Volume 51 Number 7
July Picnic/ Field Trip - San Pedro Mine
The annual picnic and field trip will be on July 31 and will once again be to the San Pedro Mine south of Golden. The club provides beverages and desserts and a portapotty. We will leave the cars at the parking area and offload potluck food into the metal barn. NO pets or barbeques -- extreme fire danger!
This year we will be going to a new location, the Virginia mine, after we have
been to Garnet Ridge. Lunch and
tailgating will be down at the barn about 12 or 1. Bring specimens to sell or trade for some afternoon fun. Please contact Kimberly at 296-8847 or cattraz55@wmconnect.com or Orlando at 345-0520 or jabog02@msn.com so we know how many people to expect.
Directions: Take I 40 East to the Tijeras exit, #175. Go north 17.3 miles on Rte 14 to NM 344. Meet at junction of 14 and 344 on SE corner at 8:30.
READ MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SAN PEDRO MINE AND PAST PICNICS ON OUR WEB SITE www.agmc.info.
Officers 2004
President - Grant Kuck
Home phone: 323-1520
E-mail: gkuck@flc.org
VP-Speakers - Ray DeMark
Home phone: 822-8715
E-mail: RayDeMark@msn.com
VP-Membership - Kimberly Richie
Home phone: 296-8847
E-mail: cattrax55@wmconnect.com
VP – Field Trips – Open
Secretary – Scott Wilson
Home phone – 792-0951
E-mail: swilson@copper.net
Treasurer - Stephanie Melof
Home phone: 281-7192
E-mail: stephbell22@yahoo.com
Historian - Dave Moats
Home phone: 892-8163
E-mail: beepbeep59@hotmail.com
Editor - Darlene Nelson
Home phone: 271-4694
E-mail: agmcnews@aol.com
Show Chair - Paul Hlava
Home phone: 255-5478
E-mail: hpf1@qwest.net
Special Events - Orlando Garcia
Home phone: 345-0520
E-mail: jabog02@msn.com
Please call the appropriate Board member for information regarding club functions
Call Kimberly Richie, Darlene Nelson, or Stephanie Melof for missing News Nuggets or change of address.
____________________________________
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 Nelson, Editor, 817 Sagebrush Trail SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123, or email to agmcnews@aol.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, Albuquerque, NM. The general meeting is held on the 4th Monday of the month (unless otherwise announced) at 7:30 p.m. The Junior Club meets at 6:45 p.m. prior to the general meeting. Board of Directors’ meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the first Monday of each month. (Call for location). The public is welcome to both meetings.
All memberships are family memberships and include all members of the household. Dues are $20. Send checks to the AGMC, P.O. Box 13718, Albuquerque, NM 87192 or pay the Membership Chair at the monthly meeting.
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Information about the club can be accessed at www.agmc.info
President’s Message
Did you know that July is National Picnic Month? Did you know that the AGMC is having a picnic at the end of this month? Coincidence? I think not! I would like to encourage you to go for a number of reasons. 1. The variety of mineral specimens is very good. 2. The history of the San Pedro mining district will make your specimens just that much more special. And 3. Its proximity to Albuquerque makes this one of the most convenient trips of the year. For more information on the Picnic don't forget to check out the article in this edition of the News Nuggets. And don't forget to bring material to sell, show, and or trade. It's a great way to get rid of those extra specimens and for other club members to get some good ones as well. (Anything left over can always go the club for a give-a-way at our State Fair).
Help! If you know of any space that the club could rent for our Christmas party, please tell one of the board members. Hopefully it won't be too expensive but we need to be shopping around now if we are to find the best bargain. Also if the club continues to grow we may have need of a larger meeting area in the future. If there is a space that might meet our needs and you know about it...now is the time to speak up.
One other quick, housekeeping note. As you have probably noticed the
AGMC does not publish a membership list. We have members who do not want
their phone numbers and addresses made available to everybody and we try and
respect their wishes. However if you encounter someone at the monthly meeting
that you would like to invite rockhounding, you are free to exchange phone
numbers and addresses.
