Our annual Silent Auction was quite successful last month.  The club earned $ 342 that helps cover club expenses.  I want to thank all the club members, and especially Gerry Naugle, for their efforts in making this year’s auction such a success.

In this newsletter is a list of Field Trips planned for the rest of the summer and into the fall.  Collecting trips will be searching for amazonite, smoky quartz, topaz, epidote, trilobites, peridot, garnets, brachiopods, and lots more.  Be sure to contact the trip leader to sign up and receive details for each trip.  A special thanks to Paul Boni for leading the Memorial weekend trip to Wyoming to collect turitella agate and petrified wood.  Those that went had a blast.

The Jr. Geologists continue meeting each month during the summer, studying the geology in the area.  Be sure to read about last month’s trip in this newsletter.  On July 14, the Jr. Geologists will be touring the dinosaur tracks and palm leaves in Golden.

Just as a reminder, there will not be regular meetings in July and August.  In July, we will be joining the RAMS for their annual picnic.  Our club picnic will be Saturday, August 20.  Plan to join us for good food, stuffing grab bags, and great fellowship. See the details in this newsletter.

Happy rockhounding this summer,

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FMC Annual Picnic

In place of our August club meeting, we will be having our annual club potluck picnic in North Boulder Park on Sat. August 20th at 4:00pm, members and immediate families. The club provides hamburgers, soft drinks & water. Last names A-M please bring a salad, last names N-Z please bring a dessert or watermelon.  RSVP to Gerry Naugle by Aug. 18th. So after our silent auction on June 9, we won’t be back at the Senior Center until the September meeting.

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Jr. Geologist Field Trips

Last month, the Jr. Geologists visited the Cretaceous outcrops between Boulder and Lyons.  We learned about Colorado 75 million years ago when eastern Colorado was covered in ocean.  While there, we collected shells and trace fossils (burrows made by animals on the ocean floor).  Several nice Inoceramus clams were found, along with a shrimp burrow filled with hematite.

This month, the Jr. Geologists will head to Golden to walk the Triceratops Trail near the Fossil Trace Golf Course.  We will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 14th in Golden to see tracks of duckbill and triceratops dinosaurs, palm leaves, rain drops, bird and beetle tracks, and more, all nearly 70 million years old.  We will learn more about the clay that was mined at the site for over 75 years.  This is a non-collecting trip, so leave your rock pick at home.

While we are at the site, we will use a GPS to locate a geocache.  Somewhere in  the park is a hidden treasure containing various small items.  Everyone can trade something they brought – perhaps a toy dinosaur, a fossil, or a rock – with one of the items already there.   

The Jr. Geologist program is open to all club families.  We meet monthly to learn more about rockhounding and the earth sciences.  For more information contact Dennis Gertenbach.

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Field Trips for 2005
Dennis Gertenbach

Here is a summary of the field trips planned so far this summer.  Please contact the trip leader for details about the trip.  If you have an idea about a great place for a field trip or would like to lead a trip, please contact Dennis Gertenbach.

July 16 and 17 – RAMS claims near Crystal Peak in the Tarryall Mountains. Trip Leader:  Gerry Naugle The RAMS club has invited us to join them at their claim to dig amazonite, smoky quartz, and topaz for the weekend.  We also will join them for lunch at their annual barbeque on Saturday.

 July 17 – tour of Florissant fossil beds. Trip Leader:  Gerry Naugle As an extension to the trip to the RAMS claims, a side trip is planned to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.  The site is world famous for its petrified redwoods and incredibly detailed fossils of ancient insects and plants, buried nearly 35 million years ago. This will be an educational tour, no collecting is allowed.

August 13 and 14 – Calumet Mine and Peridot Mesa. Trip Leaders:  Cory Olin for the Calumet Mine and Ray Gilbert for Peridot Mesa  Come to Buena Vista for the Contin-Tail Rock Swap and Mineral Show between August 11 and 14, and join the club in two field trips in the area during the weekend.  At Peridot Mesa, you can collect – what else – peridot.  Gem quality specimens have been found in past years.  The Calumet Mine is known for fine quality epidote crystals.  Also found are garnets, quartz crystals, and magnetite.

August 27 – Deckers for trilobites. Trip Leader:  Trick Runions Plan to head to Deckers for a day of fossil collecting.  Trilobites, brachiopods, and other marine fossils from the Ordovician period (440 to 500 million years ago) can be found.

September 10 – Cretaceous Adventure. Trip Leader:  Dennis Gertenbach We will head out of town to visit several sites with Cretaceous age fossils.  From approximately 69 to 80 million years ago, eastern Colorado was covered by the Western Interior Seaway.  Marine fossils from that period will be collected.

