News Nuggets

Newsletter of the Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club

Volume 49 Number 3

Treasures of the Earth 2002 opens on March 22^nd at the School Arts building on the New Mexico State Fairgrounds. There is still time for you to volunteer to help out on this year’s show. We still need four or five people to sleep overnight inside the School Arts building on Thursday night, March 21. Call Sallie Estill at 792-8328 for more information.

The club hosts a pre-show dinner for the dealers on the evening of setup day (Thursday March 21). The club will provide barbecued beef and pork and desserts. Club members are asked to bring a main or side dish to share with the dealers and each other. Please be generous with the portions you bring! The dealers are our guests and have been setting up for the show all day long. We have 38 dealers this year and between dealers and club members (and guests) we expect approximately 100 people for the pre- show dinner. This is a club function and is open to All members, regardless of whether you had time to help with set-up or not. Call Gwen Poe at 247-1533 to volunteer for dinner setup. There will be a charge of $3.00 per person for the dinner.

Dinner will also include a White Elephant/Mineral Silent Auction. Members are encouraged to bring specimens or unusual/unused items for this auction. All proceeds go toward future club activities After the dinner we will all police the area and set up for the silent auctions which will take place throughout the show.

President/Editor- Orlando Garcia; home phone: 345-0520; e-mail: jabog@rt66.com

Past President- Jim Winchell

home phone: 831-6135

cell: 401-4111

e-mail: galleryofminerals@home.com

VP-Programs - Grant Kuck

home phone: 323-1520

VP-Field Trips- Kimberly Richie

home phone: 296-8847

home phone:

e-mail: RayDeMark@aol.com

VP-Special Events- Hank Miller

home phone: 255-7218

e-mail: rgmhgm2@quest.net

e-mail: beepbeep59@hotmail.com

Treasurer- Lloyd Keller

Home phone: 889-9357

Ad Hoc Board- Paul Hlava

home phone: 255-5478

e-mail: pfhlava@sandia.gov

Show Chair- Sallie Estill –

home phone: 792-8328

e-mail: atomic-cleaning@worldnet.att.net

Club Historian: Tom Katonak

Home phone: 898-5592

e-mail: tkatonak@macconnect.com

Jr. Club: Carl Johnson

home phone: 344-3178

The Club Newsletter; News Nuggets exists to assist the membership in communications and to provide information on club activities. Contributions from all members are welcome on any information that will promote club activities or that would be of interest to club members. News Nuggets is scheduled to be mailed prior to the monthly meeting. Mail news, articles or comments to: Orlando Garcia 1028 Solar Rd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107. E-mail: jabog@rt66.com

The Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club was organized on January 22, 1944. The club is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and enjoyment of the Earth Sciences and associated subjects. Its primary purpose is the exchange of information and the furtherance of knowledge of Mineralogy, Fossils, Geology, Rock Cutting and Gem Faceting and to stimulate interest in the development of these studies.

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

I know you are probably tired of hearing about the final preparations for this year’s show but here it comes anyway. I forgot to tell you that you need to bring your own table service and serving utensils to the pre-show dinner.

We are at a new venue this year and have about 14 more dealers than we had last year at the UNM Conference Center. Dealers I met at the Deming show last weekend all had the same question, "is it a good show?" Well, of course it’s a good show to us but the big question for them is does it make dealers any money. We can’t ever determine that answer in advance but we can make every effort to get people in the door! Tell your friends about the show. Meet them there and show them what our hobby is all about. Dealer sales at last year’s TOE Show were approximately $45.00 per adult attendee. We need numbers so don’t be shy about talking the show up to people who know it’s your hobby anyway. I have show fliers if you need some to post at organizations you may belong to. Lets work this hard in the final week and make TOE 2002 a huge success for AGMC.

Orlando opened the meeting at 7:37pm with Paul and Sallie giving us a brief rundown on where we now stand regarding our upcoming Show in March and the various committee heads letting us know where our help is most needed. Working on the show is a good way to meet fellow members and learn/observe how a big event like this is put together effectively. There are a lot of people involved doing many different tasks, all of which are important for the overall success of the Show and all this being done with volunteers.

