Flatirons Facets

Published by The Flatirons Mineral Club

Volume 45, No. 5 May 2003

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 p.m. 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 June Facets is May 20.

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President's Corner

Evan D. Elliott (in absentia)

Our esteemed President has taken this month off-perhaps he's still fishing, or perhaps he's out panhandling ("Will work for rocks!") to help finance all the great things he bought at our silent auction in March. But he would no doubt direct our attention to the two field trips scheduled for May (one of which he's leading-see Paul Boni's report), and to Andrea's report on the status of the planning and preparations for our November show (p. 3)-more volunteers are needed, so please read her report and sign up!

The May Board meeting will be Monday, May 5, 7:30 PM at Alex cook's home. Contact Alex if you need directions.

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May Meeting (May 8)

Alex Cook

Identifying Minerals, presented by Jim Armitage.

Have you ever found yourself staring at a mineral specimen wondering what in God's name this particular item was? Then you are the perfect candidate to attend our program for Thursday, May 8, to be hosted by another one of our talented members, Jim Armitage, newly returned from his annual winter pilgrimage to Arizona. Jim is well known for his on-going work with children, teaching them about rocks and minerals, a job that he has performed with great success for a number of years. Jim holds contests in which the children try to identify specimens and as a reward receive 13 or more items that they may keep. He does this for around 800 children a year, so multiplied by 13--you do the math--that is a lot of mineral specimens.

OK, so Jim is going to give us a talk on identifying minerals, but here is what we have to do. We want each person to bring up to 20 grab bag type specimens to the meeting. Jim will use these, along with material that he will bring, to explain what mineral identification is all about. This should be a very interesting and instructive session, so come early and let's have some fun.

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From The Field

Paul Boni

Where To Go And What To Look For

Last month I rambled on about basic tools. This month I have a few things to say about finding collecting locations and what to look for once you get there.

The easiest thing is to tag along with someone who knows where to go (duh!). That is one reason the club hosts field trips. We will have some great trips this summer to serve that very purpose. But what does one do if the club is not going to a site that interests you? And what if one just wants to get out, enjoy some solitude, and find buried treasure?

Colorado is home to some famous collecting sites: Mt. Antero, Stoneham, the Calumet Mine, the Book Cliffs, Florissant, and others. How does one find out about these places, where are they, and what does one look for once the site is found? There are people around who have many of the answers. The other source is books and maps.

Before I started writing I fired up AOL and visited the Amazon.com site. A simple search on "Colorado and mineral" turned up 6 guidebooks and all were in stock. The search also turned up titles dealing with Colorado ghost towns, various mining districts, and local history works. The following is a list of interesting rockhound selections with the listed prices. In fact, I had to order a couple for myself!

1) Colorado Rockhounding, Stephen M. Voynick, $14.00

2) Gem Trails of Colorado, James R. Mitchell, $9.95

3) Rockhounding Colorado, William A Knapple, $10.36

4) Exploring Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils in Colorado, Richard M. Pearl, $16.95

5) Colorado Gem Trails and Mineral Guide, Richard M. Pearl, $16.95

6) Minerals of Colorado, Edwin Butt Eckel and others, $150.00 (a bit pricey, but a must for the academically inclined) [but can usually be found at a good price at the September Denver Gem & Mineral Show-ed. Note]

These guides include maps and brief descriptions of numerous collecting sites. To make sure that I can find these sites, my practice is to cross reference the information in the books with topographic and road maps. My preference in maps includes the Colorado Gazetteer, BLM land status maps, and USGS topographic maps (7 1/2 min quadrangle). The third source is the rock and mineral identification guides. There are a few publishers of these, including the Audubon Society, Peterson's guides, and others. Another book search on Amazon.com perhaps?

Look through a rockhounding guidebook until you find something that strikes your fancy. Then see if you can locate the site using the directions in the book and the maps listed above. If you can do that, you will not get lost. Then reference the rock and mineral guides and read up on the desired minerals and rocks listed in the rockhounding guide. Now you know the location of a collecting site, you know how to get there, and you know something about what you are looking for. It really is that simple. Experience and knowledge will grow, especially when encouraged with a little educated risk, adventure, and confidence.

Once you get to your site remember one of the fundamentals of rockhounding; If you see it, if you like it, and if you can get it in your car... take it home and enjoy it. Pay attention to some rules though. Collecting on National parks and monuments is strictly prohibited. Also, it is illegal to collect or damage vertebrate fossils and/or cave formations on public lands. If you wish to collect on private property or established mineral claims, you must obtain permission. Unless otherwise restricted, collecting on Forest Service and BLM lands is open and fair game.

