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The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. (VGMS)
Rockhound Rambling
May 2007.

Rockhound Rambling Photo of the Month.

This month's photo is by Mary Polacek.
Description: Foreground: AZ Crysacolla,
Background: CA Chapinite.

Rambling Picture of the Month is photographed by a VGMS Member. Subject may be a specimen in their own collection or a rock, mineral, gem or lapidary creation of others, accompanied with documentation of subject origin. Selection is at the discretion of the editor. Submit candidate photos to vgms_editor@roadrunner.com.

For the record, any unsigned articles are by the Editor.

Table of Contents.

• PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE;
• WORDS TO LIVE BY;
• God can't;
• UPCOMING VGMS EVENTS;
• BIRTHDAYS;
• HOSPITALITY;
• PROGRAM REVIEW;
• PROGRAM SCHEDULE;
• MEMBERSHIP;
• MEETING MINUTES;
• COMMUNITY OUTREACH;
• CHIPS AND BOULDERS;
• FIELD TRIPS ARE FUN;
• HINTS AND TIPS;
• BE CAUTIOUS WITH YOUR EMAIL;
• FEDERATION NEWS;
• LETS BE SAFE OUT THERE;
• FIRE RESTRICTIONS ANNOUNCED FOR COLORADO RIVER AREA;
• FEDERAL LANDS RECREATION ENHANCEMENT ACT;
• EDUCATIONAL CORNER;
• VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS XI: EYE CANDY;
• LET'S GO TO A SHOW - 2007;
• LOST PADRES MINE;
• SIAM SIDING CHAPINITES;
• COLLECTING BORAX CRYSTALS;
• EARTH SCIENCE STUDIES - CAMP PARADISE: Registration Form - Coming Later;
• SNOWY RIVER PASSAGE.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.

We are now halfway through the Spring season and the warmer weather (it's in the 80's as I write) has finally arrived. Many people are busy planning their vacations for the summer months. Don't forget to include a mineral show or a field trip in your travels. These are great ways to see new things and to meet new faces.

The Conejo show is coming up May 19 and 20 and the CFMS show is coming up June 15-17 at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. I am planning to enter two displays for CFMS competition. Seems a little scary right now but that's how you learn. I encourage all of you to support these shows and help make them as successful as our show was this year.

Ed Clark, President.

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WORDS TO LIVE BY.

A clear conscious is usually a sign of a bad memory.

Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

Change is inevitable except from a vending machine.

Inside every older person is a younger person wondering "what happened".

Collected by Wayne Ehlers.

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God can't be everywhere so he created mothers.
     Jewish proverb.

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UPCOMING VGMS EVENTS.

If omitted, the time, location or address can be found on the VGMS Info Page (Close the new window to return here.).

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BIRTHDAYS.

We wish all of you good health and hope you have a very, very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Is your birthday missing? Call Mary Polacek at (805) 644-5090 and leave a message, or email me at vgms_editor@roadrunner.com.

A Color Photo of Lily of the Valley Flowers.

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HOSPITALITY.

Sharlyne Holloway reported that 25 members attended the April regular meeting. A big thank you to Greg and Valli Davis for supplying the refreshments.

Kathryn Davis and Cyndie Day will provide refreshments for our May meeting and we thank them!

2007 Hostess Schedule.
     May: Kathryn Davis
        and Cyndie Day,
     June: OPEN,
     July: Sharon & Mel Hixson,
     August: OPEN,
     September: OPEN,
     October: Stephenson family,
     November: Pumpkin potluck,
     December: Holiday potluck.

Thank you to those who have already signed up. Contact Sharon Cunningham, 649-3579, if you are willing to supply refreshments for one of the open months in the schedule above.

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PROGRAM REVIEW.

April Program: Silent Auction.
     Lowell started the evening sharing some of the letters his fourth graders had written in response to the kind donations by Mel and Sharon Hixson of polished agates. Lowell disperses the agates as incentives. Now that's a story in the making isn't it? Mel and Sharon how about sharing some of those letters with the club?
     A good time was had by members bidding on a nice variety of rocks and minerals. Donated specimens included Bishop opal, geodes, selenite, fossil sand dollars, shark tooth, petrified wood, Los Cheyes nodule, obsidian, fossil whale bone, varisite, fossil leaf, chromium stained wood, carnelian, butterfly calcite, Nevada jasper slabs, Hurnitos poppy jasper, Mojave flint, Blue Forest Wyoming petrified wood, Cady Mountain golden plume, Hog Canyon nodules, Brazilian gray agate, Montana agate, Oregon petrified wood, prairie agate, Mojave red jasper and other jasp-agates. Whew!
     A big THANK YOU to the generous donors.

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PROGRAM SCHEDULE.

Programs - Get Your Programs Here! - By Lowell Foster.

May 2007 - Make sure you have your bucket of popcorn and oversize Coke ready for this month's program. It's MOVIE NIGHT for the VGMS, thanks to Kathryn Davis who loaned us the film we are to watch: Rhodochrosite - Red Treasure of the Rockies, the film covers many aspects of this incredibly beautiful mineral. The history of the Sweet Home Mine receives an overview, as do current mining techniques (which includes blasting for those who enjoy their movies with KaBAMs!) As the movie runs approximately 80 minutes, we will only be showing an excerpt - unless the projectionist is mobbed in which case the whole film might be aired. (I thank Jim Brace-Thompson for the handling of the movie while I am gone.)

June and Beyond - We have two future speakers being set up for several different topics. Norb Kinsler from Oxnard is being asked do his presentation on the Three Golds of Alaska (Gold, Oil, and Tourism). Jim Brace-Thomson is preparing a program on the Benitoite Mine and its current status.

The Beyond - I would like to know if there is any interest in a program that has members share with the club books of interest. (Call this Oprah Winfrey's Books Not on the Bestseller Chart.) I know that I run a lot of programs that have people share material (what do you expect from a 4th grade teacher), but this topic would be on books and videos. If there is enough participation, I think that a lot of knowledge and resources can be passed along. The basic format would include the book's information (title, author), why it is interesting, what makes it great, and where it can be found. I have two books myself that I think others might like to know about, one being a GPS guide to the Hauser Beds.
     If you have something that you could share with the club, please let me know. Email me at lowellfos@yahoo.com or tell me when you see me next.
     If you absolutely hate the idea and want to bend my ear, send me an email with HATE IT in the Subject line and I'll be sure to put it in my SPAM file.
     Thank you.

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MEMBERSHIP.

Directories not distributed at the March meeting were mailed in April. If you are missing your directory, please give Nancy or Jim Brace-Thompson a call.

We are pleased to add a new member (Frank Boulch) and welcome back a prior member (Myrle Kirk). Please add them to your directories.

WELCOME:
     Myrle Kirk,
     6040 Sutter Street,
     Ventura, CA 93003,
     805.642.3353.

     Frank Boulch,
     861 Rubens Place,
     Oxnard, CA 93033,
     805.271.0538.

Directory Updates:
     Richard and Shirley Bromser: Address is on West Main NOT East Main.
     Greg Davis: Change email to: Greg.Davis@ventura.org.
     Martin and Melinda Isaacson: Correct street address is 23031 Dolorosa Street.
     Hermelinda Areo: Correct last name is Ureo.
     Jim and Nancy Brace-Thompson: Change email to: jbraceth@roadrunner.com.