We were all glad to see that Gwen is now out of her casts and doing well. She informed us that our pre-show dinner will cost $3 each with the club providing barbecue pork as the main dish with some barbecue beef plus rolls, lemonade, water and cake. A White-Elephant silent auction is again planned which will include minerals plus a prize going to the person whose donation brings in the most money.

Thirty-three attended the Field Trip to the Tech. Museum and nearby U.S. 60 Mine for goethite and psilomelane. A March trip to the Mayflower mine on Socorro Peak is planned for small but abundant crystals of many different minerals with mottramite crystals being in prominence.

Grant Kuck made a short introduction tonight of member Paul Hlava who agreed to talk to us tonight on "Mineral Names". Paul is a man whose encyclopedic knowledge of anything to do with minerals can always be counted on. A couple of decades ago he gave classes in Mineralogy and Petrology at Sandia Labs where he received some grief concerning some mineral’s weird names and got questions like why not use reasonable names? Aren’t there any rules? How did we get into this mess? Thus ensued instruction on the how’s and why’s of mineral nomenclature. Ancient man named minerals like everything else around them with no discernable rhyme or reason and these have been passed down to us. We are all comfortable with the common familiar names but minerals continue to be discovered and named. Often heard arguments are "these names are ridiculous" but all of these names have some reasoning behind them. Naming policies are derived partly from tradition, reward, or a way to honor people or places. Some minerals are a simple chemical formula like halite or galena but then what is meant if you say a mineral is SiO₂? There are many polymorphs of silica and different types of aggregates of silica. Then there are solid solutions like olivine, sphalerite, plagioclase, spinel, garnet, etc. Sapphire, emerald, & aquamarine are not mineral names but are varieties of minerals. When naming a mineral, the definition of a mineral must be kept in mind. The definition Paul has found that most closely fills this bill is as follows: A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic substance with a characteristic, orderly atomic arrangement, whose chemical composition and set of physical properties are fixed or vary within definite limits.

The committee of people in charge of accepting new mineral names require a complete description of the mineral and a submitted name. It must be a new species, not a new variety. The name must be new and can’t create ambiguities with other named minerals. It must end in ite and can not be offensive. There is a 12 page form must be filled out for the Commission to go over before it approves a new name. Paul then went over an outline of Origins of Mineral Names that included; Old names from old languages; Greek and Roman terms for properties; Places; Composition; People (Werner’s fault); Companies. Werner set the stage for the naming of minerals after a person’s name. In this case it was his friend, a Dutchman, Colonel van Prehn, who brought the first specimens of Prehnite to Europe from South Africa in 1774. In conclusion Paul recommended reading the "Bible" of names for minerals by Richard Scott Mitchell entitled "Mineral Names – What Do They Mean?" published in 1979.

Following the talk, door prizes were drawn, free mineral samples from the last field trip given away, and some people purchased minerals for sale from fellow members, while we all socialized and enjoyed refreshments provided by Betty Temple.

Secretary,

Dave Moats

Loyd Keller has told me that only about half of our members have paid their dues for 2002. H e informed me that even the president hadn’t paid his dues yet (ouch). Loyd and I will be paring down the newsletter mailing list in April and you will be taken off the mailing list if you are not renewed by then. You can’t beat what you get for a $20.00 annual family membership. Please fill out the renewal form on page 11 and mail it to the club PO Box or bring it and your dues to the March 25^th general meeting and give it to Loyd.

Anyone who has been authorized to purchase anything for this year’s show should bring your receipts to Loyd Keller by the 31^st of March. Please indicate what the purchase was and your name on the receipt so Loyd doesn’t have to guess as to who and what the expenditure was.

