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Board
Corner—CLUB PICNIC!
Gerry Naugle
The annual club picnic is Sat, Aug 20th at the North Boulder Park main
pavillion. Start at 11:00 am, come a
bit early if you can. Same time & location as last year; approx
300 yards NW of the corner of 9th Street and Balsam Ave [corner at Boulder
Community Hospital].
We will bag up some grab-bags
and then eat lunch. Club provides the entree and beverages. Folks with last
name A-M please bring an appetizer or side dish. Folks wth last name N-Z
please bring a dessert, watermelon or side dish.
Please RSVP to Gerry Naugle by 5:00pm on Aug 19th so we know how much
sandwich-entree to purchase.
****************
2011 Field Trips
Schedule
There
are still plenty of field trips on the schedule for the remainder of the
summer—contact Anita or Gabi for up-to-date
information.
13-Aug
Agate, Jasper: Arnold Gulch Jasper
14-Aug
Quartz, Magnetite, Skarn Minerals: Missouri Hill
20-Aug
Club Picnic
3-Sep
Fairburn Agate: Crawford, NE
17-Sep
Denver Gem and Mineral Show
1-Oct
Tepee Buttes
Tentative
Gold Panning: Clear Creek w/CMS
Tentative
Amethyst: Red Feather Lakes
Tentative
Fossils: Rt. 93 Quarry
Tentative
Sapphire, Corundum: Rawlings, WY w/CMS
Tentative
Exhibits, Talks, Field Trips: Socorro Symposium
Field
Trip Suggestions and Trip Leader Volunteers: Contact Anita or Gabi.
****************
Jr. Geologists
Activities
Volcano
Night
Our
May meeting was volcano night, where we learned about the different types
of volcanoes, how they are formed, and how volcanoes and earthquakes are
created along the edges of the earth’s plates. We capped the night by
making volcanoes and shooting them off. All participants completed
requirements for their Earth Processes badge.
Shooting off
volcanoes that the juniors made.
Three
older Jr. Geologists created a cinder cone.
Coprolite Field Trip
Now
that it’s summer, it’s field trip time. Each month, the Jr. Geologists go
out to a local place and collect specimens. In June, we went to a Pierre
Shale location outside of Superior to collect Cretaceous coprolites (fossil
poop), fossil plant material, coal, and cone-incone structures. Although
cone-in-cone structures look like fossils, they are actually a mineral
formation created in clay deposits.
Coprolite
fossils (fossil poop) and a circular cone-incone cap found at the site.
The
Jr. Geologists program is open to all Flatirons Mineral Club families. Each
month we learn more about geology, plus earn badges for different earth
science activities. For information about the Jr. Geologists program,
please contact Dennis Gertenbach.
Four
Jr. Geologists are digging out coal samples from a coal seam.
A
nice piece of fossilized wood replaced by coal that one Jr. Geologist found
on the trip.
The
next two Jr. Geologists meetings are August 18 and September 15. Also, the
Jr. Geologists will put in a display case at the Denver Gem and Mineral
Show in September, and all Jr. Geologists are invited to put in one or more
specimens they have found during the past year.
A trip for the
Jr. Geologists families to see the dinosaur tracks south of La Junta along
the Purgatory River— probably the best dinosaur trackway in the US is
planned. The date will be either at the end of September or in October.
****************
Edna Green
On
May 29th we lost Edna Green, a lifetime member of the Flatirons Mineral
Club. Edna was born in Franklin County, NE in 1921 and was married to
Everett Green. Everett was FMC President twice in the 1960’s and 70’s,
serving a total of 5 years as president and Edna held office as club
Secretary. The Greens lived in Longmont. They were very active in promoting
the FMC club and the annual activities during their day. Edna along with Everett
(posthumous) was inducted into the FMC Hall-of-Fame in 2006 for their work
over the decades.
Edna
will be remembered for the fun that she brought to our club field trips,
especially those blueberry pancakes. She and her husband Everett, who
passed away in 1989, were always ready for a jaunt in the wilds, whether it
was looking for petrified wood in Utah, digging and shaking for sapphires
in Montana (she wore their self-dug. blue Montana sapphire with pride) or
trekking all over Wyoming and Colorado. Edna and Everett were the ultimate
field trippers.