VGMS Club Vests and Badges.
     The Club vest colors are royal blue with gold lining. You can also buy or make a blue denim vest. A club patch is available to sew on the back of your vest for a cost of $5.00. You may purchase the patch from the Membership Secretary (Nancy or Jim Brace-Thompson).

(Webmaster's Note: If you want a printed copy of the following so you can place an order move the mouse cursor to the left of the word 'Attention', push and hold down the left mouse button, and sweep down over the ad with the mouse cursor. This will highlight the contents of the ad. Release the mouse button and, without clicking anywhere else on the page, select EDIT on the browser menu and select COPY. You may then PASTE into any word processor and print in your normal manner. If you highlight too much you may delete the unneeded part with the word processor before printing. This works with any browser I know.)

Attention New Members (or anyone needing a badge).
Need a Club Badge?
Blue Engravers is giving us a $.50 reduction per badge
for advertising space in the club bulletin!
Ventura County Shape badge $11.28 (includes. tax & ship).
ACCOUNT: Ventura Gem and Mineral Society, Inc.
Name (print clearly. It will be on your name badge):

_____________________________________________

Address:

_____________________________________________

_______________________________Zip: __________

Make check payable to and mail to (takes 5-7 business days):
Blue Engravers,
1375 Caspian Ave.,
Long Beach, CA 90813.
If ordering more than 2 badges call them for exact shipping
costs at (562) 983-5140, FAX (562) 983-5146,
E-mail BLUEGRAVR@aol.com.

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MEETING MINUTES.

Minutes of the VGMS Regular Monthly Meeting,
Wednesday, April 25, 2007:
     The regular monthly meeting of the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society was called to order by Ed Clark at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2007, at The Lexington, Ventura, CA.
     The March membership meeting and the April board meeting minutes were corrected and then m/s/c as shown in the bulletin.
Ed Clark welcomed guests.
Ray Meisenheimer presented the treasurer's report and it was m/s/c to accept as stated. Ray also reiterated the need for someone to take on the job of treasurer. Richard Bromser will be assisting us from afar for a while only. Ray is also still presenting programs to schools along with one this past week in Camarillo.
Florence Meisenheimer - The big news is the upcoming federation show in Palmdale in June. It's still not too late to enter display cases (see Ray or Florence).
Nancy Brace-Thompson mentioned that the 2007 show wrap up meeting will be held at their house on May 10, at 7:00 pm, and all are welcomed to join in with thoughts, recommendations, ideas along with discussion for next year's show.
Wayne Ehlers - The cab class was again a great success along with the fact that two new members joined the club.
Abe Barshai - In preparation for next year's show, sign up sheets for member participation will be available at all meetings.
Mary Polacek - Beginning in April, articles to the bulletin will be required by the first Sunday after each board meeting. Any and all articles and photos are greatly appreciated. The remainder of the directories were mailed out. Contact us if you did not get one.
Greg Davis - The Lexington was contacted and we were given permission to hold monthly board meetings in the Picadilly room until we find something else. No word yet from Help of Ojai on space availability for our museum. Although we were to wait to hear from them, I'll contact Help of Ojai this week, as it's been quite some time, and report back.
Jim Brace-Thompson - The idea of "yellow pages" for members willing to participate is still being accessed. It would be a method of listing one's expertise or favorite aspect of the hobby which you would then help new members with. More will follow.
Lowell Foster - There's no definite presentation scheduled for June but there are several possibilities pending. Lowell also read two of many thank you notes from his students after Mel Hixson provided tumbled stones to them. What better way to foster rockhounding?
Ed Clark next sounded the bell to begin the silent auction. Thanks to everyone who provided material and specimens because it was of the best quality and everything sold. It was another fun and successful auction.
     Refreshments were provided by Greg and Valli Davis.
     The next board meeting will be held on May 3rd at the Lexington, the next monthly membership meeting will be on May 23rd and the show follow up meeting will be on May 10th, 7:00 pm at the Brace-Thompson's house.
     There being no further business, Ed adjourned the meeting at 8:45 pm.
          Respectfully submitted,
          Greg Davis,
          Recording Secretary.


Minutes of the VGMS Board Meeting,
Thursday, May 3, 2007:
     The board meeting of the VGMS was called to order by Ron Wise at 7:30 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2007, at the Lexington in Ventura.
Present: Ray and Florence Meisenheimer, Shirley Layton, Mary Polacek, Jim Brace-Thompson, Ron Wise and Greg Davis.
Greg Davis - Members still need to contact myself or Ron prior to going to the museum/workshop to confirm its availability.
Greg Davis - Lisa Meeker of Help of Ojai has been emailed regarding status on our request. Any answer will be forwarded to club and/or board members.
Ray Meisenheimer presented the treasurer's report for April 2007, and it was m/s/c to accept it as written. Ray has CFMS show case forms for those interested in entering. Ray also mentioned we still are in need of someone to take over the position of treasurer. Richard will assist from a distance for a short time. Ray gave a presentation to 60 students in Camarillo and will be giving three more this year in Camarillo, Ojai and Oxnard.
Mary Polacek mentioned she is available to help Ray with presentations if needed.
Florence Meisenheimer - The AFMS show for 2007 will be held at Roswell, New Mexico, in June, following the CFMS show in Palmdale. The 2007 Paradise event will be held September 2-8 and 9-15.
Jim Brace-Thompson - It was m/s/c to accept the membership application for Frank Boulch. The 2007 show wrap up meeting will be held Thursday, May 10 at Jim's house.
Mary Polacek - As of this day, articles to the bulletin will be required by the Sunday following the board meeting.
     The next general meeting will be on May 23, 2007, at the Lexington in Ventura and the next board meeting will also be held at the Lexington on June 7th.
     There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:25 pm.
          Respectfully submitted,
          Greg Davis,
          Recording Secretary.

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SUPPORT AND PRACTICE
THE AFMS CODE OF ETHICS.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH.

     April 18 was the day for the schools' Science Fair at the fairgrounds. About 800 students participated from grades 6 through 12. Each of the Ventura County Gem and Mineral clubs brought an exhibit to display. Donna and Larry Knapton, exhibiting for Oxnard, brought the rock boxes, which were very popular with the teachers, and also a table of touch and pat rocks for the students. Ray Meisenheimer, for Ventura, had a case of fossils. Don Asher, of the Conejo club, showed a case of very nice minerals. Adults picked up a large number of flyers about our club. There were 275 judges, among them our president, Ed Clark. They spent the day examining the exhibits and interacting with the students.
     Ray Meisenheimer gave an earth science program to 60 third and fourth grade students on April 24, at Los Serendos Open School in Camarillo. There were three groups of twenty students in each group. They were given a three-hour program. Many of the children brought minerals and rocks for him to identify for them. Ray took along mineral and fossil specimens for the children to examine and pat. They like the toothy fossils and crystal type minerals.
          Florence Meisenheimer.



Earth Science Kits - Submitted by Donna Knapton.

     Here are two letters that we have received in the last couple of weeks about the Earth Science Kits.

