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Strata Gem Tooele Gem & Mineral June 2004
Note From The Editor
Family responsibility & personal health is making it harder for me to get the newsletter out. I will continue doing the best I can, but it is probably time to start looking for a new editor.
I am taking a month off, so there might not be a newsletter in July or August. I will make sure at least there will be a post card reminder on the steak fry in August.
Dennis Chapman
The President’s Message
We had about 20 people at the last meeting. We talked about our field trip to Topaz Mountain on Saturday the 21st and some members will be there on the 22nd. Hope the weather is good for us. I found out on Saturday night that the Bee Hive Club will be out there also.
Our grab bag fill will be on June 5th at Jay and Erla's at 10:00am. Remember to bring a dish, chair, plates, forks, etc... They will furnish the Sloppy Joes. It will also be our June meeting. Hope you all have a nice Memorial weekend.
Good Luck And Good Health To Everyone
Your President Ruth Smith
Tooele Gem & MineralTooele Senior Citizens Center May 10 2004 7:30 PM
The meeting was called to order by President Ruth Smith every one was welcomed. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved the treasurers report was read and approved. There were twelve people that went on our last rock trip, they were able to get enough wonder stone for our rock bags to last two years. Ruth thanked Melva Scott for making the afghans for our show prizes, the Scotts have also volunteered to make more rock bags for the club. Our field trip chairman Byron Scott will not be able to go on the May 21st. trip his sister has been ill, and they are going to have a birthday party for her.
Ruth got a letter from a Sandy Wisinger she would like some one to take her out to the Geode beds, Ruth asked Larry Higley to be her guide. Our rock bag fill will also be our next meeting this will be Saturday June 26th. it will be at Jay Woods home, we will have the usual pot luck dinner the club will furnish the sloppy joes and the rest of will bring some kind of dish, be sure to bring your own plates and silver ware, also bring a lawn chair some sun screen and a hat. We were reminded to get our wheel prizes ready the show is coming up fast. Our door prizes should be at least TEN DOLLARS in value. Don Smith was given the go ahead to pick up the barbecue for our grand prize. Janet reported that two years ago she bought ten thousand tickets, we had a lot left over so last year she bought eight thousand tickets and we still had a lot left over, we need to work harder at selling them, we should ask every one that comes in to buy some. Donna and Henry are going on a trip to Nevada for opal if it is a good trip the club might schedule a trip their.
Donna Chavez won the door prize. The meeting was adjourned, we had treats and a video of the club show 1984.
Minutes submited by Larry Wilson Secretary
Why Do We Display
1. It’s satisfying to see our collection attractively set up in a display case. We can rightly be proud of what we show. 2. There is much joy and reward in sharing our collection with others who have similar interests. 3. It’s exciting to be an important part of a group project. 4. After working diligently at our hobby, we deserve a little praise. 5. Displaying in a rock show sets up opportunities to meet other people who have found pleasure in the same interests as you. Many life long friendships can be enjoyed this way.
“Chips” 97. via “Chips” 6/99. via The Golden Frog 3/01 Via Beehive Buzzer 2&3/02 & others
Displaying Fossils (Part 2) by Linda Jaeger, TRMS
(Written for and previously published by Oklahoma Geological Survey in Rockhounding and Earth-Science Activates in Oklahoma, 1995 Workshop, edited by Kenneth S. Johnson and Neil H. Suneson)
The best part of collecting fossils, other than the excitement of finding them yourself, is being able to show them to someone else and saying, “Just look at this!” Whether you want a display at home or for shows or for community education, you will want to keep in mind cleanliness, labeling, and neatness. Paying attention to these three details will help you make an eye-catching display.