So, what about those fabulous mineral specimens in the museums... you want one don't you!? Patience, those incredible specimens are rare and hard to find. Keep working at it though and your chances increase. But don't be disappointed if you don't find museum quality specimens your first time out, or even you're 20th. You're likely to find some nice stuff though, and perhaps, lots of it. The more experience you accumulate, the harder you work at it, add some luck, and you'll do well. The important thing is to enjoy the searching and the finding.

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Field Trips

Paul Boni

Field Trips in May; "A hunting we will go..."

Spruce Grove;

Topaz and Smokey quartz

Trip leader Evan Elliott

Date: May 17th

Wyoming;

Fossil fish, fossilized wood and?

Trip leader; Paul Boni

Date: Memorial Day weekend

The itinerary is not yet set. The idea is to visit Warfields quarries for fossil fish and then to search for some blue forest wood. Interested rockhounds contact Paul Boni. We will have a planning meeting for all participants. This is a great family outing! Camping and motels are available.

Paul Boni is seeking volunteers to lead trips. Trips may be announced at the club meetings, or you can contact Paul to find out about any upcoming trips, or to volunteer to lead one.

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Will That Glass Ever Turn Purple?

If you just can't wait to find out, and don't have the time to leave your glass in the sunlight for a long time, just place it under a black light. If the glass fluoresces green, it will turn purple when exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. This color change is due to the small amount of manganese, which is added to the melted ingredients of sand, soda, and lime to free them from the ever-present traces of iron, which gives the glass the common aqua color.

(From Lapidarian, March 2001, via North Jeffco Gem & Mineral Club, March 2003)

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Membership News

Melinda Thompson

New members are always welcome. Annual dues are $15, payable in October. The newsletter is e-mailed, as an Acrobat PDF document to those members with e-mail address, or by first class mail otherwise.

Paul Boni will have a display case at our meetings of membership "finds", and/or artistic creations. Sometimes he will have a theme, sometimes not. Call Paul and arrange to share your special treasures with the club.

Don't forget, Charlotte Morrison has open house on Wednesday evenings at 7. You can use the tools in her basement and maybe spare some time to prepare minerals for our grab bags. Please call Charlotte if you are planning to visit.

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Scholarship Committee

On Wednesday, April 23rd, the Scholarship Committee met at Charlotte Morrison's house, and voted to select two winners and an alternate for the 2003-2004 academic year. The winners are Alex Strouth and Amanda Walters, and the alternate is Laura Mauro.

The Colorado School of Mines Financial Aid Office has been notified, and the checks will be cut after the full FMC board votes on these selections at the board meeting on May 5. Further details about the scholarship will appear in a future issue of the newsletter.

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Show Committee News

Andrea Elliott

Things are shaping up for our November show! Last month at our club meeting John Hurst signed up several new volunteers to help with preliminary arrangements. You will be contacted soon for a show committee meeting. Gerry Naugle and John Hurst are handling the dealers, but are also wearing other hats. Emily Epstein and Richard Smith are listed for advertising. Emily spearheaded this post last year and helped inform the public of our show. Charlotte Morrison and Steve Lubbs are on board for the club table. Alex Cook will design the floor plan and Hallie Cook signed up to help him. Jim Armitage will hand out flyers in AZ. Brad will head security and needs a back up or two.

This is a great help! We need many more volunteers to make the show a success! We will have sign-up sheets at every meeting and will keep you posted with ongoing and last minute needs. But mostly we need dealers! Every show you attend can be an opportunity to promote our show. Share with dealers your encouragement and enthusiasm for your club and its activities and we can expect new dealers to give us a try. Call me with any questions, and Thank you! to the volunteers!!!!

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Upcoming Events, Nearby & Elsewhere

May 9, Denver Gem & Mineral Guild Silent Auction, Room 126, Berthoud Hall, Colorado School of Mines, 16th & Illinois St, Golden, CO. 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Gems, mineral specimens, fossils, petrified wood and ???. Special table for kids only. Free admission. Contact: Pete Neri, 303-674-2792

May 10-11, Grand Junction Gem & Mineral Club 56th Annual "Rocks Through The Ages" Show, Two Rivers Convention Center, First & Main, Grand Junction, CO. Sat. 9-6, Sun. 10-5. Exhibits & Demonstrations, National Dealers, Mineral Specimens, Jewelry, Beads, Stones, Door Prizes, Tools, Equipment, Supplies, Books, Gifts, Special Attractions, Activities for Kids. Admission: Adults $3, Students aged 12-18 $1, Kids under 12 with adult FREE. Contact: Carl Mulholland 970-241-3065 or B. J. Brown 970-241-3051

May 17-18, Capitol City Mineral & Gem Society, 4th Annual Rock Show, Holiday Inn, Fox Farm Road, Cheyenne, WY. Sat. 9-6, Sun. 10-4. Raffle Drawings, Grab Bags, Gold Panning, Jewelry & Diamonds, Silent Auction, Hourly Door Prizes, Fossils, Gem Stones, Lapidary Items & Tools, Special Guests. Contact Paul Moot, 307-634-6773.