They
both collected U-V specimens and micro-mount specimens that Edna used to
inspire future geologists among the students where she taught at Spangler
Elementary School in Longmont. Year after year they hosted countless board
meetings and worked diligently on our annual FMC Rock and Gem Show. Most of
all, Edna was a genuine friend, who brought joy and happiness into our
lives. Edna, we wish you eternal happiness field tripping in the hereafter.
We miss you.
****************
Denver
Gem & Mineral Show
Judy Knoshaug, Show Secretary
The
Denver Gem & Mineral Show will is only a few short weeks away. Don’t
forget the dates – September 16 – 18. Remember the theme is Minerals of Russia,
which should produce some very exciting exhibits. The Show Chair is Larry
Havens, 303-757-6577 or lghavens@aol.com. Larry belongs to the Littleton
Gem & Mineral Club.
There
are so many fun and interesting things to do at the show. Everyone should be
thinking and planning what they wish to do at the show. Maybe you are
planning to exhibit a specimen or case at the show. You should be filling
out an application to do so. Maybe you are examining your collection and
discover there is a certain specimen you wish to buy. There will be many
dealers who will have exquisite specimens. Hopefully, you will be
volunteering a little time to work at the show. The volunteer signup sheets
are already out to the clubs and there are many jobs available – some are easy
sitting jobs and some involve a little more effort. Regardless, the show
needs every club member to volunteer in some way for the benefit of the
show. The show can’t go on without the volunteers. Remember volunteers are rewarded with
free admission, the Hospitality Room, the Sunday breakfast, pizza lunch at
Wednesday set up, and sub sandwiches at Sunday tear down. We really do need
everyone! If you have not signed up to do anything yet, talk to Carl Bird,
to find out how you can help.
Respectfully
submitted,
****************
Stolen
Gold Alert
On
July 27th the Gold collection from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in NJ,
USA was stolen. Please be alert for
any new fine Gold specimens for sale from unusual sources. For information
and photographs of the missing specimens, please see the Mindat bulletin board.
****************
I’ve Got
a Sinking Feeling about Rocks
by Gavin Morrison
Focus Question
My focus question
is what affect does the shape of a rock have on how fast it sinks in water.
Prediction
My prediction is the round rock will sink
faster than the cubish rock.
Experimental
Procedures
Materials
I got three 2 liter soda bottles. I cut
the top off from one of them. I cut the top and bottom off from the other
two. Then I glued the three bottles together. I filled it with water to the
top. I got a stopwatch that can measure time in seconds. I used my Mom’s
iTouch. The piece of calcite that I got was cubish. It was white and it
weighed 20.5 grams. The piece of tiger’s eye was round and smooth. The
tiger’s eye was mostly brown and weighed 21.5 grams. So the tiger’s eye and
the calcite were the same weight and size but different shapes.
Procedures
First I filled the tall clear container with
water. It was about 50 centimeters high. Then I held the tiger’s eye just
above the water. I dropped it in and measured how long it took for the rock
to reach the bottom. I did that three times. I did the exact same thing but
with the calcite for three times also.
Claims and Evidence
I claim that the
tiger’s eye sank faster in the water than the calcite. I claim this because
the tiger’s eye took 0.4 seconds to reach the bottom. The calcite took
either 1 second or 0.8 seconds to reach the bottom.
Conclusion
I think the
tiger’s eye sank faster than the calcite because the tiger’s eye was round
while the calcite was cubish. My focus question was does the shape of a
rock affect how fast it sinks in
water. My prediction was that the round rock would sink faster. It did!
****************
World’s
Oldest Salt Mine Discovered in Azerbaijan
Dennis
Gertenbach
Along
with gold and copper, salt is among the earliest minerals exploited by
humans. The world’s oldest salt mine has been discovered by archeologists
from the CNRS1 in the Araxes Valley in Azerbaijan. Working in collaboration
with the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, the researchers found
evidence that intensive salt production at the Duzdagi mine was taking
place as early as 4500 BC. The beginning of salt mining in this area
coincided with the development of copper metallurgy to produce copper and
later brass implements.
