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 7:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month. All club members are welcome.

The Club Newsletter: News Nuggets exists to assist the membership in communications and to provide information on club activities. Contributions from all members are welcome on any information that will promote club activities or that would be of interest to club members. News Nuggets is scheduled to be mailed approximately one week prior to the monthly meeting. You are cordially invited to mail news, articles or comments to:

Jay Penn

2324 Alvarado NE

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110

el.chivo.viejo@earthlink.net

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

The 29^th annual New Mexico Mineral Symposium is officially history. The event to which we provide sponsorship, and whose original inception can be attributed to some current and former AGMC members, creates a forum for understanding the history and current state of mining, geology and mineralogy in and about New Mexico and the surrounding regions.

In addition to short talks the event features "tailgating" at a local motel and a Silent Auction on Sunday run by our club. The money generated by our club table and the table rental fees is combined and donated to the NM Mineral Museum for their acquisitions fund.

Besides these specific forms of support, the attendance of our membership is always significant and impactful. And if this weren’t enough, every year one or more of our very own contributes as a speaker. This annual event is always a wonderful opportunity to learn new things, exchange ideas, make new acquaintances, and refresh friendships even for academic outsiders such as myself. Consider this a must for the enthusiastic and pencil in the second weekend in November next year to attend.

Though the national election is over, our club election of officers for the 2009 Board of Directors will be held at the November 24^th meeting. None of the positions are in contention so the vote to elect the slate of officers endorsed by the current Board of Directors will be a mere voice vote formality.

There is however a notable absence from the slate of officers. The position of VP Field Trips so ably co-chaired by Grant Kuck and Rex Nelson for two years is still open. These two guys personally scouted, planned and led every field trip our club made, twenty- two in all.

Because great field trips are a hallmark of a vital club this position cannot remain unfilled. While it’s true they are leaving big boots to fill, they have also left footprints to follow. And if the unprecedented voting turnout in the national election of a new President and the incredibly gracious concession speech delivered by John McCain might serve as examples of the spirit of cooperation afoot then let’s apply this to our own village. If a few of you will lead a couple of trips, if one or two will coordinate the schedule, then we can continue to be the shining stars of the rockhounding world that is our tradition and heritage.

Some changes have occurred with regards to our club meeting site. The New Mexico Natural History Museum, where we have had access to the Annex for the Junior Club and Board of Directors meetings, is reclaiming the Annex for collection storage. While we have secured the big room for a longer time block on our usual 4th Monday of the month and can accommodate the AGMC general meeting and the Junior Club on the same night, the Board of Directors has been left to fend for itself. Should anyone have any ideas about where the Board of Directors might meet in the evening for a couple of hours on the 1^st Monday of the month we’d like to hear about them.

Certainly you have inked in the date of December 13^th for the fabulous and fantastic XmasParty-InstallationofOfficers-Scholarship Awards-SilentAuction Extravaganza!!! I’ll be there enjoying the food, giving away our money, hoping for a Door Prize, maneuvering to best Rachel Shroyer at the Silent Auction [no small feat], and passing on the ceremonial gavel to the next President, John Reinert.

On a final note I want you to know how much I’ve enjoyed my tenure as AGMC president. I’ve been incredibly enriched by the countless acts of generosity of spirit and support from so many of you. Big time thanks to my peerless Board of Directors and of course…if I have accomplished anything it’s because of those ole giants on whose shoulders I have stood. Thanks for the opportunity to work with you.

Suzanne Seymour, President

All memberships expire Dec 31. Dues are still only $20 per household for 2009.

The membership form is on the last page of this news letter as well as on our web site. You can print a copy and fill it out ahead of time to renew at the general meeting or mail it to: AGMC, PO Box 13718, Albq., NM 87192-3718.

PLEASE: We need ALL THE INFORMATION on the form filled in for insurance and/or club purposes. Even if you filled out ALL THE INFORMATION last year.

This is the last News Nuggets for 2008. We don't publish in December, nor do we have a standard general meeting or a field trip.

What we do have is our annual

Holiday Party, Pot Luck Dinner, and More.

This big event is cleverly scheduled almost exactly half way between Thanksgiving and Christmas so we get three big feeds in a period of a month. Yahoo, I like food.

See the "AGMC This Month and Next" section for details.

Door prize/raffle items for next year's general meetings are starting to come in. Thank you Rex Nelson, Arnie Lambert, and Joe Polakoski.

