News Nuggets

Newsletter of the Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club

Volume 48 Number 5

The Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineral Societies (RMFMS) will hold its annual show and convention in Roswell, NM this year. The show runs for three days, June 8-10 at the Yucca Center. I will be attending the editor’s breakfast where our newsletter has been selected as one of the final four chosen for the Best New Editor for 2000.

-OG

Russell Spiering announced his resignation as of June 30, 2001 as club treasurer at the last board meeting. He has been the club treasurer since 1998 and he needs more time for his hand crafted jewelry business (RKS Designs). Anyone interested in volunteering for the job of treasurer should contact Russell at 266-3067 after 2:00pm, weekdays. He can tell you more about what the treasurer’s duties entail.

I am now in my second year as editor of the News Nuggets and I need a break. There are other club duties I would like to pursue next year and…I need a break ! I will be more than happy to show a new editor how I do the newsletter, plus I have all the templates to make the work much easier than when I took this position.

There are numerous resources available in this club to help volunteers "fit" into their new positions and duties. Each board position has written guidelines enumerating those duties and suggesting how they can be accomplished. As an example, the field trip coordinators have extensive lists of prior field trips and the names of contacts to call. None of these positions require a PhD in geology. What they do require is someone who is willing to step up and take a turn at one of the jobs which keep this club running. You never know, you might have some fun !!

home phone: 228-2437

e-mail: galleryofminerals@msn.com

Past President- Paul Hlava

home phone: 255-5478

e-mail: agatehome@aol.com

VP-Programs - Grant Kuck

home phone: 323-1520

VP-Field Trips- Kimberly Richie

home phone: 296-8847

home phone: 792-0951

e-mail: swilson@nmfiber.com

VP-Special Events- Hank Miller

home phone: 255-7218

Treasurer- Russell Spiering

home phone: 266-3067

e-mail: DesignsbyRKS@msn.com

Editor- Orlando Garcia

home phone: 345-0520

e-mail: jabog@rt66.com

Ad Hoc Board- Tom Schmierer

home phone: 836-1228

Ad Hoc /Refreshments- Sallie Estill - home phone: 792-8328

Club Historian: Tom Katonak

Home phone: 898-5592

e-mail: tkatonak@macconnect.com

Jr. Club: Tom Schmierer & Sallie Estill

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 previous 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)

All memberships are family memberships and can 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.

There is no President’s Message this month due to the recent death of Jim Winchell’s mother. Our deepest condolences go to Jim and his family.

The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS) is made up of seven regional federations. These federations are: California, Eastern, Midwest, Northwest, South Central, Southeast and Rocky Mountain. Our club belongs to the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies (RMFMS)

The RMFMS is composed of approximately 90 clubs with a total membership of approximately 7,000. These clubs are from Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Our club exchanges newsletters with approximately 50 other gem and mineral clubs from our own Rocky Mountain Federation and throughout the United States. The editorial staff (me) is currently reviewing the list of clubs that we exchange newsletters with to

determine which ones can be sent by e-mail and which newsletters should be dropped as exchanges.

Jim Winchell opened the meeting with the introduction of guests. We also would like to welcome new members Kappy Gott and his sons Eric and Willy, Tom and Doug Geusz , Mr. and Mrs. Jerome and Betty Temple.

Jim paid tribute to Monty Mortimer, who recently passed away, with some personal recollections of Monty, his good friend. Monty has donated his extensive mineral collection, of over 50 years of collecting and worth thousands, to New Mexico Tech.

Kimberly announced that our next field trip would be to the Kinney Brick Quarry, the 28^th of April, for brachiopod and leaf fossils found in a fragile shale. Scott announced that a trip to Oro Grande is planned for the end of May, the weekend before Memorial Day. (this trip is now scheduled for June 2-3. –ed.)

Hank Miller presented Paul Hlava with a plaque honoring his recent

service to the club as president, and the many other positions he has held over the last 23 years.

Hank and Dave Moats introduced the club’s two selected science award winners and their parents. This year’s winners are Sally Freyer, in the 7th grade at Annunciation Middle School, for her project entitled "Measuring Fluctuations in the Earth’s Magnetic Field", and Katelyn Turnbow, also in the 7^th grade at Taylor Middle School, for her project "New Mexico Waves: A Comparison of Pennsylvanian Period Marine Fossil Assemblages". They both received a $150 U.S. Savings Bond, a certificate of Recognition and a ribboned metal from the club.