A special thank you to Rex Nelson for providing the refreshments at out last meeting. Rex was not signed up for June but filled in at the last minute. Thanks again Rex. This month's refreshments will be provided by our former club president Orlando Garcia and former club first lady, Julie Bustamante. Don't forget to say "hi" and "thanks" to them when munching and drinking at the back table.
By the way did you know that July is also National Hot Dog Month, National Baked Bean Month, and National Peach Month. Just thought I'd throw out some ideas for the picnic. See you at the next meeting.
Grant
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WANTED: FIELD TRIP CHAIRMAN
See Grant if you are interested in this position
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Expo New Mexico
September 2-19
Expo New Mexico is just around the corner, folks. We will be staffing a table on weekends in the minerals section of the creative arts building. I will have a signup sheet at the July 26 general meeting. The dates are September 4-5, 11-12 and 18-19. Each shift runs for 3 hours starting at 9AM each weekend morning and ending at 6PM. Shifts are consecutive, e.g. 9-12, 12-3, 3-6.
Please call me at 345-0520 or e-mail me at jabog02@msn.com if you have questions or if you want to help in any way with this event. The Fair (Expo) has always been our primary exposure to the public and we generally pick up 10-12 new members as a result. If you’ve never staffed the club table or are a new member we will try to team you up with someone who has done this in past years. It’s fun and it’s a good way of meeting other club members.
-Orlando Garcia
Mineral Collecting Land Use
This notice is to announce an upcoming conservation/preservation project that most certainly will have an impact on mining and recreational collecting in Central Colorado. The project is called the Mosquito Range Heritage Initiative and is a collaborative effort being driven primarily by the Trust For Public Lands (www.tpl.org). TPL's goal is to buy out private inholdings within federal lands (primarily mining claims) and turn the property back to the managing Federal agency. This can be good and bad. Access to more public lands can be good, but typically when the USFS acquires lands in this way, the lands are closed to any further mineral entry. TPL recently turned over 2500 acres of the Idarado Mine in Ouray County to the USFS. The Idarado is composed of over 300 claims and was known for many excellent mineral specimens. Another point that may drill home with many is that the Sweet Home Mine falls within this new project area. Though it's doubtful that the current owner will sell out any time soon, it brings home the idea that there certainly could be other valuable mineral resources that could be lost. Park County is involved in this project and one of my tasks is to reach out to some of the stakeholders who the County feels are under-represented in this project - the recreational and commercial gem and mineral collector is one of these.
If your club or organization gets involved with land-use issues, we encourage its participation in this project, and of course you are invited to participate as an individual as well. Please forward this along to anyone you feel may take interest also.
A Stakeholders meeting or workshop will take place sometime this summer, probably in the historic Town of Alma. The most recent one occurred this June, and no representatives from the mining community were present.
If you would like to be emailed notifications of meetings, progress, etc., please let me know and I will add your email address to our mailing list.
Craig Barraclough, GIS Director
Park County, P.O. Box 571, Fairplay, CO,80440-0571
719.836.4288
pcmapping@amigo.net
General Meeting Minutes
Monday 28 June 2004
Start: 7:40PM
Grant Kuck presiding
Visitors: We had 8 visitors today! Welcome to our club!
Field Trips: The Chino trip was a fantastic success. An extensive tour of the Chino operation was given by Bob North, Chief Geologist on the first day, with a tour of the Tyrone Mine given on the second day. At the Chino Mine, a number of collecting stops were made and some nice material was found. Native copper was collected in the host rock (required hard rock techniques to get it out). Magnetite with pyrite was found in another locality.
At the Tyrone, Bill Siebert, the chief geologist of that facility, guided the group. Some ore had been brought up for noodling by the group. These ore piles were representative of the various levels from the leach heaps. The best specimens were found in the unleached material, including malachite, azurite, molybdenite, and some chrysacolla. A very productive fossil locality at the Tyrone was also visited. The area was a limestone pit that supplied material for neutralizing acids in the leaching and processing of ores.
The Nacimiento trip was also a fun trip. Several members arrived early to start their mineral search. Minerals found included petrified wood bearing sulfide replacements, sometimes with oxidized zones of azurite and malachite. Some azurite balls were found as well. One large log segment was found.
