CRACK ‘N CAB Gem & Mineral Society of Syracuse, Inc. P.O. Box 801 , Syracuse, NY 13201 Volume XL Issue 7 July/August 2010
NOT TO PLAY A TRICK, BUT IT’S THE SHOW & PICNIC!
Inside this issue: Pres’s Message -> 2 Club TT-shirt/Hoodie Sale -> 2 Meeting Minutes [Gen & Board] -> 3 Franko’s Class -> 3 Field Trips/Meeting Programs -> 4 Picnic News -> 4 Learning Center News/Photos -> 55 -6 The ’Rock Doc’ -> 7 AFMS News -> 8 Bulletin Exchange -> 8 EFMLS News: Visit a Show -> 9 Jr. Rockhounds -> 9
’GEMWORLD 44’ was a great success! Attendance was up, feedback from the club booth and learning center was very positive, displays and exhibits were setup in record time and the teams were very effective in getting things done. The youth area was buzzing almost all of the time, and the classes were well attended. There is always room for improvement, but all in all it was a very good show and now we will focus on the combined convention show for 2011. So keep those teams working toward the best show we’ve ever had for the AFMS & EFMLS!
THERE IS NO PROGRAM FOR JULY/AUGUST, INSTEAD THERE’S:
THE GMSS CLUB PICNIC 2010 ‘I FOUND MY THRILL WHEN I COOK ON THE GRILL!’ Picnic time is here already! Time for burgers, hot dogs, sausage, salads, desserts, and more! Our picnic this year is at the historical Erie Canal Park in Camillus. There’s Dave Millis [the ‘Rock Doc’] and his geode cutting and jewelry class, good food and great company of friends and family, and a swapswap-meet in the afternoon! Be sure not to miss the 2nd best club event [next to the show] and we’ll throw a burger or dog on the grill for swap-you. Classes start at 10:00, the meat should be cooked by around noon, and the swap meet is around 2pm. Hope to see you there!
NOW WE’RE COOKING WITH GAS!
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President’s Message GMSS President’s Message – July/ July/August 2010: 2010: Hi Fellow members, Well, we just finished our fantastic 44th Annual Gemworld at the Fairgrounds. What a wonderful job our members did in completing another show! I want to thank all the team members who banded together to help work the show. Bill Viel, Sharon Viel, Dick Lyons, Lou Budell, Bob Livingston, Florence Ribas, Judy Cook, Yvonne LeBlanc, I could go on and on……..Thank you! Our attendance was higher than last year and visitors to the show really enjoyed all of the many activities. The learning center and the demonstrators really engaged the public with their exciting displays. I want to thank them also. Don’t forget, members who work the show at least 4 hours get a discounted ticket to the Springfield Gem and Mineral Show and it includes the admission. The seminars with Steve Chamberlain, Jay Tinker, Keith Gilmer, Barbara Hathaway, Allan Lang, Dave Arcaro, Georgia Cunningham, and Tom Huff were well attended. The classes taught by Dave Millis, Colleen Wood, Shellie Carder, and myself also went well. The new psychic fair next door also added attendance to our show. They were very happy with their turnout and cooperation with our show. They have already reserved their spot at the fairgrounds for next year and we look forward to planning a joint event again. On August 21st our Frank Zambrotto [Franko] is teaching a wire wrapping full day class. There is a limit of 10 people to attend. Call me and let me know if you want to take it. Also something new that I’d like to tell you about is our new t-shirts with designs of Eurypterids on the front; the design is by Gloria Royer. Pick up one at the picnic or at the next meeting you come to. I so much appreciate each one of you. See you at the next meeting.
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Mary Beth, Jerry, and Tyler Hubbard are Warners residents. Jeremy Mustine is living in Syracuse. Jerry and Linda Bastedo of Lake View, out Buffalo way, are familiar faces at our show each year. Jerry is director of the Penn-Dixie fossil site in Hamburg. Karen and Andrew Noyes are from Oswego. Norm, Hunter, and Tracy Garrett are from Baldwinsville. James and Liz Redden are from Rochester. They are involved in lamp working, fused glass and wire wrapping. Joyce Santee and daughter Autumn are from Brewerton. George and Sandra Drobot are from Mount Vision in the [607] area code. Melanie Goering of Westmoreland is a new member. Kimberly Wambolt and son Devon from up north in Fort Drum are also new members. Let’s welcome these 30 new GMSS members. We hope they attend our meetings and get involved in our club in the coming year.
