Flatirons Facets

Published by The Flatirons Mineral Club

Volume 44, No. 8 November 2002

Flatirons Facets

P. O. Box 3331

Boulder CO 80307-3331

Flatirons Facets is published monthly by The Flatirons Mineral Club. The deadline for submission of articles to Flatirons Facets is the 20th of each month. Permission is granted for reprint if credit is given to the publication and author unless specifically restricted.

The Flatirons Mineral Club is a non-profit organization, established March 9, 1957, and dedicated to developing and maintaining interest in all aspects of earth science and associated hobbies. The club meets the second Thursday of each month at 7:15 PM. We meet at The Senior Center, 9th and Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO. Guests and visitors are welcome. Membership dues are $15.00 per year (beginning October of each calendar year). People interested in membership can contact the club either by writing to the above address or by attending one of the meetings.

Deadline for the December Facets is November 20.

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President's Corner

Evan D. Elliott

Our annual Club Show ran beautifully. The showcases were well done and the members' table was very well organized and we sold about 400 grab bags! The touch me rocks, the children's wheel and mineral identification table were all successful. Thanks to all who pitched in and helped out!

Our November board meeting will be held on Monday the 11th, 7 pm at the Blackeyed Pea restaurant in Boulder (near McGuckins) to discuss the results of our show. Please join us if you were at the show. We do need your ideas and feedback to plan next years' event.

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Membership Dues Are Due!

Memberships in our club all expire in October, when your annual dues ($15) are due. So please send in your renewal now to our membership chair, Melinda Thompson

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November Program (Nov. 14)

Paul Boni

"Show and Towel" (Annual towel show)

It's time once again to clean and present those fabulous finds from this past year of collecting. Please bring your finds and a towel to display them on. As in the past, we will award ribbons for the best of; 1) a club trip, 2) a personal trip, 3) lapidary and jewelry arts, and 4) last but not least... the ugliest rock! This year I think we should also present a ribbon for the best towel! We will also award our junior members in the above categories.

This may sound a little competitive to some, but in truth, it's just our way of having a little "show and tell" that is centered around our hobby. Please don't hesitate to bring your fabulous finds (and not so fabulous finds?), buried treasure (and unearthed leaverite?), and lapidary/jewelry projects. I, for one, enjoy seeing what others have been up to, and showing off my own treasures.

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Field Trips

Paul Boni

I for one am not ready to put up my hammers and shovel. However, the unpredictability of the weather this time of the year makes it difficult to plan outdoor activities 4 to 6 weeks in advance. Thus it is difficult to publish field trip plans in the newsletter. I propose to post field trip announcements on the club web page. Weather forecasts are pretty good 5 to 7 days in advance. For those of us who do not have regular access to the net, please call me at my home number (but not after 9 pm please).

Also, I could use some help here. I have a few ideas that will work for late season collecting. Others among us have ideas and experience beyond my own. If anyone would like to propose and/or lead a trip, please contact me. Let's dig up some treasure.

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Denver Gem and Mineral Show Mini Report - October 2002

Barb Melby, Show Chair

Judy Knoshaug, Secretary pro tem

The 2002 Denver Gem and Mineral Show was a GREAT show! We set a new record with a total of 11,345 attendees at the show. This includes paid admissions, school children, exhibitors, scouts and youth groups, and 520 volunteers from the clubs. We were thrilled to set a new attendance record and feel it is due to all the support from everyone--the club members, show committee--and our own publicity efforts. Thank you, thank you a thousand times to all the volunteers who helped at the show. To have 520 people volunteer for the show is a real vote of support, and the show committee appreciates your help tremendously. The show could not go on without the volunteers.

Planning for the 2003 show has begun. The dates are September 12-14, 2003. The show theme is the Gilman Mining District. The Show Chair is again Barb Melby. If you wish to be involved with the show, you will be most welcome. We can always use new people with new ideas. There is a spot for you on the committee. Please call Barb at 303-423-5876 or contact your club representative.

At the 2002 show grab bags sold out early Sunday afternoon. Proceeds from the bags totaled $3,573. Remember this money provides a scholarship for a geology student at the Colorado School of Mines. For the 2003 show, we would appreciate it if each club could make 425-450 bags. The bags are as popular as ever.

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Competitive Awards

Denver Gem & Mineral Show, September 2002

EGC-1 Educational, Master - Minerals and Man

Ray Berry, Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society.

EGS-1 Educational, Advanced - Minerals Used as Pigments in the Painting of a Reproduction of a 15th Century Poster

Fred Olsen, Denver Gem and Mineral Guild.

Richard Pearl Trophy

Larry Havens, Littleton Gem and Mineral Club.

Winning specimen - Pyrite, Buick Mine, Reynolds City, MO.

Prospector Trophy

Tim Hillsten, Mile Hi Rock and Mineral Society.

