Flatirons Facets

Published by The Flatirons Mineral Club

Volume 45, No. 8 August 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 August Facets is July 20.

****************

President's Corner

Evan D. Elliott

Yes, I have been fishing and plan to go again. I also managed to get to the Calumet Iron mine with Brad. We "hard rocked" a seam of calcite. We have some good specimens of epidote with quartz. In fact, we have enough to share, i.e., door prizes in the very near future.

I noticed our shed has been moved from the Valmont butte. Thanks go out to the mystery movers.

Remember to come to our picnic this month. (Aug 16). We expect it to be a good time for all.

See you soon.

****************

FMC Annual Picnic (Aug. 16)

Alex Cook

There will be no club meeting this month, but instead we will hold our annual club picnic on Saturday, August 16th, at the North Boulder Park pavilion, 9th and Dellwood, from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The main order of business at the annual picnic is the setting up of a production line to stuff grab bags for the Denver Gem and Mineral Show in September.

The Club will provide the meat (and veggie burgers), potato salad and macaroni salad. There is adequate table space there for working on and completing the grab bags prior to dining. Outdoor charcoal grills are located there.

Club members whose last name starts with letters A-L are asked to bring salads or baked beans. Club members whose last names start with M-Z are asked to bring breads or desserts, including watermelon. The club will provide the chilled beverages and bottled water.

RSVPs are requested. Please RSVP to Gerry Naugle by Aug 14th.

****************

August Field Trips

August 10: Mt. Antero (tentative) Trip Leader, Paul Boni. Final arrangements have not been made as of this writing (contact Paul for the latest status). Craig Cardwell enjoyed our company last year and would like to have us back. In addition to our having a good time digging last year, we (the accumulated rock hounds from a few different clubs) managed to uncover a large pegmatite. Craig was thrilled! This trip will be in conjunction with the Contin' Tail rock show at the Buena Vista rodeo grounds. The show runs Friday (8th) through Sunday (10th). It's all outdoors with rows and rows of dealers and rock hounds. If you haven't been to the Contin' Tail yet, well... you don't know what you're missing.

August 23: Salida, CO. Trip leader: Emily Epstein. John and Donna Rhoads are graciously allowing us to dig for peridot on their claim. Cost is $5 per person. John will lead us to the site, which is an area at about 9,600 feet where peridot weathers out of basalt.

Meet at 9 a.m. on the west side of the Salida Safeway parking lot (left of the main entrance). It will take about an hour to drive to the site. The last mile is fairly rugged, so SUVs are recommended, but passenger cars have made the trip.

Parking is on the deposit, so we can start finding peridot as soon as we step out the car. The area has been searched pretty carefully, so we may have to walk some distance to find nice material. Collecting is done by scanning the ground while walking, or getting down on all fours and looking for tiny bits of green peridot. Sometimes the peridot has a brown film, so some people spray water on likely patches of ground to let the green show through.

Not much in the way of tools are needed. Scratchers, spray bottles, and kneepads might be useful. You'll also need your usual field-trip gear (e.g. hat, gloves, specimen container, sunscreen, water, lunch, etc.)

John has cut gems between 1 and 2 carats in size from rough he has mined on this claim. A picture of 3 of them can be viewed in D&J Rare Gems newsletter. A detailed article on Colorado peridot can be found at D&J's sister site: http://www.gemaholics.com/ColoPeridot.html.

For further information or to RSVP, contact Emily Epstein.

****************

June Meeting Notes (Belated)

At our June club meeting, we enjoyed a fascinating presentation on the history of the Australian gold rush by Gary Lewis, and descriptions of many places of geological and mineralogical interest in Australia. Those wishing to explore these subjects further may find the following web sites (supplied by Mr. Lewis) helpful:

Geoscience Australia (the Australian equivalent of the USGS)--online maps

Minerals Council of Australia--online fact sheets

New South Wales State Department of Mineral Resources--mineral maps and prospecting notes.