The second letter is from the Ventura School District:

Also, here is a report of how distribution is going:
     24 boxes delivered: 14 Ventura, 2 Briggs, 5 Fillmore, 1 Mesa Union, 1 Santa Clara, and 1 County Library.
     Scheduled: Poinsettia, Saticoy and Fillmore Middle School. There is only one school, Mound in Ventura, that has not been scheduled. The first group of boxes will finally be delivered by the end of school term. The other two boxes are being kept back for educational purposes. Delivery was slowed by the schools only having the teachers together for the delivery once a week. Therefore, even though we started delivery in January, we are barely going to finish delivery, as school is finishing for the year. To counter this problem, Ann Lewis is training to do box delivery. At the beginning of the next school year, I also hope to start another person. That will cut delivery time appreciably.
     Larry is a little less than half-way finished with the second set - many thanks to Don Asher. He has spent many hours here helping Larry in the last couple of months. Anyone wishing to help with boxes or rocks just give us a call (647-8762). Hopefully these boxes will be finished for delivery in September when schools are ready to accept them, after the new school year starts.
     There will be another field trip in August or more likely September. Brett is making arrangements. This time it will be to near Angel's Camp - up and over the Sierras at Ebbits Pass then down to Mammoth. (One of the Nation's 10 most scenic highways, by the way!) We learned a lesson from the last trip---get everyone's cell phone numbers!! We never did connect with the couple from the Ventura Club even though we were there all at the same time. The trip was successful. More than 1100 pounds of rock samples were collected and Miriam Tetreault and David Potts are now familiar with the collecting sites. Hoping to see a better turn out in September.
     There is a "virtual rock box" planned for the new, improved Oxnard Web Site. Steve Grayson is working on it.
     We still have grant money from API (American Petroleum Institute, Coast Chapter) to finish our set of boxes. Hooray for API's generosity!!

Put the next workday, August 18, on your calendar. Hope to see you all then!

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CHIPS AND BOULDERS.

(Webmaster: I included this map in case it might somehow help you find the place.
Looks to me like it's on Highway 150 west of Ojai.)

Help of Ojai:
     We missed an opportunity May 12 to volunteer as a group for a Help of Ojai work party. Our next opportunity is Saturday, June 9. It would be a good gesture for our club to give a hand, as we seek a home at this location. So, mark your calendars. Bring gloves and clippers. The hours are 8:00 am to Noon. If you are not aware, the location is at the old Honor Farm in Ojai.
     Laurie is the volunteer coordinator. Call her at 649-9218 if you plan to attend. The address is 370 W. Baldwin Road. Above is a map showing the HELP location. Ha! You'll need to haul out your magnifying glass to make it useful!

Country Store - Concern for 2008 Show:
     On May 10, Abe Barshai, Ray Meisenheimer, Greg Davis, Mary Polacek, Ron and Jean Wise, Kathryn Davis and Cyndie Day gathered at Nancy and Jim Brace-Thompson's house to discuss preliminaries for the 2008 Annual Show. There is enough interest to go forward with our 2008 annual show, however, the Country Store demise is imminent, unless one or more members are willing to step forward to assume responsibility for this program. The club will eliminate the Country Store chair at the end of July if no one volunteers. If the Country Store closes, we'll most likely not rent the building it has occupied, and that, of course, raises other logistical challenges.
     Think about it. Contact a board member if you have any questions.

Question for Members:
     This question was received via email. If any of you have an opinion regarding this, please email or call the editor with your response and I will forward it.
Q: I had a guy show me (about 3 years ago) some yellow, crystallized rocks (looked like geodes/crystal clusters) that he said he found in the river bottom along the Avenue in Ventura. Have you also heard of any of these being found?
     No members responded to this question. It was broached at the board meeting and there was general agreement that geodes are not found at the Ventura River mouth. The only suggestion was that the material may be yellow calcite.

Rock Sales:
     Del Air Club is having a yard sale June 2, 9 am-3 pm, at Bob Backus' yard, 5006 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, 818-347-2056.

Fred and Judy Plum of Woodlake, CA, have tables of quality specimens and slabs priced individually, plus 5-8 tons of rock priced at $7 per 5-gallon bucket and $50 per truckload. Jade, chrysoprase, moss agate, picture jaspers, Horse Canyon agate, petrified wood from various localities, Mexico and Texas plume agate, and much more. They are still finding old inventories from their storage shed that they forgot they had. The sale is ongoing probably through mid-May. Call 559-564-8873 for directions and more information.
          Via the San Diego Gem & Mineral Society's Pegmatite Bulletin.

BLM Public Open House:
     The BLM has extended an invitation to the public to attend live demonstrations of its NILS GeoCommunicator and LR2000 Land and Mineral Use Records systems. Hands-on practice and expert training will be available. Using LR2000 you can run geographic reports, serial register pages, etc., using multiple search options, such as date, land description, serial number, and more. NILS GeoCommunicator can be used to download township/range/section grid data, map BLM land and mineral use authorizations, including but not limited to mineral material disposal, mining claims, rights-of-way, stipulations and conveyances. You can use this program to view federal surface management agency boundaries and U.S. Forest Service sale parcels. This is just an inkling of program capabilities. The open house will be held at the BLM California State Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, on Tuesday, May 22. You must choose one session: 9:30-11:30 am or 1:30-3:30 pm. Reserve your place by sending an email to Gary_Catledge@ca.blm.gov or by calling 916-978-4400.

The VGMS Workshop is open the third Saturday of each month from 9:00 am to noon unless otherwise notified. Shop Supervisors are Ron Wise (805) 647-4393 and Greg Davis (805) 647-9214. If you plan to attend, call ahead to make sure the museum will be open. A big thank you to Ron and Greg for the opportunity they give the rest of us. The workshop is there for your use; take advantage of it.

Tumbling Grit is still available. Contact Ron or Greg to arrange for pick up or come to a workshop Saturday.

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FIELD TRIPS ARE FUN!

Jade Cove Field Trip,
By Robert Sankovich,
Conejo Gem & Mineral Club 2nd VP Field Trips.

We had a good turnout for Jade Cove. Ten rockhounds from various clubs showed up. There were about 20 scuba divers from my dive club there. Deb and I arrived Wednesday.

Wednesday and Friday, it drizzled and rained a little, but overall it was sunny, especially Saturday and Sunday. The down side was the ocean was too rough for diving, with some semi rough surf on the beach. You could still collect along the shore, but you could get wet. Most people still found jade. I found some nice pieces, nothing spectacular, but I'm happy with what I found. It's hard to predict how the ocean will be.

I plan on going back around August. It's usually flatter with less surge. There will be more bull kelp and feather boa plants making swimming a little more difficult. The shore collecting will be better, you will be able to search in the rocks close to the water without big waves coming in. I have found some nice pieces this way. We go in April/May because the winter storms have removed the kelp, and turned over the bottom of the cove.

Saturday we had a potluck that was great; lots of good food. That night some of my friends and myself drummed with Djembe drums around the campfire.

I want to thank all of you that showed up, See you next time.

Pictures below of the Jade Cove outing are courtesy of
Anthony Ferrari of the Culver City Gem & Mineral Club.

FIELD TRIP SCHEDULE.
Tentative Schedule - As of 4/15/2007. *

* Please call the field trip leader to confirm the schedule in the event of a change to published dates/times.

