Summertime field trip fun

From Jeannine Weiner - club member

Here are a few pictures from the trips we took in May & June.  

The first pictures are from Bear Mountain were we went to find fossils. We had a little trouble finding the right spot, but when we did we found sea shell fossils and also coral. The close up is of the coral that Wendy found, the biggest of the bunch. As you can see from the one clean spot, that was all that was sticking out of the ground. Careful digging unearthed the rest.

The second set is from our trip to Mule Creek. We stopped along the way to see what we could find in the ledge by the road. We did find a few Apache Tears. We continued up and went to look for Crystals. We found several small to nice sized ones. From there we went back out of Mule Creek to the wash and found an abundance of Apache Tears.

2013 Gem and Mineral Show Vendors

We are very pleased to announce that our vendor list is full for the upcoming Labor Day weekend show.  We have several new vendors this year, so we're looking forward to making some new friends and seeing some new material!

Mark Your Calendars!

Grant County Rolling Stones
 30th Annual Gem and Mineral Show

3031 US Hwy 180 East, Silver City, NM

2013 Labor Day Weekend – Free Admission - No Early or Late Admissions

Saturday August 31 – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday September 1 – 10 am to 5 pm
Monday, Labor Day September 2 – 10 am to 4 pm

Daily Field Trips – for Collecting – for Local Geology and Mining History

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

Club Field trip to Stein Ghost Town

On February 16, these photographs were taken on the Club field trip to Stein's Ghost town that is located just west of Lordsburg.  It looks like a terrific day enjoyed by the 20 participants, a first stop on a field trip that also included the San Simon Mine.   Thanks to Club Historian Jeannine Weiner for providing these! 

Great collecting advice

Hints For Surface Collecting

When searching for translucent material, like agate, walk towards the sun; you will see the sun shine through the stone.

When looking for reflective material like crystals, have the sun behind you and the material will shine or sparkle in the sun.

If you walk sideways to the sun, look side to side for both translucent and reflective material.

If you find something good or unusual, stop and mark the spot, look up the slope and down the slope to find the source of the material. Some collectors like to pile rocks every time they find something unusual, that way they can see the fall-line of the material.

Source: Rockhound Ramblings 2/13, via The Tumbler 5/11.

Come visit the club!

Another great reader wrote wondering about visiting one of our meetings.  Here's the the response. 

Hello Reader, 

Thank you for asking about the Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society.  In answer to your first question, we encourage and welcome guests (and potential new members) to come to our meetings! You may join us at 6:00 for our potluck—just bring plates, silverware, etc., and a covered dish to share—or come around 6:45 for our usually brief meeting, then the rock draw, and lastly the program.  Our March program will be Digital Microscopy, or looking at rocks REALLY close up on the computer.

Non-members are also welcome to come on field trips as guests of members. To get an idea of what places we go and what we look for, I’d recommend going to our blog http://rollingstonesgms.blogspot.com/ and scrolling down the right column to the newsletters.  They will provide you more information about our society than I could supply in a simple email.

Don’t be shy.  Just show up, then at the beginning of the meeting we introduce guests and new members.  Don’t hesitate to ask questions, and if you decide to join, our Treasurer Marcia Fisch will be happy to sign you up.

We hope to see you there!

Kyle Meredith

Past President, GCRSG&MS

Zuhl hosts special event

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.......

Zuhl Museum announces newsletter publication

Happy Holidays to All!!

We at the Zuhl Museum, are proud to announce the first issue of the Zuhl Museum Newsletter!

Enjoy some information on the collection, some insight into our staff and pieces, and don't forget to join the Friends of the Zuhl Collection (form on the last page). Please share the newsletter by forwarding this email or by printing it out. Thank-you for your support!

The newsletter and all other museum documents and information can be found on the museum website www.nmsu.edu/zuhl.

You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and G+!! We are very social!

Happy Holidays!

Tiffany

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

2013 Officers Elected by Acclamation

Submitted by out-going Club President - Kyle Meredith

I thought that headline sounded impressive, but even with unanimous approval the race was a squeaker, and we still don’t have a Vice President for programs. All our heartfelt thanks go to Albin Chalk for volunteering at the last minute (without being railroaded!) to be the Rolling Stones President for 2013. Mary Soule retains the office of Secretary, Marcia Fisch is still our Treasurer, and Ann Owen is our board member at large. Joining them on the board this year is Jeannine Weiner, Historian (and superb photographer, I might add.)

