province, and Valles Caldera (your scholarship will help pay my seminar fees, thank you!!). If you need any more information, or need me to be more specific on any one topic I'll be glad to oblige.

Once again, I can't thank my professors and the Club enough! I am determined to succeed, and the support of my professors and the Club has provided me with the motivation to accomplish my goal.

Sincerely ,

Stephen Soltero

Hello Suzanne!

Wow, thank you so much for selecting me for a scholarship! I'm so appreciative, and would love to come to the holiday party on Saturday! (I'm a vegetarian, should I plan on bringing my own food?)

It's kind of funny actually, because I was just on your (AGMC) website yesterday, looking at members' pictures of minerals that they collected in New Mexico! (I'm a very enthusiastic rock hound too, and always like to look for inspiration from other people). And then I got a letter from you today!

Again, thank you so much for your support of a fellow geology enthusiast; you don't know how much this means to me! It's nice to know that there are organizations out there that want to contribute to the future of the science. I'm honored and humbled by my selection.

Thank you very much!

Niranjan

Howdy Folks. Before September, I sent out the first round of contracts to all of the dealers from last year who said they wanted to be back and some former dealers to fill in a couple of known holes. I have gotten responses back from all of them. Most are coming back but some can’t because of the economy. I’ve been moving folks who wanted a larger space and contacting dealers on my back-up list and it has been first come, first served. And I still get calls from more several times a week. At this time (Jan. 12, 2009), I have one 6 foot table left. All the rest are filled or spoken for.

One of the touchstones of a good show is how well our dealers did last year. And as I mentioned before, ours did from FANTASTIC! to dismal. Most of dealers did well or better. I guess the word is getting around that the Treasures of the Earth show is a good one because I’ve had new dealers asking for space from coast to coast. Of course we still have our returning dealers from ABQ and the rest of the state plus AZ, CO, and AR. (Everyone who helped at the show last year should now pat themselves on the back for putting on such a fine show.)

Publicity for the show is underway. Doug St. Pierre has contacted a list of mineral and gem magazines that have show calendars so you should see these notices soon. Of course, we have thousands of GARISH (on purpose) yellow flyers for everyone to hand out. The postcard will be designed and printed soon. Radio, TV, and newspaper ads will be done right before the show.

Once again I will plead for more people to get involved with the show committee. Apropos of that, I plan to have sign up sheets at the January meeting for a number of jobs to be handled. These include set-up, tear-down, and overnight security. I’m sure that Kimberley Richie, John Rienert, and Hank Miller will be passing sheets around also. Folks who help at the show get free admission and a parking pass! A few hours of easy work is a small price to pay for unlimited access to the show and the dealers!

Contact me if you want to help more. 255-5478, hpf5@qwest.net.

Paul Hlava, Chairman of the Treasures of the Earth – 2009 Show

January’s destination is the Nakaye Mine in the Derry District of Sierra County. Our gathering point is on the east side of the bridge at exit 51 on I-25 South. This is 2 1/2 -3 hours south of Albuquerque, or about 10 miles south of Caballo Reservoir. If there are existent or impending icy road conditions the trip will be cancelled.

We will meet at 9:30 am to view some samples, sign in, and discuss the changes here, as claims have been filed. At 10:00 we leave for the mine driving 4 miles on a dirt and gravel road to an assembly point near the site where we’ll consolidate to 4x4s for the final ¼ mile. Hiking up the hill is an option for hardy souls.

This is a remote site with NO facilities. Bring adequate food, water, and toiletries to meet your needs.

There are accessible and adequate underground workings, surface workings, and waste piles for everyone. Hard hats, lights and goggles are a must if you go underground. Suggested in addition to these are picks, hammers, shovels, pry bars, gloves, whiskbrooms, and wrapping materials for preserving specimens.

Fluorite, barite, and calcite are the primary collectible minerals at Nakaye. The fluorite can be intense blue and needs protection from light. The deep purple fluorite fades to a rosy color and is often found in association with dark druses of barite. This unusual and beautiful occurrence gets its olive-green color from included pyrite. Last year club members collected some wulfenite, too.