The next field trip will be to the San Pedro Mine for the annual club summer picnic on July 31. It will be a potluck. See the details in the newsletter. Tailgate trading is highly encouraged. Please sign up so that we can plan for the trip. This is a seriously fun and learning experience in a locality that is not available to the general public, not to be missed!
On Aug 29, a trip to Rabb Canyon Pegmatite (moonstone) collection area is on the slate. John Scully will be leading the trip. It's a 2.5 mile hike each way over a rough trail. This is an overnight trip; most members will camp at the Iron Creek campground west of Emory Pass. John passed out a flyer with details - please get one if you are planning to go as there are many special precautions that you will need to be aware of.
State Fair: The NM State Fair will be in operation Sep 2-19 2004. Each year, the AGMC has a booth at the fair to promote our club. We need volunteers to man our booth. We generally give out mineral specimens to interested people and answer questions (as best we can) about minerals in New Mexico. A free parking/admission pass (good for the whole day) is given to volunteers. Spend a couple of hours at the booth and the rest of the day prowling the fair. Hank Miller will be sending around signup sheets at the July meeting.
We also need help in bagging small specimens before the fair, so if you can help do that as well or instead of being at the fair itself, please let Orlando Garcia know and he'll get you set up!
Program: Tom Rosemeyer presented a program on the Michigan Copper Country. Tom spends most of his time in Colorado, but can also be found in Magdalena, NM during parts of the year. He is an expert on the minerals of Ouray, CO, and the Michigan UP (copper and gold). He was the mine manager for the Camp Bird Mine near Ouray, which is currently undergoing reclamation. He is working on a book dealing with the minerals and geology of the San Juan Mountains.
The Michigan copper country is the only area in the world that has been mined for native copper as a principal ore. The Keewinaw Peninsula is the location of the majority of mines, where the native copper is found in basaltic lava flows. The Peninsula is at the edge of a large syncline which forms the basin of Lake Superior. The deposits are generally on the outer edge of the syncline where a fault system controls the geology.
The town of Houghton is the primary entry point to the copper area. The first mining was done by Native Americans using a fire-and-quench method to expose native copper in the host rock matrix. Estimates of the number of miners and the production during this time vary widely. In some cases, stone tools were used to break the copper from the rock. The copper produced by these early miners was traded over a large area. It was used for spearheads, fishooks, jewelry/ornaments, tools, and other purposes.
A famous boulder bearing large amounts of copper (the Ontanogan Boulder, around 4 or 5 feet in diameter) was sold/reclaimed by the US government and became the focus of interest of economic geologists. The activity that resulted eventually led to the discovery and development of the major copper bearing areas on the Peninsula. This boulder is now in the Smithsonian Museum.
Copper specimens are now often collected with the help of metal detectors that employ electromagnetic waves to locate metallic minerals. Michigan Tech is home to the worlds finest collection of copper minerals.
Native copper production from the mines was usually in the form of fissure veins, conglomerate lodes (copper as a cementing agent and replacing some of the pebbles) , and amygdaloid lodes (small blebs in the basalt). Fissure vein deposits accounted for only about 8% of the production; the rest of the production was roughly split between the other two types of deposits.
Early production was in fissure veins. Some very large masses of native copper were found (400 tons and larger). In some cases months of miners' work was required underground to cut the large masses into chunks small enough for removal from the mine. Double-jack hammers were popular tools for this work. The Cliff mine is an example of this type of operation; it was worked in the early 1870s. Very little remains of this locality and its workings.
Some minerals produced at the Cliff include native silver crystals on a copper base. Some silver crystals were nearly 2cm in length. In the early days the miners called it "white copper". The miners often high-graded these specimens. Fantastic copper crystal groups were also found in the Cliff around 1870; some were large euhedral crystals, others dendritic.
In the years since specimens have been collected from this locality, some samples have been found to have grown acanthite crystals on the copper while they were in storage or on display. This appears to have been due to the presence of sulfur compounds in close proximity to the specimens and raises questions of interest to curators of museum specimens. Small, clear epidote crystals (around 3-4mm high) have been found in the Cliff area as well. Analcime is also found, bearing copper inclusions in the crystals.