Saturday, May 19, Field Siding & Green Ash Hills, 9:30 AM.
Host: Sierra Pelona Rock Club.
Meet Location: Field Rd. exit off I-15 about 31 miles east of Barstow past Yermo. From Mineola Rd. 14 miles east. Turn right if heading east (south side of I-15). Large pullout.
Road conditions: Passenger car friendly at both sides if driven cautiously. Paved part way, graded road the remainder. We will park at the old Field Rd. railroad siding. Primary collecting area is between the railroad tracks to the dry Mojave River.
Materials to collect:
     At Field Siding - agates in shades of white, yellow, beige, green, blue, orange, pink, brown, gray, or any combination. Petrified wood, chert, and jaspers. Agates may also be found in moss, plain and plasma.
     At Green Ash Hills - petrified palm, bog and reed, agates, jaspers, cherts, common opals, jasp-agate. Many fluoresce. Mostly found as float in both locations. At the Green Ash Hills off Mineola Rd. limb casts have been found and a burgundy agate up to soccer ball size can be found. Many ravines to search in.
Precautions: sturdy shoes, hat, gloves, spray bottle (rock licking not required), collecting bags and buckets, rock hammer, small shovel & chisel if desired.
     Field Siding is a widespread mostly flat area. The further you explore, the better the material. Bring plenty of water and your own lunch. This is arid desert area with unpredictable weather. It is inhabited by snakes, lizards, coyotes, rabbits, etc. Approximately 1.5 miles south of I-15. EXTREME caution if searching near railroad tracks. Green Ash Hills is a boundary to Mule Canyon and, consequently, is hilly with many steep ravines and very rocky terrain. Exercise the normal cautions when climbing or moving large rocks and around brush. Reptiles may be active as in any other remote area. Nearby is the Early Man exhibit, a protected area. Mule Canyon itself also offers much to explore with many specimens of minerals. Release of Liability forms will be required.

June 16-17 - CFMS will sponsor two fieldtrips in conjunction with show in Palmdale.
     Saturday June 16: North Edwards for travertine and onyx.
     Sunday June 17: Pine Canyon for agate and jasper.

June 24 - CERRO GORDO MINE.
Contact: Francis Pedneau 760.876.4319.
     CFMS sponsored one-day trip hosted by the Lone Pine Gem and Mineral Club, to the Cerro Gordo Mining Ghost Town. Rockhounding is only open one day a year. This is the 11th annual trip hosted by the Lone Pine club. There is a $5 fee per person. Proceeds go to the restoration of the mining town. This is a great trip for everyone. There are 50 different types of minerals to be found with the most sought after mineral being Smithsonite. Smithsonite is only found in one other area in the United States; the Kelly mine in New Mexico.
     Along with our standard rock hounding hand tools, bring sun screen, water and food. Wear sturdy boots. Roads are good but a high clearance vehicle is recommended. Altitude is 8500 feet, so bring appropriate clothing for that big drop in temperature at the end of the day.
     A letter of liability release must be signed. Those with disabilities make sure the field trip reps are aware of your situation, diabetes, heart conditions, etc., so appropriate help can be obtained should the need arise.


Upcoming field trips:
Somis Fossils: Robert Sankovich reported in the May 2007 Conejo Club's Rocky Review he has found a place where you can find sand dollars, 3-4 inch clams and smaller ones, and different kinds of gastropod fossils. The site is about 20 miles or less from Thousand Oaks and will be a day trip with easy access. This should be a good field trip for rock collectors of all ages. More information will obtained about this trip tentatively to be scheduled for a June date.

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HINTS AND TIPS.

Polishing fire agate: Use tin oxide on leather, dry. Polishes in a heartbeat! Heat causes the top surface of the stone to flow, making it glassy.
Polishing jade: Heat it up! Use polish on leather. Hold the stone with your fingers so you know its not getting too hot.
     Via Del-Air Bulletin May 2007 via Delvings May 2007 via Ed Hansen The Pegmatite February 2004.

Tips for Contour Polishing Petrified Wood: So you've got a rough piece of petrified wood - a nice full round. What do you do? Step one is get out all the big steps and divots as quickly as possible. Put a diamond blade on your angle grinder, a respirator over your nose and mouth and, using a fairly low angle - so you don't cut slots into the wood, drag the diamond blade sideways over the problem areas. This is a dry operation, and sure moves a lot of material fast. To finish the shaping, use a Barranca or similar wet contour grinder with a course diamond wheel. After shaping, the fresh surface may want to fracture or peel, so its necessary to fill the fractures to hold it together. The best way to do this is to use 330, a 2-part epoxy, thinned down with acetone. Keep adding the acetone and stirring the mixture until it's clear as water. It should be thin and runny. Use a teaspoon to carefully drip the thinned epoxy into the wider cracks. Use a toothpick to fill those cracks the remainder of the way as well as fill the tiny cracks. This fills the cracks without trapping air in the bottom. After the whole piece has been treated, let the epoxy cure by letting the piece sit in the sun for several days. When the epoxy is fully cured, you can use the Barranca to proceed with the rest of the wet grinding and polishing steps.
     Del Air Bulletin May 2007 via John Dahnke, Emerald Gems 10/2006.

The club presents these hints and tips for informational purposes only and does not specifically endorse or profess first-hand use or experience with any or all. As always, be aware of your situation, knowledge level and comfort zone before attempting anything new. When in doubt, stop! Get help before you need it.

Keep a log in your shop. Document your techniques and inspirations. You will come up with a journal full of useful tips, and maybe even an educational article or two!! Email hints and tips to vgms_editor@adelphia.net.

Let us hear about your good ideas!

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BE CAUTIOUS WITH YOUR EMAIL.

If you are going to pass something along, let it be THIS!

To whom it all concerns:

Just a word to the wise. E-mail petitions are NOT acceptable to Congress or any other municipality. To be acceptable, petitions must have a signed signature and full address. Same with "prayer chains" -- be wary.

Almost all e-mails that ask you to add your name and forward on to others are similar to that mass letter years ago that asked people to send business cards to the little kid in Florida who wanted to break the Guinness Book of Records for the most cards. All it was, and all this type of e-mail is, is to get names and "cookie" tracking info for telemarketers and spammers to validate active e-mail accounts for their own purposes.

Any time you see an e-mail that says forward this on to "10" of your friends, sign this petition, or you'll get good luck, or whatever, it has either an e-mail tracker program attached that tracks the cookies and e-mails of those folks you forward to, or the host sender is getting a copy each time it gets forwarded and then is able to get lists of "active" e-mail addresses to use in spam e-mails, or sell to others that do.

Please forward this notice to others and you will be providing a good service to your friends, and will be rewarded by not getting 30,000 spam e-mails in the future.

(If you have been sending out the above kinds of email, now you know why you get so much spam!)

Check it out: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/internet.htm.

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FEDERATION NEWS.

CFMS sponsored Camp Paradise enrollment has begun. It was mentioned at a meeting that it was difficult to print from their website, so for our member convenience, I am including the form on the last page of this issue. There will also be a limited number of copies available at the May meeting.

How The CFMS Scholarship Fund Works.
     Your club or Society can nominate someone as a Scholarship Honoree prior to the November Business Meeting. This person must have made great contributions toward furthering the purposes and goals of the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies. The person does not need to be a member of a Club or Society.
     Honorees selected (to be announced at the November business meeting) will have the opportunity to offer a $2,000 scholarship to the college or university of their choice. The scholarship will go to a student who will be attending that school as a junior or senior in the fall term, majoring in the Earth Sciences or Jewelry Arts, and achieving a 3.0 grade point average.
     By October 15, 2007, write to: Jo Anna Ritchey, CFMS Scholarship Committee Chair, 224 Oaks Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016.

Editor's Note: The Oxnard Gem & Mineral Society has nominated Donna and Larry Knapton as their Scholarship Honorees for 2007.

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LETS BE SAFE OUT THERE.