Rex gave from his extensive collection of New Mexico minerals that he has collected, Arnie lives in Alabama and donated material found in Georgia, and Joe is sending Minnesota material from his home there. So we have some good variety already.

This is a great beginning, but remember, the more items that are donated the fewer we will need to buy to make up the difference and therefore they will be of the higher quality.

You can bring donations of minerals, lapidary material, fossils, jewelry, or any related items to the general meeting or contact me to arrange pickup. Thank you.

Jay Penn

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

Printing and mailing the news letter is our single largest month to month expense with yearly costs per address approaching the $20 per family membership fee. The board has discussed this over the last few years and taken steps to minimize costs but more must be done.

So, -------- Due to the high cost and general hassle involved with mailing printed copies of the News Nuggets, the Board of Directors voted to suspend this practice effective with the January 2009 issue. That is to say that this issue will be the last printed copy of the News Nuggets that will be distributed to the membership.

Most households already receive the Nuggets via e-mail. We know this will present a challenge to people without computers at home, but we hope that everyone can use the time between now and January to figure out a way to read it on a screen or get a printed copy from: a friend/ relative/ club member, a computer at work, etc. If you cannot think of a way to get the Nuggets via e-mail please call me or any other board member and we will help you find a solution. We certainly don't want any member to go without getting the news letter. Let us know if there is a problem and we will work to solve it.

Jay Penn, editor, 883-4195

In the absence of President Suzanne Seymour, Grant Kuck called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm and continued with the introduction of guests and new members attending the evening’s program.

Jim Hill reported on the activities of the Junior Club and noted that 13 junior members took part in the study of earth processes this evening.

Grant discussed the upcoming Annual New Mexico Mineral Symposium the 7^th though the 9^th of November at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Grant encouraged everyone to attend but singled out two events; the mineral sale and social hour at the Comfort Inn & Suites Friday and Saturday evenings, and/or the silent auction in the Macey Center Lobby Sunday afternoon as good possibilities for somebody that has limited time to attend. Next Jay Penn requested a volunteer to run the club door prize raffle during the meetings and reminded everyone of the need for raffle donations to allow for the purchase of better prizes with the limited raffle budget.

The following slate of officers was presented for 2009 Board of Directors:

President - John Reinert

VP Programs - Anita Willard

VP Field Trips - OPEN

Secretary - Janey Johnson

Treasure - Amy Penn

Memberships - Michael Johnson

Editor - Jay Penn

The meeting was open for nominations from the floor but the nomination closed with no additional names put forward.

Paul Hlava talked briefly about the March show and reminded the Club of the need for volunteers to make the show a success. Sign ups for working the show will start at the January 2009 meeting and members were encouraged to come with an idea of what days they can help out.

44 members attend the October field trip to the Nacimiento Copper Mine near Cuba. Ray Demark outlined the November field trip to the Blanchard Mine (east of Socorro), see the News Nuggets for details.

Grant concluded the business portion of the meeting by announcing the Holiday Party on December 13, 2008.

Jane Bardal presented a well-researched and illustrated talk on ghost towns, minerals, and mining history of the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. for refreshments and door prizes.

Submitted by Hank Miller

Our October Jr. Club meeting, which was attended by 13 Jr. Members, began with a very special guest, long-time AGMC club member Sandra Koenig, who discussed her lifelong mineral and fossil collection and also shared samples with the youth.

Next, we awarded the Collecting merit badge to our newer Jr. Members who had earned it during the September meeting.

We then discussed the topic Earth Processes, which taught the class about plate tectonics, the definition of a rock, and how rocks of different sorts are formed by earth processes. The Earth Processes merit badge will be presented during the November Jr. Club meeting.

Earlene Shroyer

The Cuba Copper Caper

Saturday October the 25^th was a beautiful morning to be outside. The sun was bright with the promise of a warm afternoon to come as 44 members of the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club gathered at the Nacimiento Copper Mine near Cuba. While we were waiting for our speaker, members signed in, compared collecting equipment, and looked over some specimens that Rex Nelson, our Vice President of Field Trips, had found there.

Mr. Gore, who was there on his own time, also graciously took questions from the group throughout his talk. I asked about how the mine got its name, since Nacimiento in Spanish means, "birth". Dr. Gore guessed it might have come from the Nacimiento Mountains in which it resides. However, new member Shannon Wagers pointed out another meaning having to do with the confluence or area where a lot of water comes from which is interesting since there are about 8 springs in the vicinity.

