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. in the Sandia Room on the 2^nd floor. There is a short business meeting prior to the evening’s presentation, which begins at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Junior Club meets at 6:30.

by

Paul Hlava

This talk will start with the discussion of the nature of light. Colors in minerals are caused by interaction between light waves and the crystal structure. White light is a mixture of all wavelengths (colors). The apparent color of a mineral is determined by which colors it absorbs and which colors are reflected or emitted back to the eye of the viewer. Kurt Nassau describes 15 mechanisms that cause color in minerals, based on 5 groupings in the crystal structure. Paul will explain some of these mechanisms, along with many other mysteries of mineral coloration.

Members, we really need your help this week at the Treasures of the Earth show. A special need is for several more volunteers to help at the club raffle table, especially on Friday morning. PLEASE contact Hank Miller at 225-7218 to help fill this critical need!

Hi All. Lets get right to the point, the club needs some help in a few areas, please consider lending a hand.

1) The position of Membership Chairperson is open. In a nut shell the Membership Chair creates new member packets, maintains records of current membership, obtains name badges, and tries to make new members feel welcome. This is a voting board member position. If interested contact me.

2) We need to find a new place for the year end pot luck party (yeah, again). A few locations are being investigated but it is always good to have more choices. If you know of a good location contact Amy Penn (see contact info on last page). Please provide specific information and a contact person (i.e. we need more than "there's a church on the corner of ____ and ____ how about we have it there?"). The basic requirements are: a) Cheap. b) Seating for 150 plus room for an additional 18 tables for food service and silent auction. c) Water for making coffee, tea, etc. d) Comfortable atmosphere with decent acoustics.

3) Last year there was a proposal that we give scholarships to deserving members of the AGMC Junior Club. We need a committee (one or more people) to come up with a proposal as how the details of this might be handled and present it to the board of directors. The proposal might include: what constitutes "deserving", how much money, how many recipients per year, when to present the scholarships, how do we handle the money until the recipients attend collage, etc., etc., etc. If you would like to see this happen contact me.

4) The club gem and mineral show is coming up real soon, please help out however you can. This is a huge effort, even if you are only available for an hour or two it will be a big help.

See other articles in this news letter for whom to contact to lend a hand.

5) We need someone to coordinate the "Tumble Polished Rocks Project". The job entails: gathering donations of tumble quality rocks, getting those rocks to the club members who are doing the polishing, distributing the finished rocks as needed. This is a very low time requirement job but one that will make many other people's jobs less stressful. Contact me to volunteer.

Ok, that’s it for this month. Warmer weather is coming, get ready to go mineral collecting.

883-4195

el.chivo.viejo@earthlink.net

Minutes and Reports

Our February 28th meeting was attended by 28 AGMC Jr. Club members – 21 Rock Retrievers, and 7 Rockhounds. We began the meeting by handing out merit badges and certificates to those students who had earned badges in the previous months, and with a brief overview of the activities and field trips for the first half of the year.

Our meeting was dedicated towards preparation for the Treasures of the Earth show in March. The Rock Retrievers participated in activities to earn their Showmanship merit badge: Techniques for effective displays and Making your own public display. For techniques we learned about using neutral liners to highlight, not detract from, specimens; using balance (in size of specimens, colors, and arrangement) to guide the viewer’s eye across a display in an aesthetically pleasing way; using neat, clear labeling that’s both precise and concise and large enough to read.

The Rockhounds completed the activities needed to earn the Leadership merit badge: organizing a group display; managing a youth display at a local gem show; mentoring.

A big "Thank You" to AGMC members for their generous donations of mineral specimens for the kids. We concluded our meeting with each child receiving a beautiful specimen that they can add to their collections, and also for use for future displays and competition. It’s all a wonderful thing!

See you at the next meeting!

The proposed revised AGMC Constitution, By-Laws and Guidelines are now on the club web site along with the existing versions. Please review these documents and be prepared to vote to accept or reject the proposed revised version at the March general meeting.

• Go to www.agmc.info

Click on "Review the Proposed Constitution, Bylaws, and Officer Guidelines" to see the proposed revised version.