Get organized! After bringing home your finds and cleaning them up, you should immediately use your field notes to label the specimens. You can use white enamel or acrylic paint to make a small white spot on each fossil in an inconspicuous place, let it dry, then number it with black ink. The best numbering system uses a letter to denote the phylum or location of the fossil, followed by a number denoting the order in which the specimen was found. For example, B23 might mean the specimen is the 23rd brachiopod added to your collection. You should also make a label on a card that gives the specimen number, specimen name, formation, location found in, collector’s name, date found, and reference for identification. You might also want to keep a “master list” of all of your specimens. Much of this lends itself very well to the use of a computer, should you be so inclined.
Below is a sample label: Without any labeling or identification, fossils are nice to look at but have no importance, no excitement, no memory, no future.
Photographing your specimens can add one more dimension to your collection. Black and white prints of your fossils can be used to illustrate articles you may write, amid color slides may make giving programs to large groups a little easier.
Displays at home: How much space you have available for displaying and how many fossils you have in your collection will determine what type of display you make at home. You can display your best fossils on built-in shelves (like wall bookshelves) or in a curio cabinet so that every visitor to your home can look at them and admire. A problem with open shelves is keeping your fossils clean; dust seems to accumulate rapidly, and it is quite time-consuming to frequently dust the shelves and the specimens. Also, if your shelves are wood, you need to be careful that the fossils do not scratch them (we sometimes cut pieces of felt the size of the shelves to put under the fossils). A curio or glassed-in shelves help keep the fossils dust-free, but these are more expensive.
More expensive still are storage cabinets made especially to store geological specimens. These contain many slender drawers that may be pulled out, and will hold specimens of nearly any size. The drawback to these cabinets is that your specimens are not readily visible--you have to make a point of pulling out the drawers to show your fossils. Similar to these are dentist’s cabinets, typesetter’s cabinets, and map storage cabinets; all can be expensive.
Less expensive but not particularly attractive are “Riker mounts.” These are cardboard boxes about an inch deep, which are filled with a sheet of cotton and covered with a glass or clear plastic lid. They will keep your fossils clean.
If you choose to display your best specimens in your home, you will still need some way to store all of your other specimens. Shoe boxes, cigar boxes. Coffee cans, cardboard trays from soda cans or plants, and inexpensive divided plastic trays are all useful for this. Just remember to label each one correctly and do not mix specimens.
Displays for shows:An exciting activity for the rockhound is getting ready for a local, regional, or national show The fellow proud of his fossils will want to display his favorites at the show. There are basically two types of entries: competitive exhibits and non-competitive exhibits.
If you want to compete with other rockhounds for ribbons and trophies, then the competitive category is for you! To prepare a competitive display you will need current copies of the AFMS Uniform Rules and the AFMS Fossil List. (AFMS is the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies. Every show we have ever attended has been by a chub affiliated with AFMS. Copies of these booklets are available through the local clubs.)
To display fossils competitively you will need to follow the rules set out in the booklets mentioned above. Your specimens will also need to be clean and correctly labeled. How neatly done and eye-appealing your display is will be considered “showmanship,” and is usually about 10% of your score. Many clubs own “club cases” which are available for members to use for displays. You can also build your own case, but be careful about the lighting --it should hit your specimens from the front at a high angle to avoid creating large shadows. See figures 1 and 2. If you want to build your own case, it is a good idea to go to some shows and look at the cases being used, and talk to someone who is an “old hand” at showing or to one of the fossil judges. It can also be beneficial to read the judges comments on the scorecards of competitive fossil cases before you ever put in a case.
You will need to decide whether to use risers in your case or to leave the specimens all on one level. We prefer to use risers, but we have seen prizewinning cases with no risers. Risers may be made out of Styrofoam cut to the width of the case and covered with poster board (to make sharp edges & corners and flat surfaces) and then with fabric. The fabric should be a solid color that contrasts with the color of your fossils (we like reds and blues), and one with a simple weave. Felt and broadcloth are both good fabrics to use. You would not want to use brocade, lace, satin, etc. Another way to make risers is to build them out of wood and paint them. Wooden risers should look seamless, and the paint should be smooth.