Howdy Folks. Just before September, I sent out the first round of contracts to the dealers from last year who said they wanted to return. I have gotten responses back from most of them. A few of them will not be back and several others have been slow to pay because of the rotten economy. The response deadline for the first round of offers was October 1^st and I still have a few that need to send in their stuff (yeah, I’m a soft touch). I only have 2 single, nonadjacent tables left open so I’m not beating the bushes yet as I will probably get a couple of dozen outfits trying to get into the show between now and show time.

One of the touchstones of a good show is how well our dealers did last year. And as I mentioned before, ours did from FANTASTIC! to dismal. Most of dealers did well or better. I guess the word is getting around that the Treasures of the Earth show is a good one because I’ve had new dealers asking for space from coast to coast. (Everyone who helped at the show this year should now pat yourselves on the back for putting on such a fine show.)

Publicity for the show is underway. Doug St. Pierre has contacted a list of mineral and gem magazines that have show calendars so you should see these notices soon. Of course, we will soon have thousands of GARISH (on purpose) yellow flyers for everyone to hand out. Postcard designing is in progress and should be available before the holidays. Newspaper and other ads will be done right before the show.

Once again I will plead for more people to get involved with the show committee. Apropos of that, I plan to have sign up sheets at the January meeting for a number of jobs to be handled. These include set-up, tear-down, and overnight security. Other people will need help with: admissions (Kimberly Richie), raffle and door prizes (Hank Miller), silent auction (Rex Nelson), displays (Mike Sanders), etc.

(Rex, if it is a silent auction why is it so noisy over there?) Paul Hlava, Chairman

The field trip for November 22nd is a club favorite. Melinda Crow in The Rockhound’s Guide to New Mexico, says, "If there is one site in New Mexico that can make you fall in love with minerals, this is it." We are talking about the Hansonburg mining district, variously known as the Bingham Mine and the Blanchard claims which is among New Mexico’s premier collecting localities and is also generally considered one of the finest collecting localities in the United States!

The Blanchard mines have produced world class specimens of fluorite and linarite along with a number of rare minerals including cyanotrichite, smithsonite, and spangolite just to name a few! Other minerals that have been collected by AGMC club members include aurichalite, brochantite, chrysocolla, galena, malachite, and quartz. Believe me you really need a book to find out the many, many minerals that inhabit this region.

In the words of Field Trip Coordinator Rex Nelson, "In order to do some successful collecting you will need hard rock mining tools (hammers, chisels, pry bars, etc). You will also need safety glasses along with long sleeve shirts, full length pants, and gloves. Please wear boots, preferably steel toe! Those collecting anywhere near overhangs and ledges need hardhats."

Rex also says, "It’s always a good idea to bring good wrapping materials such as papers and paper towels to protect your treasures. Flats are more desirable than buckets as the specimens won’t be stacked and possibly damaged. More delicate specimens require very careful wrapping and handling techniques. Some of these are available on our website. Please check it out!"

"To reach the mine, take I-25 south to U.S. 380 (8 miles south of Socorro), then east on U.S. 380 for approximately 30 miles to Bingham and mile marker 30. The drive time from Albuquerque is about 2 hours. We will assemble between 9:00 and 9:30 AM on the dirt road just east of the rock shop on U.S. 380."

Hope to see you there!

Grant and Rex

For November the Junior Club will be touring the fossil prep lab just like the general meeting is doing a little later in the evening. See the following article for details.

Questions? Contact Jim Hill or Earlene Shroyer

"Tour of the Fossil Prep Lab"

by Larry Reinhart

The speaker for this month is Larry Reinhart who will take us on a tour of the fossil prep lab in the History Museum Annex. We will be divided up into groups of 20 – 30 people, and each tour will last 20 – 30 minutes.

For those waiting their turn on the tour the club rock trimmer will be available to trim specimens. (See the "Got Shaggy Rocks?" article in the Miscellaneous section for a description of a rock trimmer.) Bring your specimens that need trimming to the next meeting!

The prep lab presently contains vertebrate fossils from Permian to Pleistocene time. There are field jackets from Lamy, NM containing large, extinct Amphibians and a jacket containing Tyrannosaur material (not T Rex, but probably a new species of Tyrannosaur). We will talk about the fossils and research involving them, and about the physical process of collecting them in the field and preparing them for study or exhibit.

As time permits we will look into the collections area where the museum has over 50,000 cataloged specimens including one of the largest Permian footprint collections in the world.