Scientist: Don't Trust Sunscreen, by Robin Lloyd, LiveScience Senior Editor.
Posted: 11 May 2007 09:24 am ET, http://www.livescience.com/health/070511_sun_less.html.

     The latest skin-cancer prevention advice is to stop trusting sunscreen as the front line of defense against harmful rays.
     Instead, wear sunblocking clothing or stay out of the sun altogether, experts say.
     Sunscreen has been shown to protect against UV skin damage as well as basal carcinomas and squamous cell carcinoma - two of the three most common skin cancers. However, it has not been conclusively shown to protect against melanoma, the most fatal kind, said Stephan Lautenschlager of the Outpatient Clinic of Dermatology at Triemli Hospital in Switzerland.
     Lautenschlager and his colleagues carried out a comprehensive review on sun protection strategies worldwide, recently detailed online in the journal Lancet.
     "Wearing sun-protective clothing and a hat and reducing sun exposure to a minimum should be preferred to sunscreens," Lautenschlager said. People tend to sunbathe for social reasons, he said. "Nevertheless, sunscreens should not be abused in an attempt to increase time in the sun to a maximum."

No wet T-shirts:
     The best clothing for sun protection is tightly woven, thick garments made of denim, wool or polyester, not cotton, linen or acetate, he said. Dry material or clothes that have shrunk after washing are denser and better at blocking UV rays than wet, stretched or bleached clothing.
     Outdoors, wear sunscreen and lots of it. Zinc or titanium oxide sunscreens scatter UV light and yield fewer allergies, so they are better for children, he said. The more common sunscreen lotions, called organic sunscreens, absorb UV rays.
     "The application of a liberal quantity of sunscreen is by far the most important factor for effectiveness of the sunscreen, followed by the uniformity of application and the specific absorption spectrum of the agent used," Lautenschlager said.
     That is, don't treat the stuff like liquid gold. Smear it on. A shot glass-full should be applied 15 to 30 minutes before heading outdoors.

Look at your skin:
     While four out of five people are concerned about skin cancer, more than half have never been screened for skin cancer (54 percent) and nearly one quarter (23 percent) never examine their skin for changes to moles and blemishes, according to a recent survey by the American Academy of Dermatology.
     More than 1 million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year, the AAD says, but when detected early, even melanoma is highly treatable.
     To check yourself, regularly inspect all your skin, including the back, scalp, buttocks, soles of the feet, between the toes and the palms of the hands. Use mirrors when necessary.
     Other tips from the AAD: Seek shade if you must be outdoors during the sun's strongest hours, between 10 am and 4 pm. Avoid tanning beds. Their UV light causes skin cancer and wrinkling. Use a self-tanning lotion if you want to look tanned.

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FIRE RESTRICTIONS ANNOUNCED
FOR COLORADO RIVER AREA.

Source: http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/info/newsroom/2007/04/april_30_-_fire_restrictions.html.

Yuma, Ariz. - Hoping to prevent 2007 from becoming a devastating fire season, fire restrictions on 2.5 million acres of public lands along both the Arizona and California sides of the Colorado River have been announced by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Effective April 30 through October 31, 2007, fire and smoking restrictions will be enforced on all public lands within the BLM's Yuma and Lake Havasu Field Office jurisdictions. The effective dates are subject to extension or withdrawal based on the severity rating.

"The restrictions are the result of the extreme potential for wildfire within the region," states Acting Fire Manager Officer Chris Delaney.

The BLM is asking the public to use extreme caution when visiting public lands this summer. Currently there are no plans to close any areas along the Colorado River area to public use. The public is reminded, however, that the following acts are prohibited:

1. Building or using a fire, campfire, charcoal, or wood stove. Charcoal is allowed in designated developed or improved recreation sites with the use of a commercially manufactured grill or grill that is provided on site. Propane stoves, lanterns, or heating devices are allowed provided they are placed at least 10 feet from any surrounding vegetation.
2. Smoking. Except within an enclosed vehicle or building, in a developed or improved recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least 10 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.
3. Use of fireworks, flares, or other incendiary devices.

Violations of these restrictions are punishable by a fine of not more than $100,000 and/or imprisonment for not more than 12 months.

For fire restriction information throughout Arizona and New Mexico, please call 1-877-864-6985 or visit www.azfireinfo.com.

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FEDERAL LANDS RECREATION ENHANCEMENT ACT.

By Alasdair Coyne via The VOICE Issue Number 444 Page 20.

     On Monday, April 23rd, the California Assembly passed Assembly Joint Resolution 21 (AJR 21), which memorializes the President and Congress to repeal the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA), a 2004 law which authorizes federal public lands agencies to charge fees for access to those lands. MR 21 passed the Assembly floor by 62:10 votes.
     MR 21 passed the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife at a hearing on Wednesday, April 18th, by an 11 to 2 vote. Testifying before the committee was AJR 21's author, Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D, Pasadena), who stated, "The fees created a backlash from people who saw them as double taxation and a barrier to public access. Fee opponents point out that this fundamental change in public lands policy had been accomplished without public debate or Congressional discussion," a reference to the FLREA's passage in December 2004 as a last-minute rider to an important appropriations bill.
     Also testifying were Alasdair Coyne of Keep Sespe Wild and John Karevoll, representing the Western Slope No Fee Coalition. Coyne testified, "The law this resolution addresses, a permanent fee authority for federal public lands which make up nearly a quarter of California's area, has served to increase the variety of fees that face Californians who enjoy to visit these lands."
     The Forest Service circumvents provisions in the FLREA by charging fees in large areas around developed sites, known as High Impact Recreation Areas (HIRAs). Despite the FLREA's prohibition on charging fees solely for parking or for use of dispersed areas, the Forest Service has designated 31 HIRA's in the Adventure Pass area of Southern California alone. Each of these HIRA's provides access to undeveloped backcountry, for which the FLREA also prohibits fees. These 31 HIRA's encompass some 396,230 acres; there are an additional 280 individual recreation sites designated as fee areas, outside of HIRA's.
     Karevoll also testified, "If I drive my son to a basketball game at our high school and pull to the side of the road to check out the view, I can be ticketed, ultimately fined $5,000 or get six months jail. We're not talking about a developed scenic turnout, just the side of State Highway 18. So the Adventure Pass is clearly a barrier, it keeps people away. I can tell you that forest visitation has dropped the past few years despite the Inland Empire's growth. In fact, half the time I see nobody. Even on major holidays."
     Other groups supporting the passage of MR 21 by the California legislature include the Sierra Club, the California Native Plant Society, the California Equestrian Trails and Land Coalition, the Planning and Conservation League, Public Lands for the People and Free Our Forests.
     MR 21 will now go over to the California Senate, where it may take a month to come to a floor vote. The resolution is similar to those already passed by legislatures in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and the Alaskan House of Representatives, and will send a clear message to legislators in Washington DC who are evaluating the FLREA's future.

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EDUCATIONAL CORNER.

Definition of the Month.

Nuee ardente - A geologic term adapted from the French words for "hot cloud", in reference to a volcanic eruption involving an intensely hot mass of gas-charged lava and ash ejected from the vent of a volcano. Often called a "fiery cloud", consisting of a great avalanche of incandescent ash mixed with steam, carbon dioxide and other gases. These dense, super-heated clouds can travel at speeds of over 300 miles per hour, rolling down the slopes of a volcano. Their density, heat, velocity and lack of oxygen will destroy and kill anything in its path.