In addition to risers you may use backboards, covered in the same fabric, next to the back and sides of the case. The backboards may be of stiff cardboard or of thin wood. Using them really pulls the case together and can hide scratches or worn places on the insides of the case itself. Make sure there are no wrinkles in the fabric covering the risers and the backboards. See figure 3.
Labels are best left white on a heavy paper or on paper attached to poster board using spray adhesive. We like to determine the placement of our specimens and labels in the case, and then attach the “competitive” labels to the risers with double—sided tape. This saves time in setting up the case and also prevents shifting of the labels should the case be inadvertently bumped by a spectator.
After you have placed your specimens and labels in the case, take a piece of tape and wrap it around your finger with the sticky side out. Then use your “sticky” finger to pick up any lint, fuzz, bits of dirt, or dust inside the case and on the risers. Before you place the glass over the front of the case, be sure to use a glass cleaner on both sides. Neatness counts!
For a non-competitive display you will still want to follow most of the guidelines mentioned above However, with non-competitive displays you are free to please only yourself and do not have to worry about pleasing the judges or following rules that dictate which specimens are required to enter a certain class. Entering a display in non-competitive is a good way to “get your feet wet” and practice for competitive. No matter which category you prefer, the best displays are still clean, neat, and labeled!
Educational displays for the community: Many times rockhounds are asked to set up displays at libraries or schools or museums, and to give programs and bring a display with them. These displays should also be eye-catching (follow the above suggestions!), neat, and correctly labeled. These types of displays give rockhounds the opportunity to create interest in and increase the awareness of the importance of mocks, as well as the opportunity to share the joy of collecting fossils. For community displays it is wise to include some type of reference or information about where to go for more information. Your display can speak volumes--you know what we see is worth a thousand words!
Selected References: Casanova, Richard, 1957 and 1970, An illustrated guide to fossil collecting: Naturegraph Publishers, Healdsburg, California. MacFall, R.P.; and Wollin, J.C., 1972, Fossils for amateurs, a handbook for collectors: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York. Matthews, W. H., iii, 1960, Texas fossils: an amateur collector’s handbook, guidebook 2: University of Texas, Austin, Texas. _____ 1962 and 1970, Fossils; an introduction to prehistoric life: Barnes & Noble, Inc., New York.
From T-Town Rockhound 10/01
Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live. Via Golden Spike News 5/03
Minerals and Their UsesBy Betty M. Jones Part 5 - Sulfur
Sulfur is not one of our modern minerals, but has been known to man since ancient times. It was known to Homer of Greek times and Pliny, the Roman writer, as “brimstone.” or the “rock that burns,” and is mentioned in the Bible It seems to have been used then, as it still is today, for fumigation and disinfection.
The yellow of sulfur is so distinctive that has given its name to the colour “sulfur yellow,” but its most important property which caused it to be called “brimstone” in early days was that it can be lit by a match and give off sulfur dioxide gas when burnt.
The ancient Greeks and Romans, living as they did on the Mediterranean in proximity to Mount Vesuvius and Mount Etna, must have found sulfur around the volcanoes and fumaroles. Sometimes extinct volcanoes are seen to have deposited large amounts of sulfur over thousands of years, thus giving us large deposits such as those found in Chile at 19,000 ft. Here vast amounts have been mined. Similar deposits have been found in Italy and Japan.
It was originally thought that the deposits of Mount Elba in Sicily were made by the fumes emitted by the volcano, but later it was found that the origin of this deposit was from flat sedimentary rocks of limestone with accompanying beds of sulfates, anhydrite and gypsum. It is now thought that the sulfur comes from the anhydrite and gypsum and is caused by bacterial action!
Ii is from the mines of Sicily that most of the fine crystallized samples of sulfur and also celestine (celestite) and aragonite have come. Sulfur has been mined in Sicily since about 1250, but it was at the end of the eighteenth century that it became an important industry. This was because at that time, sulfur was necessary to obtain sulfuric acid for the manufacture of glass.