Paul Hlava summarized our March show as a success with very few glitches, with dealers having their highest grossing show and some their best show ever. Admissions were down by 200 people but down only $100 on ticket sales. The silent auction was excellent! Dave Douglas, one of the dealers, wrote a letter complimenting our show as one of the friendliest shows he had ever attended and he credited many of the people involved who helped make it a success.

Jim noted that a committee is working on redesigning the club by laws, constitution and guidelines, and their recommendations will be brought before the membership at the next general meeting for a vote. (This committee’s work is still not completed and has not yet been reviewed or passed on by the board. –ed.)

Grant Kuck introduced our speaker for the night, Dr. William L. Mansker, whose talk was entitled "Exploring for Diamonds in the U.S.". Dr. Mansker received his PhD in Geology from the University of New Mexico in 1979. From 1980 to ’81 he was an Assistant Professor at Clemson University, in Clemson, South Carolina. From 1981 to ’84 he was a Project Geologist for Cominco American Resources International in Spokane, Washington. From 1984 to the present he has worked as an independent consultant (Innovative Explorations, INEX )

Dr. Mansker’s talk covered (1) a review of kimberlite and lamprophyres (primary diamond sources), (2) where these structures are found, and (3) methodologies on how to find diamonds. The lamprophyres generally are younger and geochemically more evolved than kimberlites and are found in

the craton accreted thin margins. The kimberlites are more peridotitic in mineralogy and found in the thick, stable cratons. Diamonds coming to the surface in diatremes, from 120 to 150 miles down, must not linger and cool slowly or they will turn to graphite in the new unstable environment. He noted several areas in New Mexico as having potential, but they are long shots! Dr. Mansker brought many interesting examples of the rocks he works with and there were free samples from his patented Mansker Jig, a concentrate of pyrope garnet and ilmenite. Thank you Dr. Mansker for your time and a very knowledgeable and interesting talk!

Starting next month Tom Schmierer and Sallie Estill will be our new Youth Coordinators and will begin the youth meetings at 6:45pm and will run for one half hour before the general meeting.

At 8:55pm door prize tickets were drawn. There was a silent auction, some member sales. Refreshments were served and the meeting officially ended at 9:36pm, but many stayed much later, enjoying Sallie’s refreshments and each other’s company.

-Dave Moats

Secretary

Date: Sat June 2 / Sun June 3, 2001

Where: Historic Orogrande mining district, just NW of the town of Orogrande, about 40 miles south of Alamogordo in the Jarilla Mountains. Meet in the parking lot of the Orogrande Post Office at 1:00PM Sat. Leave for collecting area at 1:30PM. Collect all afternoon Sat, all day Sunday. Trip ends on Sunday at 4:00PM, and I request that you leave the collecting area at before that time.

There will be three areas that are officially on the trip: DeMueles

(Providence) mine, Iron Mask mine, and the garnet flats. There are over 25 mines in this area, but most are seriously dangerous.

If you go near any of them except those identified above, you will not be doing so as part of the club field trip (I ask you not to do this).

No underground collecting will be permitted and is not necessary anyway.

Minerals: Turquoise, garnet (green, red, brown, massive, and crystals), pyrite (massive and crystals),arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, hematite and

specular hematite, calcite, crysocolla, gold/silver ores,

feldspar crystals, selenite, some quartz crystals, etc. Some UV minerals can be found as well.

History: In the late 1800's this area was found to harbor lots of gold and silver ores. It was worked heavily until around the turn of the century for the precious metals and for iron ores. It lay dormant for many years until high grade turquoise deposits were found in the early part of the 1900s. These were mostly mined out by 1950 or so. Gold work is still being done by gold mining clubs on private claims. Virgil Lueth talked about the origins of the turquoise deposits at one of our meetings a few years back.

Travel time: About 6.5 hours from I-25/I-40 intersection. Many routes are available.

I suggest either through Abq/Estancia/Willard/Corona/

Carizzozo/Tularosa/Alamogordo or Abq/SanAntonio/Bingham/

Carizzozo/Tularosa/Alamogordo. Speed patrols are very active between Three Rivers and Orogrande. If you go through Bingham, you might want to stop and check out the Bingham rock shop.

