The Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club meets on the 4^th Monday of the month (note there are 5 Mondays in May 2010). 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.

Diane Eames, our featured speaker this month, is a graduate gemologist and proprietor of Gems of the Hill Country Lapidaries and Jewelers on historic Mason Square in Mason, Mason County, Texas. Her program will be a show-and-tell style rather than our usual projected screen show, with physical samples to illustrate the topics: the art of faceting, the science of gemology and the significant gem-quality topaz occurrences in Mason County, Texas. Mason County is west of Austin, situated on the Llano Uplift, a raised dome of igneous and metamorphic rock of Precambrian age that stands above the younger sedimentary strata that dominate the Texas landscape. Mostly granite, the Uplift hosts pegmatites that yield many interesting minerals, the best known of which are the topazes which are the state gemstone of the Lone Star State. After this month’s field trip in search of Colorado topaz, this subject arrives with perfect timing. If we’re lucky, we may even get to see the 2100-carat Sugar Daddy topaz, one of the largest gem topazes ever found in North America.

Since the club doesn't have anything outside of the normal meetings and field trip going on this month I thought I'd give a recap of the general state of the club as I see it. First the important items ---- to me. We have secured the San Pedro Mine for the July field trip and potluck. We have the Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church for the December meeting and potluck and at next year's TotE show we will have the Thursday evening potluck as usual. With all the potlucks scheduled for the foreseeable future I feel ------- all is well.

Some of you may believe that there is more to this club than potlucks so here is the other stuff. Finances, the club bank accounts are healthy with no foreseen need to raise dues or lower expenditures from current levels. Field trips continue to be often, popular, and well run. Thanks to all who have volunteered to lead a trip. The club gem and mineral show was a great success despite a new location and time. Next year we will stay in this great new building but return to the old date of the 3rd full weekend of March.

At every general meeting we have a speaker who draws about 100 people. Or is it the post speaker refreshments and fellowship that brings us? You decide. Our membership numbers are steady even in these rough economic times; where else can a household get so much for $20 a year? The newsletter continues to be the best that I have seen from other clubs in the southwest. The junior club program, what can I say, it is outstanding and growing. There are typically 20 or so juniors with parents at a meeting. They are developing "business" cards of their own, will soon have a presence on the AGMC web site, and are planning on having field trips more often. Each of the items listed above is in such good shape because there is a corresponding board member who cares enough to do a good job. We should thank them.

As for ongoing items: the board has completed revising the constitution, continues to slog away at revising the board member guidelines and has begun a review of the bylaws. When completed these will be presented to the general membership for approval (or not). Also the board has formed a committee to investigate the possibility of giving scholarships to deserving AGM Junior Club (AGMJC) members.

As I'm writing this I can't think of any "bad" things, everything seems to be running smoothly and without any bickering or dissent at the board meetings ----- all is well. This makes me pause and ask if maybe I'm too close to see the big picture, maybe I'm too content in things being as they always have been. So I ask the membership at large to let me (or any board member) know what you think can be done better from your perspective. Also, if you like something, let us know. We need the encouragement.

Jay Penn

Call to Order: President Jay Penn called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.

Welcome: Jay Penn welcomed 9 newcomers to the meeting.

Announcements: Jay Penn announced that he would no longer be gathering the raffle items. He introduced Doug St. Pierre, owner of a gem

gem/mineral shop, who will be taking over the donations for the raffle. Doug announced that he would be accepting mineral specimens for the raffle.

Brian mentioned that this last trip was to the Nakaye Mine. It rained, but cleared for some great collecting of fluorite and barite. Bill Barr reported that on Sunday collectors went to Squaw Creek, which is an old tin mine. There the group found hematite and red cassiterite and other rare minerals. They encountered a beautiful day with 85 degree temperatures, which quickly went to 55 degrees with hail. The double rainbow and specimens in hand made the trip worthwhile.

May’s field trip will be to Colorado on May 15^th to search for smoky quartz. June’s field trip will be to Hondo Canyon to search for staurolites. John Reinert announced that he contacted the Bacas about the annual picnic at the San Pedro mine scheduled for July and club members have permission to visit there again this year.

Robair announced that the name tags have arrived and members can see him for their name tags.

