Amazing amathyst

Submitted by Dr. John Cunninghan, Professor Emeritus, Western New Mexico University

I received this from an old field camp student.   He was told that, "that these huge Brazilian amethyst geodes were formed in hollow logs.  If that is so, peeling away the matrix should be no problem.  Regardless, they are sure spectacular."  

Members visit the Deming Club's Show

 




Club members Jeannine Weiner and Andy Anderson went down to Deming Gem and Mineral Society's "Country Christmas Craft and Home Business Show " this week end.  

Saturday was a little windy in morning but it turned into a really nice day by the afternoon. Sunday was very cloudy and windy all day and stated to rain in the afternoon. 


They had a good time even with the wind and rain. Andy also belongs to the Deming club so he got to see some old friends.

Josh’s Birthday Rockhounding Campout (with Kyle and Greg and Lola) by Kyle Meredith

Our first leg of the trip took us to T or C to find banded rhyolite (candy rock) on TV Tower Hill.  To get there we had to drive through a culvert under I-25.  Greg went first and scraped his camper a little, but Josh and I made it without touching.  We found some good rhyolite, but not as good as at the Green Spar Mine on Fluorite Ridge or down by Gage.  

Then we headed back through town on NM Hwy 51, past Elephant Butte Dam (which we’d never seen before—what lake?), but before we got to Engle we turned south toward some arbitrary GPS coordinates I had interpreted from a vague map in New Mexico Rockhounding.  Amazingly, Josh found most of a petrified tree lying in an outcrop where there was very little other petrified wood to be found.  Someone had taken away the easiest sections nearest the top of the tree, but with perseverance we excavated the next section down and carried it what I estimate to be a quarter mile (or more) back to the camper.  The best we could do was 50-100 feet, then drop it and go back for the rest of our stuff.  I still wonder if my hernia operation is intact.

We had one more questionable location to check for agate and wood, but with that earlier score—and being near happy hour—we decided to drive past it, on to the carnelian site.  We camped on top of the ridge, had our gin and tonics, and began finding carnelian almost as soon as we looked down on the ground.  We also saw mysterious piles of rock.  The first one we saw looked like an old, abandoned fire ring, but then we saw more than we could count all over the landscape.  We considered several hypotheses as to what they might be, including shallow graves at a battlefield or agave roasting pits. 

That afternoon and the next morning we searched far and wide for carnelian with fair success, then headed back toward the main road where, unbeknownst to us until we saw it from our campsite, lay the Spaceport.  (We continued to find carnelian at every stop along the way—generally no bigger than the end of your thumb.)  We were only allowed to take pictures of the Spaceport from the parking lot, then drove on down the road toward Hatch to look for a place to stop for lunch.  When we had asked the sentry at the gate if there was a café in Upham (it IS on the map) he looked like we had just arrived  from outer space.  Down the dusty road we were surprised to see a parking area with a kiosk and signage for El Camino Real so we pulled over there, fixed a quick lunch, then walked the 3-mile round trip to the escarpment where we expected to see piles of broken wagons and bleached bones.  The only evidence of the trail was swales, but the interpretive signs helped us imagine traveling along the Jornada del Muerto.  The weather we experienced must have been about the very best they could have hoped for.

The next goal of our trip was to find a place to camp near the saddle above the Palm Park (barite) Mine on the other side of the mountains (northeast of Hatch).  With maps and GPS we managed to get into a high arroyo sheltered from the wind that had begun to blow through the wide valley.  It was as close as I had hoped to be (about a mile from the summit) and as far as we wanted to drive.  Again we found some banded rhyolite worth collecting, but nothing you’d drive all the way there to find.  The next morning we hiked up the road to the saddle and looked for the little quartz scepters we had found before, walking up from the Palm Park Mine.  We got back to the trucks before lunchtime and relaxed with a beer before heading back down into the valley and the road that took us to the Tonuco exit just south of Rincon.  After having fish tacos at Fidencio’s in Hatch, we headed home.  Couldn’t have asked for a better time in Southwest New Mexico.

References:  Gem Trails of New Mexico, James R. Mitchell.  New Mexico Rockhounding, Stephen M. Voynick

Camper in Culvert

Petrified Wood

Rock pile on Carnelian Ridge

Spaceport

Camino Kiosk

Road up from the Palm Park Mine

Arroyo campsite

Rockhound on the Road - Rockin’ the Surf - Installment 3

Camp above Quartsite

Descending into lava tube

Long view of Mojave Desert

Climbing Down

Our favorite rock

Jalama Beach

Weird rocks on beach - oh wait - those are Elephant Seals!

Low tide - wow - look at all those rocks!

See below for Installments 1 and 2 of Rockhound on the Road - Rockin' the surf.  