• OR

Click on "About the Club and Membership Form"

Click on "Existing Club Constitution and Bylaws" or "Proposed Club Constitution and Bylaws" to view the different versions.

Article IC, Section 3. Those adult members who elect to vote by proxy must complete the proxy form prepared by the Secretary and included in the News Nuggets in the month preceding the month in which the vote is to be taken. The completed form will be placed in an unmarked envelope which will be placed in an envelope with the return address containing the name and address of the Club member submitting the proxy vote and mailed to the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club, Post Office Box 13718, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87192 and mailed so that it will arrive no later than the day of the Club meeting at which the vote is to be taken, or submitted to the Secretary at any time prior to the voting.

______________________________________

It seems that every year about this time there is a scramble to make enough tumble polished stones in time to give away at the admissions booth at the TotE Show. So those of us who get tangled up in this have decided to make a substantial back stock of polished material that can be replenished at our leisure. It takes 2-3 months to polish a batch of rough rock.

We are asking for donations of rocks that would be suitable for tumble polishing, e.g. agate, jasper, rhyolite, petrified wood etc. If they are 1/2" - 2" in size or broken down to that size range, that would be helpful but not necessary. Please be selective and choose rocks that have a good chance of being attractive when polished.

Also we need someone to coordinate this effort by collecting the rough material, getting it to the tumblers, doling out the stock as needed, and keeping track of when we need more. Contact me with questions.

Jay Penn

883-4195, el.chivo.viejo@earthlink.net

Publicity for the show is underway. Our show is on the EXPO-NM website (check it out). Doug St. Pierre has contacted a list of mineral and gem magazines that have show calendars so you should be seeing these notices. Of course, we have thousands of GARISH (on purpose) yellow flyers for everyone to hand out. Doug has also sent bunches of said flyers to other clubs in NM. The postcard has been designed, printed, and is ready to be picked up. Radio, TV, and newspaper ads will be done right before the show.

Once again I will plead for more people (everyone!) to get involved with the show. Apropos of that, we had folks with sign up sheets at the January meeting for a number of jobs to be handled. These include set-up, tear-down, admissions, raffle and door prize, back-door security, and overnight security. 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! And it is not too early to think about what tasty treat you’ll bring to the potluck.

Contact me or specific show committee members if you want to help more. 265-4178, paulhlava@q.com.

Show Chairman of the Treasures of the Earth – 2011

The show is upon us.....

Here is the social support plan...

1. Please join us at any time. It's a fun time and the more the helpers, the fewer the tasks.

2. Thursday... 9 a.m. at Creative Arts Bldg

--free parking --- free donuts & coffee --

--free lunch --

We set up tables (and lightly decorate them) for potluck, tables for vendors, skirt tables and all kinds of little things. Bring scissors and tape.

3. 6 p.m. we return for "Pot Luck" evening. BBQ by Rudy's and plenty of sides furnished by club members. The vendors are our guests.

Club provides meat, desserts, and drinks. Note: I shop for needed items: coffee, desserts, plates, etc. Carolyn Wood will bring donuts.

4. Friday--the show starts--and it's always fun.

See you there…

Gwen 247-1533

On Saturday, February 12, an eager group of 25 AGMC members gathered at the New Mexico Travertine plant in Belen to for an early morning visit to the quarries in the nearby Lucero Mountains and then back for a tour of the NMT facility. We were joined by members of the Bosque Farms Rock-hounds & Chow-hounds (they like collecting and eating), plus friends and family of our host Jim Lardner.

Our first stop was the Gold Quarry which is currently providing a beautiful travertine called Navajo Gold that can be seen locally on such buildings as the Albuquerque Museum and Popejoy Hall. We learned how the travertine is cut right out the side of the hill with a giant belt saw and cable [diamond wire saw] saws and discussed some the challenges of handling such large blocks. Next the group caravanned to the Vista Grande Onyx Quarry and talked about the unique geology of travertine which can vary in its colorization for site to site. The Vista Grande Onyx variety is particularly attractive and some spectacular yard rocks were hoisted into our vehicles. On the way back to the plant we stopped briefly at the Scheherazade Quarry

and were briefly entertained by a circling Golden Eagle that nests in the tower of the giant derrick boom.