Kathy thanked Bill Barr and Margaret Campbell for tonight’s refreshments. Next month, the Teagues will be bringing refreshments. Kathy will be seeking more volunteers for later dates at the next meeting.

Jim announced that he has raffle tickets to sell.

Paul indicated that he has had positive feedback on the TotE show and the new location. He indicated that it is likely that the show will be in the same location next year. He thanked the more than 30 volunteers who helped with the show in various capacities. He said, "Members are what keep the club alive." He said that attendance was down a bit from previous years, but that the show took in more than was spent. He will have more facts and figures to report at the next meeting.

Hank introduced the two science fair winners, Sienna and Julian. Sienna’s science fair project was on what soil types have on the impact of earthquakes on building structures. She simulated both soil and building structures with food items in the demo. Julian’s project was about the corrosion of metals. He put various metals in household solutions to see which ones corrode at a higher rate than others. Both science fair winners were presented with a medal honoring their accomplishments, a recognition certificate and a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.

Cliff and Linda were acknowledged for their membership and wished well on their return to Maine.

Jim announced that the Junior Club is looking to buy micro-mineral boxes. However the one source they found required a purchase of 1200 boxes to do it at a rate of 35 to 40 cents each. He requested information on other sources for the boxes and whether members were also interested in purchasing the boxes as part of a lot. The meeting was attended by 26 junior members with 5 new families joining.

Paul Hlava was the speaker for this evening’s meeting. He talked about his background and training as a geologist. The topic for the evening was the Geology of New Mexico. He discussed geologic time for the Albuquerque area and land formations associated with the area. He discussed basins in the state, the Rio Grande Rift, alluvial fans and how these formations were made. Gold, uranium, silver, copper, sand, gravel, clay and water are associated with the basins. It was interesting to note that the area represents very old formations (1.6-1.7 billion years ago) to new formations in the Rio Salado.

The meeting adjourned for refreshments and raffle prizes.

Respectfully submitted,

Carmen Taylor, AGMC Secretary

Our April Jr. club meeting was the first meeting since the March TotE show, and was attended by 29 kids; we grew by 5 new families and added 8 new Jr. club members to our roster!

The meeting began with the awarding of prizes to the first, second and third place winners of the Jr. Club mineral collection competition at the TotE show. The collections were judged by how well the Jr. members followed the criteria for their displays.

The awards went to: Kendra Gonzales – First Place; Skailar Sovereign – Second Place; Nicholas Boder-Szarkowski – Third Place. The winners each received a certificate and a special prize; Kendra won a beautiful double terminated enhydro quartz crystal; Skailar won a spectacular specimen with sky blue fluorite crystals from Blanchard; and Thomas won a Rockhounding book.Thank you to all the participants in this competition.

We then began to work on earning our next merit badge, Lapidary Arts. For the first activity we learned about lapidary rocks. We spent the remainder of the class time discussing how rocks have different characteristics: some are hard, some soft, some uniform in color, others are banded, and some are translucent. We looked at different examples of hard and soft stones, and what lapidary projects they might be used for.

In order to earn the Lapidary Arts merit badge, there are two additional activities that are required to earn the badge: Workshop Safety and Maintenance, and Completing a Lapidary Project. Michael and Janey Johnson, AGMC members, graciously donated their residence and their time to host a Jr. Club field trip on Saturday, May 1st. Fifteen Jr. club members and their parent(s) showed up at their residence on that cold wintery May afternoon. Michael talked to the kids about the different machines he uses to cut, grind and polish stones, and important safety issues while using these tools.

Next, we attacked the final requirement: Completing a Lapidary Project. Jim Hill brought along his lapidary equipment, and along with Michael’s equipment the kids were able to dop up some nice pre-cut rough cabs and grind away! No fingers or fingernails were lost in the process.

After several hours, it was time to finish up and go home. Michael and Janey gave each of the kids a beautiful finished bloodstone cabochon to take home with them. All in all it was a wonderful field trip and a great time for everyone!

Thank you again to Michael and Janey Johnson for letting the AGMC Jr. Club experience the fun and excitement of working with stones and creating beautiful treasures and fun memories they’ll remember forever!