October 8 – Florissant Shale Splitting. Trip Leader:  Gerry Naugle Come to the CU campus, Henderson Geology Bldg for a  Florissant shale splitting party. Material from the fossil beds will be available for splitting in search of fossil leaves and insects.  The cost will be $3 per person for FMC members.

Fall (date to be determined) - Phoenix Mine. Trip Leader:  Ray Horton. Located outside of Idaho Springs, the Phoenix Mine takes you back in time when mining was king in Colorado.  A guided tour will take you back into the mine and explain how gold was extracted.  You will also have a chance to try your hand at gold panning. Kids – plan to bring a friend.  A fee will be charged.

Note: I've taken the field trip information that Charlotte Morrison gave me at the last board meeting and filed the information into a file box for the next field trip chair.  (We need to keep thinking about who would make a great chair for next year.)  A couple of things:

1. If you have information about a place that the club could consider for a field trip - perhaps an article that you have or someplace you have been - please make a copy and pass it on to me to put into the club field trip file.

2. A couple of years ago, I went through a bunch of old newsletters from other clubs and pulled out field trip information.  I put this stuff into a three-ring notebook and gave it to someone.  Unfortunately, my memory has failed me and I can't remember who I gave it to.  If you have this notebook, I'd like to get it back and add the contents to the club field trip file.

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Prizes for the Flatirons Mineral Club November Show

The grand prize door prizes for our November show have been chosen and are pictured on the club website.  Show date is Nov. 18th to 20th at the Boulder Elks Lodge, and two dollars per person per day admission gets folks a chance to take one of these (pictured) home after the show.

In the photo, from the left are:  two large Trilobite halves from Morocco, a cluster of Pyrite-replaced Ammonites from the Volga River area of Russia, and a cut Amethyst Geode from Brazil.

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Earth Science Things to do This Summer
By Pete Modreski

*  Visit the USGS Map Store in Building 810, Denver Federal Center (Kipling Ave. north of Alameda), Core Research Center, entrance S-25.  The Map Store sells USGS topographic, geologic, and all other maps & publications, as well as other books/maps/videos/CDs about nature, wildlife, geology, etc. (and yes, even Audubon Society singing birds!).  Open 8-4 weekdays, located at the SW corner of Building 810.  The Store is now run by the Rocky Mountain Nature Association; telephone number is 303-202-4700.  To browse some of our most popular maps ahead of time, see (among other urls) http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/mapcatalog/

*  A good assortment of similar items and displays (emphasizing, but not limited to, dinosaurs) is available at the Dinosaur Ridge Visitors Center, 16831 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison CO 80465, telephone 303-697-3466. Open 9-5 Mon-Sat., 12-5 Sun. See www.dinoridge.org. While there, take the walking or driving tour of Dinosaur Ridge (Alameda Parkway, as it crosses the Dakota Hogback), and/or walk the Dakota Ridge Trail, along the crest of the hogback; check out the Technicolor Stegosaurs painted by various local art groups under the trees outside the Visitors Center; and come to one or more of the "Dinosaur Discovery Day" public tour days, coming up on June 4, July 2, Aug. 6, Sep. 3, and Oct. 1.  P.S., one item available in the Dino Ridge gift shop is a little boxed set of the Colorado State Rock, Mineral, and Gemstone (marble, rhodochrosite, and aquamarine), sold as a fund-raiser by Girl Scout Troop 3010, the group that successfully petitioned the State Legislature to declare marble the State Rock of Colorado in 2004.  (The set includes an actual faceted aquamarine gemstone.)

* For a neat place to see and explore fossil displays as well as live reptiles, amphibians, and ecology, visit the Morrison Natural History Museum, 501 Colorado Highway 8 (1/3 mile south of Morrison, on the road to The Fort and US-285), open 10-4 Tues.-Sat. (10-5 after Memorial Day), 12-4 or 12-5 Sun.  Adult admission is $4, progressively smaller kids are less.  See http://town.morrison.co.us/mnhm/hours.php or call 303-697-1873. Memorial Day weekend is "Jurassic Adventure Weekend" with Dr. Robert  Bakker and others at the MNHM; see http://www.dinoridge.org/news/index.html for details.

* Visit and walk the "Walk Through Time" interpretive geologic rock trail, located next to the Green Belt behind Broomfield Heights Middle School, Broomfield. Open any time; see http://student.bvsd.k12.co.us/~bmeier/walk/dev/index.html 

* Two more outdoor geologic walking tours exist in Golden: the "Triceratops Trail" at "Parfet Prehistoric Preserve", a short interpretive trail to see dinosaur tracks plus those of other vertebrates and invertebrates, plant fossils, etc.  Located just off the bike path along Highway 6 in Golden (access the bike path from the crosswalk at 19th St. and Highway 6), at the northwestern-most edge of the Fossil Trace golf course.  A brochure about the site is available at the Dinosaur Ridge Visitors Center.   and...