The Phoenix mine was operated on a fissure vein. This mine was prolific in specimen production. Nothing is left of this mine except for a dump, which is being used as a source of crushed rock for road repair by the county. Rockhounds work over fresh areas of the dump when exposed by gravel excavation operations.
Nearly all of the UP mines are now flooded and are not available for collecting. All of the exposed shafts have been dozed over and most of the dumps have mostly been removed for use as aggregate. One or two of the remaining mine dumps are being removed for gravel every year, so this is a disappearing resource.
The Phoenix has produced cubic copper crystals, some with hopper faces. Others show extensive arborescent growth habit of native copper up to several inches tall. At times, cubic crystals may occur on the fringes of arborescent crystals, resulting in spectacular specimens. Fine analcime crystals were also produced from this area, along with very clear apophyllite crystals.
The St. Claire mine is another famous locality. The mine dump is scheduled to be completely removed for use as road repair gravel during the summer of 2004 and will be soon only a memory. Some nice datolite crystals are being found along with some crystal copper and analcime, and apophyllite as the dumps are removed and destroyed. Some very nice filled vesicles (amygdules) occur here with native copper, phrenite, and apophyllite as micromounts.
The Central mine is yet another famous mine that was productive around 1880, yielding large native copper boulders. This area is also being processed for road gravel. The No 2 mine dump is nearly gone. A "copper picker" is stationed on the conveyors to remove copper ahead of the crushers to keep the copper nuggets from damaging the crushers. These copper nuggets are sold as specimens.
A few years ago near the townsite of the Central mine, a cache of very high quality specimens was found, showing intergrouped sprays of arborescent crystals up to six inches across. These are some of the very best specimens in existence. Tom showed photos of a very large copper boulder (about 18 tons) that was found in Lake Superior by scuba divers who had traced a copper vein out across the Peninsula, across the beach, and into the lake. This boulder is now on display at the Quincy Mine museum. Additional large copper boulders remain in the lake. Other photos showed underwater calcite veins with copper nodules visible in the calcite. "Herringbone" copper is sometimes found in this environment. Collectors sometimes follow copper bearing veins off into the woods, where they may be exposed in small quarries. Hard rock mining is required to free the specimens. Very large, ancient cedar and maple trees are often found in the area.
Very few mines still have accessible underground workings. One such mine is the Copper Falls mine, where natrolite crystals are found along with the copper minerals.
Some of the gravel pits in the area (not directly associated with the mines) produce datolite nodules (prized by lapidaries) and spectacular agates. Some agates (photos were shown) bear inclusions of native copper in the growth bands.
The Quincy mine is a major mine complex that has been preserved and hosts a spectacular museum with many world-class specimens, including calcite with native copper inclusions and ornate silver and copper sprays. This is a top rated destination for mineral enthusiasts on the Peninsula and should not be missed if you get up that way.
A resounding round of applause was give to Tom as he concluded his talk.
Attendance: Attendance for tonight was 103
Refreshments: Rex Nelson brought refreshment for the meeting - many thanks Rex!
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I enjoyed the article on using your car as a survival tool. Two other tips I read several years ago in Field and Stream several years ago may also prove helpful.
l. Your spare tire will float and can be used as a rescue flotation device. It's heavy but it will save someone from drowning.
2.If your headlights fail while you are on the road you can use your turn signals to at least keep you on the road and moving.
Several years ago Julie and I were on our way to the Tuscon show. We had gotten a late start and it was almost dark when we reached Benson, AZ. Julie was driving and I realized we were traveling in increased darkness. When I suggested she should turn on the headlights she told me they were already on. I immediately realized something was wrong. As we approached a semi I asked her to blink her lights from dims to brights. Nothing reflected off the semi's aluminum trailer door. Julie began to slow down and turn onto the highway's emergency parking lane. I remembered the article in Field and Stream and told her we should stay behind the semi and use our emergency flashers to provide light so we could see the lane markers and to let the trucker know we were behind him without lights. We followed him for 30 miles into Tucson without headlights. He didn't try to pass other vehicles. When we got to Tucson we were able to find a service station with a mechanic (whew!) who replaced the headlights and a fuse. After he finished helping us (free other than the cost of the headlights) we found a grocery store and took back a 6 pack of beer for him and his 2 buddies who had been waiting for him to close the station.