The method of mining was very primitive. The rock was carried from the mine by women and boys in ore baskets on their heads and tipped into a large hole in the ground where it was burnt. It took 2/3 of the sulfur to melt the remainder. This was put to crystallize in vats. The sulfur dioxide that was produced killed the vegetation for miles around.
By the nineteenth century a safer and more economic method was introduced in which half of sulfur was recovered, and later, a method of retrieval was used where the sulfur was melted at depth and brought up as a liquid
In 1868, oil drillers in Louisiana found, at 600ft, a layer of porous limestone a hundred feet thick, which was impregnated with sulfur. Below this rock was an undetermined thickness of gypsum and anhydrite. The limestone above it was covered with quicksand. A lot of money was spent in sinking shafts to bring up the sulfur for processing, but it was found to be beyond the engineering of the times.
Finally, in 1890, Herman Frasch invented a process for bringing the sulfur to the surface. This was by pumping superheated water down to melt the sulfur and force the liquid sulfur up in another pipe. This successful method changed America from a major importer of sulfur to a major exporter and world supplier.
There are many salt domes on the Gulf coast – some in the ocean - and about half of these produce sulfur.
One may wonder what all this sulfur is used for. The largest amounts are used in the production of sulfuric acid, but it also used as used in the making of matches, gunpowder, fireworks, fungicides and insecticides, for vulcanizing rubber and for bleaching processes involving the use of sulfur dioxide.
Native sulfur and metallic sulfides, mainly iron pyrites, (FeS2 ), are practically the sole source of sulfuric acid in commerce and these are considered the most important minerals in connection with the chemical industry. Iron pyrite theoretically contains 53.46% sulfur and is sold by guarantee of 45%-50%.
It is used more than any other mineral except sulfur itself. The oxide of iron, which is formed during the process of roasting the pyrite, can be sold for its iron content, and if it contains even a small amount of gold, silver or copper, it is paid for at a higher price.
Special care has to be taken in the manufacture of sulfuric acid, owing to the association of arsenic with sulfur in mineral sulfides, especially in pyrites, but pure sulfur seldom contains arsenic. However, it may contain selenium which is also dangerous.
Sulfur rarely contains selenium, and when it does, the color changes from yellow towards orange - a prize for the collector. The mineral is soft, hardness being only 1 ½ to 2 ½. The crystals are orthorhombic and platy and are very brittle, resinous and greasy. They are usually found in thin crusts as a coating round the ruins of volcanoes and fumaroles and in cavities in limestone and sedimentary rocks associated with celestine (celestite), calcite, aragonite and gypsum.
Sulfur is a poor conductor of heat and samples should be handled as little as possible, for the warmth of the hand is sufficient to cause the crystals to crack. You can hear the cracking if you hold it to the ear.
Sulfur is associated with sedimentary deposits of the evaporate type and with oil-bearing deposits believed to be the product of dissolution (alteration) of sulfates, especially gypsum, caused by the action of the bacteria forming crusts on the top of the salt domes such as those on the Gulf of Mexico, in Texas and Louisiana. Sulfur has become a by-product of the oil industry.
References: Hurlburt, Cornelius S. Jr., Minerals and Man. Published by Thames and Hudson, London 1969. Read, H.H., F.R.S. Rutley’s Elements of Mineralogy, 26th ed. Published by Thomas Murby & Co., London. From The Shin-Skinner News, 5/2004
Via RockCollector 5/04
What Are Rhinestones?From the Mountain Gem 12/01 via The Rockpile 5/02
Rhinestones are artificial colorless gems of high luster, cut to imitate diamonds. Their chief use is in the manufacture of cheap jewelry and false jewelry itself. Rhinestones were so named because they were first made along the Rhine River, of a composition known as "strass" which was a vitreous of glass-like paste invented by, and named after, Joseph Strasser, a German jeweler.