On the Colorado School of Mines campus, a couple of blocks from the new CSM Geology Museum (also very much worth seeing; free admission, located at 13th and Maple Streets, open 9-4 Mon-Sat., closed Sundays during the summer; see http://www.mines.edu/academic/geology/museum/) is a short geologic walking tour of the rock exposures at the edge of campus, including a "Rock Garden" (no garden really, just rocks) featuring rock samples from all the geologic formations exposed nearby.  A brochure about the tour is available at the CSM Museum, or see the CSM Geology Department's website at, http://www.mines.edu/academic/geology/newstuff/walkingtour.shtml. To see the "Rock Garden", walk or drive one long block south (uphill) from the Museum on Maple Street; turn right (west) on Campus Drive; where the drive curves to the left, turn right into the large Freshman Parking Lot; the "Rock Garden" is at the far, north edge of the parking area.

* Sign up for one of the free Map & Compass and GPS (Global Positioning System) classes held the 2nd Friday of each month, 9-11 a.m. and 12-4 p.m., at Building 810 on the Federal Center.  Dates are June 10, July 8, Aug. 12, Sep. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11.  For info call 303-202-4640.

* One last thought, if you're at the USGS/RMNA Map Store, take a look (ask for a copy; they are free) of newly published USGS Circular 1274, "Celebrating 125 Years of the U.S. Geological Survey".  The 56-page illustrated booklet describes the historical background of, and current research done by, the USGS, including capsule biographies of a number of USGS scientists and what they do.   A selection of other free USGS brochures is also available there.

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UPCOMING EVENTS, NEARBY & ELSEWHERE

Aug. 11-14: Contin-Tail Rock Swap and Mineral Show, Rodeo Grounds, Buena Vista, CO

Aug. 19-21: Lake George Gem & Mineral Show, for more information contact Richard Parsons at 303-838-8859 or tazaminerals@att.net.

Sep. 10-11:  Mineral Symposium sponsored by the Colorado Chapter, Friends of Mineralogy, "Agate and Cryptocrystalline Quartz", to be held at the Green Center, Colorado School of Mines campus. Registration fee is $40, Saturday evening banquet $25, plus optional field trips.

Sep. 16-18:  Denver Gem and Mineral Show at the Denver Merchandise Mart, 58th Ave. and I-25.  See http://www.denvermineralshow.com/

Check Flatiron Mineral Club’s own web site for additional events, and further details:

http://bcn.boulder.co.us/community/fmc/fmctk.htm

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Denver Gem and Mineral Show Mini Report, June, 2005
Judy Knoshaug, Show Secretary

Don’t forget the dates for the Denver Gem and Mineral Show – September 16-18, 2005. The theme for the show is “Quartz and Cryptocrystalline Quartz”.   This is the greatest show in our area and your club is a part of it.  Where else would you be able to see the fantastic displays of minerals, gems, jewelry, and fossils?  Where else do you have the opportunity to purchase that special mineral specimen, that gorgeous gem or piece of jewelry, or that incredible fossil?  It’s all at the show and more.

There are many ways to participate in the show.  Hopefully every member of your club is volunteering in some way.  Encourage your members to do so and provide them with the information for volunteering.  There are many opportunities for volunteers. Volunteers are granted free admission to the show and there is a volunteer breakfast on Sunday morning. 

Hopefully your club will have a presence in the club area for demonstrating some skill or introducing your club to the public.   Many people learn about the hobby this way and new club members are gained from the show experience.

Your club or any member of your club may enter an exhibit at the show.  It can be a great learning experience.  All you need to do is complete the application form and submit it by the due date.   There are also special competitions such as the Best of Species competition, the individual Prospector’s Trophy and the Club Prospector’s Trophy.

If you want additional information about any aspect of the show, contact your club representative (each club has one) or Show Chair, Martin Hannu, at 303-429-2519.       

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The 2005 Colorado Market Place

The Colorado Market Place, similar to the International Room, will have its second showing at the 2005 Denver Gem and Mineral Show, in the newly remodeled eastern section (basically between where Aisles B and C were).  This sales area is recommended for dealers who need only one table, and deal in U.S.A. only minerals and fossils. Tables will be $125.00 each.  Limit 1 table per dealer.  If you are interested,  please contact Bob Loeffler at 303-980-1174.