Jim Hill and Earlene Shroyer

After a long stormy night with well over an inch of rain I had not anticipated much of a crowd, but I had set out early in hopes that someone would show. Intermittent showers with some pretty stormy skies were particularly worrisome as I drove to the meeting site. I was surprised to find one hearty soul already waiting for my arrival. Miraculously, about this time the skies to the west began showing signs of clearing and more club members were soon arriving. By 9:30 we had finished a show of typical Nakaye specimens that one might have reasonable expectations of finding, with a little work and diligence.

We started up towards the mine without any idea of actual road conditions, so board member Jim Hill, who had a couple of walkie-talkies, brought up the rear just in case of trouble. As it turns out the road got nothing but better as we proceeded. That is not to say that it was great. Quite a few bumps later we arrived at the base of Nakaye Mountain where the going gets good and rough. From there we went up the old mine and rancher’s road which has likely never seen any maintenance. Several street cars were left at the bottom of the hill but there was sufficient space in the 4 wheel drive vehicles to carry everyone and their equipment to the top, one at a time. As each driver made it safely to the top they would signal the next vehicle to come on up. A total of 13 members made it safely to the top. Everyone enjoyed the scenic and panoramic view.

And then came the best part, mine dumps that had been freshly worked and then rained on to expose a lot of beautiful and shiny barite crystals, many of which were on purple fluorite. I do not suppose anyone went away without their cup running over, even if they went strictly for the view. Best of all, everyone came off the mountain safely and pretty happy.

Trip Leader, Rex Nelson

After the great day of collecting on Saturday, I was worried that no one would show for this next collecting trip to such a remote and little known mine, especially one that would be primarily for micromounting specimens. As it turns out I was surprised again as 8 people had gathered at the exit 89 gravel storage area by 9:30. The 60-mile drive from this meeting place was mostly uneventful but scenic. The last 20 miles or so was in national forest lands and included going across the Continental Divide. Although a lot of snow was visible in the distance, very little was encountered in our travels and the roads were passable using street vehicles. The reported steep climb up the hill at the mine site was strenuous but everyone completed it safely.

It’s hard to seem real excited about collecting small and mostly dark minerals but I dare say that I saw some pretty nice specimens being packed up for the trip down. The specimens noted were cassiterite, specularite (hematite), pseudobrookite and mordenite. I do not recall anyone finding squawcreekite or maxwellite (tripuhyite) but those who checked out their specimens with a microscope may have found some.

After collecting for several hours, we began to hear the sounds of wind and storms approaching. The mine dump was pretty small and Albuquerque seemed very distant, so when the sprinkles started it didn't take a lot of urging to get moving towards the vehicles. Once again we were blessed with clearing weather so a quick stop by the Paramount Canyon lookout seemed in order. From there the weather seemed to be deteriorating in the west, so we continued on with the thought that a quick stop at the quaint little store at Winston would be delightful. As we were driving out of the national forest area a unique view of the easterly San Mateo Mountains was afforded to us, thanks to Mother Nature. This view was a section of land that was covered with what appeared to be very white snow. As it turns out it was a 3-inch covering of hail. As we approached the intersection of SR 52 and SR 59 there were many head of livestock wandering about in a daze, probably wondering what happened. One club member stated that they were running wildly during the hailstorm.

In any case, the people in Winston had something to talk about and we stopped by the only store in town to listen. It seems that the hailstorm was big news. If you haven’t visited this store, you should, as it is quite quaint and the merchants are very friendly. Besides, Albuquerque is 150 miles away, and there are no services for the next 50 miles.

Trip Leader, Rex Nelson

This month’s field trip was last weekend, to the claims of Donna Ware and Jeff Self, who have allowed our club to collect on their claims several times in the past. This year’s destination was the Tarryall Mountains, near the town of Lake George, Colorado, looking for topaz, amazonite and smoky quartz. We hope to have a detailed story on the collecting in next month’s News Nuggets.

Early reports from a mystery correspondent mentioned challenging weather conditions, with plenty of cold night air and some snowfall. What was that again about Springtime in the Rockies?