Club Member T-shirts & Hoodies to Buy from from Carlotta Brown We now have new T-shirts and Hoodies for our club! T-shirts and hoodies designed by Carlotta Brown with the Eurypterid design by Gloria Royer. Sizes S thru 2x in stock, 3x can be ordered. T-shirts $14 Adults T-shirts $11 Children Hoodies $39 all sizes
Carlotta Brown, Brown, Club President
Club President Carlotta Brown showing off the hoodie [left] & t-shirt for sale. photo by hired professional photographer
Membership News from from Cathy Patterson New members who joined our club at the show this year are many! Heather Perkins and her children Andrew and Kaden are from Auburn. Susan Carter is also from Auburn. Ted and Kathy Trojanoski with children Teddy and Katie are from Chittanango. John and Marcia Mahaffy Mahaffy and family come from Elbridge.
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Poetic Notes from from Keith Gilmer SO GOES THE SHOW, WHAT DO YOU KNOW; IT HAPPENED SO FAST, WHERE WHERE DOES THE TIME GO? NOW WE MUST PLAN AND PREPARE WITHOUT FEAR; THE COMBINED CONVENTION SHOW COMING NEXT YEAR!
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General Club Meeting Minutes GMSS Club Meeting Minutes - [6/ [6/21/10] 1/10]: Over 50 members were in attendance for our annual worknight meeting and there were plenty of jobs to do. We stuffed straws, stamped and addressed post cards, and filled sluice bags. There were also sign-up sheets for field trips, duties/tasks for the show, and the picnic and jewelry classes. The Rock Doc will be at the picnic. He will cut geodes at 10:00 and teach wire-wrapping at 11:00. Dick Lyons was voted in as president and Ray Highbrown was voted in for Vice-president. They will be taking over their official leadership positions in September. Good Luck to both of them. A suggestion box was implemented. It will be at each meeting. Feel free to put comments, suggestions and feedback in this box. We want to hear from you! Flyers were given out for each member to pass out and signs were given to post. Of course there were also door prizes. Dave Millis brought about 90 prizes for the straw draw at the show. Thank You! We all worked hard and enjoyed the ice cream. Thank you and see you at the show!
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Franko’s Wirewrapping Classes from from Carlotta Brown You are invited to the all day class with Franko. You will learn the basics of Stickman settings. The cost is $80 and will include copper wire, cabochons, and tools. Franko requests that you bring any tools you have and any samples of your previous wirewrapping designs so he can critique your work and make suggestions on how to improve it. Class is limited to 10 people. Please contact Carlotta Brown at
to reserve your spot. Wirewrapping Class by Franko -[Third Saturday Classes]Classes]Saturday, August 21, 2010 First Presbyterian Church 9am9am-3pm
Respectfully submitted, Connie Johnson, Club Secretary
Executive Board Meeting Minutes GMSS Executive Board Meeting Minutes - [7/6/10]: /10]: There were four members in attendance. Dick Lyons purchased 2 complete PA systems to be used at the show and many other future engagements. Show News: - The signs have all been passed out. - The display cases are ready and will work out great. - All admissions are $1.00 off with coupons or postcards. **If coming from the Psychic Fair the admission price is $2.00.** - The Hospitality team has been working to get everything in place. This looks great. - Ticket sales time slots are all filled. - Staffing for the kids area has all been established. - The security team is still short of people. Bill Viel needs as many willing people as possible. - Three dozen T-Shirts have been ordered for sale at the show. The cost will be $12.00 for shirts and $39.00 for hoodies. More shirts can be ordered at the club booth. The Howe Caverns trip may be postponed from August to September so that more people can attend. Several ways to increase the number of people going to the Springfield show were discussed. Very few people have signed up. It looks like we won't sponsor a trip next year. That's it. On with the show!