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How Man Came To Love Rocks
By Jack Terwilliger, who refuses to live in a glass house.
From Gneiss Times via Fresno CHIPS via The Southwest Gem

In the dimness of the past far reach of time,
With man, there came his need for weapons, tools
And there were - ROCKS

A weapon, small enough to throw or hold to strike,
Using hand and arm as catapult or handle.
What better than - ROCKS

A place to hide and eat his food and sleep,
Secure from searching beast or other men from other tribes.
A cave among the - ROCKS

By then, conceived, a use for just a simple axe,
That would endure while cleaving hide and bone.
For axe heads - ROCKS

While chipping stone to make his axe, a spark! And fire! And man could cook his
food and warm himself on winter nights.
Life sustaining heat, derived from - ROCKS

A grinder for the seeds that dried so hard
When picked and stored for winter food supply
To grind real fine he used two - ROCKS

To build himself a cave by yonder stream and safe,
There were many - ROCKS

Soon, (just a million years or so) castles, temples, pyramids,
Those massive works around the world, man built,
Still using - ROCKS

Then he learned to mine and quarry, grind and crush and smelt,
To extract precious metals, to cast and fuse and forge
Tortured - ROCKS

Precious gems and jewels, jade, emeralds and topaz, Sapphires, opals, rubies and
diamonds beyond compare.
Beautiful - ROCKS

But that small thing that first man used to kill that long-toothed cat,
To him worth more than all the other things could ever be.
A plain, dull, common - ROCK

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Chalcedony
From Gems Of The Rogue (Grants Pass, OR) March 2005

Chalcedony is a catch-all term that includes many well-known varieties of cryptocrystalline quartz gemstones. They are found in all fifty states, in many colors and color combinations, and in sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.

Chalcedony includes carnelian, sard, plasma, prase, bloodstone, onyx, sardonyx, chrysoprase, thundereggs, agate, flint, chert, jasper, petrified wood, and petrified dinosaur bone just to name a few of the better known varieties.

Because of its abundance, durability, and beauty, chalcedony was, except for sticks, animal skins, bones, plain rocks, and possibly obsidian, the earliest raw material used by humankind. The earliest use of chalcedony was for projectile points, knives, tools, and containers such as cups and bowls. Early man made weapons and tools from many varieties of chalcedony including agate, agatized coral, flint, jasper, and petrified wood.

The move from using certain items as weapons and tools, to using the same items for ceremonial and personal adornment is very easily made. It was only natural for early man to use his finest looking knife for special occasions or to attach a special lance point or arrowhead to his tunic. In fact, agate and petrified wood may have simply been elevated to gems from common and functional weapons or tools.

All fifty states produce some variety of chalcedony, but the material from some  states is better known than that from others.

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Rock Sale
Fri-Sun, July 29, 30, 31
8:00-3:00 each day
1636 Remington St., Fort Collins

We have recently purchased approximately 6000 pounds of rocks, minerals, fossils and artifacts from the estate of Bill Robbins.  The collection has been stored away in Grover, CO since 1963, 42 years.  Bill was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian and spent his years in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho and Colorado.  He was a miner as well as an avid Rockhound.  He owned rock shops in Cobalt, Idaho and Grover,  CO.  Bill was a founding member of the Loveland Archaeological Society and the Stone Age Fair that is held in September of each year in Loveland, CO.  His named is inscribed on the monument erected in Cornish by the L.A.S.

Because of the amount of material, we will be selling the majority of it (90%) by the pound at a fraction of its value (.25, .50 and 1.00).  Special material (i.e., jade, dinosaur bone, artifacts, dynamite cases) will be sold at higher prices, as will outstanding individual specimens.

The List

Agate and geodes many different types and colors, most from the Salmon River area of Idaho--hundreds of pounds of Petrified Wood from everywhere--Wyoming Jade-more than 100 pounds. Rare Minerals, Ankerite, Vivianite, Ludlamite from the Blackbird Mine, Cobalt, Lemhi Co, Idaho. Dinosaur Bone-more than 100 pounds, beautiful material with lots of color. Artifacts-scrappers, broken points, many manos and metates (his family kept his extensive framed point collection). Fossils. Slabs. Tumbling Material-hundreds of pounds. Unusual Mine Ores rich in silver, lead and sphalerite. Uranium ores-more than 100 pounds. Assorted Cutting Material-hundreds of pounds. Native Silver and Copper. Mining Memorabilia--many wood dynamite cases from the 1950's, several brands, most beautifully dovetail jointed, primer boxes, drill bits, drill cores. And MUCH, MUCH more, you'll have to come to find out.

New material will be brought out each day of the sale, there is too much to display At one time, so any day that you can make it, you will find great material.

If you have any questions call Kevin Boulter at 970-482-7673 or Glenn Antonopolus At 970-490-1735.  Looking forward to seeing you.

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Updated 7/24/05