The original rhinestones consisted of a silicate of potassium and lead, combined with borax, alumina, and white arsenic. A green film forms on true rhinestones when they contact copper or brass.
Via The RockCollector 2/03
A Visitor Bearing Gifts
This week, just when your editor was wondering what to write for the Gravel Gazette, we had a visit from Lorene Dreessen, a member of the Club a few years back. She has recently moved and brought some things over to the house for the club
She was able to visit the museum here and seemed thrilled to see many of the rocks that she and her late husband had gathered in the course of four score and some years.
She has donated two Club vests to the Pearl River Rock Club thinking that they could be sold or auctioned to members who may not have such elaborate attire in their collections. We will try to remember to bring them to the next meeting.
She also dropped of some Rockhound magazines and a couple of handwritten notes Dree had written before his death. One of them was of particular interest to me because of troubles I have lately been having in my lapidary pursuits. Not only have I forgotten how to do everything I ever knew about silver smithing, but now I can’t even tumble rocks to a decent finish. Two barrels of agates have been rolling around in tumblers for about six months now and just won’t clean up. One of Dree’s notes should help me, and maybe others who are having my problems. There follows some advice from the past on turning rocks into gems.
Tumbling Procedure
Break every hardness down into a class of its own: Jasper, Opal, Quartz, Obsidian, etc.
Three quarter ounce 60 - 120 ungraded carborundum grit for one pound rocks to be tumbled. Twelve ounces for twelve pounds of rocks.
One pound grit for twelve pounds of rock (Large rocks). Have assorted sized rock. No glass or obsidian with jasper, agate, quartz, unless you want to grind down or smooth to get ready for polish. Glass and obsidian must be finished differently for a highly polished look.
The amount of tumbling time depends upon how fast your tumbler turns. Tumblers can run too fast and also too slow.
Polish tumbled stones with Spic & Span.
Hide cracks in cabs with epoxy. Apply at one end and let it run to the other end. Heat in oven at 200 degrees.
Selenite specimens can be cleaned by gently brushing with household ammonia then rinsing quickly with cold water. Hot water could destroy it.
A lapidary is someone who grinds his fingernails, sands his knuckles, and polishes his bad vocabulary while trying to do the same thing to a piece of agate.
Howard “Dree” Dreessen Via GRAVEL GAZETTE 1/04
The Geologist’s LamentBy R. L. Frism 1940
Gather ‘round me, hear my story, I’m a rockhound in distress I’m a rockhound bathed in troubles I’m an outcast, more or less.
I have fossils in the kitchen, I have crystals in the hall, I have minerals in the bathtub; I have relics on the wall.
I have oxides on the carpet I have oil upon the floor, I have blacklight in the parlor I have bones behind each door.
Attic rooms are fairly sagging. Rocks pave the cellar floor, Pockets bulge with gemmy pieces, All of this and millions more.
Wifey thinks that I am goofy I don’t know, she may be right. She insists I have silicosis, Or some contagious form of “ite”
Says my head is lined with agate (A freak displacement of the bone), Says my brain is just a nodule. Says my heart is turned to stone.
Threatens me with separation; Storms about our rockhound home, Says life for me is just a geode Or a hunk of mammal bone.
Are you rated as a fossil? Are you obliged to live alone? How do you maintain a hobby, And still maintain a happy home?
The foregoing poem was mailed to me by Ruth Yerkes who cut it Out of the “Lodestar”. Lodestar got it from “Lodestone”, the publication of the Fort Collins Rockhound Club in Colorado. March 2001 edition.
Via Gravel Gazette 10/01
Rockhounding In New MexicoBy Craig Nagel, MMC Member
Meggy and I decided to spend part of the Christmas holiday on a 5-day rock hounding excursion to New Mexico. We had been to that part of the country previously, but not with an “eye to the ground”. We traveled light with a minimum of equipment and a guidebook, Gem Trails of New Mexico by James R. Mitchell. We decided to focus on the southwest Quadrant of the state, traveling south from Albuquerque and then to Deming, north to Silver City and then back to Albuquerque. The guidebook indicated many possible sites to visit through this area.