Accommodations: Primitive camping on the way in to the collecting site. No water, shade,

power, or restrooms are in the area. An excellent campground is at the Oliver Lee State Park about 25 miles north (they even have showers).

Vehicle requirements: Our camping area is flat and easily accessible, and is not far from the highway. Almost any car or RV will get there.

Travel to the collecting site requires a high clearance vehicle. An RV will NOT make it.

Many parts of the road are rocky and narrow, running along undercut banks, cliffs, etc. A wide vehicle may cave off the road and fall into an arroyo. Pickups and SUVs are ideal. We will need to carpool into the collecting area from the camping area.

Expected weather conditions: Low to mid 90's, full sun. Wind up to 35 mph. Thunderstorms are a possibility.

Kids: Must have at least one adult for each pair of children. Kids must be kept within 10 feet of their adult at all times and under active supervision - if you cannot do this, I will ask you to leave the

collecting area and go back to the camping area for the safety of your family.

Pets: Not recommended. May fall into a shaft, get full of cactus

spines, get bitten by a snake, or create a hazardous rockfall condition.

Collecting tools: Hand tools, trowels, screwdrivers, etc. A small shovel is handy. Garnet crystals are easiest found by screening gravels in the dry washes. Water for washing off specimens is handy.

SPECIAL NOTES:

This is a great place to collect, but it has very serious mine hazards, is remote, and is in rough terrain. We must do our utmost to ensure that we have no major problems to deal with, so I will be checking out out each vehicle

at the meeting place with a checklist for the items described below. If you don't have them, I will ask you NOT to proceed into the collecting area for your own safety.

Each vehicle must have:

1. A first aid kit.

2. A full tank of gas (fill up in in Alamogordo, a Citgo convenience store/gas station is in Orogrande as well but is more expensive).

3. A spare tire in good condition, and related items for changing a tire. Check the sidewalls on your tires - if they are soft then you may easily get sidewall punctures from the sharp rocks in the roads. It is not uncommon to get more

than one flat tire on a vehicle in this area due to sidewall punctures in highway-grade tires used on many SUVs.

4. At least one gallon of drinking water, per person, per day.

5. Sunscreen (use it).

6. A hat for each person, preferably one that will not blow off in the wind. If your hat blows off into or near an adit or shaft, do NOT try to get it back! It is not worth the risk.

7. Boots or very sturdy shoes for each person.

8. Safety goggles for those with rock hammers.

KNOWN HAZARDS:

1. This district is peppered with unmarked, deep vertical shafts. The shaft collars are undercut, unstable and may cave off into the shaft with you going along for the potentially fatal ride. You must stay at least 10 feet away from any shaft or mine opening. This danger cannot be overemphasized.

2. Very rough footing. The tailings, dumps, and talus slopes are steep and loose. Expect to have a few hard landings (hopefully not on cactus).

3. Unstable rock faces and banks. Do not chip on a rock wall or undercut a bank. A cave-in is certain due to the highly fractured nature of the rock.

There is plenty of great material to be found without intentionally exposing yourself and others to this hazard!

4. Cactus is everywhere. Watch your step. Some are protected species, so please do not damage vegetation in this area.

5. Rattlesnakes are in abundance. Look at where you are about to step. Be alert and do not molest any snake you come upon. Don't reach into holes or under rocks with your hands. Use your tools for that. This also will minimize hazards from scorpion stings.

6. Sunburn and heatstroke. This is a hot, exposed area. You will require much more water than you think you do! The rocks are light colored and reflective; sunburn happens very quickly.

7. Flash floods. Stay out of arroyos or narrow areas if there are storms in the area. The roads in and out can become impassable if we get much precipitation, so if that happens, we'll pull out before it gets bad (maybe visit the Space Museum in Alamogordo instead).

SUMMARY: Don't let the hazards scare you. They won't be a problem if you are properly prepared and follow the simple, common sense precautions for

an enjoyable trip . There will be a few flat tires to be dealt with (not rocket science). You are guaranteed to find some nice turquoise! Be safe and have a great time!