May 22-25, Tri-Federation Rockhound Rendezvous and Field Trip, Texas Springs, NV. Contact Dean Richardson, Rocky Mtn. Federation, or call 801-595-6750.

June 5-8, Westminster Mall Rocks, Mile High Rock and Mineral Society 27th Annual Gem & Mineral Show, Westminster Mall, 88th & Sheridan, Westminster, CO. Contact Show Chair Jennie Baldwin 303-659-7630.

July 11-13, RMFMS Show and Convention, Casper, WY., "Treasures of the Rockies", hosted by the Natrona County Rockhounds Club. Show Location: Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center (at I-25 and Center St.), Casper, WY. Contacts: Ed Mcknire 307-265-6202.

July 11-13, 50th Annual Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show, LaPlata Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall, Durango Durango, CO. Contact Jean Wester

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Denver Gem And Mineral Show Mini Report March 2003

Judy Knoshaug, Secretary pro tem

The Denver Gem and Mineral Show is now only a few months away. The dates are September 12-14, 2003. Remember the theme for this year's show is "Minerals of Gilman, Colorado." This theme should draw many exciting exhibits from individuals and museums, which you will not want to miss.

The ten Council clubs work hard to put on the show each year. As one of the ten, be sure your club is represented at the show in the club area and listed in the show program. The show offers table space to each club for demonstrations, displays, club information, or other hobby activity. This is a golden opportunity for your club to educate young and old and to recruit new members among the people attending the show. The people attending the show already have a budding interest in gems, beads, minerals, or fossils. Be sure your club plans some activity for its table space at the show and returns the table reservation form by the June 30th deadline. Please also return the program information form so your club will be listed correctly in the show program.

Please circulate those volunteer sign up sheets so club members have an opportunity to sign up for whichever area they wish to work. Club members receive free admission to the show in exchange for a few hours of volunteer time. And what better way to support the hobby that we all enjoy so much. So please volunteer, you will not regret it!

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Your Display for our November Show

John Hurst

Bring your rocks and ideas to the club meeting for help with how to best display your rocks. A Denver case liner will be on hand and a smaller case or two. We need your ideas and displays for our show!

And thank you to club member Richard Smith for his donation of fabric to construct grab bags. Richard's contribution should make around 200 to 300 bags. Thank you Richard.

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Quartz Color Causes

Doug Mitchell (From Rockhound Ramblings via Pueblo Rockhounds, Jan. 2003.)

This is a summary of a talk by Dr. George Rossman of Cal Tech on the causes of color in various forms of quartz.

As has been said before, the dark color of smoky quartz is caused by impurities of aluminum combined with gamma ray exposure, and the purple color of amethyst comes from impurities of iron in the ferric state, again combined with damage from gamma ray exposure. The gamma rays knock an extra electron off the iron, leaving it the quadruply charged state.

What was new to me was that the iron must not be substituting directly for silicon atoms in silicate tetrahedra for this to produce amethyst. The iron must be in channels that occur between the silicate tetrahedra in quartz. If the iron replaces silicon instead, the radiation effect produces an uncommon form of citrine.

In natural amethyst formation, the radiation is likely to come from potassium. While its radioactivity is too small to be of concern on human time scales, clays and K-feldspars can just keep plugging away over geologic time scales to eventually send enough gamma rays into nearby quartz to create the color.

The more common form of citrine is also colored by ferric iron in the channel sites.

The color of amethyst is not stable, and will fade noticeably with a few days exposure to sunlight, or any bright source of green, blue or ultraviolet light. I was a bit startled by this when I recalled seeing quite a few amethyst geodes out in the sun, probably for days, at satellite shows of the Tucson Show. Ordinary incandescent lights with their low color temperature would have the least effect this way, but higher temperature lights like krypton or halogen lights would be worse. Heat will also fade the amethyst color. When the amethyst color fades, it is likely to be replaced by the citrine yellow color.