Orlando Garcia
Wisit out website: www.agmc.info
MINERALS
*PURCHASED BY CLUB
Apophyllite
with stilbite
Nasik, India * 2004 - $1.25
Polished chrysocolla
and malachite
Africa * 2004 ~$2.86
Pyrite crystals (cubic)
with Calcite
China * 2004 - $5.00
Phylum - Mollusca
Class – Cephlapoda
Subclass- Ammonoidea
(ammonite)
Morocco * 2004 - $8.00
Vanadinite crystals
Pb5Cl(VO4)3 on barite
Morocco * 2004 - $7.00
Lustrous, crystallized hematite
Atlas mountains, Morocco * 2004 - $0.36
Heulandite
Nasik, India * 2004 - $1.25
*Club’s cost – $25.72
Collected – $83.50
Profit - $57.78
GEODES
The mysterious earth-shaped geodes have long challenged geologists to explain how they are formed. Geodes are a variable phenomenon and, therefore, many theories exist to explain how they are created. The term “geode” is derived from the Greek work Geoides which means “earthlike”.
A geode is a sphere shaped rock which contains a hollow cavity lined with crystals. A geode which is completely filled with small compact crystal formations such as agate, jasper or chalcedony is called a nodule. The only difference between a geode and a nodule is that a geode has a hollow cavity and a nodule is solid.
Geodes begin as bubbles in volcanic rock or as animal burrows, tree roots or mud balls in sedimentary rock. Over time, the outer shell of the spherical shape hardens, and water containing silica precipitation forms on the inside wall of the hollow cavity within the geode. The silica precipitation can contain any variety of dissolved minerals, the most common being quartz, but amethyst and calcite are also found.
Over a period of thousands of years, layers of silica cool, forming crystals of different minerals within the cavity. Different types of silica cool at varying temperatures, thus creating layers of different types of mineral crystals.
www.DesertUSA.com via Rocky Tales w/04
In 1845, W. Haidinger was apparently the first to use the word pegmatite to describe “coarse-grained, feldspar-rich granites”. However, in 1849, A. Delesse used the word pegmatite to also include rocks of very large grains which consisted of orthoclase, quartz and silvery mica, and which occur so commonly in the form of dikes, small stocks and nests in other rocks. Our present-day use of the word follows the basic idea of Delesse, but also include the caveat that they be of igneous origin. In most cases, the igneous rocks are of granitic composition, although other compositions (e.g., granodioritic, gabbroic) may exist. Many others include as part of the definition, aspects about the mineralogy, texture, structure, chemistry and mode of occurrence. Taking this approach, we can define pegmatites as such: Pegmatite, in the strictest sense, is a textural term used to describe exceptionally coarse- to gigantic-grained igneous rocks. They occur as tabular dikes, sill, lenses or veins near the margins of plutons. They tend to have zoned or layered structures, extremely variable texture of mineral aggregates and some of them are enriched in rare elements.
The shape and size of pegmatites vary greatly from linear, tabular bodies with straight edges to bulbous and irregular masses to turnip-shaped bodies. Pegmatites may be several meters long and less than 1 meter thick or as much as 3000 meters long to 700 meters wide.
Pegmatites are widely distributed in the earth’s crust and are found on all continents (yes…even Antarctica.). They are most abundant in mountain chains and on stable shield areas (like the Canadian Shield). They are typically associated with large granite bodies often distributed along their margins, but are also found within them.
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Pegmatites are almost as old as the earth's crust. Pegmatites of Precambrian age (2.8 to 1.0 billion years) are the most abundant and widespread. These are generally found in the stable shields of Canada, Greenland, Russia and similar geologic environments. In contrast, some of the youngest pegmatites (roughly 20 to 5 million years) are found in the Himalaya mountains of Pakistan and Nepal.
Granitic pegmatites are important sources of rare-elements, such as beryllium, niobium, tantalum, tin, lithium, rubidium, cesium and gallium; industrial minerals; gems and mineral specimens. When present in economic quantities, these rare-elements may be extracted for use in a wide range of technological applications, such as lightweight alloys, nuclear engineering and electronics (beryllium); ceramics, pharmaceutical products, lubricants, smelting of aluminum ore and lithium-batteries (lithium); electronic capacitors, jet engines and prosthetic devices (tantalum); magnetohydrodynamic electric generators, biological and medical research (cesium); and integrated circuits and light-emitting laser diodes (gallium).