Hotels are relatively cheap in Williamsburg south of T or C. The Chamber of Commerce number is 505-894-3536 for motel information and more. For RV owners and campers there are reasonably priced cabins and RV hookups at the Lakeview RV Park off I-25 near exit 63. There are two cabins with a set of bunk beds and a regular sized bed [Bring your own sleeping bag, covers, and pillow. Each cabin has a duplex outlet and a space heater. They rent for about 25/night. Sierra County has numerous nearby collecting opportunities as well, and Sunday could well be devoted to an informal scouting excursion in the Hillsboro area.

Due to the many dangers of this area children must be closely supervised.

Hope to see you at the meeting place on the 24^th, Suzanne

This months meeting is going to be all about "Gemstones, their lore and legend". Lots of hands on "gems" to look at and handle. We are also going to discuss a Junior Club Display cabinet at the TOTE show.

In the next months we will be exploring the following areas of the mineral world:

Displays (Showmanship Badge)

Field-trips (Field Trips Badge)

Earth Resources (Earth Resources Badge)

The Earth in Space (Earth in Space Badge) and maybe collect a meteorite

Careers in Earth Sciences

And many other interesting subjects

Questions? Contact Jim Hill or Earlene Shroyer

"Turquoise: Natural or Otherwise"

by Dayton Simmons

See page one for abstract

Perhaps you have noticed that the VP Field Trips position on the Board of Directors is unfilled. In the absence of a single individual running the whole show, we’ll need several people to take responsibility for a trip or two, or not have field trips.

Leading a field trip isn’t that hard, and offers an opportunity for an in depth personal adventure into one of the many educational collecting areas possible. If you feel unsure about your personal level of expertise fear not, a Board member can probably suggest someone who will give a short talk at the site, steer you to written resources, and maybe even co-lead the trip. The first three months have been pretty well lined out, as well as June, July, September, and November. That leaves April, May, and August.

The Harding Mine is a classic location near Taos that’s easy to arrange through UNM…a phone call and a stop by the Geology Dept. for the release forms. The Small Fry is another option. And I’ll be asking Paul Hlava about a Turquoise Trail Tour in October, so not too much remains to be done.

If you have a favorite spot you’d like to share, now is the time to speak up. February’s trip is scheduled for the long weekend of the 14-16^th with a destination of the Lordsburg area. Details are still being worked out so look for the article that will have the latest info in the Feb. News Nuggets. Subject to additions and fine tuning here is the tentative schedule for the year.

Jan 24, Nakaye Mine (North of Hatch)

Feb 14-16, Lordsburg area

Mar, Deming and later Oro Grande

Apr, open

May, open

Jun, Mt. Antero (North of Salida, CO)

Jul, picnic San Pedro Mine??? (East of Albu)

Aug, open

Sep, Zuni Mts (South of Grants)

Oct, Turquoise Trail??? (East of Albuquerque)

Nov, Blanchard Mine (East of Socorro)

Dec 12, Club Christmas Party

Questions? Contact Suzanne Seymour

In AGMC’s first of two meetings for this month, presided over by president John F. Beavers, in the Geology building on UNM campus, the outstanding events of 1958 would pass in review via photos of: club events, Field Trips, the Rocky Mountain Federation Convention and mineral show in Phoenix, Arizona and the State Fair Show.

It was reported that the Club’s Christmas party and pot-luck had a turnout of one hundred and forty people.

At the month’s second meeting, the election of officers would take place via members whose yearly $3 dues were paid. Student dues are $1.50 and Family memberships are $8.00 per year.

John F. Beavers would be elected for his second of three consecutive terms as President of AGMC.

Submitted by AGMC Historian, David Moats

Travel Channel's "Cash and Treasures" show on January 17th at 9 pm Eastern Time and again on January 18th at 1 am Eastern Time will feature Jeff Self and the aquamarine and smoky quartz of Mt. Antero, Colorado.