The loss of amethyst color can be reversed by exposure to "ionizing radiation", including x-rays and gamma rays (I neglected to ask whether short wave UV would qualify), provided there is no aluminum in the quartz. In the presence of aluminum, the quartz will instead become smoky on exposure to x-rays or gamma rays. When I asked how radiation turned it to amethyst in the first place. Dr. Rossman explained that the smoky color fades faster than the amethyst color over geological time periods. Thus, if irradiating your amethyst does turn it smoky, waiting a few million years may complete a restoration of that arnethyst color.

When quartz with ferric iron crystallizes above 270 degrees Celsius, it generally forms citrine. When it crystallizes below 265 degrees, it can become amethyst. Ametrine, with its alternating sectors of amethyst and citrine, forms only between those temperatures. During the entire crystallization the temperature must hold near 268 degrees, which is why ametrine is known from only the one site (Anahi Mine, Bolivia), which now is reportedly exhausted (at least until they find a new vein). The ametrine was found in clayey pockets in a dolomitic limestone. At the correct temperature, the amethyst forms in r sectors and the citrine in z sectors, if my memory has not reversed them.

Dr. Rossman recently determined the cause of the pink color in ordinary rose quartz by dissolving it in hydrofluoric acid, which left a mass that was insoluble in boiling hydrofluoric acid. Examination with electron microscopes revealed this mass to be composed of fibers smaller than the wavelengths of visible light, which proved to be made of dumortierite plus 3 new minerals. These fibers also gave rise to asterism in this rose quartz, contradicting earlier explanations that involved rutile.

There is another rare form of rose quartz, where well-formed crystals show the rose color. In this case the color comes from aluminum and phosphorus impurities, again with gamma ray effects. Apparently this forms only in the presence of tourmaline. Perhaps the tourmaline absorbs something as it forms that would prevent the formation of rose quartz crystals.

Blue color in quartz is caused by ilmenite inclusions. The green of chrysoprase comes from willemseite (the nickel analog of talc) inclusions. A rare form of green crystalline quartz is colored by ferrous iron, I think, in the channel sites.

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Legislative Report

Dick Rodenburg

The Wildlands Project (a vision of an unbroken wilderness corridor throughwhich wolves and grizzly bears could roam unmolested from Canada to Mexico) is very much alive. A New Jersey congressman, Robert Andrews, has written a bill to do just that. The bill (HR 652), called the National Forest Ecosystem Protection Act, requires the Forest Service (USFS) to designate "core" wilderness areas and surround them with "primitive" areas where activity is restricted. It also calls for the "permanent phase-out of commercial grazing" and closing of roads in the area as soon "as practicable". Posted by Harry Lamb, Environmental Conservation Organization, (probably in WorldNetDaily.com) on March 1, 2003; via ALAA.

An equally troubling event: Reps. Christopher Shays, R-Connecticut, and Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, reintroduced their Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act during the first week of March. That bill would also expand wilderness areas in the northern Rockies. The bill has more than 100 cosponsors, mostly from the east; however Denver's Democratic Representative,

Diana DeGette, supports the proposed legislation. Denver Post, March 9, 2003.

Following up on article in the October, 2002, Legislative Report: US District Court Judge Gladys Kessler in Washington ruled that Interior Secretary Gale Norton was lacking in her enforcement to the Endangered Species Act to protect the Canada lynx. Kessler mandated that an added level of analysis accompany all projects in suspected lynx habitat.

Just about everywhere above 8,000 feet elevation in the Rocky Mountains fir and spruce forests could be deemed lynx habitat. Ski areas are particularly impacted by the ruling. For example, Winter Park Ski Area is slated for a number of improvements and upgrades, including the replacement of old lifts, possibly realigning some lifts, possibly building a gondola into the town of Winter Park, and a terrain park on Mary Jane mountain. In the past , the USFS would conduct an analysis to determine if there was any impact on the lynx; then the Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WLS) would review the USFS analysis. Now the F&WLS will have to conduct a full review when the USFS identifies any possible impact on the species. Ski area managers expect delays and increased costs for any improvement the industry makes to facilities on public lands.

Denver Post, March 2, 2003.

In August, 2002, the Bush administration proposed the "Healthy Forests" initiative to speed thinning overgrown woodlands which are prone to wildfires. The initiative includes less emphasis on protecting endangered species and reduces the allowed public appeals of certain environmental decisions. The Administration also has Congressional approval for logging companies and other contractors to pay themselves in harvested trees if they contract to reduce undergrowth, build roads, or undertake other activities. The timber industry's American Forest and Paper Association said the approach will result in better management of the nation's woodlands. Environmentalists, such as Yale University forestry professor Jim Lyons, believe that the plan skips any substantive environmental review, and cuts the public out of the process. Rocky Mountain News, March 1, 2003 and Denver Post, March 2, 2003.