These destructive volcanic events have also been called "Pelan" types of eruptions, after the examples of the devastation from the eruption of Mount Pele on Martinique Island in the West Indies. On May 8, 1902, a gigantic explosion and fiery cloud erupted from the side of Mt. Pele, engulfing the city of Saint Pierre and killing as many as 40,000 inhabitants. This eruption was one of the first of its type to be photographed and documented for scientific purposes.

Nue ardente eruptions deposit pyroclastic material. This substance is often baked together from the heat of eruption to form rocks known as tuff, welded tuff, tuff breccia, volcanic breccia, volcanic conglomerate, volcanic agglomerate, ignimbrite or the general term, pyroclastic rock. When observing these types of volcanic rocks while on field trips, try to imagine the source and intensity of the volcanic eruption that formed the rock unit.

Written by Steve Mulqueen for the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, May 2007. The "Definition of the Month" features words related to geology, paleontology, mining and desert history.

Illustration of the Month.

Glacier Tables, Parker Creek Glacier, Sierra Nevada Range, illustrated in 1883 - A block of stone supported above the surface of a glacier on a pedestal of ice. The largest table in this illustration consists of a block of dense volcanic rock which measures 24' X 33' and 10' thick. The block was supported by a column of ice 8' high (maximum) and 6' to 8' thick. Glacier tables can be as small as several inches across with an ice column only a few inches high.

Glacial tables form as a result of differential sublimation and/or melting of ice on the surface of a glacier. As a glacier accumulates ice and advances, rocks often fall on the surface from the slopes of canyons. The weight of a block of rock can compress the ice, causing it to recrystallize into a slightly more dense mass than the surrounding ice. The rock will also keep the sunlight off of the top surface, preventing it from undergoing a daily warming cycle. (The warming cycle at the top surface would accelerate the degree of sublimation/melting.)

Glaciers undergo cycles of accumulation and melting, causing the mass of ice to advance or retreat. These cycles may be seasonal or could last several thousand years. In nature, glaciers are never permanent geologic features.

Source: From the textbook "Glaciers of North America, A Reading Lesson for Students of Geography and Geology", written by Israel C. Russell (Professor of Geology, University of Michigan), from the chapter 'Glaciers of the Sierra Nevada', figure 3, page 44, published by the Athenaeum Press/Ginn & Company, Boston, printed in 1897.

The "Illustration of the Month" features a drawing, sketch, pen & ink rendering, engraving print or any form of art rediscovered in books, maps, manuscripts and many other sources related to geology, paleontology, mining and desert history. This illustration was chosen for its educational content by Steve Mulqueen, Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, May 2007.

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SUPPORT AND PRACTICE
THE AFMS CODE OF ETHICS.

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS XI: EYE CANDY.

By Lowell Foster.
     I enjoy the surprises that traveling brings. More specifically, I like coming across places, people, and animals that I wasn't expecting, items outside the guidebook or briefly noted on maps. I have a friend who calls these places Stop 'N' Gawks, as that is generally what you do. The distraction can be small - horned toads on a desert road, for example, to massive - a glacier-carved mountain in Alaska looking like an ice cream scoop clipped off its peak. Sometimes the Stop 'N' Gawk is just bizarre as in the manikin-eating dinosaurs outside Holbrook. Other times it's just eye candy - a pretty landscape that demands your attention and several hastily shot photos.
     The Field Trip this month is a Stop 'N' Gawk. There is not much in the way of direct information here, just a lot of gorgeous photos of agates with inclusions. Oh, that's the name of the site I stumbled onto a few weeks ago: http://www.agateswithinclusions.com/index.html. The home page has an introduction by its creator Pat McMahan, who also happens to own every displayed piece on the site. He states that the goal of the website is to foster interest in high quality agate, especially those with sagenite and plumes. Evidently most of the material shown was hand-collected and Mr. McMahan is willing to trade both specimens and collecting localities with interested parties.
     Following this introduction is a link to an essay Mr. McMahan has penned about Agates with said Sagenite and Plumes. The brief overview ends with his phone number and the reiteration of his desire to trade information.
     At the bottom of the page is a series of links to pages filled with color photos of Mr. McMahan's collection. The links are divided alphabetically into regions, from Africa to Tasmania. Once inside each section, the images are listed by locality and divided into plume and sagenite. Most of the places have only a couple shots (Mexico and the United States being the major exceptions), but each colorful stone has its own power to illicit a Wow!
     When you click on the United States link, you then get to choose which state you want to browse. As with the world regions, some states have more eye candy than others. Except for California, I'll let you pick and choose at your leisure. California is where I first fell into this site and the material fills three colorful pages. It is here where I stumbled upon specimens from local sites, such as Oak Grove Park and Calabasas. Cambria, surprisingly, also was represented with a couple pieces and makes me want to go there on vacation again.
     Overall, the site is as clean and clutter free as you can ask for. The photos are clear and the colors stand out against the black backdrops used for display. As for Mr. McMahan, he seems like an interesting guy and for those who trade stock and rock gossip, he might be a person worth calling.
     I hope this Stop 'N' Gawk was a nice break in your day's cruising. This site, though, for Agate lovers, is a mandatory watering hole to fire the passion. Sometimes you just got to stop and smell the flowers or - plumes - as the case may be!

Editor's Note: These two examples, from Mr. McMahan's collection, are from the Cady Mountains, Ludlow area. He has MANY, MANY more. Eye Candy INDEED!

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LET'S GO TO A SHOW - 2007.

CFMS SHOWS 2007.