There will be someone at the door to collect your $3.00 per head at the pre-show dinner. A few of you forgot to pay at the Christmas Installation Dinner. We’re just trying to make each event pay for itself and the $3.00 a head doesn’t cover the club’s cost for that night. ‘nuff said.

Sallie Estill, has parking passes for all the volunteers. If she hasn’t contacted you yet about getting your pass, call her at 792-8328.

The May Flower mine trip has been approved for Saturday, March 30^th. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Macey Center parking lot on the campus of New Mexico Tech and proceed from there as a group to the mine, possibly by vans provided by the Energetic Material Research and Testing Center (EMRTC). For those considering participation on this trip, some words of caution: the MayFlower mine is situated on the mountain face of Socorro Peak and there are precipitous drop offs in the vicinity of the mine and unmarked hazards such as mine shafts. I will be investigating a possible access to the mine (with Mr. Alan Perryman, our guide) that may not require an extensive hike or climb. This will not, however, be determined until the 16th of this month. All participants however should be prepared for a 1,000 foot climb up the mountain if the road access is not possible. Participants must be in good shape and accustomed to rigorous hiking and climbing. Children under 9 years of age are not recommended and in any case all children attending must be closely monitored due to the hazardous nature of the area.

hemimorphite. Crystals generally are in the micro category but hand specimens that are quite attractive can be collected . The largest wulfenite I have seen from this area is about ¼ inch. See you in Socorro on the 30^th!

- Ray DeMark

-OG

There are thunderstorms around and lots of thunder and lightening. But the storms aren't over you, so relax and carry on. No problem? You'll just duck unto the car when it gets to you.

Guess what - you may be about to die from lightening. The old phrase "A bolt from the blue" as conveying surprise didn't come

from imagination. It came from real lightening strikes.

But, a bolt from the blue is misleading. Lightening NEVER comes from a clear blue sky. It is ALWAYS caused by thunderstorms. But, the "from the blue" part may be true. Lightening can hit as far as 10 miles from a thunderstorm where the sky may indeed be blue.

So, take care to protect yourself whenever you can hear thunder. Sound travels about a mile a second. So, thunder from 10 miles away may seem unrelated to any lightening you see - in fact, you may not be able to see the lightening strike. When you can see a flash, start counting "one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, --" until you hear the thunder. Divide that number of seconds by 5 and you'll know about how far away the storm is. I've been near two lightening strikes. It isn't fun.

On one, I was driving a tractor raking an alfalfa patch. Suddenly my hair stood on end and electricity began sparking back and forth between the strands of a barbed wire fence 50 feet away. Guess who was the highest object around. I shut off the tractor and dived for the ground. I didn't reach the ground before lightening hit the fence about 100

feet away. The cloud was NOT overhead.

Another time, we were playing miniature golf when our hair stood up and sparks started flying around the wire for the lighting system. A huge cottonwood tree was in the middle of the course. We squatted and ducked our heads. Lightening did strike then, but it hit a chimney 2 blocks away and 2 power poles - 3 bolts!. The thunder was deafening!

So, remember - you can indeed be hit by a bolt from the blue. If your hair starts standing up, you are in trouble and have little time.. You have seconds at most to protect yourself. Do not be the highest object around Squatting with your head down is considered by many as the safest position. But, stay well away from trees, power poles, chimneys, antenna, or anything that stands tall. If you're in a boat, ball up with only your bottom touching the boat.

The silent auctions, which are conducted throughout the 3 days of our show, have been very successful in the last few years due largely to generous donations of several entire collections. We did not receive any such large donations in 2001

and we need some donations from our own collections to flesh out our auctions this year. Bring the specimens you will be donating to the dinner on Thursday night. Call or talk to Dave Moats and he will tell you how he wants them labeled for sale. This is a good way to get those duplicates out of your collection, contribute to the club coffers, and maybe find a deal to purchase for your own collection as well.

We still need Club members to help out with the raffle ticket sales and door prize drawings during the annual Gem and Mineral Show.  If you are planning on attending and willing to lend a hand for couple of hours please contact Hank Miller at 255-7218 there are plenty of time slots open!  And, your volunteer effort will be greatly appreciated.