The NMT plant was fascinating look into one the largest stone processing facilities in the United States, if not the world. We basically followed the rough through the slab-cutting and polishing process, checked out the computerized sawing system, the tile fabricating line, water filtration area, plus collectively marveled at the 12 foot saw blade.

A big AGMC thanks to Jim Lardner and his employees for hosting us on a Saturday, and to Jim Deal of NMT for helping to coordinate the field trip. Check them out on the web: www.nmtravertine.com.

______________________________________

Our next AGMC Field Trip will be to Bosque and Cottonwood Draws northeast of Roswell, NM. The plan is to meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Flying Saucer McDonalds in downtown Roswell, NM. We will leave as a group and travel (caravan) to the field trip area.

Weather could adversely affect our trip plans as the road into the area becomes impassible during wet conditions (plan accordingly). If weather conditions are dry, passenger cars should be adequate for access.

Useful tools at these sites will be rock hammers and digging tools (shovels, picks, etc.). Bring packing material (newspapers, paper towels, etc.) and a backpack as we have to hike about a quarter mile from the road into the collecting areas. At Cottonwood Draw you can find aragonite crystals that have been

pseudomorphed by dolomite. Cyclic, hexagonal twins can be found as well as compound groups of crystals "affectionately" referred to as hand grenades. They are generally found loose in the arroyo sands but can also be dug out of the enclosing sedimentary rocks at a couple of spots. At Bosque Draw, pyrite crystals are found on concretions or as concretionary aggregates. Surface specimens found loose are generally partially altered to iron oxides (goethite) and some have a very attractive patina. To collect unaltered pyrite crystals requires some digging. The enclosing sedimentary layer that contains the pyrite dips from north to south. Thus the layer at the north side of the arroyo is closer to the surface while the pyrite-bearing layer is about 5 feet down on the south side of the arroyo.

If there are any questions call me or bring them to the March meeting.

______________________________________

We will meet at the Sandia Ranger station on NM Highway 337, just south of Tijeras, at 9:00 a.m. If necessary, we will carpool from there to the site, depending on parking at the quarry site. This site has silicified marine brachiopods in limestone. An email will be sent out in case of a change.

The Kinney quarry, located in the Manzanita Mountains south of Tijeras, New Mexico is a world-class fossil location. The age of the formation here is about 275 to 300 million years before present. This places it in the late Pennsylvanian epoch.

The deposit is a near shore delta deposit and was probably salt and fresh water depending on

weather conditions. Brackish water conditions favored the growth of crustaceans, snails, pectens (bivalve mollusks), and fishes. All have been found as fossils at this site. There are also trace fossils of land plants and insects. These consist of carbon imprints on the shale layers. You will find the pecten Dunbarella (a type of scallop), sometimes attached to plant fossil remains. You may, if very lucky, find a fossil imprint of a fish. Ray-finned fish, spiny shark, lungfish and coelacanth fossils have been found here. Plant fossils are common in the shale layers.

Fossils found here are in a friable shale deposit that is mined for brick-making clay (including the fossils). The nature of this material makes it important to carefully wrap and pack specimens to preserve them while transporting them. The fossil-bearing shale is also water soaked and must be carefully dried in a shady, cool location after arriving home. It takes about 2 to 4 weeks to dry out if the weather is not damp. Do not allow them to freeze! I have preserved this material by soaking it in a mixture of 90% lacquer thinner and 10% flat lacquer. (You can also use a 90% shellac thinner and 10% shellac mixture, with a shiny surface resulting on drying.) I soak the fossils about two months in this solution, which seems to stabilize them.

For collecting here you will need the usual rock pick, chisels and wrapping materials. You will also need a putty knife, old butter knife or similar tool for separating the shale layers. Beverage flats, well padded, work better for transport than buckets due to the flat shape of most specimens.