The appointed board members include Lee Stockman, Show Chair; Ansel Walters, Field Trip Coordinator; and (for now) Karen Murphy, Editor of the Beacon. Although the following position is not an official board position, I want to acknowledge Marcia Andre as our Blog Editor and 2012 Show Advisor. We thank them all for their service to our club!

Come to our Annual Christmas Party

Our regular December meeting, 6:00 p.m. Thursday the 13^th, will be our Annual Christmas Party and Gift grab. First the potluck—a turkey and a ham will be provided—then everyone who has brought a gift can participate in the rather chaotic exchange of gifts. Men bring a gift marked Male, and women bring a gift marked Female. Please make sure your gift doesn’t exceed $10 in value and pertains in some way to our gem and mineral society. (Fuzzy slippers really wouldn’t be appropriate, I think.) If you’re not familiar with the rules, you’ll catch on soon enough. It’s a lot of fun with a lot of laughs, and some great gifts, besides.

After the Gift Grab, we’ll have a game and a Show and Tell. Bring your “favorite rock” and be prepared to talk up to a minute about its special qualities. (No dissertations, please.) See you at the party!

Please check out the November Beacon for all the latest club news.

Camping Info for Show

 by Kyle Meredith - President, Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society

There are numerous camping opportunities on public lands within an hour or so of Silver City, but I can’t predict the availability of sites at any particular location. You may find you’re sharing the campground with other rock hounds!

There are two Forest Service campgrounds on Highway 15 about ten or fifteen miles north of Silver City (on the way to the Cliff Dwellings)—Cherry Creek and McMillan Campgrounds. These would be your best bet, in my opinion. They’re just off the paved road and have standard FS pit toilets. There are no other facilities, and I believe there are no fees. These would be the closest to town, although they are on a slow, winding road. If you are looking for something more isolated, you can choose one of many Forest Service roads in the vicinity and find unofficial campgrounds and broad turnouts. Please observe campfire bans, as we are in an extreme drought, and it is likely that there will be a high fire danger!

Farther up the road you will come to the intersection of Highway 35 that loops toward Mimbres to Highway 152. At Lake Roberts you will find camping for a fee, but I suspect these sites may be quite full. There is a huge free campground with pit toilets near the Continental Divide called Sapillo—also usually quite popular.

Beyond the intersection, on the way to the Cliff Dwellings, you will find Forks and Grapevine campgrounds on the Gila River. At the Cliff Dwellings are Upper and Lower Scorpion Campgrounds, but all these sites will probably fill up and are a couple of hours out of town.

About an hour east of town on Highway 152 (past Mimbres, up Emory Pass) there are several named campgrounds just off the highway, including Lower Gallinas, Upper Gallinas, Railroad Canyon, and Iron Creek—all free with toilets. You are likely to find available sites at some or all of these.

For more detailed information, you could do a search on the Forest Service website. I don’t have any information regarding commercial campsites. Thanks for your interest in our show. We hope to see you there.

Field trips "at a glance"

Sat. Sept. 1 

9am - Educational field trip (geologic ages & fossils with Dr. Mary Dowse)
1pm - Collecting trip to the club’s geode claim at Bear Mountain

Sun. Sept. 2 

9am - Educational field trip (bus tour of area mines with Terry Humble)
1pm - Collecting trip to collect fossils in limestone at Bear Mountain

Mon. Sept. 3
9am - Educational field trip (geology and ore deposits of the Boston Hill
Manganese District with Sylveen Cook)
1pm - Collecting trip to small fluorite mine in the Burros

Gem and Mineral Show Field Trips

by Kyle Meredith

People from all over look forward to the Grant County Rolling Stones Annual Gem and Mineral Show on Labor Day Weekend. In addition to buying and selling rocks and minerals, jewelry, and lapidary supplies, there are free displays and activities to entertain the whole family.

Among the activities are field trips scheduled for each of the three days of the show. Every morning at 9:00 there will be an educational tour of local geological interest, and at 1:00 each afternoon you can join a field trip for collecting rocks and minerals, weather permitting.

On Saturday morning, September 1st, Dr. Mary Dowse of WNMU will lead a trip along Highway 152 from Ft. Bayard to Mimbres, where participants will see different kinds of rocks of nearly all of the geologic ages of the Earth and will have the opportunity to collect fossils, as well. The trip will visit outcrops along the highway and there will be a limited amount of walking.