The
ancients treasured salt for the preservation of meat and other foods, as
well as a food seasoning. Two techniques were used to obtain salt for
consumption. Along the arid ocean coasts, sea water was collected in basins
and allowed to evaporate, leaving behind salt crystals to harvest. In other areas, such
as this area in Azerbaijan, sedimentary halite deposits are found, which
were mined as rock salt.
The
Araxes Valley is located beside the old medieval Silk Road linking Tabriz
(in northwest Iran) with Constantinople. Thus, the location was ideal for
trade throughout the Middle East. Until this recent investigation of the
area in 2008 and 2009 by a joint French-Azerbaijani team, the oldest traces
of salt mining in the area dated back to the 2nd millennium BC. That date
was based on the discovery in the 1970s of an ancient collapsed gallery
that contained the remains of four workers buried with their tools.
The
current team of archeologists returned to the area in 2008 for a more
thorough investigation of these ancient mining sites. They found a large
number of tools, ceramics, and other artifacts that date back to 4500 BC,
showing that extensive mining began at this time and continued up to modern
times. Hundreds of stone picks and hammers were found near the entrances of
collapsed tunnels that date to the early Bronze Age. Dating was
accomplished by the presence of ceramic pottery fragments associated with
the mining implements.
The
salt deposits in the Araxes Valley are so extensive that salt mining in the
area continues today.
1The
CNRS (The (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique or National Center
of Scientific Research) is the largest governmental research organization
in France and the largest fundamental science agency in Europe.
Stone
hammers found at the ancient Duzdagi salt mine in Azerbaijan (Credit:
Catherine Marro/CNRS)
****************
A new
glimpse at the earliest Americans
Texas site was occupied 15,000 years ago
by Rachel Ehrenberg
Science News Web edition:
Thursday, March 24th, 2011
TOOL
TIME Before blades known as Clovis points (left) appeared about 13,000
years ago, early Americans could stab, hunt and shape wood using implements
like these 15,500-year-old blades and tools recently unearthed in Texas
(right).Left: Courtesy of Michael R. Waters; Right: Courtesy of the Center
for the Study of the First Americans, Texas A&M Univ.
Everything’s
bigger in Texas, even the piles of debris and tools left alongside a stream
some 15,000 years ago by some of the earliest known inhabitants of North
America. The newly discovered trove of 56 stone tools and thousands of
flaky rock bits at an archeological site north of Austin is the largest and
oldest artifact assemblage of its vintage discovered to date, says Michael
Waters of Texas A&M University in College Station. Waters and a large
team of colleagues describe the collection of artifacts, dubbed the
Buttermilk Creek Complex, in the March 25 Science.
All
across North America, a distinctive type of two-faced fluted blade shows up
in layers of dirt dating to between 13,100 and 12,800 years ago. This
“Clovis point” has been called the first great American invention, a
technology that spread quickly among people living on the continent.
Scientists used to think that the inventors and users of this particular
point, which was probably fastened to wooden spears, were the first
inhabitants of North America, arriving via an ancient land bridge with
Siberia.
But
a number of sites in North America and one in southern Chile known as Monte
Verde established that people were making a living in the Americas earlier
than 13,000 years ago, and in the last decade the “Clovis First” hypothesis
has gone the way of the woolly mammoth. The Buttermilk creek complex, which
dates to between 13,200 and 15,500 years ago, adds to this scant but
growing roster of pre-Clovis sites. “So from Oregon to Pennsylvania to Florida
to Texas, 15,000 years ago we’ve got people all over North America that
were doing a lot of things,” Waters says.
This
isn’t news to most of his colleagues, who have convinced themselves over
the last decade that Clovispoint–carrying hunters were not the first people
to reach the Americas, and that in fact the technology may have been
invented in the New World. “What’s the big fuss?” says archaeologist Tom
Dillehay of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. “The Clovis First thing has
been dead for a good 10 years. This is just another site that confirms
what’s been known about other areas of the new world.”