MAY 18-20; REDDING, CA - Superior California Gem & Mineral Association, Shasta County Fairgrounds, Anderson, CA. Hours: Fri. & Sat. 9-5; Sun. 10-4. Bill Seward (530) 365-8641.
MAY 19-20; YUCAIPA, CA - Yucaipa Valley Gem & Mineral Society, Yucaipa Community Center, 34900 Oak Glen Road. Hours: Sat. 9-5; Sun. 10-4. Bill Jochimsen, Email: bjm2285@aol.com, Web: mysite.verizon.net/yucaipagem/.
MAY 19-20; NEWBURY PARK, CA - Conejo Valley Gem & Mineral Club, Borchard Park, 190 Reino Rd., Newbury Park, CA. Hours: Sat 9-5; Sun 10-4:30. Robert Sankovich 805-494-7734, E-mail: rmsorca@adelphia.net.
MAY 26-27-28; WEAVERVILLE, CA - Trinity Gem & Mineral Society, Lowden Park; 550 Washington St. Hours: Sat & Sun 10-5; Mon 10-4. Jack Renewing 778-3786, Jim Robertson 623-3493.
JUNE 2-3; GLENDORA, CA - Glendora Gems, 859 E. Sierra Madre. Hours: Sat. 10-5; Sun. 10-4. Bonnie Bidwell (626) 963-4638, Email: Ybidwell2@aol.com.
JUNE 2-3; LA HABRA, CA - North Orange County Gem & Mineral Society, La Habra Community Center, 101 W. La Habra Blvd. Hours: 9-5 both days. Don Warthen (626) 330-8974, Email: warthen@earthlink.net.
JUNE 15, 16, 17; LANCASTER, CA - Palmdale Gem & Mineral Club, 50 years of Rock 'N' Gems, Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Hwy 14, Exit Ave H. Hours: 9-5 daily. John & Susie Martin (661) 916- 9479, E-mail: pgmc@antelecom.net.
AUGUST 3-5; NIPOMO, CA - Orcutt Mineral Society, St. Joseph Church, 298 S. Thompson Ave. Wes Lingerfelt, (805) 929-3788.
AUGUST 4-5; SAN FRANCISCO, CA - San Francisco Gem & Mineral Society, San Francisco County Fair Building, Ninth Avenue & Lincoln Way. Hours: Sat 10-5; Sun 10-5. Ellen Nott (415) 564-4230.
AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 3; FORT BRAGG, CA - Mendocino Coast Gem & Mineral Society, Town Hall, Main & Laural. Hours: Fri.-Sat.-Sun. 10-6; Mon. 10-4. Don McDonell (707) 964-3116, 643 N McPherson, Fort Bragg 95437.
SEPTEMBER 15-16; REDWOOD CITY, CA - Sequoia Gem & Mineral Society, Community Activities Building, 1400 Rosewood Avenue. Hours: 10-5 daily. Carol Corden (650) 248-7155, ccorden@earthlink.net.
SEPTEMBER 22; LOS ALTOS, CA - Peninsula Gem & Mineral Society, Rancho Shopping Center, Springer & Magdalena Roads. Hours: Sat 9-4:30. David Muster (408) 245-2180, colleen.mcgann@hds.com.
OCTOBER 7; FALLBROOK, CA - Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Society, Fall Festival of Gems, FGMS Museum, 123 W. Alvarado. Hours: 10-4. Mary Fong-Walker (760) 723-3484, Email: mrwizard@tfb.com, fgms.org/.
OCTOBER 13-14; GRASS VALLEY, CA - Nevada County Gem & Mineral Society, Nevada County Fairgrounds, 11228 McCourtney Road. Hours: 10-5 both days. Cliff Swenson (530) 272-3752.
OCTOBER 13-14; LAKESIDE, CA - Cajon Valley Gem & Mineral Society, Lakeside Rodeo Grounds, 12584 Mapleview. Hours: 10-5 daily. David Newton (619) 390-5054, jontom@nethere.com.
OCTOBER 13-14; TRONA, CA - Searles Lake Gem & Mineral Society, 13337 Main Street. Hours: Sat 7:30-5; Sun 7:30-4. Jim & Bonnie Fairchild (760)372-5356, Sigms@iwvisp.com, www1.iwvisp.com/tronagemclub/FLYER.htm.
OCTOBER 20-21; ANDERSON, CA - Shasta Gem & Mineral Society, Shasta District Fairgrounds. Hours: Sat. 9-5; Sun. 10-4. Bill Seward (530) 365-8641.
OCTOBER 20-21; PLACERVILLE, CA - El Dorado County Mineral & Gem Society, El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Drive. Hours: 10-5 both days. Jackie Cerrato (530) 677-2975, Email: jacbobcer@directcon.net, eldoradomineralandgem.org.
NOVEMBER 3-4; CONCORD, CA - Contra Costa Mineral & Gem Society, Centre Concord, 5298 Clayton Rd. Hours: 10-5 both days. Sam Woolsey (925) 837-3287.
NOVEMBER 3-4; LANCASTER,CA - Palmdale Gem & Mineral Society, 2551 W. Ave. H & Hwy 14. Hours: 9-5 daily. Susan Chaisson-Walblom (661) 943-1861, SLChaissonA@yahoo.com, pgmc@antelecom.net, www.palmdalegems.org.
NOVEMBER 10-11; YUBA CITY, CA - Sutter Buttes Gem & Mineral Society, Festival of Gems, Grace Franklin Hall, 442 Franklin Avenue. Hours: Sat. 9-5; Sun. 9-4. Cliff Swenson (530) 272-3752.
NOVEMBER 17-18; OXNARD, CA - Oxnard Gem & Mineral Society, Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way. Hours: Sat 9-6; Sun 10-4. MiriamTetrault (805) 642-5779, www.OGMS.net.

AMERICAN FEDERATION / REGIONAL
SHOW SCHEDULE - 2007.

AFMS/Rocky Mountain Federation (RMFMS),
June 5-10,
Roswell, NM,
www.rmfms.org/rmfms_2007_show.htm.

California Federation (CFMS),
June 15-17 2007,
Lancaster, CA.
Palmdale Gem & Mineral Club,
Antelope Valley Fairgrounds.
Hours: 9-5 Daily.
Email: pgmc@antelecom.net,
Web www.palmdalegems.org.
Show Information: http://www.cfmsinc.org/shows/palmdaleshow07/palmdaleshow07.htm.
Show Forms: http://www.cfmsinc.org/forms07/forms.htm#ps07.
$1.00 off General Admission Coupon and Mini Show Flyer: http://www.cfmsinc.org/forms07/cfmsshow07/show07.pdf.

Northwest Federation (NFMS),
August 3-5,
Butte, MT,
www.amfed.org/nfms/nfmsshow.htm.

Midwest Federation (MWF),
August 11-12,
Houghton, MI.

Eastern Federation (EFMS),
October 6-7,
Newark, NY.

Canadian Federation Convention.

South Central Federation (SCMS).

Southeast Federation (SFMS).

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LOST PADRES MINE.

By Richard Senate via The VOICE Issue Number 444.

     Legends say that deep in Ventura County's back country, at the headwaters of Piru Creek, there is a lost gold mine. To give some credibility to the tale, gold can be found in Piru Creek. After a good rain storm a skilled gold seeker with a pan can secure color in the running stream. One must ask the question: where does the gold come from? This story tells of a rich gold mine worked by the padres at Mission San Buenaventura. When the Spanish left they closed the mine and gathered the native Chumash workers around the workings. They told them the gold wasn't for the pockets of Americans or Mexicans, but only for his Holiness the Pope, in Rome.
     A terrible curse was placed on the mine. If anyone approached the location, especially if they were Native American, the curse would strike out at them. It is recorded that one older Chumash did promise to lead a party of greedy Yankees to the mine in the 1870s. Before he proceeded far up the Piru Creek, he fell screaming from the saddle. Something had struck him blind.
     More recently a group of gold seekers tried their luck in Piru Creek. One of the young men was a descendent of the Chumash People. His grandfather warned him not to seek gold in that area, and told him of the curse. Not long after that, the fellow slipped and fell breaking his leg. He has not returned to the area. Those who believe in the curse say that anything bad that happens along Piru Creek is caused by this evil spell, and only the Pope can lift the curse.

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SIAM SIDING CHAPINITES.

By Donald Kasper.

     If I recall correctly, someone once called the Chapinites a "brecciated jasper-agate". I just love simpleton definitions.
     To me, if it's a jasper, agate, or chalcedony that has become fractured or brecciated, and is rehealed with agate, it qualifies as a Chapinite. Fractured and brecciated are important distinctions. If the stone has just pulled apart, say by cooling it broke, then it's fractured. If the rock is broken apart into many tiny pieces where they may have moved about so you cannot visualize how they could get put back together, they are brecciated. Generally, it looks like the distinction is not made and all get called "brecciated".
     Each Chapinite locale is quite distinct in its appearance. The main sites are: Siam Siding, Fort Irwin, and Castle Butte. Here, I have collected some of my photos on the Siam Siding Chapinite. This material occurs as individual stones in a semi-hard ash. The stones are irregularly shaped and coated in a hard ash crust. Many stones are just agates, but some are the Chapinites.
     The Chapinites and some of their neighbors I have posted at: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/dtkasper/album/576460762397395171.
     The Siam Siding Chapinites are generally a fractured or brecciated chalcedony-agate that may be fractured in an onion-skin pattern of concentric cracks around a central core. Others are brecciated chalcedonies of many colors. Rarer forms are the fractured or brecciated yellow jaspers.
          Source: Yahoo Group LA-Rocks posting Wed Apr 11, 2007. Published with author's permission.