Saturday afternoon’s collecting trip goes up on Bear Mountain to the club’s geode claim, where this year new material has been exposed. The mineral most commonly found there is banded and fortification agate in rhyolite. In the past, geodes with pockets of crystals have also been uncovered, but you really never know what will turn up. The seven-mile gravel road is easily accessible by any vehicle (barring fresh mud and ruts), but to drive further than the first mine requires high clearance. Walking is encouraged. A bag or bucket is essential, and a pick and shovel is helpful to the serious collector, but interesting specimens can usually be found on the surface and in the road.

Sunday morning, September 2nd, local author and historian, Terry Humble, will host an approximately two-hour bus tour of area mines. (Note: there will be no bathroom breaks.) Space on the bus is limited, so show up early. However, if there are additional seats to be filled, the tour will start at 9:15.

Sunday afternoon collecting will again head up Bear Mountain Road to an altogether different location where various fossils—including shells and corals—are imbedded in limestone. Although the main road is passable by all vehicles, the 1½ mile spur for collecting requires a high clearance vehicle and experience driving it. Carpooling is suggested. Additionally, we will be looking for vesuvianite—a garnet-like mineral in large, fractured crystal forms—not gem quality. A word of warning: the terrain is rugged and sometimes steep with dense thickets of oak and cat claw. (It is as vicious as it sounds!)

On Labor Day morning, September 3rd, Sylveen Cook of Royal Scepter Gems and Minerals will lead her walking tour of the geology and ore deposits of the Boston Hill Manganese District. The nice exposures there, and the relationship of that deposit to similar settings at Lone Mountain and Georgetown, will provide a great hands-on learning experience about the regional ore deposition. It requires a short drive across town. The walk is on a winding, sloping path with little shade, so don’t forget to bring water.

  

On Monday afternoon, the group will visit a small fluorite mine in the Burros, less than an hour out of town. Hammers and chisels will be useful, but lazybones can find small chunks of purple, green, and blue fluorite lying on the surface. A little water to wash off the dust will help reveal the “good stuff.” There is a long stretch of gravel road to get there, but it is suitable for any vehicle. Note: there are deep and dangerous open pits, so children and pets must be closely monitored!

All trips will depart from the Grant County Business and Conference Center in Silver City on Highway 180 East (next to Ace Hardware.) Morning trips start at 9:00; afternoon trips will leave at 1:00. Be early! Carpooling is recommended when possible. Rain can cause a trip to be canceled, but it's best to show up if you think there's any doubt. Morning trips will be over by lunchtime—plenty of time to come back and linger at the Show or join us on the afternoon trip. A rock hammer and bag or bucket are suggested for collecting. And it’s important to bring drinking water! Remember: rock collecting is inherently hazardous! It is important to pay attention to your surroundings! 

Entrance to the Show and all activities are free, so join us on Labor Day Weekend for the 29th Annual Gem and Mineral Show in Silver City. You may email kyyote@msn.com for more information.

2012 Vendors Announced!

Susan/Doug Abbott - Desert Designs - Native American jewelry          

Henry/Charlotte Andazola - Indian jewelry                   

Neil Bearce/Charli Connor -Arizona Desert Ice - Minerals, books, jewelry

Greg/Sue Berglund - Spankys Gem/Mineral - Cabs, minerals, specimens, jewelry

Fred Bishop/Forrest Smart - 2 Guy's Rocks      Slabs, quartz, geodes, jewelry, turqoise

Karen Blisard/Andy Anderson - Radiant Gemstones - Jewelry, faceted stones, facet rough

Harry/Carol Bruntz - Uniquely Yours - Display stands, rocks, gems, minerals

Harold/Jeanne Buck - Jeanne's Gems - Fire agate, cabs,jewelry, belt buckles

Sylveen/Kevin Robinson-Cook - Royal Scepter - Books, maps, beads, jewelry

Ginger Coombs/Cheryl Mallett - Jewelry, cabs, geodes

Dave Douglass - Douglass Minerals - Mineral specimens

Sue Fischer/Claudine Evatt - Jewelry from Sue - Silver/gold jewelry

Abdul/Nabila Gardezy - Brilliant Design - Fine gems/jewelry

Charles/Pat Grimes - Country View Boarding - Cabs, jewelry, rock samples

Tom Hales - Tom Hales Minerals - Minerals, gemstone rough, jewelry

Sally Hansen/Ann Nace - Sally Rocks - Jewelry, lapidary

Allen Hebert/Karen Flanary – Glenkara - Gems, minerals, jewelry

Therese Higgins - The Jewelry Lady - Jewelry, belly belts

Michael Ho - Gemstone Station - Beads, pearls

Bill/Linda Horton - Misty Mountain G&M - Jewelry, gemstones, mineral specimens, carvings