The field trip in June will be to Hondo Canyon just south of Taos. We will be collecting staurolites, also known as fairy crosses, or to the inhabitants of the region, Lagrimas de Cristo (Tears of Christ).

The road into the location is rugged and only a high clearance 4WD can make it. I drove up the road yesterday (5/5/10) to check it out. It is as passable and as bad as last year. Because of this we will need to meet at the Rio Grand Visitor Center in Pilar, 5 miles south of the canyon entrance and consolidate into 4WD vehicles. We will need to cram into as few of these as possible since the road is narrow (causing difficulties if a vehicle is coming the other way) and there is limited parking at the end of the road.

The collecting area is in extremely rugged terrain, and it is very easy to get lost in the dense underbrush. I’ve been lost myself twice. In exploring the area, I thought I would try to find my way back to the truck without the aid of my GPS. I failed totally and was reduced to turning on the GPS to find my way back. One time, I was two miles off the mark. I also know that, once on location, people will want to wander to find better outcrops of the staurolite-bearing schist which are all over the area. So, I urge those of you who have a GPS to bring it and lead small groups that stick together during the day.

What to bring: GPS!!! This is high country so be prepared for the usual changeability of NM weather. Bring plenty of water and lunch and some warm removable clothing. Light collecting tools – a trowel is a must, a geology hammer, a sturdy screwdriver, plastic sandwich bags for your new treasures, and a whisk brush.

For the sturdier of you, a chisel might be handy to chip out a matrix specimen. And, of course, a backpack to haul it all in and out. There are also likely to be lots of mosquitoes. Safety item: bring a whistle in case you get lost or hurt. Another consideration as you hike looking for specimens: When hiking it is easy to cross a ridge or saddle without paying much attention. Once over a hill you can become disoriented and or lost so always stay alert for where you are.

Directions: Go to Espanola, about 90 miles from Albuquerque. The road splits just as you get into town with 84/285 going off to the left toward Chama and 68 going straight on up towards Taos. Take 68. Go to Pilar, and just after mile maker #28 turn right into the Rio Grande Gorge visitor center parking lot. 10:00 a.m. seems like a good hour to meet. We will drive about two miles up the 4WD road in Hondo Canyon to the point beyond which vehicular traffic is not possible, and proceed on foot about 1⁄2 mile to the beginning of the collecting area. If you get to the visitor center early, you can get a latte across the road.

Once we arrive at the parking area in the Canyon, the beginning of the collecting area is about a half a mile easy walk further up the forest road.

Just after mile marker #17 (heading north) is a wonderful restaurant called Embudo Station with outdoor seating right on the Rio Grande. Might be a nice place for dinner on the way home. It also has cabins for rent should you want to be closer to the meeting area. 505-852-4707.

John Scully, Trip Leader

Sat. 7/24 Annual AGMC Picnic & collecting at the San Pedro Mine.

Sat. 8/14 Morenci Mine Tour in AZ. Half day tour followed by limited collecting of copper minerals.

Sat. 9/4-Mon. 9/6 Rabb Canyon camp & collect

Sat. 10/23 Small Fry Prospect, collecting fluorite, calcite and barite near Abiquiu.

Sat.11/27 Blanchard Mine near Bingham, NM.

The show was a success!

Everyone loved the building. Some of the customers even said it gave the show a more professional look.

We will move back to the old date (it has already been scheduled with EXPO NM). That’s the third full weekend in March, the weekend after the Deming show, March 18-20, 2011. The theme is Blue Minerals, so start looking through your collections for prime specimens for the show mineral case.

We made a fair amount of cash above expenses so we can pay for the scholarships and the club revenue shortfall. We also don’t need to charge more for admissions or vendor booth spaces next year. We had record sales at the silent auction and raffle but admissions were down a tad. The folks who came stayed longer because they liked the place better.

The number of folks who showed up to help at set-up time was amazing. And all the folks who helped at the various jobs was excellent.

The show committee folks all did outstanding jobs. Remember to thank them.