Rockhound on the Road - Rockin’ the Surf - Installment 2

(Installment 1 is below)

We spent two nights at Plaskett Creek before heading south toward the Hearst Castle where we hoped to get in on a tour before our ultimate destination for the day, Jalama Beach near Lompoc. Just before we got to San Simeon, we encountered the Elephant Seal Beach where thousands of elephant seals of all ages and sizes were sunning themselves, suckling their calves, posturing and bellowing for territorial rights, and generally living what looked like the good life. We arrived at the Castle in time for the next tour, and saw how “the good life” was lived in the 30s and 40s.

Jalama beach was not only windy, but the surf was so loud that it sounded like a gale—not pleasant for sleeping. Here we did more rockhounding, finding something called root beer agate, and of course other pebbles and seashells. There were also tidal pools with orange, yellow, and blue starfish and sea urchins—quite extraordinary for landlubbers like ourselves.

We had hoped to head home through Death Valley, but only had enough time to make a detour through Tecopa Hot Springs. Not much rockhounding there, but the water was good. However it was about this time that the weather began to turn on us, and the next day we arrived in the Mojave Desert in time for an afternoon rain. Living in the desert, we never begrudge a desert rain, and after it stopped we hiked over the lava flows which glistened black in the low light. Then we walked through the short expanse of a lava tube with incredible flows that looked as fresh and sticky as frosting.

Here we split with our friends—they heading toward Laughlin and we heading back to Quartzsite for another afternoon of shopping before hitting the highway the next day. We camped at the same exit on the other side of the highway in what seemed like a private spot even though we could hear other campers maybe a half mile away. It was just off a gravel road, so we were quite startled the next morning when at first light an 18-wheeler zipped by on the way to who-knows-where! Then another! My first thought as the first one roared by was--earthquake! They must have been going to a quarry on a dead-end turn up the road a ways, because from there the road degenerated into something suitable only for 4-wheelers.

The drive home was long and tiring, but we arrived at a good hour with plenty of light to unpack and settle in. I have to mention the price of gas. Most places in California it was around $3.80/gallon. The most we paid was $4.59 in Needles, but with the needle dropping below E, we bit the bullet and paid the price. Altogether the cost was over $500 in gas alone, but it was worth the trip.

Rockhound on the Road - Rockin’ the Surf - Installment 1

by Kyle Meredith

The day after the January Rolling Stones meeting, Josh and Kyle headed west. We got up a lot earlier than we wanted to and drove a long day to the Desert Gardens Gem and Mineral Show in Quartzsite, Arizona.
 

We arrived about 2:30 in the afternoon with enough time to hurry through the booths, finding the great deals we have come to expect in Quartzsite. One note concerning the various shows: the other big rock show is the Tyson Wells Show. It’s larger than Desert Gardens, and we spent all our time there last year. Although either show is worth going to, we seemed to find the best deals at Desert Gardens in the north end of town. We also encountered Fuad, whom some of you may remember as a vendor at our Show last year.

For those of you who may consider camping there, we chose a secluded area off I-10 at Exit 26, Gold Nugget Road, before dropping down into town a few miles away. You can drive a ways in either direction and find a nice place for a night or two without the congestion you find nearer to town, AND it’s a lot more beautiful with plenty of saguaros and teddy bear cholla. One thing: you’re probably going to still hear the noise of I-10 which seems to get busier at night!

The next day we drove to a friend’s house in Rancho Mirage (near Palm Springs), then on the Sunday of Martin Luther King Weekend, ventured forth in our camper on the Interstate system out of San Bernardino. I think we picked the best possible day to travel—not even as much traffic as Albuquerque on an average day—and we arrived at Plaskett Creek Campground (south of Big Sur) where we met our Colorado camping buddies, Edie and Michael, in time to take a short hike to the bluffs above the ocean where the sun was beginning to cast long shadows.

We began rockhounding in earnest the next day. Jade is what we were there to find, and we were at the northern extremity of the jade collecting area. We had done a little research and learned that a lot of what LOOKS like jade is actually serpentine, but you can easily tell the difference with the scratch test—a knife blade will cut deeply into the serpentine, but hardly scratch the jade. The problem was that many rocks resisted the scratch test and yet were not likely to be jade. We’re still not sure how much jade we actually collected, but there were so many beautiful rocks that it was hard to not pick up each and every one. One of our favorites was definitely not jade.

In doing research for the trip we learned that you are only permitted to collect below the mean high tide line, meaning that we had to know the tide schedule. We felt lucky that it corresponded with the hours we wanted to be out. We started in the morning as the tide had about half receded, and wandered among the cliffs and crags as it ebbed further into the ocean. We also learned to never turn your back on the ocean. If we didn’t pay close attention, an unexpectedly exuberant wave could get our pants wet or try to claim our shoes on the beach. 