William/ Emily Jaeger - Endless Mtns Minerals - Crystals, cutting rough, specimens, jewelry

Patsy/Jerry Kastner - Kastner Gems & Supply - Jewelry, lapidary equipt, supplies

Ron/David Kellner - RK Enterprises       - Jewelry, cabs, slabs, specimens

Randy/Sally McCowan - Arrowheads, turqoise

Blanca Murguia - B&M Jewelry - Silver/gemstone jewelry

Barbara/Sherwood Nance - Barbara Nance Gallery - Stone sculpture

Ken Newman - DBA Rocks - Spheres, slabs, thundereggs

Jose/Jorge Nunez - Minerals

Luis Ortega/Danny Wade - Indian Jewelers Supply       - Tools, findings

John B/Connie Partridge - JBP Minerals - Minerals, rocks

Jay/Amy Penn - El Chivo Viejo - Minerals, slabs

RuthAnn/David Rinsch - Dave's Enterprise - Rocks, gems

Stephen Rudd/David Martin - Stephen Rudd Beads - Beads, pearls, cabs

John Scully/ Laurie Rossi - Scullys Minerals - Minerals, specimens, fossils

Jesse/Jan Searcy - Black Hat Trading - Jewelry, findings, rocks, stones, beads

Lyndon Sims - The Desert Store - slabs, cabs, cobs, sw jewelry

Tracy Stump - Tracy's Silver/Gold - Jewelry

Sharon/Bill Szymanski - Never Enough Karats - Jewelry, collectibles

Bruce Williams/ Nancy Bailey - Silver/Stone Works - Jewelry, cabs, chain

Bob/ Lisa Williamson - B&L Minerals - Minerals

Tony Zenan - Znaniecki Collection - Wildlife paintings on slabs

More Show News

We are pleased to announce that the Deming Desert Panners will be a part of our upcoming show.  They will be displaying gold panning equipment, talking about prospecting in the area, and representing the Gold Prospectors of America.  Come check it out!

Show is Coming Together!

Among the highlights for this year's show are several new vendors selling minerals, cutting rough, and jewelry. 

Included are noted author Neil Bearce (Minerals of Arizona) and Indian Jewelers Supply who will be bringing lots of tools and lapidary equipment.

Stay tuned for more updates soon!

We look forward to seeing you at this year's show!

Advice to a Reader

Recently we received a request from one of our readers from a club in the mid-west for information about rock-hounding in our area.   Here's what the reader had to say : 

A fellow  member and I are thinking of heading to NM this summer to do a little(a lot) of rock hounding.  I was trying to make some plans and was wondering if you might be able to give us some ideas about where we might hunt for turquoise?  It is not the only thing we will be looking for, so if you have any other "spots" you can recommend?  I have the book "Rockhounding New Mexico" but thought you might be able to give us some other ideas.  Any information you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Club President Kyle Meredith wrote the following response, that we thought may be of interest to our other readers.   Following Kyle's response are some photos of the area around Old Hachita.  

Howdy Reader,

First I should mention that most of the famous NM turquoise locations are not accessible to the public because they are under claim or owned by big mining companies. In our area that includes the Santa Rita/Chino and Tyrone turquoise.

Where we go is usually to Hachita down in the bootheel.  The roads off the pavement require high clearance at the least and may require 4WD in spots.  There are no services there, so be sure you fill up your gas tank before heading off Interstate-10, and have LOTS OF WATER.  Another caution is that in the summer this place is VERY HOT and may not be suitable for rockhounding.  And of course wherever you go in NM you must be vigilant for rattlesnakes.  This is not an idle warning—we have seen them almost every place we have gone.

I should also mention that this area is near the border and you are likely to encounter the Border Patrol.  (Less likely to encounter illegals, but possible.)  I would also recommend that you have maps, whether GPS or topo atlas.  A little internet research would be helpful.  