(Alphabetical) Bill Barr, Ray DeMark, Jim Hill, Janey Johnson, Michael Johnson, Grant Kuck, Hank Miller, Amy Penn, Jay Penn, Gwen Poe, Kimberly Richie, John Reinert, Mike Sanders, Doug St. Pierre, Carolyn Wood

Paul Hlava

100511

It’s a lousy day here in New Mexico. I was digging on a claim in Cuba, NM and had intended to explore some old mines in the National Forest near Grants, but a 40-mile-an- hour wind drove me to the comfort of home. So, now I have time to put on paper some thoughts which have been gathering in my head for a while about successful rockhounding. I’m sure most readers already know much and have their own ideas about this, but perhaps for beginners, this could be useful.

Of course, you gotta find where the rocks are to be able to collect them. One of the best ways is to join your local rock club and go on their field trips. Robust clubs like the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral club in our state conduct a monthly trip to an old mine or mineral location where members have an opportunity to collect a wide variety of specimens usually with a real expert on hand to help identify things.

But, in a place like New Mexico, with its vast public lands filled with old mines, there are endless opportunities to find collecting sites. So, how do you find them? It’s easy. One way is to go back to a field trip location and thoroughly explore it. There is almost always a lot more going on in a given location than the initial impression. Or, hook up with "old timers" to find out where other collecting areas are. Maybe they will even take you to some. Or stop in at the New Mexico Tech mineral museum in Socorro for some suggestions.

To locate lots of other possibilities, obtain land use maps. The Bureau of Land Management has inexpensive maps covering in detail the state of New Mexico. When I first arrived here, I bought about 40 of them at $4 each covering the western half of the state where the public lands are. Also, the Forest Service sells cheap maps with considerable detail of the National Forests and adjacent BLM land. These maps list many old mines and prospects, and you can drive or easily hike to many of them.

But, that’s if you just want to skim the surface. To really "dig down", you need to buy a computer operated topographical map like the National Geographic’s US Geologic Survey topo maps on CD-ROM. These provide fantastic detail including old mines and prospects. Some of these are so remote that only hardy hikers can reach them, but most are quite near a road of some sort because that’s how the miners go to the mines. But, the most incredible feature is the program’s interaction with a GPS. You can target an mine or prospect on the TOPO and get its exact GPS location. Then, when on the scene, you can program the coordinates into your GPS and walk right up to the exact location. You really cannot miss.

So, how do you know which of the vast number of places might actually produce a nice specimen? Of course, you want to talk to folks about where the good collecting areas are. If you have a mine name, consult www.mindat.org to find out what minerals where found there. Then consult whatever written material is available including such old standbys at Gem Trails of New Mexico. For in depth information, browse the publications of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR) (http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/). Or, having found an interesting place or mine name, Google it.

An example of all of this is the Zuni Mountains here in NM which are full of old fluorite mines. I have found many of them by doing all of the above. For example, the Mirabel mine south of Thoreau. A friend showed us this mine, and a nearby copper mine. I then located them on my National Geographic topo program which not only pinpointed them exactly for my

GPS but also showed a dozen or so prospects within a mile of them (which I also GPSed). Then I Googled the Mirabel and found on line a 1965 publication by the NMBGMR written explicitly for rockhounds which included a detailed road log to both the Mirabel and Diener mines and directions to some prospects not on the topo maps. Wow, what can be better? I was on my way there yesterday when blown back by NM spring weather.

A note of caution: There are many private claims in NM including on many of the spots that you might locate through all of the above. Do not dig on them or risk gaining a reputation as a "highgrader" or worse. If there is any doubt, look for claim corner and discovery monument markers.

So, you found a location. How are you going to make the best of it? This is not as easy as it seems. First, be prepared to spend a lot of time. Second, thoroughly explore the area. With a minimum set of tools and supplies (more later), cover the mine and all the surrounding prospects noting for the future likely places to dig. If the territory is really rugged, do a GPS waypoint on a likely place. Dig a bit at potential spots but don’t linger unless you really have hit the mother lode. I once took a friend from the East Coast to a really rich mine. He was so stunned by the availability of specimens that he simply sat down in the road and started to peck away at the rubble. I had difficulty getting him to move over to the really good areas of the mine.

But, what am I looking for in this exploration? The answer is anything. The rockhound has to explore anything at all that looks different. Color is an important indicator. If you see color check it out. Cavities and seams are indicators. They often open up into crystal lined vugs or gorgeous bands. Check them out and be ready to break rocks at their seams with a sledge and chisel. If you find a vug in hard rock, try to break the rock around it. There are almost sure to be more vugs.