We had been worried that it might be foggy and wet and cold, but the weather cooperated beyond our wildest expectations, even though it was a little windy from time to time. Even having to wear jackets, though, we still were able to walk barefoot in the surf the whole time we were at the beach. We spent most of our time scrambling over the boulders pounded smooth by the relentless ocean. Just getting down was tricky verging on treacherous, climbing down the vertical dirt trails with serpentine steps as slick as talc. On the sandy beach it was a different matter, ambling along looking for rocks and shells laid at our feet by a generous surf.

 

Rockhound on the Road - visits with FSG in Cape Coral, Florida

by Marcia Andre

We had a fun evening out recently, attending a meeting of the Southwest Chapter of the Florida Society of Goldsmiths (FSG).   We've been searching for information about silver-smithing, when an internet search turned up the FSG.  We sent an email to Chapter President Robert Small who warmly invited us and welcomed us to a meeting.    This is a small, but very active group, who dispenses with business quickly in their monthly meetings.   They have a number of special activities such as regular jewelry labs at the Cape Coral Art Studio,  Sunday Fun-Days geared toward stone cutters, special competitions such as next months "Hearts and Roses" theme,  plus an extensive array of classes in silver-smithing, wire wrapping, and precious metal clay. 

We took along a few of the rack cards for our 28th Gem and Mineral Show to the meeting and told members a bit about our club.   After the meeting Alan did a show and tell with his cabs, then Robert gave us a terrific tour of the Art Studio.    Here is a link to the fall FSG newsletter that you may find interesting.  http://www.fsg4u.com/FSGfall10.pdf  

There was lots of talk and planning about Wildacres, an event sponsored by the Eastern Federation who, like us, are AFMS affiliates.   Intrigued by this, I later researched Wildacres and learned that extensive lapidary and jewelry-making workshops are offered during two annual sessions. Here's link for more information for anyone who might be interested in Wildacres which is held in a beautiful retreat setting -  http://www.amfed.org/efmls/wildacres.htm

When you're on the road,  consider a visit to a fellow club.   And please do drop us a note so that we can include you in our occasional Rockhound-on-the-Road columns!

Rockhound on the Road - Utah and Nevada

Alan with a chunk of the blue gray quartz

Alan and I decided to test drive two more rockhounding books since we enjoyed our September sojourn to northern NM. We purchased two books by William A Kappele, Rockhounding Nevada and Rockhounding Utah and headed out. Just east of Zion National Park, we stopped at Joe’s rock shop in Orderville, Utah where we were given a free map and quick lesson on finding Septarian Nodules. We headed out to Joe’s claim and within a couple of hours we found several keepers.

The next two sites were duds in spite of the authors rave reviews. It was then we realized that the two books were published 12 and 13 years ago! The obsidian site near Milford was as described, and was quite interesting. We picked up a bag of fist-sized chunks.Before heading into Nevada, Alan highlighted all of the book’s sites on our map, which made route finding so much easier. While both books have good detail maps of the sites, the state-wide maps are much too coarse of a scale to effectively plan a trip.

After spending a night in Ely, we headed to Garnet Hill just outside of town reported to have good signage into the site. As a result the directions in the book were sketchy. We easily found the Garnet Hill sign on the highway but all of the other signs had been destroyed. We found sign remnants here and there, but after searching for a couple of hours, we gave it up and continued west.

We enjoyed the scenery along Highway 50, the state-proclaimed “Loneliest Road in the US”, for a couple of more hours. With some exploring we found the Bench Creek Fossil site where the book said “you will have no trouble finding leaf fossils on the white hill.” We found the white hill, climbed all over it for a couple of hours, and found 2 very small, poor quality fossils. From there we headed to the wonderstone sites east of Fallon, but with heavy rain falling, we pushed on to Reno for the night.

After a week in California, we headed home this time down the west side of Nevada on Hwy 95, and again found beautiful views and little not quite ghost towns. The petrified wood site near Mina was a wash-out, but we found lots of Jasper there. At the Kernick Mine we found several small pieces of Selenite, but not the foot wide pieces described in the book. Following a night in Tonopah, we located the Carrara Mine which produced the lovely blue-gray quartz as described in the book, but in very limited supplies with no jackhammer.

We gained new appreciation for this stark and wild country, enjoyed some interesting spots, and met a few crusty rock shop owners along the way. And as always, we just like hitting the road!

Admiring the Many-Headed Barrel Cactus with the Carrara Mine in the background

Ahhh, the Open Road!

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Rockhound on the Road - Sedona Show

Vendor list

From Sedona Pines

Karen and copper

Name the mineral?