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COLLECTING BORAX CRYSTALS.

By Rock Currier.

     In a the group someone asked about how to grow sugar crystals and various people chimed in with suggestions, some of them quite detailed and thoughtful as well as suggestions of other types of crystals to grow. The end result would be of course some beautiful crystals that appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and would be somehow instructive about the laws that govern our universe. It got me to thinking about crystals that I had seen grown from water and I remembered some experiences that I had had collecting borax crystals that some people might find interesting. Many years ago in my youth I worked for US Borax at their mine in Boron, California, and there became interested in minerals and more particularly the Borate minerals from the mine.
     The borate deposit at Boron is a dry lake rich in Borates that was laid down some millions of years ago and in time covered over with sediments. A man drilling a well discovered colemanite in the Mojave Desert near what would become the little desert town of Boron. Boron lies midway between Barstow and Mojave north of Los Angeles and quite near Edwards Air Force Base. This led to the discovery of one of the world's largest deposits of borate minerals. It was the first one where massive amounts of crystalline borax were found in place along with a cap clay and other borates like colemanite and ulexite and lower down large amounts of another sodium borate kernite. This was great news for the company that owned the deposit because previously all the borates they were mining and selling were the harder to process calcium borates of colemanite and ulexite. With the borax, all they had to do was dig it out, dissolve it in water and recrystalize it. Most of the borax they were mining at Boron in the early days before the deposit was made an open pit mine was in thick layers up to 40 feet high. All this was perhaps 200 to 300 feet underground. Mechanical miners of the same kind used in the coal industry were used to sweep up and down the working faces and rip out the ore. The stopes were mostly of the room and pillar kind and some of the rooms were three tiers deep and perhaps 30 feet high. Really impressive and spacious rooms.
     In places where the mechanical miners had carved out rooms were low lying areas and sumps where ground water accumulated. There was not much of it because this was in the Mojave Desert but what was there would collect in the various sumps and some stope bottoms as a brine that was saturated with sodium borate. The walls, floors and often the ceilings of these stopes all were of massive borax. The walls had been left in place in order to hold up the roof of the mine. The temperature was constant within a degree or two all year round and the ventilation was good, ideal for the crystallization of borax from the brine. In time, crystals formed, carpeting the floors, walls and anything else that happened to be lying in the bottom of these flooded stopes. Some of the crystals were up to almost a foot across and were often glassy and clear.
     At times collecting in these sumps was permitted, especially for the local gem and mineral club, to provide specimens for their annual show, door prizes, and their little auction. Good community relations. At other times geologists and miners would go into the mine and collect specimens. In the early days when the open pit was new and mine security was lax, long before the advent of MSHAW regulations, there were even some unauthorized collecting trips made into these sumps. Periodically, in the early days when the open pit was new, large batches of borax specimens would appear on the market.
     Whether the collecting was authorized, or in the gray area of legality, the routine was that you would drive down into the pit in a 4x4 and drive into the large portal to the underground mine where the Civil Defense people had their supplies and drive out to where the sump was that you wanted to collect. Most sumps you could just drive right up to. You would unload your wrapping materials and get your hammer and chisel and wade out into the sump, usually not more than three feet deep and start hammering away on the walls and anything else that had good crystals on it. Most of the good crystals were fairly close to the surface and on the walls of the stope. Until your collecting activity stirred up the sediment in the bottom of the stope, the water was crystal clear and you could shine your light down in the brine and see endless carpets of borax crystals, some growing on knobs of matrix just waiting for you to collect them. You would have to wear shoes because the crystals were sharp and would quickly cut your feet to shreds if you went bare foot. Even so the crystals were so sharp that you would always end up cutting yourself to some degree in hammering out and handling the specimens. The brine was mildly antiseptic and the cuts would not sting and burn as they would in a sodium chloride brine. At any rate we never seemed to worry about cuts. Fabulous clusters of borax crystals to more than a foot across could be collected and when you lifted them clear of the water for the first time they would sparkle and shine in the mine light on your hard hat. Every one was a joy, and you could collect as many of them as you had the energy to collect. It always took longer to wade your specimens to dry ground and wrap them than it did to collect them and we always resented the time we had to take away from collecting to transport and wrap the specimens.
     Borax is unfortunately not very air stable and if you put them out in the sun for a few days (don't do it when it is raining) they lose half their water and turn white. If the specimens are kept in a cool dry place they can last for several years, but eventually turn white and crumble to a white powder. The whole experience is like growing crystals in jars and collecting them, but scaled up several orders of magnitude and then climbing into the jar to collect them.
          Source: Yahoo Rockhound Group posting. Author has granted permission to Rockhound Rambling to publish.

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EARTH SCIENCE STUDIES - CAMP PARADISE.

Removed - Obsolete.

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SNOWY RIVER PASSAGE.

By Dr. Penny Boston, http://www.nm.blm.gov/misc/snowy_river/snowy_river.htm.

Inner Earth, the Last Frontier: In recent years, caver explorers have discovered miles of new cave within the Fort Stanton Cave in Lincoln County, New Mexico. This new discovery is the biggest new American cave discovery in decades.

Who Found It? A group of dedicated volunteer cave explorers working in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management in central New Mexico have been digging and searching for new cave passage in this old historic cave. One of the explorers was an old time caver, who has been digging in the passage on and off since 1970. John McLean, a retired U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist, was among the first group to enter the new discovery. Lloyd Swartz, Don Becker, and Andrew Grieco completed the team of four explorers. All are members of the National Speleological Society and several other New Mexico caving groups and scientific organizations.

What's Next? The Bureau is working in conjunction with the caving community to develop some management direction and exploration guidelines to continue exploration in a safe and scientific manner. Surface mapping and resistivity studies are identifying underground voids giving some indication where additional cave passages lay beneath the surface and where connections underground could be made. Proposals are being developed to improve safety and reduce risk involved with exploration, as well as continuing exploration in a manner that protects cave resources as much as possible.

What Is It? The new discovery appears to be a segment of a much larger complex cave system. How it formed and how it relates to the local geology and hydrology has yet to be determined. Some interesting cave organisms have been observed in the new section and have been identified as new species. This new cave is generating many more questions than answers. In the years to come many new biological and geologic discoveries are anticipated. Studying this new discovery will help us better understand the formation of caves in this area and may give us some more information on groundwater hydrology of the cave region.
     The bottom of Snowy River is covered with bright white coatings. Very slow moving ground water dissolved the grayish-brown limestone walls of the cave and re-crystallized that limestone into a different white-colored mineral called calcite, creating a white cave formation in the bottom of the now dry cave passage. The passage has been subjected to numerous infilling of ground water saturated with calcite, which during periods of drying laid numerous coats of calcite as it evaporated or slowly drained from the cave. The cave formation lying on the bottom of Snowy River may well be the largest continuous cave formation in America.

Image source: http://www.nm.blm.gov/misc/snowy_river/images/index.htm.

Webmaster: Sorry about the hole in the corner.

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