July club field trip

Samples of coral,  limestone showing mineral alteration and a volcanic rock with alteration halo and calcite crystals

Submitted by Anita Williams

The Rolling Stones July field trip was relatively close to home and we had a very nice crowd participating including some young pebble pups.  It was nice to have kids along on the trip having fun collecting rocks.  As one of our sage members observed during the trip the kids have a distinct advantage in rock collecting since they are closer to the ground.  There is definitely something to that along with keen eyes and abundant enthusiasm.

Field Trip Participants

Saturday hosted a clear blue New Mexico sky as we all gathered at Walmart at 8 am.  Right on schedule the car-a-van lined up and headed east for the Georgetown area.  Our collecting locales were in the Devonian/Mississippian limestones.

It was a short ride over to our first stop just off the Georgetown Road.  We searched the area for  limestone garden rocks.  In this spot there were some outcrops of lovely, weathered limestone blocks, but many were too big to handle on this trip.  Next stop was similar except the hillside also hosted some beautiful cacti some of which George collected for his cacti garden.  The limestones in this area were fossiliferous too.

Samples from the Prospect pit--the top rock is gossan on limestone, dendrites on clay and examples of bands of alteration

Silicified corals

Next stop was very near “old” Georgetown.  We parked on some more recent tailings and started scouring the hillsides for corals and other fossils.  I was investigating a prospect pit and finding some gossan (translation from German is iron hat).  It is usually an iron mineral such as hematite and it is an indication of mineralization in the close proximity—thus the prospect pit.  I also found some silicified volcanic rocks with calcite crystals and some dendrites on clay partings.  Meantime I started hearing excited chatter and the sound of rocks falling into plastic buckets and I headed over that direction.  Folks were collecting some beautiful specimens of silicified corals in that area.  Everyone found nice samples and toted their buckets back up the hill to the vehicles for a brief lunch break.

Our last official stop was near the old Georgetown townsite.  Down in the stream valley folks were finding some brachiopods and crinoids.  I was farther up the hill and found lots of old glass and square nails.  Ansel went off to check on another collecting area, but the day was hot and everyone was tiring.  Everyone opted out and headed back to town to look over their new found treasures.

Field Trip Participants

2015 Show Vendors - Labor Day Weekend

Susan & Doug Abbott, Desert Designs, Silver City, NM, Native American jewelry, Zuni fetishes

Henry & Charlotte Andazola, Silver City, NM, Native American jewelry

Armando Barrera, Custom Rock Cutters, Columbus, NM, Cabs, spheres, eggs, carvings

Fred Bishop, 2 Guys Rocks, Deming, NM, Slabs, quartz, geodes, turquoise, jewelry

Karen Blisard, Radiant Gemstones, Silver City, NM, Jewelry, faceted stones, facet rough

Harry & Carol Bruntz, Uniquely Yours, Horizon City, TX, Rocks, gems, minerals, display stands

Kevin Cook & Sylveen Robinson-Cook, Royal Scepter, Silver City, NM, Books, maps, beads, jewelry

Trina & Jeff Cornell, Trina’s Rock Shop, Deming, NM, Lapidary equipment, rough, slabs

Jack & Marty Crawford, Silver City, NM, Minerals

Dave Douglass, Douglass Minerals, Tucson, AZ, Mineral specimens

Julie Dubosz, wirewrap jewelry

Sue Fischer, Jewelry from Sue, Silver City, NM, Silver and gold jewelry

Tom Hales, Tom’s Treasures, Deming, NM, Minerals, gemstone rough, jewelry

Sally Hansen, Sally Rocks, Silver City, NM, Jewelry, lapidary

Allen Hebert, Glenkara, Tucson, AZ, Gems, minerals, jewelry

Therese Higgins, The Jewelry Lady, Silver City, NM, Jewelry, belly belts

Michael Ho, Gemstone Station, Miraloma, CA, Beads, pearls

Bill & Linda Horton, Misty Mountain G&M, Litchfield Park, AZ, Jewelry, gems, minerals, carvings

Gerald Howard & Jim Wines, JNE Lapidary, Dickinson, TX, Petrified wood, knapped items

Bill & Emily Jaeger, Endless Mountain Minerals, Hereford, AZ, Crystals, rough, specimens, jewelry

Patsy & Jerry Kastner, Kastner Gems & Supply, Tucson, AZ, Jewelry, lapidary equipt, supplies

Ron Kellner, RK Enterprises, Show Low, AZ, Jewelry, cabs, slabs, specimens

Therese & Eddie Lopez, Bisbeeborn Minerals, Morenci, AZ, Minerals

Norman Martin, NM Trap Rocks, Deming, NM, Minerals

Randy & Sally McCowan, Deming, NM, Arrowheads, turquoise

Kim Muller, Burro Mountain Arts, Tyrone, NM, Silver and gemstone jewelry

Blanca Murguia, BM Jewelry, El Paso, TX, Silver & gemstone jewelry

Ken Newman, DBA Rocks, Deming, NM, Spheres, slabs, thunder eggs

Jose Nunez, Canutillo, TX, Minerals

Park Pang, Lily’s Beads, Tucson, AZ, Beads

Jay & Amy Penn, El Chivo Viejo, Albuquerque, NM, Minerals

David & Ruth Ann Rinsch, Dave’s Enterprises, Tyrone, NM, Rocks, gems

Karen Rossman, A Bead or TWO, silver City, NM, Beads, tools, findings

Carmen & Martina Sanchez, Texas Rocks and Minerals, El Paso, TX, Minerals, rocks, specimens

John Scully & Laurie Rossi, Scully’s Minerals, Fairview, NM Minerals, fossils

Jesse, James, and Jan Searcy, Black hat Trading, Deming, NM, Jewelry, findings, beads, carvings

Sharon & Bill Szymanski, Never Enough Karats, San Tan Valley, AZ, Jewelry, collectibles

Virginia Wilkinson, Buckhorn, NM, Jewelry and rocks

Bruce Williams & Nancy Bailey, Silver & Stone Works, Silver City, NM, Jewelry, cabs, chain maille