Kid's corner

Vendor name tag

Outside show

Raffle announcing

Around the show

Rockhounds on the Road

by Karen Murphy & Tim O’Donnell (club members & newsletter co-editors)

Imagine our sheer pleasure that the Sedona Rock and Mineral Club had its 10th annual show while we were visiting Sedona! We’re reasonably certain they didn’t hold the show on purpose for our visit, but we felt honored nevertheless. Held at the Sedona Red Rock High School Cafeteria on Saturday October 17th and Sunday October 18th, the show provided enough parking for all visitors. In addition to free admission, there was something for everyone, speakers, kids' crafts, meteorite and other displays, raffles, mineral identification, sphere making and other demonstrations, rocks, gemstones, minerals, fossils, beads, jewelry.

Our first impressions were the size of the show, the layout, and the tables and carpeting. The 40 vendors displayed their wares inside the cafeteria and outside under the clear sky. The layout was interesting - something we might want to institute if we’re in the new civic center next year. The layout was sort of a patchwork quilt, with square tables and round tables, almost no long lines of rows, and ample light. People were able to zig-zag around from table to table. All of the tables were covered with blue table covers. The entire indoor part of the show was carpeted, which didn’t seem to hamper the sales. Think back-when you ate in the school cafeteria, was it carpeted? Many of the vendors had rented multiple tables. The outdoor part of the show was on cement walks, some with shades. Every vendor and assistant had a name tag displayed, and in back of the name tag was a card with cell phone information of the show chair.

What did the vendors offer? Lots of jewelry! Beads, equipment, fossils, slabs, and polished specimens all abounded. Very few large rough specimens were available. Children enjoyed the free Kids’ Crafts booths, making their own beaded jewelry. One adolescent entertained her instructor with stories and jokes throughout the procedure. Did we say that there was lots of jewelry?

The Speaker sessions were a first this year. We went to a fascinating session on meteorites by Club member Dr. Carleton Moore from Arizona State University. The Club also paid for a paleobotanist, Mr. Walt Wright, to visit from southern California. He showed numerous examples of petrified wood and shared information about discriminating between coniferous and deciduous wood. He had also made a presentation at the club’s October meeting.

The hourly raffle tickets cost $1 per ticket or $5 for 7 tickets. I won the first raffle that I entered. All of the hourly raffle tickets were put back into the bucket for the drawing at the end of the show for the three grand prizes. We’re glad we didn’t win the alligator head! Maybe we just haven’t been notified of the other grand prize yet.

The annual show is their big fund raiser. The club awards $1,000 scholarships to two high school students each year. Apparently the publicity paid off. One vendor described a show for which he had been publicity manager. He sent between 20 and 30 flyers with the contract to each vendor, asking the vendors to distribute flyers at shows they went to. Some did, some didn’t.

The temperature reached a high of 87 degrees both days, and the clear sky was as awesome as our own skies. The difference is the red rocks of Sedona. Sedona is beautiful but very commercial. We prefer our little side of the world better, but when you need to get away, this area is first-rate.

This was clearly a very successful and fun show, and the 150-member Sedona Gem and Mineral Club worked hard to insure its success. See http://www.sedonagemandmineral.org/ for club information and past issues of the newsletter.

Rockhound on the Road - Northern New Mexico

We decided to hit the road the week following the Show, in part to test-drive a Show purchase, the Falcon Guide to Rockhounding New Mexico, by Ruta Vaskys and Martin Freed. We based with friends and family in Santa Fe and Albuquerque and sought out a number of sites described in the book.

We bought the book, in large part, due to what appeared to be excellent directions and maps. We were not disappointed. We first checked out Site 10 Abiquiu Dam and found small pieces of agate as described in the book, but not the jasper. The view was spectacular, and we enjoyed the fall flowers.

The authors indicated that there are many good collecting sites nearby, so we took a short side trip down a side road to Cañones. Here we found big chunks of gorgeous agate. Working with Charlie Grimes these past few days, Alan has managed to cut some beautiful cabs from this material.

We traveled north as far as Tierra Amarilla, and enjoyed the beautiful rock formations near the Ghost Ranch.

Another day was spent in the Jemez Mountains where we particularly enjoyed the amazing landscape at Valle Grande, also known as the Valles Caldera Preserve. If you haven't seen this incredible place it's worth the trip. The caldera's geology is a story in itself.

Instead, I'll describe the book's Site 15 where huge chunks of obsidian are visible all along the road. We found snowflake and mahogany obsidian as well, and brought several chunks home. This photo shows a very large piece, probably 4 feet across, with interesting bands of color.

Our last stop of the day was at Site 12 - Soda Dam, also a very interesting geological formation. While no collecting is allowed here, it's very interesting to see the natural dam formed by mineral deposits of calcium carbonate from the waters of hot springs.

We look forward to exploring more sites in New Mexico with the help of this terrific book.