The winter temperatures in Albuquerque were surprisingly cooler than the relatively balmy weather back home, but a desert sun provided some warmth as we hiked several sites on our route. It is a beautiful part of the country, pleasant to visit in its winter stillness. Vast, desolate, arid, barren are some of the words that come to mind when traveling through this area. And it certainly doesn’t hide its rocks. The landscape is often reminiscent of the pictures sent back from the Mars Lander, but with more tumble weeds and an occasional windmill.
Some of the sites we attempted to visit proved to be inaccessible by our car, or were locations difficult to find by the guidebook we were using. That’s all part of the adventure though, we thought that on a future trip perhaps we would have better luck.
One of our first stops was at the Kelly Mine area of Magdalena which is noted for the beautiful blue Smithsonite that can be found in its now closed Zinc mines. The mines ceased operation after World War Two, but picturesque old mining sheds and structures remain. When there you can dig through tailings in which you can find azurite, barite, pyrite and boronite. At Bill’s rock shop we were provided keys to gates that restrict access to the mine sites. The small fee was waived, at 7000 feet it was definitely cold and windy at the mountainside mine sites, the proprietor thought that we wouldn’t be there for long.
With a fearless disregard for the conditions (Minnesota Macho) we slowly drove up the winding mountain road to the mine sites. And it was nippy. Meggy offered her wool cap. I wasn’t prepared with the proper head gear and she cleverly fashioned a turban out of bvd’s. It’s always good to bring plenty of clean underwear along! We were able to spend a couple of hours digging through the tailings occasionally returning to car to warm up. That said, it was a captivating landscape for a rock hound. Though we didn’t find any of the elusive Smithsonite, we did manage to find some specimens of pyrite at the Nipp Mine before descending back into Magdalena.
We continued south to a site outside of Hatch New Mexico where it was said that common pink opal and chalcedony could be found. The site is in a canyon near a diversion dam easily accessible from town. We clambered up the canyon wall and did indeed discover some opal in small veins embedded in a hard matrix. We spent an afternoon there working with hammer and chisel, slowly extracting some wonderful specimens. It was more comfortable at this site, the sun shining on the canyon wall allowed us to remove our jackets and work in T-shirts.
Our next destination was a ghost town on the way to Deming. Lake Valley was a once bustling silver town, now a collection of old abandoned homes and a school house staffed by an overseer from the National Park Service. We had hoped to gain permission to visit the pilings visible in the distance. The heirs of the original mining company keep it off limits to the general public. So, we continued down the highway and came upon an area close to the road where we found some nice agate and jasper.
Venturing further south towards Deming we spent the next day looking for several sites in the Hermanes Mountain area but we generally found it hard to get to the remote locations in our low rider rental sedan. We decided to forgo a visit to Rock Hound State Park (great name!) and headed north towards Silver City.
We visited the Royal Scepter Gem & Mineral shop operated by Kevin Cook and Sylveen Robinson-Cook. Their shop is well stocked with many gems, minerals and fossils. It was a very pleasant visit there. Kevin is familiar with time geology and collecting sites in the region. He had also contacted a member of the local Rock & Mineral club on our behalf who could offer advice. Kevin suggested some sites that were not in our guidebook, and even followed up with a call when we returned home to find out how we did.
With suggestions to check out sites to the north, we headed back into higher elevations visiting sites at Luna, Reserve and Apache Creek. Snow and ice made exploring difficult at the highest elevations, but descending back down towards Apache Creek we had more success in finding agate and some nice specimens of chalcedony in canyon creek beds that were generally dry but contained ice covered pools of water.
We hope that we can return some day to this region which is rich in beauty and also, with some effort and luck, a bountiful source of outstanding minerals for the collector.
(Line drawings created by Craig.)
via The Rock Rustler’s News 2/04
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