Larry has been a preparator for about 15 years. His current position at the museum involves running two prep labs, conducting the field work, and doing a bit of research. His research interest is in the use of statistical methods to determine growth, allometry (changes in body proportions throughout life), and population dynamics in extinct populations.

Every year the December general meeting is a pot luck dinner with a silent auction.

The club provides the main course (usually barbecue and a ham), dessert, drinks, and decorations. The membership brings a pot luck dish to share, your own table settings, and a white elephant for the silent auction. This can be anything (doesn't have to be a mineral or lapidary related item). This is how we rent the hall, buy the food, etc.

Special needs... help to make calls, do decorations, man the auction, and set up for the evening.  Please join in the preparations. Call Gwen Poe to offer a helping hand, 247-1533.

5:00 pm Setup

6:00 pm Minimal Club Business

Board Member Installation

Scholarship Presentations

6:30 ish Pot Luck Dinner & Entertainment

8:00 ish Silent Auction Ends

Pay For What You Won

9:00 ish Cleanup

Monte Vista Christian Church

Bethany Hall

3501 Campus Blvd NE

(Note the location change from last year)

Several people asked for "very specific" directions this year, so hear goes.

The church is located in the Nob Hill area one block north of Central and two blocks west of Carlisle. There is a small parking lot on the east side of the church. Enter through the main doors on the east side of the building.

A. If traveling East on Central from I-25:

1) At the three way intersection of Girard, Central, and Monte Vista turn 45 degrees left (NE) onto Monte Vista.

2) At the 4th street turn right onto Campus. 3) The church will be on your left in 1 1/2 blocks.

B. If traveling West on Central from San Mateo:

1) At Carlisle turn right (north).

2) Immediately turn left (west) onto Campus. Note; Campus is to the left, Copper to the right.

3) The church will be on your right in 2 blocks.

C. If traveling South on Carlisle from I-40:

1) At the three way intersection of Lomas, Carlisle, and Monte Vista go straight staying on Carlisle.

2) Just before Central turn right (west) onto Campus. Note; Campus is to the right, Copper to the left.

3) The church will be on your right in 2 blocks.

D. If traveling North on Carlisle from Gibson:

1) Just after crossing Central turn left (west) onto Campus. Note; Campus is to the left, Copper to the right.

2) The church will be on your right in 2 blocks.

If following plan A. and you miss step 2) then go to plan C. step 1) or to plan B. step3) then go to plan D. step 2) make a u-turn and go to plan B. step 2) ---------------------------- just go home.

Nov 22, Blanchard Mine (East of Socorro)

Dec 13, Club Christmas Party

Questions? Contact Grant Kuck or Rex Nelson

The club rock trimmer will be available for the amusement of those awaiting their turn on the fossil lab tour. For those who may not be familiar, this is not a trim saw.

A rock or specimen trimmer is a machine with hydraulic powered opposing chisel points used to trim the unsightly portion from a specimen in a more controlled and "gentler" manner than hitting it with a chisel and hammer. This limits the chance of the crystals being dislodged by the shock wave. (Note: I said limits not eliminates)

Our trimmer (controlled rock breaking machine) will handle rocks up to about 6" thick and 7" wide if the material is fairly soft or there is a crack in the rock. For harder matrix like the silicified limestone from Bingham only much thinner material can be trimmed. Also, this trimmer is fairly large as far as trimmers go and isn't appropriate for very small specimens, less than 2" or so. Seek out someone with a smaller trimmer or a small trim saw for this work.

If you have a specimen that would benefit from trimming, bring it to the meeting and one of our "experienced" club members will help you remove the icky part.

Disclaimer: sometimes rocks break in a completely unexpected direction (e.g. right through the middle of the "sweet" part of the specimen). The experienced members can advise you on a particular rock but you must accept full responsibility for whatever happens to your treasure.

______________________________________

The November issue of National Geographic has a feature on the Cavern of Crystal Giants in Naica, Mexico. Maybe some of you remember Jim Winchell's enthusiasm for this cave and geological site.

There will also be a program on the National Geographic TV channel on Nov. 17th at 10pm (as quoted in the magazine article).

Thank you Jan Burrows for sending this information.

______________________________________

Ivory Care: Do not put ivory in the dark. It is one substance that needs light. If it has started to yellow, take a 1/2 lemon and rub it in some salt, then rub it over the ivory object. The lemon will work on the yellow discoloration. After it is dry, dampen a soft cloth with lukewarm water and rub the ivory piece to give it a bright finish. (editors note: I have not tried this, use at your own risk)

______________________________________

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. (editors note: I have tried this, it works)

Email me at hpf5@qwest.net and let me know your guesses by copying the Questions below and answering them.