Still,
the site does open a window into a poorly known period of American
prehistory. In addition to 12 bifacial blades that may have been used as
spear points, the archaeological team also found five blade fragments, 14
bladelets and some clunkier adzelike tools that might have been used for
carving or shaping wood. It isn’t clear how many people were camping at the
Texas site, known as the Debra L. Friedkin site, or for how long they
lingered. No hearths or other areas indicative of day-to-day living have
been found.
Further
excavation may reveal such details, Waters says, perhaps shedding light on
how these early Americans lived.
****************
Fossils
in the News
Dennis
Gertenbach
Walking Cactus
May Be Arthropod Ancestor
An
international team of paleontologists have discovered of an unusual
worm-like creature from China that may have been the ancestor of
arthropods. The origins of arthropods, which means “jointed feet” and
include insects, scorpions, spiders, crabs, and trilobites, have long been
a mystery to paleontologists. The discovery of this Cambrian-aged
sea-dwelling animal, named Diania cactiformis and nicknamed the “walking
cactus”, may be the key. The authors of this study published in Nature showed that this creature had
robust, armored legs, but a soft body, indicating that arthropods may have
first developed hardened legs and later developed the exoskeleton that
covers their bodies.
During
what is known as the Cambrian Explosion, the ancestors of most modern
species are found in the fossil record. However, no fossil arthropod
ancestors were known from this period dating 500 million years ago. The
walking cactus, a type of animal known as a lobopodian, may be the link
that has been missing up to now. The researchers speculate that this animal
used its armored legs to help extract nutrients from the soil like certain
worms today or to catch creatures and eat them, like many modern
arthropods.
A
2-inch fossil animal, nicknamed the walking cactus and discovered in China,
may be an ancestor to arthropods. (Credit: Jianni Liu)
A Kick Boxing
Dinosaur
Fossil
hunters have discovered a plant-eating dinosaur with extra large hips, naming it
Brontomerus or “thunder thighs”. Bones of an adult and a juvenile,
including a hip bone, a shoulder blade and a rib, were first unearthed in a
quarry in Utah in 1994. When paleontologist recently restudied these bones,
they realized that this animal could deliver a kick three times as powerful
as similar sized sauropod dinosaurs.
Brontomerus
mcintoshi lived 110 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. The
adult was the size of an elephant and weighed 6 tons. The paleontologists
reporting on this discovery in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, speculated
that the animals may have defended themselves from carnivorous dinosaurs
with their strong kicks. And, in typical male behavior, males may have
battled each other for the affections of females.
Brontomerus
may have defended itself from predators with a powerful kick. (Credit:
Francisco Gascó)
Ammonites May
Have Trapped Parasites in Pearls
Everybody
knows how oysters make pearls. A speck of sand becomes lodged inside the
animal’s shell and the oyster covers the irritating intruder with pearl
material. But did ammonites also make pearls? And, if so, why? Since 1960,
when paleontologist Michael House proposed that pits found in some ammonite
fossils were once pearls that had since dissolved away, scientists have
known that ammonites could make pearls. However, they did not know why
these animals made them.
A
recent study published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica has
solved this mystery. The authors show that these pits, known as Housian
pits, were from pearls formed by the ammonite. These pearls were not like
oyster pearls, but were more like blisters on the inside of the ammonite’s
shell. When looking at cross-sections of the blister pearls, they found
tiny tubes that attached to the shell wall that would have been formed by a
parasite. As the ammonite grew, it covered the parasite with pearl
material. The authors also found that the shape of the pearls changed in
ammonite species over a 20 million year period, suggesting that as the
ammonites evolved to fight the parasites, the parasites evolved to overcome
the new defense mechanisms of the ammonites – an evolutionary arms race.
Arrows
showing the Housian pits in a Moroccan ammonite that may indicate the
location of pearls. (Credit: Institute of Paleobiology)
A Saber Tooth
Vegetarian
260
million years ago, an animal about the size of a large dog roamed what is
now Brazil sporting 5-inch long canines. What surprised scientists was that
this animal was a vegetarian, with rows of teeth for chewing leaves and
other vegetation, not a ferocious, meat-eating predator. Research leader
Juan Carlos Cisneros of the University of Piaui in Brazil speculated that
these large teeth were likely used by Tiarajudens eccentricus to fight each
other or protect against predators. They used modern musk deer as an
example of an herbivore using tusk-like teeth to fight for territory,
resources, or females.