For further reading I recommend the following:

1. The Paleontology of New Mexico, Barry S. Kues, UNM press, 2008

2. Fossils of New Mexico, Barry S. Kues, UNM Press, 1982 (out of print)

3. Geology and Paleontology of the Kinney Brick Quarry, Bulletin 138, New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources.

March 1976 News Nuggets

By P.J.M. (Pete J. Modreski)

Those who came to the workshop meeting last month got a good introduction, thanks to Tom Massis, to the art and science of specimen cleaning. Tom recommends first using simple mechanical cleaning to remove dirt, clay, and other deposits; detergent and water, a scrubbing brush, and perhaps a dental pick to pry off deposits and particles. Detergents loosen and carry off clay and other particles and keep them suspended in the water without actually dissolving them. These mild methods do not attack the specimen mineral itself, although one must be sure it is not a water-soluble mineral like halite or chalcanthite.

An ultrasonic cleaner is a useful addition to the mechanical cleaning methods. It loosens particles both from surfaces and out of crevices and vugs, doing a more thorough job than brushing can. Some very fragile crystals might be damaged by the ultrasonic vibrations, and be careful not to put your fingers in an operating unit.

Stronger cleaning solutions usually involve acids. Oxalic acid is relatively weak (though poisonous!) and is particularly good for removing iron (limonite) stains. Hydrochloric acid is good for removing iron, carbonates, and other deposits, and for cleaning native copper and pyrite. Using more concentrated acid and heating the acid both increase the rate of cleaning. CAUTION: All acids must be used with great care. Heat acids only in a well-

ventilated area. Protect against spills; wear rubber gloves and glasses or goggles. Acids may spatter when heated or when specimens are dropped in. When mixing, always add acid to the water. Even cold acids can cause severe burns to the skin.

Rinse specimens thoroughly to remove all traces of acid when done, or some stains may re-appear. An initial rinse solution of baking soda will neutralize residual acid.

Tom finds that phosphoric acid is particularly good for cleaning both quartz and fluorite. This acid can only be obtained from chemical supply companies although hydrochloric can be purchases at hardware stores.

Acids dissolve many minerals, and you must be careful not to destroy your specimen in the cleaning process. All carbonate minerals (calcite, azurite, smithsonite, etc.) are acid-soluble; even dilute acids will etch or dissolve them. Tom found, to his disappointment, that even the weak oxalic acid left a Kelly smithsonite specimen with a powdery, corroded surface. Many other minerals, such as apatite, gypsum, brochantite, and hemimorphite, will dissolve or decompose, particularly in strong acids. Always test a small piece first before cleaning your prize specimen!

One final word of caution. Some kinds of cleaned specimens do not appeal to all people. There are those who prefer the tarnished look of natural copper to a bright, matrix-free, acid-etched piece. Know your own preferences, and those of people to whom you might trade or sell specimens.

If you are further interested in specimen cleaning, consider purchasing Cleaning and Preserving Minerals by Richard M. Pearl (about $2.75)

Compiled, selected and annotated by Dave Moats, AGMC Historian

24" slab saw, very good condition, nearly new blade, located in Deming, NM, $2950 OBO, Maurice and Judy Crawford (575) 546-0056 or (760) 417-1249.

Note: Advertisers, please contact editor if item sells.

Thanks to Sherry Miller, Paul & Linda Kouts, Lannois Neeley, Suzanne Seymour, Cathy Stringfellow, Pat & Beverly Cronin, Bob & Jan Burrows, Ron & Carmella Bentz, Jim Gunn, Bill Hoban, Bob Calhoun, and Jack Burgess. We got 6,270 postcards done in exactly 2 hours. You're all hired for next year!!! Thanks for all your help!

Mama’s Minerals, a member and supporter of the Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club, is featuring AGMC this month. In addition to being at the TotE show, they are promoting the club in their newsletter and will donate a portion of their profits in March to the AGMC. Most of us are already familiar with Mama’s and the variety of specimens, rough material, polished stones, supplies, books and other materials they carry in their inventory. If you were planning to visit them soon, remember that if you go this month, some of the money you spend will come back to the AGMC.

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.