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 about uses, history, notable facts, etc. When you have decided on the name you can compare notes with others or wait for the answers to be published in the News Nuggets. Good luck and have fun.

This year I thought I’d concentrate on minerals that are used as gemstones. Hmm, I might even include a rock or two used as gems.

This month’s MM is a variety of another anhydrous silicate of a common metal and one that is more unusual. It is almost always found as sharp, hexagonal crystals in granitic pegmatites. There is one imperfect cleavage parallel to the basal pinacoid. It is transparent to translucent, this variety is yellow, Sp. Gr. = 2.63 to 2.9, H = 7.5 to 8. The luster is vitreous to resinous.

What is the name of the mineral?

What is the name of the variety?

What is the origin of these names?

What metals does it contain?

What non-metals does it contain?

What accounts for the wide variation in specific gravity?

What other specialminerals might occur with it?

What is it mined and used for?

What kind of treatment does this gem get?

Do you have some in your collection?

In NM –

In the USA –

In the World –

What is the name of the material? Benitoite

What is the origin of the name? From the locality in San Benito County, CA

What metals does it contain? Barium and titanium.

What non-metals does it contain? Silicon (OK, a semi-metal) and oxygen.

What is the major mineral in the veins where it occurs? Natrolite, a white, acicular zeolite.

What other minerals occur with it? Neptunite, joaquinite- (Ce)(TL) were the ones I expected but there are also a lot of more or less common minerals and a few type locality (TL) minerals and unusuals – like bario-othojoaquinite (TL), barioperovskite (TL), jonesite (TL), orthojoaquinite-(Ce) (TL), baotite, and fresnoite.

What is it mined and used for? Specimens and gems. A little known use is as a cathodoluminescent (it glows under electron beam bombardment) standard for probes. We use it to align the electron column parts and locate the beam impingement point because we can easily see the intense glow where the beam hits the sample.

What kind of treatment does this gem get? Nothing except cutting and polishing.

Do you have some in your collection? Yes, but no cut stones, only crystals.

In NM – none

In the USA – Dallas Gem Mine, San Benito Co., CA There are a bunch more listed in MinDat.com for CA that are not really famous.

In the World – Japan

Paul Hlava

November 5, 2008

This is your club membership form for 2009. Please include all the names to be included in your Household Membership. This information is required by the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies, RMFMS, for insurance and dues purposes.

Annual dues are $20.00 per household. Please complete all the information below.

New members joining in July or August pay dues of $10.00 for the rest of the year. If you join September through December you can pay dues of $10.00 for the rest of the current year, OR pay $20.00 in dues which will pay you through December of the following year.

All memberships expire Dec. 31st. Dues can be turned in at the monthly meeting or mailed to:

Last Name _________________________________ Date _____________

Senior Member Names 1. _____________________________ 2. ______________________________

3. ___________________________________ 4. ______________________________________

Junior Member Names 1. ______________________ age____ 2. _______________________ age____

3. _____________________________ age____ 4. _____________________________ age____

New Member or Renewal ? _________________

Would you like your name and phone number listed on the Club Roster ? __________

All membership information is for Club use only.

Mailing Address: ________________________________________ Apt. # ______

City: ____________________________ State: ________ Zip + 4: ____________

Phone: (_______) ______ - ___________

Email Address: ______________________________________________________

You will receive your newsletter by email.

Internal Use Only

Payment: $ _____________ Date Received: ___________ Date of Check: ________

Ck #: _________ , Cash or Money Order #______________________

NEXT MEETING: Monday, November 24^th, 2008. 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. There is a short business meeting prior to the evening’s presentation, which begins at approximately 8:00 P.M.

"Tour of the Fossil Prep Lab"

by Larry Reinhart

The speaker for this month is Larry Reinhart who will take us on a tour of the fossil prep lab in the History Museum Annex. We will be divided up into groups of 20 – 30 people, and each tour will last 20 – 30 minutes.

For those waiting their turn on the tour the club rock trimmer will be available to trim specimens. (See the "Got Shaggy Rocks?" article for a description of a rock trimmer.)

Bring your specimens that need trimming to the next meeting!

Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club

Jay Penn, Editor

PO Box 13718

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87192