An
illustration of Tiarajudens eccentricus displaying its teeth to protect
itself from a carnivorous dinocephalian (Credit: Juan Cisneros)
****************
X-Ray Diffraction
Analysis
Pete
Modreski reports that someone had asked him for advice about where they
might find a person or institution that could help them with identification
of mineral samples requiring analysis by X-ray diffraction. One suggestion he has is Dr. James
Murowchick, at UMKC (University of Missouri-Kansas City); Jim is interested
in mineral collecting and Pete believes he is able to carry out XRD
analysis of small numbers of mineral samples "at a nominal cost",
and is willing to do this for people who might write to him. Inquire
further by contacting Dr. Murowchick.
****************
Upcoming Events
(from
Pete Modreski)
Sat.,
Aug. 13, Dinosaur Discovery Day: Geocaching Day. Rockhounding activities
and hands-on fossil searches. Expert guides stationed along the Ridge trail.
Hike free or take the optional shuttle bus ($3, 4 & 5 yrs. half price,
3 & under ride free). 10 am to 2:30 pm. Free admission. See
www.dinoridge.org
Thurs.-Sun.,
Aug. 11-14, Contin-Tail Rock Show, Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds, Buena Vista,
CO; a fun outdoor annual event; free admission. See www.coloradorocks.org
or www.ctcoloradorocks.blogspot.com.
Fri.-Sun.,
Aug. 19-21, Lake George Gem and Mineral Show, Lake George, Park Co;
sponsored by the Lake George Gem & Mineral Club; free admission, free
parking; for more info see http://www.lggmclub.org/
Sat.,
Sept. 10, Dinosaur Discovery Day: Reading Really Rocks. Festivities will
include a storytime for kids. Hands-on activities include gold panning and
exploring for fossils. Expert guides stationed along the Ridge trail. Hike
free or take the optional shuttle bus ($3, 4 & 5 yrs. half price, 3
& under ride free). 10 am to 2:30 pm. Free admission. See
www.dinoridge.org
Sat.,
Sept. 10, Symposium on Minerals of Russia, cosponsored by Friends of
Mineralogy Colorado Chapter, Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, and
Denver Gem and Mineral Show; to be held in Petroleum Hall, Green Center,
Colorado School of Mines campus,
Golden, CO. For more info contact Pete Modreski, pmodreski@usgs.gov, or see
http://friendsofmineralogycolorado.org/
Wed.,
Sept. 14, CSM Geology Museum Annual Open House, Reception, and Silent
Auction held during the week of the Denver Gem and Mineral Show; 6 to 9
p.m. at the Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, 13th and Maple
Streets, Golden. All are invited!
Sept.
14-18, Colorado Mineral and Fossil Show, Holiday Inn - Denver Central, 4849
Bannock St.; free parking and admission, many mineral dealers; see
http://www.mzexpos.com/colorado_fall.htm Many of the dealers will be open
as early as Sept. 10. This and several other "satellite shows"
take place during the week of the Denver Gem and Mineral Show.
Sept.
14-18, Denver Coliseum Show; another "satellite" show of dealers
in "minerals, fossils, dinosaurs, gems, jewelry, gold,
meteorites"; free admission and parking; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; 1900
44th Street, Denver CO 80216; from I-70, exit 275B at Brighton Blvd;
outside tents open Sept. 10-18, tents and Coliseum open Sept. 14-18; see
http://coliseumshow.com/
Fri.-Sun.,
Sept. 16-18, Denver Gem and Mineral Show, Denver Merchandise Mart, I-25 at
58th Ave., Denver CO; featured theme, Minerals of Russia. The
second-largest gem and mineral show in the U.S. Combined with the Colorado
Fossil Expo in the same building complex; a wholesale-only jewelry trade
show also takes place in another section of the complex. Dealers, museum
displays, lectures, club exhibits, and gold panning; public welcome
(admission charge; adults $6, Seniors/Teens $4, children under 13 free with
an adult); free parking. See http://www.denvermineralshow.com/
Sept. 16-18,
Colorado Fossil Expo; 50 dealers specializing in fossils, meteorites,
amber, petrified wood and related
items; special paleontological exhibits. Held in conjunction with the
Denver Gem & Mineral Show (single admission fee applies to both shows)
at the Denver Merchandise Mart Plaza Annex, 451 E. 58th Ave., Denver, CO
80216.