At the June meeting we also heard an appeal from Donn Cook, who is working with Boulder Mountain Parks to put together a collection of representative mineral and ore specimens from Boulder County. They are especially interested in those minerals and ores that were economically important at one time in Boulder County's history. If you have specimens that you would like to donate to this collection, you may contact Mr. Cook at 303-245-8846.

****************

Get Acquainted With The Boulder Elks Lodge

The Boulder Elks Lodge will be the site of our Fall Show, and we even considered these fine facilities for our August picnic. The Elks would like everyone to know that each Friday evening during this summer, the Boulder Elks Lodge is having free swimming in their big pool, and the public is invited to come on out. It is possible to purchase BBQ food for dinner there also.

****************

In The Journals

The July/August 2003 issue of Rocks & Minerals has a very interesting article, "Large Smoky Quartz and Fluorite Crystals from the Holy Moses Pocket, Godsend Claim, Lake George, Colorado", by Raymone Berry and Richard Fretterd. The word "large" in the title is perhaps something of an understatement, as crystals several feet long weighing hundreds of pounds have been excavated from this pocket!

The April 2003 issue of the Colorado Geological Survey's free publication "Rock Talk" has a couple of good articles on Colorado gold, including one on the history of gold mining in Colorado, and one on the geology of Colorado gold deposits.

****************

Flatirons Mineral Club Show -- Nov. 14,15,16, 2003

Show Flyers are now in print--get copies from Andrea Elliott or at any club or show meeting. Contacts: Andrea Elliott Dealers contact: Gerry Naugle or John Hurst.

Showcase Displays

We need your ideas and displays for the show. The club will provide the case. All you have to do is sign up for a case with Paul Ralston, 303-652-2831. Use a piece of velour type fabric to cover the 22 1/2 inch by 43 3/4 inch base, and then add your specimens and labels. It can be as easy as you want to make it. A second idea would be to make a wood panel insert in those same dimensions and cover it with the fabric to have it ready to insert into the Denver Case before adding specimens.

There is a Denver club that requires each member to make a display for their annual show. In our club, we prefer to encourage everyone to participate by entering a display of your field trip finds, your lapidary work, your petrified wood collection, your spheres, your minerals, your fossils, etc. It is a great way to help the public discover the fun things that we do as a group or individually. Make it a fun family project where the children can be included in the excitement and the learning experience. It is up to each member to make our show a success. Invite your relatives and friends to come see your fine display and many other interesting displays at our show. We can be our own best advertisement. Our show needs your enthusiasm.

****************

August 14--Show Committee Meeting

All volunteers and committee members are invited (think of that as requested) to attend our Show Committee meeting at the Hurst's in Palo Park on Thursday, August 14 at 7 p.m. This meeting is very critical to the planning success of our November show. Now is the time to build enthusiasm and work diligently for our show. What can each and every member do for our show? Let's make it a success. Refreshments will be served.

****************

Upcoming Events, Nearby & Elsewhere

Aug. 8-10,Contin-Tail Continental Divide Tailgate, (Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds, Buena Vista). 174000 square feet of Rocks, Minerals, Beads, and Jewelry. Free to the public. Fluorescent display demonstrations. Food concessions sponsored by the Buena Vista American Legion. Contact Greg Tunnicliff, Parker CO (303-549-4858) or e-mail the Colorado Federation of Mineral Societies.

Aug. 9, Flatirons Mineral Club field trip to Mt. Antero (Paul Boni, leader), in conjunction with the Contin' Tail Mineral Show in Buena Vista, August 9-10.

Aug 16, Flatirons Mineral Club Annual Picnic, North Boulder Park pavilion, 3:30 p.m. to dark.

Aug 23, Flatirons Mineral Club field trip to the peridot claim of John and Donna Rhoads, near Salida (Emily Epstein, leader).