_Scott Wilson

April 28, 2001

April 28^th proved to be one of those perfect days that earn a permanent place in the "memory of field trips" department. It was warm enough to make the ‘I love the sun’ people happy, and there was enough of a breeze moving to keep the ‘sun is not my friend’ people comfortable. Just being in a high place in the trees is worth the drive, but the cul-de-sac that forms the quarry is a splendid sight. The walls are their own story of how they came to be, the process detailed in each layer. The blue-gray layer, which holds the fossils, stood out sharply against the ochre and golden browns of the surrounding material.

It was impossible to not find clamshell impressions, many with a paper thin layer inside which I assumed was he last residue of

organic material. I counted 27 club members in attendance, including 5 of the junior variety. The clamshell imprints literally littered the area, but there were fern, leaf and crustaceans. Fish imprints have been known to come from this location but none were found as far as I know. People sat around and chatted over lunch while others quietly split open shale boulders looking for more fossils. A good time, for sure!

I am pleased to report that I received verbal confirmation on May 11^th from Bruce Walker at MolyCorp that we are on for the surface tour and collecting on June 30^th !! The underground tour is separate and is offered on Fridays. I am waiting to hear back about more details. I will have that information at the meeting on May 21^st.

The club’s last visit was in September 1998. We found chalcopyrite, dolomite, green fluorite and, of course, molybdenum, both as vein filling and crystals. Mr. Walker commented that he expects collecting to be better this trip…they just opened up a new ore body !! There will be sign up sheets for this trip at the meeting or call me at 296-8847.

And for our micromounters- Brushy Mountain is still on schedule for July 1^st.

-Kimberly Richey

For May, 2001

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.

(OK. I admit that last month’s was a toughie so we’ll have an easy one this time.) a metal usually found in hydrothermal veins, disseminated deposits,

conglomerates, and placer deposits. It is opaque, luster metallic, Sp. Gr. 19.3, Hardness 2.5-3, no cleavage – hackly fracture, very ductile, very malleable. Cubic crystals are possible but more often found as dendritic, arborescent, reticulated, filifrom, or spongy masses and as wires, thin sheets, and rounded lumps, scales, or grains.

What is the name of the mineral?

What is the origin of the name?

What is the metal used for?

With what other metal does it form a solid solution series?

Localities

--NM –

--USA –

--World –

What is the name of the mineral? Bityite

What is the origin of the name? Mt. Bity in Madagascar

What is it used for? Nothing.

Localities

--NM – The Harding Pegmatite

--USA – The Harding Pegmatite in NM and the Foote Mine, King’s Mountain, NC

--World–Madagascar, Londonderry, Western Australia

Paul Hlava 010509

I recently spoke with the manager of the Los Griegos branch library regarding the AGMC ‘Minerals of New Mexico’ display. Dave Moats put this display together and I arranged for it to move to different county libraries for one-month display periods. It has already been to the following libraries: North Valley, Taylor Ranch, South Valley and South Broadway. It is currently at the main library downtown and will be at the East Mountain library in June. It will be on display at the Los Griegos library during the month of July. We would like to keep this display ‘traveling’ for the rest of the year, if possible. If you know of a library I haven’t mentioned which has a locking display case please let me know so we can inquire about their display schedule.

The library display is a very effective method of introducing children to minerals and rock collecting. Every time I have set it up or taken it down a student or two or three have come over to ask questions. What is it? Where does it come from? Is it heavy? If you ever wanted a reason to volunteer come help me and see how you enjoy it.

-Orlando Garcia

Enclosed is your club membership form for 2001. 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, 2000.

Last Name_____________________________ Renewal from 2000? 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: _____________________________ (Newsletter will be e-mailed after

September 2000 issue)

Annual Dues: Dues are $20.00 per family.

Send this form and check to AGMC, PO Box 13718, Albuquerque, NM 87192

May 21 - Virgil Lueth will speak on " Magnificent Manganese Minerals of New Mexico"

The Monthly General Meeting begins at 7:30pm with the program beginning at approximately 8:00pm. Refreshments, silent auction, mineral sales and raffle for door prizes take place after the talk.

Azurite. 4 cm in height, found in the Hanover #2 mine in

Fierro, Grant County, NM. Azurite. 4 cm in height,

found in the Hanover #2 mine in Fierro, Grant County, NM.v

NMBMRR Mineral Museum