****************
Greater Denver Area Gem & Mineral Council
Officers For 2012
Judy
Knoshaug, Trustee
The
Greater Denver Area Gem & Mineral Council is the 501(c)(3) organization
which sponsors the Denver Gem & Mineral Show. The Council is made up of
a Trustee from each of the eight local gem, mineral and fossil clubs, the
current show chair and four officers (president, vice president, secretary
and treasurer). The Council has recently named a nominating committee to
recruit candidates for officers for 2012. The slate of candidates will be
presented at the September Council meeting and the election will take place
at the November Council meeting. The Council’s purpose is to promote exhibition,
exploration, and education in the earth sciences; for the discovery,
development, and preservation of minerals and mineral deposits; and for the
advancement, encouragement, and utilization of the principles of art and
craftsmanship as applied to gems and minerals. In pursuit of this purpose,
the Council directs disbursement of show proceeds as grants, gifts, or
loans to other non-profit organizations. The Council needs officers and
Trustees who are interested in its purpose and the gem & mineral show.
If you are likewise interested in the Council’s goals and the gem &
mineral show, consider joining the Council and becoming a candidate for
office. The FMC representative on the Nominating Committee is Carl Bird,
303-665-9794 or birdcm@aol.com. Thank you for your help in continuing an
active Council and excellent Denver Gem & Mineral Show.
Respectfully
submitted,
****************
Upcoming Events,
Nearby & Elsewhere
May 26-30 Geology by Canoe on the Green River Paddle a 60-mile
section of the Green River, from Crystal Geyser to Mineral Bottom, just
north of Canyonlands National Park, with geologist and research associate
Bob Raynolds, PhD. This is one of the longest stretches of quiet wilderness
water in the lower 48 states. Enjoy hiking and exploring this beautiful
area, as you experience Western history in an area first documented by John
Wesley Powell in 1869. $580 adult, $555 child (ages 6-12)
July 15-17 Geology by Sea Kayak on the Colorado River. Geologists
travel from all over the world to visit the spectacular canyon country of
the Colorado Plateau, near Ruby and Horsethief Canyons. These
magnificent rock formations feature
majestic walls of red sandstone. A Museum geologist will answer your
questions and explain how the beautiful canyons got there as you paddle
your sea kayak along the river. $360 adult, $325 child (ages 6-12)
August 5-7 Dinosaurs by Canoe. Imagine canoeing along the Gunnison
River during the age of the dinosaurs. What an adventure! Let your mind
time travel on this trip, as collections manager Jeff Stephenson guides you
through this spectacular geological area. Jurassic and Cretaceous
formations along the river may hold evidence of these amazing creatures
from 140 to 90 million years ago. $360 adult, $325 child (6-12)
****************
Calendar of Events
August
18 Junior Geologists Meeting, George Reynolds Branch Library, Table Mesa
Dr. & Broadway, Boulder, 6:30 p.m. Contact Dennis Gertenbach
Aug
20 Annual FMC Club Picnic , North Boulder Park Pavilion.
Aug
29 No Board Meeting in August (Conducted via e-mail).
Sept
8 FMC Club Meeting, 7:00 PM, West Boulder Senior Center, 9th & Arapahoe,
Program to be announced
Sept.
15 Junior Geologists Meeting, George Reynolds Branch Library, Table Mesa
Dr. & Broadway, Boulder, 6:30 p.m. Contact Dennis Gertenbach
Sept
16-18 Denver Gem & Mineral Show, Merchandise Mart, Denver (volunteer
and get free admission!)
Sept.
26 FMC Board Meeting, Mathias Thurmer's HOA Building, located off of Iris Ave
July
25 FMC Board Meeting, location TBD, 7:15 p.m.
Oct
13 FMC Club Meeting, 7:00 PM, West Boulder Senior Center, 9th & Arapahoe.
Program to be announced
****************
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Updated 8/18/11
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