Sept. 4-Oct. 7, Denver Museum of Nature and Science course: Fossils, Fossils, Fossils, An Introduction to Paleontology, by Bryan Small, preparator, Earth Sciences Dept. Learn the basic methods of fossil collection, data recovery, curating and study. Thursdays, Sept 4-Oct 2, 6:30-8:30 PM, Classroom 301 plus field trip, Sat Oct 4 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. $125 member, $140 non-member.

Sep. 10-14, Denver Gem and Mineral Show, (Denver Merchandise Mart, Sep. 12-14), and the companion "Colorado Fossil Expo" (in part of the same building, single admission for both shows) and the separate "Colorado Mineral and Fossil Show", Sep. 10-14 (no admission charge) at the Holiday Inn Denver North, 4849 Bannock St. (I-25 west side frontage road, just north of I-70)

Sept 17-Oct. 15, Denver Museum of Nature and Science course: Minerals in the Museum, by Dr. Jack Murphy, curator of geology, Earth Sciences Dept. Discover the basics of mineral study and formation. Learn where minerals can be found in Colorado. Take a trip to the Leadville Mining Museum and hike to a site in Badger Creek where you may collect peridot. Each student will adopt a mineral from the geology collection, conduct research and prepare a presentation. The course serves as basic training for those interested in volunteering in the Geology Department. Cost includes transportation and one-night motel stay (double occupancy; single rooms available for an additional fee). Wednesdays, Sept. 17-Oct. 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m., classroom 303; Field trip Sat.-Sun. Oct. 11-12. $250 member, $275 nonmember, $20 additional for single occupancy motel room.

And, 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. In the photo below, taken at Charlotte's house, Ray Horton is helping Carol and Stephan Codrescu saw a specimen that Stephan found on a recent club field trip.

****************

Rocky Mountain Federation Show, Casper, Wyoming

The RMF Show in Casper was a huge success with a wide variety of dealers ranging from diamond tools to jewelry to rough rock and slabs. The displays were even more varied than usual. I found the palm base absolutely fascinating.The Apache Desert Rhyolite in the New Mexico display was striking as well. The Fairburn agates in the South Dakota case were worth the trip. Where was the Colorado Case? Can we rectify this oversight by next year?

The Casper rock club led a daily field trip: Friday to the Sweetwater Agate beds, Saturday to the Dry Creek jasper area and Sunday was a trip for fossils. The Federation held meetings to hammer out business and select the 2004 site for the Rocky Mountain Federation Show---the winner is Wichita, Kansas. How many of the Denver area rock clubs would want to charter a bus to Wichita? The last I checked, they don't have any Rocky Mountains in Wichita. How about the September Denver Show for the 2005 Rocky Mountain Federation Show?

We had four Flatiron Mineral Club members at the show: Shirley Mehta, Emily Epstein, Jeanne and John Hurst. Did we leave anyone out? The rest of you missed a fun show and a chance at a variety of jade. Our FMC November Show flyers were on the information table--hopefully we'll see some visitors from the north.

The Wyoming USGS representatives had a nice display. They might be able to come to the Boulder Show if someone has a spare guest room. Their budget does not cover Boulder motel prices.

Do not overlook the Rocky Mountain Federation Show in 2004. It is definitely worth the trip and yes, they have discovered air conditioning in Wichita. See y'all there!

****************

Rocky Mountain Federation Stamp Collecting Fundraiser

The Rocky Mountain Federation solicits donations of cancelled stamps that they prepare as attractive bookmarks ($1.00), or bag and sell in 1-lb bags ($9.00). The proceeds go to the Federation scholarship fund. The person who coordinates this activity, and to whom the stamps should be sent is:

Dean Shafer - chairperson

PO Box 727

Gentry AR 72734

Send all cancelled stamps to this person with your name and the name of our club and Mr. Shafer will credit our club. Thanks.

****************

Mineral Quiz, Part 2

(See July Newsletter for Part 1)

Match the Term (number) with the Definition (letter). Answers below.