There is a mine that may or may not be under claim called the Apache mine, but you can hunt in the arroyo below the mine.  Unfortunately a lot of what LOOKS like turquoise is actually chrysocolla and other copper minerals, but they can be just as beautiful if you find a nice piece.  There are other minerals like pyrite and calcite crystals there.  To get there you go south from Hachita on hwy 81 four miles then turn left onto a dirt track for a mile then turn right for about 1 mile, then veer left at the fork for another 1/2 mile.  The road to the mine is on the left across the arroyo. The pieces you find are usually quite small (fingernail size) and often in pebbles with other minerals.

The other place is Old Hachita where there are abundant dumps to search with varying results.  It would be hard for me to send you to a specific location, and there are a number of roads going in all directions, but it is a fun place to explore.  You head west on hwy 9 from hwy 146 in Hachita for 4.5 miles then turn off the pavement through a gate.  The ghost town of Old Hachita is about 2 miles down the road, and very interesting to hike around.  (It is illegal to collect historic artifacts from the site.)  I recommend having a map in hand as you explore the area.  The turquoise you find here is usually very soft and requires stabilization with something like sodium silicate (waterglass) or Opticon.  Turquoise mountain is beyond the town, but searching the smaller dumps in the arroyo past the ruins can be productive.

I don’t have any information regarding turquoise sites in other parts of NM, such as Cerrillos near Santa Fe.

If you have any questions, I’ll try to answer them for you.  Good luck.

Kyle Meredith-president, Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society.

2012 Show Update

Vendor contracts have been mailed to those participating last year.  They are due back April 1.  At that time, we will assess if any vacancies remain and contact our waiting list.   Anyone who is not on the waiting list, but interested in being added should contact Karen Blisard at kblisard@hotmail.com.   The Board of Directors has adopted the following policies for filling vacant space.

VENDOR WAITLIST GUIDELINES

Since space at the Gem and Mineral Show is a scarce resource, the Board of the Grant County Rolling Stones has established the following guidelines for assigning empty tables.

The first priority will be to assign tables to former vendors who were unable to attend last year’s show and who gave advance notice that they were not coming.

The second priority will be to admit some new vendors to the show. It is important to bring in new vendors to keep the show vibrant and interesting to customers.

Third priority will be to assign additional tables to existing vendors.

These are general guidelines and the Board and/or Show Committee can make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Decisions of the Board and/or Show Committee are final.

This weekend! Gem and Mineral Show in Albuquerque!

Treasures of the Earth – 2012

March 16-18, 2012

Theme: AGATE

Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club's 43rd Annual Show

New Mexico State Fairgrounds (Creative Arts Center)

Hours: 10 am to 6 pm Friday and Saturday; 10 am to 5 pm Sunday

Admission is $3.00, except Friday is "DOLLAR DAY". Children under 13 are FREE.

We'll have over 40 dealers selling everything from amethyst cathedrals to Zebra rock, rocks and minerals inexpensive to moderately priced. You will find gems (crystals, faceted, cabs, rough, and set in jewelry), decorator items, and jewelry, books and supplies, beads, and lots more. We'll have a mineral ID Booth, visits by a well behaved and socialized wolf, an educational booth from the NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (both a display and maps, books, and guidebooks), grab bags for kids, and three silent auctions per day. We will have displays (about 20), most of them educational, all of them interesting! Displays provided by junior and adult members.

Why have we been doing this for 43 years? Besides being a whole lot of fun for club members and the public, the club raises money to award two $1000 scholarships, one each for a UNM and NM Tech geology student.

Directions:

New Mexico State Fair Grounds. San Pedro street entrance is just north of Central and south of Lomas. The Creative Arts Center is one block east of our old building (the School Arts building) and is directly across the street from (south of) the Manuel Lujan Exhibit Center.

Contact Paul Hlava, 505-255-5478 for additional information

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.

 

February Field Trip Report

Many great specimens from the February trip

It was a bright sunny day with a gentle breeze that was chilly in the morning but soon warmed into a pleasant day. Rolling Stones gathered at a prospect just this side of Granite Gap off New Mexico Hwy 80. The Peloncillo Range that straddles the New Mexico-Arizona border is a spectacular weathered granite formation in this area. The area was known as the San Simon Mining District in the days when it was active. At the site, selected by field trip leader Ansel, copper ores, pyrites and calcite produced some smaller specimens. Those searching for yard rock found some beautiful white quartz in all sizes. For the first "spring weather" outing in a while, all agreed that it was an interesting and productive trip.

