Zuhl Collection Newsletter

An email recently received may be of interest. 

Happy New Year to All!

Lots of changes are planned for 2013 at the Zuhl Museum and behind the scenes with the collection. We hope all of you will be a part of supporting the Zuhl Collection as it takes these next steps in its evolution!

Please enjoy this month's newsletter featuring the Zuhls, the interesting science behind petrified wood, profiles on some of our very unique specimens and more!!

If you know someone who would like to receive the newsletter please have them email me at zuhl@nmsu.edu.

All newsletters can also be downloaded from our websitewww.nmsu.edu/zuhl/newsletter

Sincerest best wishes,

Tiffany Santos  

Zuhl Museum:Home of the Zuhl Collection

"Where Rocks Come Alive"

Tiffany Santos

Director of Zuhl Collection

Dept. Geological Sciences/ MSC 3AB

New Mexico State University

P.O. Box 30001

Las Cruces, NM 88003

office: 575-646-4714

fax: 575-646-1056

zuhl@nmsu.edu

www.nmsu.edu/zuhl

A reader comments

We love getting comments from our readers. Here's one from Steve Loeffler in Albuquerque that we thought would be of particular interest. 

Happy Holidays!  Unfortunately, I am now living up in Albuquerque and very much miss the club's monthly meetings, field trips and activities.

 I just read through the January 2013 Rolling Stones Beacon and would like to contribute by offering a safety comment regarding the article on Page 4: Flint Knapping, which I would encourage to be shared with members.

As we all should know, buffing and polishing rocks and minerals can generate particulates that are not conducive to our health. Safety eye wear generally provides adequate protection from immediate injuries to the eyes and should be worn whenever possible. It is, however, very easy to forget that microscopic dust and fumes can also cause immediate and/or long term heath problems. That is why a good workshop design includes an air vacuum venting/filtering system to pull fumes and particulates safely away from the worker.

Knapping produces significant microscopic silica particles (among others) when the medium is flaked, and care should be taken to avoid breathing in these particles for anyone seriously considering taking up this hobby. Generally, knapping performed outdoors with a light wind blowing away from participants will suffice to carry particles safely away, however, several career knappers have cautioned me to wear a good quality filter mask when knapping indoors, or outside when no wind is occurring, to avoid inhaling and ingesting these particles. The cost and dedicated use of a good filter mask, like safety eye wear, is insignificant when compared to the insidious long-term, irreversible heath problems it can prevent. An ounce of prevention.......