Winning specimen - Phenakite on Fluorite on matrix with associated minerals, Mt. White, Chaffee Co., CO.

Best of Species Competitions

Thumbnail

Eldon Hunewell, North Jeffco Gem and Mineral Club.

Winning specimen - Spessartine Garnet on matrix, Ruby Mt., Chaffee Co., CO.

Miniature

Eldon Hunewell, North Jeffco Gem and Mineral Club.

Winning specimen - Phantom Manganese/Amethystine Quartz, Crystal Hill Gold Mine, Sagauche Co., CO

Field Collected

Eldon Hunewell, North Jeffco Gem and Mineral Club.

Winning specimen - Aquamarine crystal, Mt. Antero, Chaffee Co., CO.

Faceting/Lapidary

Eldon Hunewell, North Jeffco Gem and Mineral Club.

Pendant of Amethystine Agate with Garnet and Topaz with cast 14k Gold climbing vine leaf.

Oversize

Frank Lavoie and Jim McGibbons, Timeless Gem Mines/ Twin Towers Mines.

Winning specimen - doubly terminated Smoky Quartz Crystal, Crystal Creek, CO

Best of Fossil Trophy

Bill and Marge Hawes, Mile Hi Rock and Mineral Society.

Winning specimen - Unidentified Wasp; Order: Hymenoptera;

Formation: Green River Parachute Creek Member

Location: Rio Blanco Co., CO.

Club Prospector Trophy

North Jeffco Gem and Mineral Club.

The club entered three specimens: an Aquamarine from Mt. Antero, Chaffee Co.; a Barite cluster, Book Cliffs, Mesa Co.; an Epidote crystal, Calumet Mine, Chaffee Co.

C. E. "Shorty" Withers Trophy

Dr. David L. Roter. Dr. Roter's winning display was entitled "Crystal Treasures of Colorado".

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Club Officers for 2003

At the October meeting, the following people were elected by unanimous acclamation to serve as officers of the Flatirons Mineral Club for the next year.

President - Evan Elliott

Vice President (Trips) - Paul Boni

Vice President (Show) - Andrea Elliott

Secretary - Emily Epstein

Treasurer - Gerald Naugle

Directors - Ray Horton, Lew Yoder, Dennis Gertenbach

We thank these people for providing leadership to the club for the next year.

Our club could not exist without the efforts of a core group of people who dedicate their time in serving our club. The outstanding meetings, great field trips, and wonderful educational programs are the result of these volunteers.

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Membership News

Melinda Thompson

If you noticed on the front page of this letter, dues were due on October 1. Our club year runs October-October. The dues are $15.00 per family.

We have new membership cards this year. They will be available at meetings. If you have paid your dues, make sure you get a membership card. It might help if anyone questions your right to collect in the field. Because of postage costs, I will not mail cards except under special circumstances. Contact me if you need your membership card mailed.

I have heard that some members are not receiving their newsletter. If you know of someone who is not getting their letter, tell them to contact me. Use any of the addresses listed below. If you receive the e-mail letter and would like a hard copy, please let me know.

We have new members joining our club all the time. Please make them welcome. Personally invite them on one of our field trips or offer help with mineral identification. We need the help of all our members to have an effective club.

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Flatirons Mineral Club October Show Report

Charlotte Morrison

The Flatirons Mineral Club members fulfilled our goal of Education at our October 2002 Twin Peaks Mall Show. The club area included large "Touch Me" rocks and minerals. The labels were in Braille and English.

Dorothy Horton had asked many members to work the Children's Wheel. Martha Ralston had numbered boxes of rocks and fossils for selection by the children (and adults!) who spun the wheel. Thank you to members who brought these rocks from field trips. We ask you to remember us again next year.

At least 400 grab bags with ten specimens each were sold by more members. Extra prizes were boxed by Shirley Mehta and they all had labels. Recent contributions to the prizes were by Dean Baldwin, Dick Rodenburg and Bruce Skelton. Jill Runions, Sally, Ricky and Billie filled extra bags this year sewn by Evelyn Lynch, Jeanne Hurst, Caren Johannes and Jill. The Wednesday night group processed over 9000 rocks. The proceeds go to our scholarship fund at the Colorado School of Mines.

Paul Ralston requested displays for the showcases, which were set up in the main aisle of the Mall. As we belong to the Denver Council we may use the large attractive showcases. Members were on hand Thursday evening to set up and Sunday at 6:00 PM to take down and clear the Mall. Andrea successfully convinced the Mall manager that we needed to set up on Thursday afternoon. Our dealers had their tables all ready to sell Friday morning.

We thank our members who brought interesting parts of their collections. Many shoppers spent time learning about the many facets of our hobby. These were the displays provided by FMC members:

Ray Horton:

* A large Septarian Nodule

* Gold ore and Gold primarily from the Phoenix Mine, Idaho Spgs.