19-20--LIVE OAK (SAN ANTONIO), TX: 50th annual show, "Fiesta of Gems"; San Antonio Gem & Mineral Society; Live Oak Civic Center, 8108 Pat Booker Rd.; Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-4; adults $5, seniors $3, students $2, children 50 cents; 25 dealers; minerals, fossils, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, club exhibits, silent auction, games, hourly door prizes, silent auction; contact Robert Bowie, 1324 Kings Point Dr., Canyon Lake, TX 78133; e-mail:  krbotx@gvtc.com; Web site: www.swgemandmineral.org

18-20—SPANISH FORK, UT: 52nd show, "Spring Parade of Gems"; Timpanogos Gem & Mineral Society; Spanish Fork Fair Grounds, 475 S. Main St.; Fri. 10-7, Sat. 10-7, Sun. 10-5; free admission; displays, dealers, jewelry, fossils, equipment, Mr. Bones, door prizes, touch table, rock sales, kids’ grab bags, Wheel of Fortune, instructions on polishing rocks, metal detectors, lapidary equipment, demonstrations, faceting, knapping, wire wrapping, beading, fluorescent mineral display, silent auction; contact Keith Fackrell, 2295 East 700 South, Springville, UT 84663, (801) 489-7525; e-mail: krfackrell@msn.com; Web site: http://timprocks.weebly.com

25-27—ADA, OK: Show, "A Festival of Gems, Minerals & Fossils 2011"; Ada Gem, Mineral & Fossil Club; Pontotoc County Agri-Plex, Main Bldg. #1, NE corner of state Rte. 99/U.S. 377 and the Richardson Bypass/S. Hwy. 1/3E; Fri. 9-5, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 10-4; free admission; demonstrations, displays, fluorescent rocks, minerals, fossils, lapidary, jewelry, silent auctions, raffle Sun., kids’ fossil dig and petting zoo, dealers; contact Ed Vermillion, P.O. Box 782, Purcell, OK 73080, (405) 527-6431; e-mail: okieed42@windstream.net; Web site: www.freewebs.com/agmfc/index.htm

25-27—LOVELAND, CO: 50th annual show; Fort Collins Rockhounds; The Ranch, Larimer County Fairgrounds, Thomas M. McKee 4-H, Youth & Community Bldg.; Fri. 4-8, Sat. 9-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $4 ($7 weekend pass); under 18 $1, children under 12 free with adult; pyrite, exhibits, door prizes, grab bags, silent auction, demonstrations, dealers, gems, minerals, fossils, beads, rough rocks, equipment; contact Dave Halliburton, Fort Collins Rockhounds, P.O. Box 482, Fort Collins, CO 80522, (970) 493-6168; e-mail: fcrockhounds@yahoo.com; Web site: www.fortcollinsrockhounds.org

8-10—OGDEN, UT: Show; Golden Spike Gem & Mineral Society; Golden Spike Event Center, Weber County Fairgrounds, 1000 N. 1200 W.; Fri. 9-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-6; adults $2, children free; Mr. Bones, demonstrators, dealers; Cindy Blanchard, (801) 648-5060; e-mail: cindy@creativemetals.com; Web site: http://goldenspikegem.org

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

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

All meetings are held at the NM Museum of Natural History, Albuquerque, NM. The general meeting is held on the 4^th Monday of the month (unless otherwise announced) at 7:30 p.m. The Junior Club meets at 6:30 p.m. prior to the general meeting. The public is welcome at both meetings.

Board of Directors meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month. All club members are welcome.

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 87192-3718 or pay the Membership Chair at the monthly meeting. All memberships expire Dec. 31.

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 for any information that will promote club activities or that would be of interest to club members. News Nuggets is scheduled to be sent approximately one week prior to the monthly meeting, earlier if possible.

You are invited to send news, articles or comments to Bill Barr at wbarr@umich.edu. Please begin the subject line with AGMC.

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

Treasurer: el.chivo.viejo@earthlink.net

merlelin@q.com

klawicki@gmail.com

Note: If you feel you have been put on or left off this list in error, please contact Bill Barr.