During that same hour, they will feature hunting for red plume agate in Texas.

The AGMC has been to Jeff and Donna's claims a couple of times now and intend to go again this summer, for topaz. Stay tuned.

Janey Johnson

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

I might change my mind tomorrow.

As the more astute members have noticed the News Nuggets has a new look for 2009. Actually it is the same old stuff just rearranged a little.

I would appreciate some feed back on what you think of it. Please let me know what you don't like, what you do like, changes you'd like to see, ideas for articles you will write, etc.

Thank you.

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The field trip leader asked, "What are the three most important things you should bring with you in case you get lost while rock hounding?"

Several hands shot up. "A whistle!" one member offered.

"Water!" added another.

A third member said, "A deck of cards!"

"Huh?" said the trip leader. "Why cards!"

"If you play solitaire, someone always shows up to say,

"Put that red 9 on top of the black 10."

If you have chrysocolla and would like to bring out the blue and green, also any copper, put it in full-strength chlorine bleach for as long as it takes. This really works and you will get good color. Remember the hazard of mixing bleach with any acid. It releases a poisonous gas.

(Editors Note: I have not tried this, use at your own risk. Also, always be extremely careful when exposing any mineral/rock to chemicals, you don't know what is in that specimen.)

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When sawing geodes, look for the largest dome on the specimen. This dome was in an upright position while the specimen was formed. Saw through the largest dome and it is likely you will get the best picture.

(Editors Note: Sounds like regional folk lore to me, but that doesn't mean it won't work)

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Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

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This section is for the not for profit exchange of goods and services between club members (cars, boats, rocks, minerals, tools, equipment, -------- anything). For profit (stock in trade) items will not be published.

Deadline for submission is the 2nd Monday of the month at noon. Submit to editor.

Hint: This is a good place to post a need for a ride to field trips or other club events. Or, to offer rides to help cover fuel expenses.

No ads were submitted for this month.

Here are events located in NM, TX, OK, CO, UT, and AZ for the near future.

You can see a more comprehensive list at: www.rockngem.com/showdates.asp

16-25--Quartzsite, AZ: Show, "Tyson Wells Sell-A-Rama"; Tyson Wells Show Grounds, 100 W. Kuehn St.; Fri. 9-5, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-5, Mon. 9-5, Tue. 9-5; free admission; contact, Kym Scott, P.O. Box 60, Quartzsite, AZ 85346, (928) 927-6364; e-mail: tysonwells@tds.net; Web site: www.tysonwells.com

17-18--Fredericksburg, TX: Show, "Hill Country Gem & Mineral Show"; Fredericksburg Rockhounds; Pioneer Pavilion, Hwy. 16 S, Lady Bird Johnson Park; Sat. 9-6, Sun. 10-5; free admission; free hourly door prizes, raffle drawings, child-friendly demonstrations, displays, merchandise; contact John Crone, 716 Agave Ct., Fredericksburg, TX 78624; e-mail: jcrone@austin.rr.com; Web site: www.fredericksburgrockhounds.org

24-25--Tyler, TX: 12th annual show; East Texas Gem & Mineral Society; Rose Garden Center 420 S. Rose Park Dr.; Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $3, students $1, Scouts in uniform free; minerals, geodes, jewelry, fossils, beads, National Hall Of Fame Rock Food Table, demonstrations, exhibits, fluorescent display, Wheel of Fortune, silent auction; contact Keith Harmon, (903) 581-4068

Jan 31-Feb 14--Tucson, AZ: Show, "Arizona Mineral & Fossil Show"; The InnSuites Hotel, 475 N. Granada, and The Mineral & Fossil Marketplace, 1333 N. Oracle Rd., and Quality Inn, 1025 E. Benson Highway, and Ramada Ltd., 665 N. Freeway; 10-6 daily; free admission; more than 400 dealers from all over the world, free shuttle bus to other shows, Artists' Gallery at the InnSuites Hotel; contact Martin Zinn Expositions, P.O. Box 665, Bernalillo, NM 87004-0665, fax (505) 867-0073; e-mail: mz0955@aol.com; Web site: www.mzexpos.com