1. Igneous Rock A. rounded, kidney shaped mass

2. Inclusion B. with luster like that of silk

3. Iridescence C. outline of an object can be seen through it

4. Massive D. with luster like that of broken glass

5. Matrix E. without definite structure or form

6. Metamorphic F. crystal like double pyramid base to base

7. Nodule G. coarsely crystallized igneous rock

8. Octahedral H. sedimentary rock formed of hardened clay, usually in thin layers

9. Opalescent I. crack in rock filled with mineral

10. Opaque J. rounded, irregular shaped mass

11. Pearly K. formed by solidification of a molten mass

12. Pegmatite L. metamorphic rock that splits into thin sheets

13. Pocket M. unable to pass light

14. Prism N. foreign matter in a mineral

15. Pseudomorph O. luster like that of rosin

16. Reniform P. replacement of one mineral by another in which

17. Resinous the form of the first mineral is preserved

18. Schist Q. cavity in rock

19. Sedimentary R. crystal formed of more than one individual crystal

20. Shale and symmetrically intergrown

21. Silky S. crystal with faces parallel to one axis and intersecting other two axis

22. Slate T. passes light but not the outline of an object

23. Tabular U. shimmering peacock like play of colors

24. Translucent V. rock in which a crystallized mineral is embedded

25. Transparent W. with pearly reflections like those of opal

26. Twin X. tablet like

27. Vein Y. one formed of clay, sand and other debris

28. Vitreous Z. metamorphic rock with leaflike structure usually

containing much mica

AA. luster like that of mother of pearl.

BB. One altered by heat, pressure, liquid or gases

****************

Rock Dust Put To Good Use

By Ed Montgomery. (From The Opal Express via Rocket City Rocks and Gems 8/02)

Before coal tars and synthetics, painters pounded cinnabar to make pigment for a brilliant red and pounded malachite to gel a brilliant green. With azurite you could get a blue, but the best and most brilliant blue was made from lapis lazuli. Lapis is a rock, not a mineral, and was often called ultramarine blue because it came from Europe from "far across the sea".

Azurite was the major source of blue pigment for painters in the Middle Ages, though it was often labeled a lapis. When it loses its water, azurite turns black. If it deteriorates into its copper carbonate cousin, malachite, it turns green. These unfortunate facts of chemistry have given unwanted black and green blotches to a number of old paintings.

In its original rock lump form, lapis doesn't show its eventual richness of blue. You have to work it. First grind it into a powder. Separately, make a paste of wax, oil and resin, and sprinkle in the powder. Work together like dough. Into a container of warm lye, place the clump, work and squeeze it till the liquid can absorb no more blue. Place into another bowl of lye and keep repeating until all blue is squeezed out. Let these liquids stand till evaporated. What's left is, again, powder; but impurities must be removed. So wash, skim and strain about twenty times. Eventually the artist could mix the finished powder into oil and begin to paint.

While lapis lazuli could retain its color even when finely ground, malachite and azurite would loose color. Only through trial and error experience would the painter get the optimum compromise of coarse enough for color and fine enough to be brushable.

****************

Cleaning Epidote

By Bill Reid, Flatirons Mineral Club

This is a very reliable process for cleaning and removing calcite from Epidote found in the Calumet Iron Mine area.

While the process is safe, several precautions must be followed:

* Read all caution labels

* Wear rubber gloves and safety glasses

* Never add water to acid. Always acid to water

* Never add ammonia to acid

You will need:

* Muriatic Acid (building/hardware store) 1 gallon

* Household ammonia (supermarket) 6-8 ounces

* Washing soda (sodium bicarbonate) (supermarket) 8- 16 ounces

* 2 Plastic containers (5 gallon size works well)

* Rubber gloves

* Safety glasses

The process takes about 10 days and needs to be done outside and 5-6 feet away from any metal that may rust. Using a garden hose gently wash dirt from your specimens and arrange your specimens in a plastic container so that they are not touching each other. Cover specimens with water and add muriatic acid until the mixture starts foaming (much like a warm soda foams when pouring). If you need to place a lid on the container it must be vented, as the reaction generates hydrogen gas. Check daily and add more acid until it no longer foams.