Respectfully submitted, Connie Johnson, Club Secretary Secretary
Frank Zambrotto ‘Franko’ at the 2010 Gemworld Gemworld show and sale. sale. Truly in a wirewrapping class class by himself [no pun intended]! photo by hired professional photographer
Franko showing a magnificent piece to a couple of club members to admire and enjoy. enjoy. photo by hired professional photographer HEY! FRANKO MADE IT!
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Field Trips and Program Events GMSS 2010 2010 Field Trips & Shows Wish List (For any additional information contact Dick Lyons) (672(672-5328) GMSS Picnic at Camillus Erie Canal Park (August 1st). Located off the Rt. 5 bypass at the ‘Camillus’ exit. The park is on Devoe Rd. East Coast Show at West Springfield – [Bus [Bus Trip] Trip] August 14th [Leave from Shoppingtown Mall at 7am return at approx 10:30pm] 10:30pm] WE CURRENTLY HAVE [39] CONFIRMED, WE NEED [50] TO MAKE IT WORTH WHILE. St. Lawrence Club Show at Madrid, NY – August 20th/21st [Field trips to Powers and Bush farms] **make your reservations now if you intend to stay overnight** Howe Caverns Day Trip - Open all year - Traditional Tour (Daytime): approx 80 minutes. [approx 2+ hrs. / 114 miles from the church] adults - $18.00; seniors/children $15.00; (Lantern Tour): 2 hrs - $27.00; [Nov - Mar] starts 5:30pm; [Apr - Oct] starts 6:30pm. *Need quorum of 15 to obtain group discount.* Trip date not yet determined. Open House [Walworth Dolomite Mine] (October 9th/10th) at 1200 Atlantic Ave. Walworth, NY; [approx. 1 ½ hrs. / 79 miles from the church]. Sign in at 6:45am. Similar requirements as for Penfield Mine trip (hard hats…etc, [talk to Dick Lyons regarding specifics]. Herkimer Diamond Mine - Day Trip *(Ace of Diamonds)* Open from April 15th – October 31st. [approx. 1 ½ hrs. / 77 miles from the church] Date to be determined. GMSS 2010 Meeting Programs August: Our annual Club Picnic will be held this year at the Erie Canal Park in Camillus. Driving directions will appear in this edition to assist in finding the location. This year promises to be very special as we will have a swapmeet in the parking lot later in the afternoon. Don’t miss the summer fun and good food. Look for more info regarding events in this edition. Watch out for Yogi and Boo-Boo. September: This month’s meeting will feature a show and tell from the summer’s collecting and show shopping activities. Bring a rock, mineral, jewelry item, or any other geologic treasure you have recently acquired to show off and tell about. This program will be a good opportunity to also socialize with our many new members. Be sure to bring your conversation pieces and the talk to go with them, come and enjoy!
Picnic Fun with Plenty of Sun! ffrom rom Keith Gilmer DIRECTIONS TO THE ERIE CANAL PARK IN CAMILLUS:
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FROM THE EAST EAST TAKE RT 690 W TO EXIT 6 [NY-695 S] TOWARD AUBURN NY-5; TAKE EXIT TO [NY-5 W AUBURN]; TAKE THE EXIT TOWARD CAMILLUS-WARNERS; TURN RIGHT AT CO RD 36/NEWPORT RD; TAKE THE 1ST RIGHT ONTO DEVOE RD [PARK WILL BE ON THE RIGHT] FROM THE WEST WEST [BALDWINSVILLE AREA] TAKE RT 690 S TO RT 690 E [AFTER THRUWAY EXIT 39]; TAKE EXIT 6 [NY695 S] TOWARD AUBURN NY-5; FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FROM THE EAST AT THIS POINT FROM THE NORTH NORTH TAKE RT 81 S TO THE CAROUSEL CENTER/HIAWATHA BLVD/BEAR ST RAMP AND FOLLOW SIGNS TO BEAR ST; TAKE BEAR ST OUT UNTIL IT BECOMES RT 690 W; FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FROM THE EAST AT THIS POINT FROM THE SOUTH SOUTH TAKE RT 81 N TO RT 690 W; FOLLOW DIRECTION FROM THE EAST AT THIS POINT
Picnic News & Events Information from from Keith Gilmer The Club Picnic this year will be a special event indeed. We will have our class from Dave Millis, Millis some very good food: hamburgers, hot dogs, coneys, and Italian Sausage in addition to salads, munchies, desserts and assorted beverages. There’ll be great company with other club members and their families, and a swap-meet will take place in the parking area where you will look over various containers of minerals, rocks, tools, and what have you to swap and exchange in trade. If you haven’t anything to trade, a modest price will be offered instead. Don’t miss the picnic this year; [by the way I think the editor is doing the grilling again this year]! I found out that