Colorado is making major improvements to five state parks, including a new Rosa Campground near Navajo Lake on the Colorado - New Mexico border. Rosa has 39 full hookup sites for recreational vehicles, spots for tenters and a new campers' services building. In the same area, the new Carracas campground has an additional 40 electric only sites. Highways, August 2002.

Anthropologists have discovered an unusual multi trench fortification at the Double Ditch State Historic Site in North Dakota. The discovery consists of four 3 feet high to 7 feet high earthen walls, surrounding a roughly 20 acre area, and dates to the 1400s. University of Arkansas anthropologist Kenneth Kvamme says fortifications around such a large area clearly tell us that the people who lived there lived in fear. Popular Mechanics, February 2003.

Legislative Report no. 37 April 2003

Dick Rodenburg reports on items of interest to the gem and mineral community.

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The California Poppy: An Indicator of Copper

Don O'Donnell, Lake Havasu Gem Club (via Northwest Newsletter, Dec. 1994)

Plants have been used by prospectors searching for minerals since the Middle Ages. Some plants favor soils that contain or have an abundance of a particular element. Many prospectors use the desert trumpet as a gold indicator, even though it has not proven to be a true gold indicator. Plants of the mustard family excel in absorbing uranium and may be of use to the geobotanical prospector who is searching for uranium minerals.

The California poppy is a known indicator of copper, as it requires copper to exist. Some copper compounds are soluble in water, so the presence of poppies does not necessarily indicate that there are copper minerals in the immediate area. Roadside occurrences of poppies should be ignored because of the presence of various contaminants from the passing cars and trucks.

The presence of poppies in the open desert is much more meaningful. Near the San Manuel Mine, north of Tucson, poppies grow in profusion on the ground known to be mineralized with copper. At a fault, which places mineralized ground against non-mineralized ground, the poppies terminate abruptly, and the fault line can be traced by the poppies. Often, dumps at copper mines are completely covered by poppies.

Since gold, silver and other metals are frequently associated with copper, the presence of the California poppy can be a clue to the possible presence of valuable metal deposits. For the rockhound, many of the primary and secondary copper minerals are of interest. They include chalcopyrite, turquoise, malachite and many more.

Ref. California Mining Journal, Edgar B. Heylum Ph.D.; Richard Pearl, Clackamette Gem, April 1994

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Minutes of the Board Meeting, April 7, 2003

Emily Epstein, Secretary

Present: Alex Cook, Andrea Elliott, Evan Elliott, Emily Epstein, Ray Horton, John Hurst, Charlotte Morrison, Gerry Naugle, Paul Ralston, Melinda Thompson, Brad Wilkomm, Lew Yoder

Alex Cook reported on the progress of the Denver Show. He has applications for exhibit cases, and will announce this at the general meeting. The deadline to apply for a club showcase is June 1. We'll have to decide whether we want to do one before then. Charlotte Morrison pointed out that we also need to apply for club space at the show. Alex agreed to take care of it.

Charlotte reported that the Western Interior Paleontological Society has changed its meeting to the first Monday of the month, putting it in conflict with our Board meeting for half the months of the year and creating a dilemma for board members who belong to both groups. The board decided that there is no possible meeting night that doesn't create a conflict for somebody, and those conflicted will have to decide which to attend on a case-by-case basis.

Charlotte passed around a poster promoting the stamp drive. She'll remind the membership to bring her stamps at the general meeting.

Evan Elliott reported that the silent auction went well. The club made a modest profit for operating funds and received $20 direct donation for the scholarship fund.

Evan presented a letter from Jim Armitage asking for a grant of $100 from the club to purchase materials for his elementary school programs in Boulder Valley Schools and Apache Junction, Arizona. In 2002-2002, he worked with 847 children, equally divided between Colorado and Arizona. The letter also requested money from the Denver Council. The Board unanimously voted to grant the money and to forward his request to the Council.

Gerry Naugle reported that the club is still solvent, and the scholarship fund is growing on schedule. So far, we have contracts with 3 dealers for our fall show. He will write a grant to the Federation for funds to purchase a new shed. Since Alex has a conflict in June, Gerry will serve as our delegate to the Federation meeting that meeting.

 
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