Submitted by Lee Stockman

Map to collecting site

 

Members search through hopes of long-gone miners

Rolling Stones Awards Funds to GCEC

The Rolling Stones Board recently awarded Gila Conservation Education Center (GCEC) a check in the amount of $500.00 to be used for the education of students at the Gila Water Festival. For those of you that are not aware of it, the Rolling Stones in the spring of each year has a station at the GCEC Water Festival in which we acquaint the students with information and techniques on how and where to pan for gold. It is a very popular station at the water festival. Students pan for gold (aka brass BB’s) and many of the kids take their treasures home with them.

The Board of the Rolling Stones decided that the GCEC is a worthwhile cause as it educates the students of Grant County in the Ecology and Geology of the Gila River. The award will be used to purchase supplies and to help with transportation costs for the project.

Club Assists Geology Program At WNMU

At the regular meeting of the Rolling Stones Gem & Mineral Society in 
September a check for $500.00 was presented to Dr Mary Dowse, Professor 
of Geology at Western New Mexico University.  The recent Gem&  Mineral 
Show at the Business & Conference Center is held each year to raise 
funds to provide scholarships for Geology Students at WNMU and other 
educational projects in Silver City and New Mexico.  The Rolling Stones 
are committed to helping students, faculty and the general public learn 
more about geology and the earth sciences. 

Dr. Dowse stated after she was presented with the check by Marcia Fisch, 
Rolling Stones Treasurer, "The recent donation from the Rolling Stones 
Gem and Mineral Society will help to defray some of the extra costs of 
field trips for students.  This fall's donation will cover some of the 
costs of a joint trip with faculty and students from the School of 
Education.  The goal is to strengthen future teachers knowledge and 
interest in geology and encourage them to consider including activities 
related to geology when they begin teaching.  I am deeply grateful for 
the continuing support of the Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society for 
students in the Geology Program at WNMU."

Club Treasurer Marcia Fisch presents check to Dr. Dowse

Great Vendors At Show

By Karen Blisard - Club member and Vendor Manager

An exciting array of rocks, minerals, fossils, gems and jewelry will be on display at the Grant County Business and Conference Center Labor Day weekend.  The occasion is the 28^th Annual Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Show.  There will be a total of 45 vendors, 13 of whom are new to the show.   Twelve of the vendors are from the Silver City area, and six are from Deming.  Vendors are coming from all over New Mexico, as well as from Texas, Arizona, California, Arkansas, and even from China.

Mineral and fossil specimens are an important part of every gem and mineral show.   Veteran dealer John Scully of Scully’s Minerals in Albuquerque offers a variety of specimens from New Mexico such as azurite, rainbow fluorite and Triassic cycad wood replaced by copper minerals.  He and his wife Laurie travel to places like Brazil, Namibia, Madagascar, Morocco, and the Dominican Republic to purchase specimens at the source.   Specimens include topaz, tourmaline, dioptase, Brandberg amethyst quartz, as well as many others.

One of the new vendors is Tom Hales of Tom Hales Minerals in Deming.  He features minerals and cutting rough from the USA, Mexico, Canada and many worldwide locations.   The minerals range in size from thumbnail specimens (over 2,000 in stock) to large cabinet specimens.  He specializes in Mexican minerals and has many rare and beautiful examples.

In addition, a group of mineral dealers from Jinan, China will provide a new source of exotic specimens.  The Jinan Chinese Mineral Trading Company specializes in gathering minerals directly from mines all over China.

A large selection of jewelry, both silver and gold, and featuring cabochons and faceted stones, will be on display.  Karen Blisard, of Radiant Gemstones in Silver City, is primarily a facetor of gemstones, and displays jewelry made with gemstones she has cut herself.  She also has a wide variety of rings and earrings featuring commercially faceted stones set in silver.

Another long-time vendor, Sharon Szymanski from SanTan, AZ, will be selling jewelry (fine as well as costume).  She also offers rock carvings from around the world, wood carvings from Bali, as well as collectibles for the home. 

For the lapidary enthusiasts, there will be rough material for cutting, as well as lapidary equipment and supplies.   For those who like to make their own jewelry, there will be all kinds of beads and pearls, and of course, faceted stones and finished cabochons.  

An exciting addition to the show is wildlife artist Tony Zenan from Cottonwood, AZ.  Tony paints beautiful portraits of animals and birds on slabs of agate and petrified wood.  Local artist Barbara Nance will be displaying rock carvings and sculptures.  

The show this year should be bigger and better than ever.  The show is open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday September 3^rd and 4^th, and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday September 5^th.

The members of the Grant County Rolling Stones look forward to seeing you there.