2-9--Tucson, AZ: Show, "Bead Renaissance Show"; 3340 E. Michigan, next to the Holidome and Gem Mall; Mon. 10-6, Tue. 10-6, Wed. 10-6, Thu. 10-9, Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6; contact J&J Promotions LLC, P.O. Box 420, Williamsburg, NM 87942, (575) 894-1293; e-mail: info@beadshow.com; Web site: www.beadshow.com

12-15--Tucson, AZ: Show, "Tucson Gem & Mineral Show"; Tucson Gem & Mineral Society; Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave.; Thu. 10-6, Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $9, children 14 and under free with a paying adult; displays of "Mineral Oddities," 250 dealers, jewelry, minerals, fossils, door prizes, free lectures and symposiums, interactive children's event Fri. through Sun.; contact Tucson Gem & Mineral Society, P.O. Box 42588, Tucson, AZ 85733, (520) 322-5773; e-mail: tgms@tgms.org; Web site: www.tgms.org

21-22--Pasadena, TX: Show; Clear Lake Gem & Mineral Society; Pasadena Convention Center, 7902 Fairmont Pkwy.; Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $5, students $1, children free; contact Al Pennington, (281) 481-1591; e-mail: clgms2009@hotmail.com; Web site: www.hawkwindnovels.com/page2.html

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 about uses, history, notable facts, etc. When you have decided on the name you can compare notes with others or wait for the answers to be published in the News Nuggets. Good luck and have fun.

Email me at hpf5@qwest.net and let me know your guesses by copying the Questions below and answering them.

Last year I discussed minerals and rocks that are used as gemstones. This year I think I’ll work on minerals with metallic and sub-metallic lusters. And I’ll start out easy on all you folks who need to get your brains back in gear after the excesses of the holidays.

This month’s MM is a common, primary mineral usually found low to medium temperature vein deposits. It is often found in well-defined cubic crystals sometimes modified by the octahedron but it can display many forms. It exhibits perfect cubic cleavage and it is brittle. It is opaque with a splendant, metallic luster, the color of fresh material is silver gray, streak is grayish black. Sp. Gr. = 7.2 to 7.6, H = 2.5.

What is the name of the mineral?

What is the origin of the name?

What metals does it contain?

What non-metals does it contain?

What accounts for the wide variation in specific gravity?

What other minerals might occur with it?

Name some secondary minerals that might be formed by alteration of this one.

What is it mined and used for?

Do you have some in your collection?

In NM –

In the USA –

In the World –

What is the name of the mineral? Beryl

What is the name of the variety? Heliodor

What is the origin of these names? Beryl from the Greek beryllos for a "precious blue-green color of sea water" stone. Heliodor may be from the Greek for Sun and gilded but it was used as a trade name for Namibian material in about 1912. BTW – the element beryllium is named after beryl!

What metals does it contain? Beryllium, aluminum, silicon (actually a semi-metal)

What non-metals does it contain? Oxygen

What accounts for the wide variation in specific gravity? Tramp elements that reside in structural tunnels. These include heavies like the iron that gives it its color, niobium tantalum, cesium, rubidium and lights like sodium and water

What other special minerals might occur with it? Phenacite, bertrandite and other beryllium minerals as well as rare-earth minerals, and exotic boron, niobium tantalum, uranium, etc. minerals.

What is it mined and used for? Gems, mineral specimens, ugly stuff can be used as an ore of beryllium.

What kind of treatment does this gem get? None, but if you heat treat it in a reducing atmosphere it turns into aquamarine.

Do you have some in your collection? Yes

In NM – none

In the USA – lots of mineral oddity occurrences.

In the World – Namibia, Ukraine, Tajikistan or Tadjikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, also Brazil.

Paul Hlava

January 8, 2009

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