Some of the world’s best-known gem material is obtained from pegmatite deposits. Varieties of beryl (aquamarine, golden, morganite), spodumene (kunzite, hiddenite) and tourmaline (pink, green and multi-colored elbaite), as well as garnet and topaz are all valued precious stones originating from pegmatites.
One of the features which attract many people to pegmatites, for the first time, are the abundance of minerals that are found in them. There have been about 550 different minerals found in pegmatites. Pegmatite minerals are typically much larger than most minerals in other rocks. For example, the minerals in granites are typically on the order of a few millimeters across whereas similar minerals in pegmatites may be several centimeters or meters across. The purple tourmaline on the right, "The Rocket" (not shown), illustrates how large some minerals can grow. The largest known crystal in a pegmatite, a spodumene from South Dakota, measured almost 13 meters (42 feet) long.
TYPES OF SILVER
STERLING SILVER: A mixture of 92.5% pure silver (925 parts and 7.5% metal alloy.
SILVER PLATING: Also known as silver plated or silver coated. A base metal, usually nickel silver or brass, is coated with a layer of pure silver by a process called electroplating.
VERMEIL: Sterling silver electroplated with at least 100 millionths of an inch of karat gold.
GERMAN SILVER OR NICKEL: A silver-white alloy consisting of copper, zinc, and nickel.
COIN SILVER: 90% (900 parts) pure silver and 10% (100 parts) metal alloy. A process of melting down coins done in the 19th century and mostly discarded today.
Orlando Garcia
AUGUST FIELD TRIP
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.
This Month’s Mystery Mineral is:
An oxide that can form by the metamorphism of Mn ore deposits. These deposits can produce slender, prismatic, monoclinic crystals. It is also found as concentrically banded, fine-grained masses with radial crystals in very low temperature vein deposits, often near silver bearing areas. Opaque, Brittle, Luster – satiny metallic to dull, Harness 4 – 6, Specific Gravity about 4.7 – 5.0, Color – black, grayish black, silver gray, Streak – black.
Questions
What is the name of the mineral?
Who was the mineral named for? .
What is the mineral used for?
What are the major elements in the mineral?
What MINOR elements might you expect to find in this mineral?
Localities – (Just list the famous/important ones)
--NM –
--USA –
--World –
Answers to Last Month’s Questions
What is the name of the mineral? Torbernite
Who was the mineral named for? Torbern Olof Bergman (1735 – 1784), Swedish chemist and mineralogist.
What is the mineral used for? Ore of uranium
What are the major elements in the mineral. Uranium, phosphorus, and copper (and oxygen and water, of course)
Localities – (Just list the famous/important ones)
--NM – none
--USA – Mitchell Co., NC; UT
--World – Cornwall, England; Shaba, Zaire; Germany and France.
Paul Hlava 040708
WORLD’s STRONGEST ADHESIVE
The world’s strongest adhesive is Barnacle glue - what the barnacle uses to stick itself to the side of a ship or whatever. Chill it to zero degrees F. and it still won’t crack. No solvent known breaks it down. The holding power of even a tiny speck of it is rated three tons per square inch!
From Petrified Digest 4/97 viz Hy Grader, via Golden Spike News 5/02 via the Glacial Drifter 4/04
July 26
HOMER MILFORD
The First Great Western Gold Rush, Dolores, “New Mexico”, 1825
Mr. Milford, the former head of the New Mexico Abandoned Mines Program (now retired) is the acknowledged expert on Dolores and the Old Placers Mining District. This should be a fascinating program.
NEXT MEETING: July 26, 2004. The Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club meets on the 4th Monday of the month. All meetings are held at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, 1801 Mountain Road NW in Old Town, Albuquerque, NM. The entrance is on 18th Street. The meeting begins at 7:30 PM. There is a short business meeting prior to the evening’s presentation, which begins at approximately 8 PM.
Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club
Darlene Nelson, Editor
PO Box 13718
Albuquerque, NM 87192-3718