* Fossil wood varieties

Stan Horton:

* Large log of fossil wood from Kiowa Co.

Tim Jolly:

* Map of Colorado with minerals found in our state

Dennis Gertenbach:

* "Plants that Changed Our World", Theme case for 2002 Plant Fossils, Western Interior Paleontological Society

Bill Reid:

* Minerals from Calumet Mine, Salida, Colo.

Willie and Evan Elliott:

* Field-trip collected specimens, 2002 field trips

Charlotte Morrison:

* Lapidary spheres from stone by Bill Morrison

* A Western Ranch Scene with Harlan Huggs Church of the Rockies

John Hurst:

* Polished Agates

Larry and Flo Kammerzell:

* Polished limb casts from Texas Springs NV

* Select Minerals of the World

Hallie Cook:

* Polished Tampa Bay Coral

* Polished Limbs, Petrified Wood

Carl and Naomi Bird

* Wire Wrapped Jewelry

Gerry Naugle:

* Meteorites

When we have demonstrations in the Club area, shoppers stop for a few minutes. Gerry Naugle answered questions about his meteorites. Jim Armitage brought his school "Matching Minerals" game for two days. He uses this educational game with grade school pupils when he has a substitute teaching assignment. Charlotte Morrison had samples of turquoise and amber to show the differences between natural and imitation materials. Think of something you have that might work well in these informal demonstrations next year.

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FMC Rockhound of the Year:

Charlotte Morrison

In the latest newsletter of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Charlotte Morrison was honored as our club's Rockhound of the Year. Charlotte and her late husband Bill joined the Flatirons Mineral Club 25 years ago after moving to Boulder. During her years with the club she has served every club office, except president and treasurer. She has been one of the organizers of every club show we have had since 1976.

Charlotte continues to volunteer her time in preparing the grab bags for sale at both the Denver Show and our club show, generating additional funds for the club's scholarship fund. Every meeting Charlotte is there with door prizes for both kids and adults. She helps with the monthly newsletter, serves on the club board, helps plan the annual club picnic, and sponsors lapidary classes at her house every Wednesday night. Charlotte continues to share her rockhounding knowledge and enthusiasm with both young and old. We thank Charlotte for all she has done and continues to do for the Flatirons Mineral Club.

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New in the Library

Dennis Gertenbach

The latest addition to our club library is The Armored Dinosaurs, edited by Kenneth Carpenter of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. This book, published in 2001, contains 21 technical chapters written by the worlds' authorities on these dinosaurs. If you are interested in dinosaurs, this book will provide the latest information about armored dinosaurs. We thank Trick Runions for donating this book.

If you are looking for a book on any rockhounding subject, contact Librarian Dennis Gertenbach and find out what you can check out from our library.

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Geological Websites of Interest

Dennis Gertenbach

Here are several websites that provide information on several topics of geological interest. Plan to check these sites out.

Last month's program on the Florissant Fossil Beds was quite interesting. To learn more about one of Colorado's premier geologic sites, go to the National Park's website at http://www.nps.gov/flfo/

An article on the geology of the site in PDF format can be downloaded at http://www.aqd.nps.gov/grd/edu/foos/flfo.pdf, and includes identification of some of the common leaf fossils found. A map of the park can be found at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/florissantfossilbeds_park99.pdf

If your interest in dinosaurs, you will want to go to http://www.jpinstitute.com/index.jsp. This site has the latest news on dinosaur research, information on many dinosaur species, and dino activities for kids.

Take a virtual tour of four different types of caves at http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave/. This site is packed with great images of different cave formations, plus provides a wealth of information about caves and how they are formed. It is spelunking from your keyboard.

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Coming Attractions

Colorado Gemstones

Lecture by Dr. Jack Murphy

Join Dr. Murphy as he reviews classic Colorado gemstone locales for turquoise, topaz, peridot, aquamarine, and more. He will also share the results from his investigation and discovery of new gemstone deposits during this past summer.

Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Monday, December 9 at 7:00 p.m.

Cost: $10 for members, $13 for non-members

Littleton Gem & Mineral Club Silent Auction

Saturday, November 16, 2002 1:30 - 5:00 P.M.

Littleton Community Center (1950 West Littleton Boulevard)

Sellers Setup 1:00 P.M.

Auction Begins 1:30 P.M.

Verbal Auction and

Business meeting 2:00 P.M.

Closing of Tables begins 3:15 P.M.

Items for sale include minerals, gemstones, jewelry, fossils, books, equipment and anything else related to the hobby. Pebble Pups will find a Children's Table and a verbal auction will feature special items. Refreshments will be served.