With the sun at your back, be on the lookout for glitter, which often indicates minerals. Find the glittering mineral and then find where it came from. Up a creek? Down through the debris? Look for anything at all unusual: an odd shape that does not fit with the surroundings; an unusual outcrop in the surrounding rocks; a patch of vegetation in a desert area that might indicate a water retaining cavity; anything at all unusual.

Follow gullies, ravines and creek beds. Let nature do your rockhounding for you. Water will do your rockhounding for you by washing specimens out of the ground and leaving them in the creek bed. Follow the trail of "crumbs" to the source. I once found some malachite in a creek bed and followed the creek at least a mile finding more and better specimens all the way. I thought that I had found a new mine, but alas, the creek only lead to the same mine I was searching for by the road. I did find some nice specimens of wood replaced by copper minerals. Ah, well! I also found my best claim this way.

Do not hesitate to get down on your hands and knees. It’s amazing how much you do NOT see from the height of the average human being. I have crawled a mile or more in creek beds finding wonderful specimens that walking companions have completely missed. They thought I was lucky. Not so – I was doing something different than they were. Simply use your gloves as knee pads.

Don’t be proud. Look for places others have dug before you. Also, always assume that, despite the many who have traipsed around a place before you, that they have missed something. Look everywhere. I just found a fantastic piece of Triassic wood replaced by malachite right at the foot of an old copper mine that had been revealed by recent rain.

When at old mines, look for sorting areas. No miners simply loaded the rocks they blasted out of the earth into transportation vehicles. They sorted the ore first. Find where they sorted and dig there. There are likely to be pieces of their best ore in the sorting pile. Check out all prospects that you see. If you see a pile of rocks along the road, stop and check it out. I recently found an incredible brachiopod location this way. The old miners certainly weren’t looking for brachs, but they found them.

Editor’s note: Part 2 of John’s excellent article will appear in the next issue of News Nuggets.

For sale: a MSA miner’s cap lamp and charger. It is MSHA approved for mining environments, dual lamp filaments, and 4 volt lead acid spill-proof battery. The charger is for 115 or 230 volts and has battery maintenance circuit built in. $100.00 – Jim Hill 865-2914 or see me at the AGMC meeting.

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.

Wanted: DVD of the Selenite Cave in Naica, Mexico. It could be called Cave of Crystal Giants, or Crystal Palace, or Giant Crystal Cave. We had a copy from Jan & Bob Burrows to pass around for club members, but that DVD bit the dust. Please call Amy Penn, 883-4195, if you have a copy.

Brand new-never used-Wizard 6" trim saw. Retails for $905.00. I am asking $500.00 OBO. Please contact John 948-3311.

Wanted: Donations for the TotE Show Silent Auction for next year. Great sales this year left the cupboard bare. Call Bill Barr at 803-4888.

Some interesting facts on the talk were that dinosaurs contributed very little to the amount of oil around. Oil comes from briny type deposits and fresh water deposits with the latter providing a relatively small portion. The main contributor to the briny type oil is the shrimp, whose body weight was about 50% cholesterol which is further broken down to oil. The montmorillonite clays were necessary to the oil formation process as were heat and pressure. Much of the oil has been lost because of volcanism and anaerobic bacteria which reduce the thin oil to paraffins and other heavier products.

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.

29-30--FORT WORTH, TX: 59th annual show, "Fabulous Fossils"; Fort Worth Gem & Mineral Club; Will Rogers Memorial Center, Amon G. Carter Exhibit Bldg., 3401 W. Lancaster; Sat. 9-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $5, seniors $4, children under 12 free; 30 dealers, kids' games, hourly door prizes, grand prize, silent auction, exhibits; contact Steve Hilliard, P.O. Box 418, Decatur, TX 76234; (817) 925-5760; e-mail: fwgmc@embarqmail.com; Web site: www.fortworthgemandmineralclub.org

29-30--LAKESIDE, AZ: Annual show; White Mountain Gem & Mineral Club; Blue Ridge Junior High School, 3050 N. Porter Mountain