February 23, 2002

The first trip of 2002 took us to Socorro to visit the state mineral museum at New Mexico Tech. Upon entering the campus we soon discovered it was a common destination of a few

hundred school children that day. Through it all, our group was 33 strong and did a good job of making the museum a busy place for about 2 1/2 hours.

The world is well represented by excellent specimens but it is the outstanding display of New Mexico minerals that stands out. There is an aquamarine crystal at least 10-12" in length and 5" in diameter from the Red river area that is amazing. If you want to test your mineral composition knowledge or just appreciate the diversity visit the Systematic Display, just outside the fluorescent display. In brief, the display demonstrates the Periodic Table of the Elements through mineral examples.

After leaving the museum we adjourned to the Socorro Springs restaurant for lunch. Socorro was a busy place that day, not only our visit and scores of children, but a Civil War re-enactment was also scheduled. We enjoyed the rare treat of two or three cannon firings but ‘escaped’ from town unscathed.

We took Highway 60 west about 6 miles to turn south on a good gravel road for another 2 miles or so. We carpooled the last half mile due to the fractured rock filled area also called ‘the road’ to the US 60 mine.(It reminded me

of the back roads above Silverton, Colorado.)

Twenty four of us made this trip where we were rewarded with goethite, psilomelane, some small calcites, mostly vein fillings, and micro barites. These minerals had formed around fractured dark red rhyolite with white phenocrysts, creating some very interesting colored breccia.

-Kimberly Richie

For March, 2002

From the devious mind of Paul Hlava

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—

a silicate of calcium and iron that is often formed by the action of igneous intrusions on impure limestones. Hardness is 6.5 to 7.5, Gravity is 3.86, Luster is vitreous to resinous, crystals often dodecahedral, and the colors can be yellow, orange, brown, almost black, and green.

What is the name of the mineral?

What is the origin of the name?

What is the mineral used for?

What is the name of the green variety used as a gem?

Localities – (Just list the famous ones)

--NM –

--USA –

--World –

What is the name of the mineral? Azurite

What is the origin of the name? From the Persian lazhward meaning blue.

What is the metal in the mineral? Copper

What is the mineral used for? It is a minor ore of copper

Localities – (Just list the famous ones)

--NM – Chino, Tyrone, and Nacimiento mines for starters

--USA – Bisbee and Morenci, AZ

--World – Tsumeb, Namibia; Rymania; Laurium, Greece; Broken Hill, Australia

Paul Hlava 020311

Proudly Presents

A Gem, Jewelry & Mineral Show

March 22-24, 2002

School Arts Building

New Mexico State Fairgrounds

38 Dealers

Mineral Identification

Raffles

Door Prizes

Admission: Adults $3.00

Under 13: FREE

Enclosed is your club membership form for 2002. Please include all the names to be included in your ‘Family" membership. This information is required by the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies A.F.M.S. for insurance and dues purposes. Annual Dues are $20.00 per family and $10.00 per family for memberships beginning after June 1, 2002.

Last Name_____________________________ Renewal from 2001? Y N

Senior Member Names: 1.___________________________

2.___________________________

Junior Member Names: 1.___________________age______

2.___________________age______

3.___________________age______

If this is a renewal, is the News Nuggets going to the proper address? Y N

For corrections and new members, please fill in the following information.

Mailing Address: ______________________Apt. # ________

City:____________________ State: _______ ZIP + 4: _______-_____

Phone: (_____) _____-______ Please include. This is only for club use and not for any other purpose

e-mail Address: _____________________________

Annual Dues: Dues are $20.00 per family.

Send this form and check to: AGMC

Albuquerque, NM 87192

March 25- Bob North will give a talk entitled "One Billion Years of Geology and 200 years of mining in Santa Rita, New Mexico"

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

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

School Arts Building

New Mexico State Fairgrounds