Non-LGMC members are invited to sell but are requested to limit items to 12 because of space limitations. LGMC keeps 20% of the selling price.

Current LGMC bid slips should be used and can be obtained from the LGMC website (http://us.geocities.com/LittletonGMC) or from Larry Havens (303-757-6577; lhavens@jeffco.k12.co.us). To obtain a bidder/seller number in advance, call Clarene Weller (303-781-1216).

Blaine Grossnickle Sale

Saturday, November 9, 2002

10160 Lambuth, Denver, CO. Take Kipling south past Hampden Ave, at the second light south of Hampden turn right (west) onto Lehigh, right again immediately onto Kipling Parkway service road, first left onto Lambuth.

Large and small slabs - some polished. Turritella agate - Trout Creek onyx - Petrified Wood - Marble - Clocks and Clock Parts - Bolo Tie backs and neck ties - Watch Bands (men and ladies) - Jewelry Findings. Prices are negotiable. Call Carolyn at 303-986-9903.

Bill Basbagill Sale

Announcing the sale of Bill Basbagill's mineral collection, tools, and equipment. This includes 40 flats of various minerals, sold by the flat; lapidary equipment including a Graves Mark I faceting machine, 3.4 amps, which is a year old; a Lortone rotary tumbler, model 45B - brand new; lapidary rough; jewelry; and his collection of Lapidary Journals and Mineralogical Record. Sale is November 9th from 8 - 5; 13742 W. Ohio Drive, Lakewood, CO. For more information or directions, call Maggie at 303-986-5812.

Jewelry, Gem & Mineral Show

The 37th annual Jewelry, Gem, and Mineral Show sponsored by the Denver Gem and Mineral Guild will be held January 10-12, 2003 at the Lakeside Center Mall, Interstate 70 at Harlan St. Hours: Friday, January 10th - 10 am to 9 pm; Saturday January 11th - 10 am to 6 pm; Sunday, January 12th - 11 am to 5 pm. The show will consist of gem, fossil, and jewelry dealers, and gem-cutting demonstrations by local artists. Our featured exhibit will consist of minerals from the four corner states. For further information call 303-783-0221.

Hands of Spirit Open House

Holiday Mineral & Jewelry Showing

November 23rd & 24th, 10 am - 5 pm

65 Betasso Rd., Boulder

303-541-9727

Showings also by Appointment

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Bulletin Board

Magazines - If you have hobby-related magazines, we can sell them at our next silent auction. Please save them next year also.

Lapidary Journal subscriptions, new and renew, will add to the club treasury if you pay Alex Cook. Your check will be your receipt.

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has many interesting courses connected with their Paleontology Certification Program. For information about their spring program, call 303-322-7009.

Club Directories are available. Pick yours up at the next meeting.

Mineral Identification - Bring your mystery mineral specimens to any monthly meeting. You will find several experts with years of experience to help with identification.

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Minutes of the Board Meeting, 9 September 2002

Emily Epstein, Secretary

Present: Alex Cook, Evan Elliott, Emily Epstein, Dennis Gertenbach, Ray Horton, Steve Lubbs, Charlotte Morrison, Melinda Thompson, Brad Willkomm, and Lew Yoder.

The meeting came to order at 7:40.

Dennis reported that the slate of candidates to fill Club offices is almost complete. A number of board members and officers have agreed to continue in their positions, while others have declined. The only vacancy without a candidate is Program Chair. Board members made several suggestions, and expressed optimism that a suitable person would be recruited at Thursday's meeting. There was some discussion of when terms are supposed to expire.

Charlotte Morrison reminded the Board of the need to publicize our show. Fliers have been distributed at other shows, but not enough. Fliers have also been attached to paper copies of Facets. We have more grab bags for our sale, because John and Jeannie Hurst have donated a large number of cloth bags and mineral specimens with labels.

Charlotte, with Dick Kellogg's assistance, finished inventory of the shed. Melinda Thompson will type it up. We are still looking for a place to move the shed. Ray Gilbert in Larimer County has kindly offered space for it, but something closer would be better. Something has to be done, and soon, because the deadline is firm. The shed will have to be moved right after our show in October.

Melinda Thompson suggested that on December 1, members who have not paid their dues should be dropped from the mailing list. The board passed the motion unanimously.

Evan Elliott reported that a field trip to the Platte River is in development. The local sites have been picked clean and probably won't yield much until after the water has risen and subsided. Near Guernsey WY, however, the reservoir is at an historic low, exposing a lot of choice material. John Hurst has offered to lead.

Evan Elliott reported that the show board met at his house. A list of dealers appeared in this month's Facets. Dennis has been sending out press releases. Ray thanked Charlotte for getting flyers out to other clubs.

Officer elections will take place at the October meeting, and the winners will take office immediately. Dennis will bring ballots to the meeting.

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Updated 1/12/04