Rd.; Sat. 9-6, Sun. 9-4; adults $2, students (15 and under) free with paying adult; dealers, gems, minerals, beads, fossils, lapidary equipment, rough and finished rock specimens, silent auction, spinning wheel, kids' activity area, door prizes, raffle prizes, display cases, fluorescent mineral display; contact Larry Legge/Nanz Marshall, (928) 537-2524; e-mail: larrylegge@yahoo.com; Web site: www.whitemountain-azrockclub.org

4-5--PRICE, UT: 4th annual show, "Castle Country Rock, Fossil & Mineral Show"; Braun Lapidary, CEU Silversmith [Lapidary & Wire Wrapping Classes]; Jennifer Leavitt Student Center, College of Eastern Utah, 536 North 300 East; Fri. 10-7, Sat. 10-7; free admission; rocks, fossils, minerals, jewelry, metal detectors, equipment, beads, displays, door prizes; contact Patrick Braun, P.O. Box 236, Ferron, UT 84523, (435) 384-2211; e-mail: pbraun@cskyw.net

5--DELTA, CO: Show; Delta County Rock Wranglers; Heddles Recreation Center, 530 Gunnison River Dr.; Sat. 9-5; free admission; dealers, exhibits, door prizes, family activities; contact Harry W. Masinton, (970) 856-3861

11-13--ALBUQUERQUE, NM: Show, "Gem Faire"; Gem Faire Inc.; New Mexico State Fairgrounds, 300 San Pedro NE; Fri. 12-7, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; $5 weekend pass; contact Yooy Nelson, (503) 252-8300; e-mail: info@gemfaire.com; Web site: www.gemfaire.com

26-27--COLORADO SPRINGS, CO: Show, "Rock Fair at WMMI"; Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society; Western Museum of Mining and Industry, 225 N. Gate Blvd.; Sat. 9-4, Sun. 9-3; adults $5, children $2; vendors, rocks, minerals, jewelry, children's area, rock, mineral and fossil identification, speakers, demonstrations, gold panning, metal detecting; contact Ronald "Yam" Yamiolkoski, (719) 488-5526; e-mail: info@csms.us; Web site: www.csms.us

2-4--FARMINGTON, NM: Show; San Juan County Gem & Mineral Club; Farmington Civic Center, 200 W. Arlington St.; Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; free admission; door prizes, rocks, gems, minerals, Farmington Freedom Days; contact Mickie Calvert, P.O. Box 1482, Farmington, NM 87499, (505) 632-8288; e-mail: mickie2@earthlink.net

9-11--DURANGO, CO: Show; Four Corners Gem & Mineral Club; La Plata County Fair Grounds, 2500 Main Ave.; Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; free admission; jewelry, kids' activities, gold panning, jewelry making tools, gems, minerals, fossils, beading supplies, door prizes, mineral displays, raffle, silent auction; contact Bill Birza, P.O. Box 955, Durango, CO 81302, (970) 385-6850; e-mail: wcbirzzz@durangolive.net; Web site: www.durangorocks.org

24-25--FLAGSTAFF, AZ: Show, "Flagstaff Jewelry, Gem, and Mineral Show"; Val Latham, Sharon Szymanski; Radisson Woodlands Hotel Flagstaff; Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-4; contacts Sharon Szymanski, (480) 671-6191, or Val Latham, (602) 466-3060

30-JULY 1--PRESCOTT, AZ: Show and sale; Prescott Gem & Mineral Club; Prescott Gem & Mineral Club; Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Activity Center, 3700 Willow Creek Rd., Bldg 84; Fri. 9-5, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-4; adults $2, children under 12 free; hand-crafted jewelry, rough rock, slabs, cabochons, beads, fossils, crystals, equipment, raffle; contact Maggi Lieber, 4855 E. Diamond Dr., Prescott, AZ 86301, (520) 831-0017; e-mail: maggiscratch@msn.com; Web site: www.prescottgemmineral.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 mailed approximately one week prior to the monthly meeting. You are cordially invited to send news, articles or comments to: Bill Barr, 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

robair1952@yahoo.com

Abqfoxbutt@aol.com

klawicki@gmail.com