Using rubber gloves remove your specimens from the acid. Gently rinse with a garden hose and place in a clean plastic container. Cover and fill with water. Do not allow specimens to dry out. Change the water daily for the same number of days that your specimens were in the acid. Then cover specimens with clean water and add 2 ounces of ammonia. The next day remove and dry in a protected area, preferably indoors.

Your acid can be neutralized by carefully adding small amounts of washing soda until the mixture does not foam when more soda is added. Check with your municipal water/sanitation department for disposal. In most cases it can be poured down the drain, once it's been neutralized. All that remains to do is to sit back and admire your find.

****************

Answers to Test Your Knowledge

1-K, 2-N, 3-U, 4-E, 5-V, 6-BB, 7-J, 8-F, 9-W, 10-M, 11-AA, 12-G, 13-Q, 14-S, 15-P, 16-A, 17-0, 18-Z, 19-Y, 20-H, 21-B, 22-L, 23-X, 24-T, 25-C, 26-R

****************

Minutes of the Board Meeting, July 7, 2003

Emily Epstein, Secretary

Present: Alex Cook, Emily Epstein, Ray Horton, Steve Lubbs, Charlotte Morrison, Gerry Naugle, Paul Ralston, Trick Runions, Melinda Thompson, Brad Wilkomm, Lew Yoder. Evan Elliott was AWOL.

Alex Cook invited members of the board to join him and this month's speaker, Joe Temple, at dinner before the meeting. He also said that he would be unable to be program chair in the coming year. We need a new volunteer to stand for the position in October's election.

Gerry Naugle presented the treasurer's report. The club is still solvent.

Gerry reported that John Hurst went to the shed to do inventory and it's very full. The obsolete computer, however, has been disposed of. The July 31 deadline to move it is firm. The Denver Council will not decide on our grant application for a new shed until the September meeting. Paul Ralston said that the Elks rejected our request to put the shed on their property. However, Mrs. Hicks, a member of the Elks' board who lives in Niwot, has offered to let us put the shed on her property for a minimum of 2 years at no charge. Discussion ensued. The shed will need a new floor. Paul has 2x4s, but we need plywood and bleach. We will put out a call for volunteers to help move on a Saturday. Paul will track down the keyholder and arrange for us to access the property, as well as look into obtaining a truck and other necessary equipment. Melinda Thompson suggested that it might be easier to break the shed down and reassemble it at the new site, rather than trying to move it intact. She also pointed out that we should have a written agreement with the property owners. Paul said he'd take care of it. The board voted to offer the owners a club membership in appreciation of their kindness.

Trick Runions asked about the November show. He would like an up-to-date list of volunteers and chairs. Ray Horton is putting together specimens to give volunteers as a thank-you gift. Emily Epstein said we need someone to put flyers for our show out at the Durango show this weekend. She'll ask on Thursday whether anyone from the club is going there. Discussion ensued. We also need to put out flyers in stores, libraries, and other places. Ray suggested that we waive the admission fee for the disabled and their helpers. The question of how eligibility was raised. After much discussion, it was decided that a card-carrying disabled person with one helper may attend at no charge, but we won't advertise the policy

Ray has donated amazonite specimens from the Lake George field trip to the club for grab bags.

Gerry announced that the club picnic on August 16th will be in the park, as originally planned, instead of at the Elks' Lodge. Members with surnames beginning with A-L should bring salads, those beginning with M-Z should bring desserts.

Melinda Thompson has updated the membership list.

Return to Facets Index  

Return to Flatirons Mineral Club homepage

Return to Boulder Community Network home page

Updated 1/12/04