this year we may have gas grills to use! WHOO-HOO! Now I’m cooking with gas. (Ha-Ha). It has been suggested that you should consider bringing a personal cup/mug/glass for the various beverages. You may also want to bring a chair to sit on, even though there are some picnic tables provided. The picnic coordinator this year will be Dorothy Gilmer. Please contact her regarding what you could and should bring with you [ph# 307-1283]. We are hoping for some memorable salads and desserts from those who are providing them. Also, parking may present a problem if attendance is high. We hope this issue will not occur. The parking for off-loading of materials will be close enough to prevent long distance walking. Once the stuff has been brought in the cars will park in the designated parking areas, (some of which are across the street). The festivities will begin at 10:00 with the class and presentation from Dave Millis, Millis, the meat should be cooked by around 12 noon, and the swap-meet in the parking lot area will take place at about 2:00pm. See you there!
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News from the Learning Center from Judy Cook The Learning Center at the Gem Show offered the visitors a kaleidoscope of interesting and varied lectures and jewelry workshops. The lectures covered a wide array of topics. Steve Chamberlain, PhD, chairman of the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium, Coordinator and a major contributor for the Center of Mineralogy at the NY State Museum, created a round table discussion. To everyone’s delight he passed around specimens of some very interesting minerals that could be found in NY State for all to hold and inspect. Steve makes minerals exciting. Allan Lang, owner of the famous Lang’s Quarry, had a power point presentation created specifically for our show. Eurypterid fossils also referred to as “sea scorpions” from his location can be found in museums and institutions around the world. Allan showed us the immense amount of work that went into creating this site, and the painstaking way these fossils are unearthed showing how the rock is exposed to weathering and time to yield their specimens. Dave Arcaro, who has led our club on some memorable trips to the Calvert Cliffs area of Maryland, told the audience some fascinating facts about the fossils he found there. Dave is an avid collector of sharks’ teeth dating back millions of years. It is amazing how a tooth can reveal so much information. Jay Tinker, a former club president and a life long advocate of collecting fossils, showed us some of his magnificent specimens. He takes fossil collecting to a whole other level. Jay has donated his time and expertise to many organizations. Keith Gilmer, a.k.a. ‘The Malachite Maniac’, (also editor of the Crack ‘N Cab), offered his expertise and knowledge on his most favorite of all minerals, Malachite. Keith had a simply fabulous exhibit case display of malachite for all to admire. Tom Huff, club member and a Native American stone sculptor, demonstrated his skills in sculpting soapstone throughout the show both on Saturday and Sunday to the show goers delight. On the metaphysical side - Georgia Cuningham, PhD and publisher of the “Metaphysical Times” as well as Barbara Hathaway, owner of Hathaway’s Elemental Light, each gave presentations. They discussed how gems and minerals are used in the different disciplines and the metaphysical attributes associated with them. I saw many customers toward the close of the show hurrying to buy small specimens of some of the mentioned stones. The jewelry classes offered a whole array of fabulous choices. Many thanks to the instructors – Rika Muratore of RiKreations, Maureen Martinek of Market Beads, Kolleen Woods from North Tonawanda, and club members Judy Witkin and Carlotta Brown. Many class participants walked away with some show stopping creations adorning them. Always a very popular attraction – Dave Millis, our ‘Rock Doc’, offered classes on making gem trees and creating pendants. Dave generously donated all the materials. There was definitely something of interest for everybody at the Learning Center.
Steve Chamberlain (left), leading the group in the discussion of NY state minerals at the learning center. photo from Dorothy Gilmer
Allan Lang is speaking to the group about the Eurypterid and just what it takes to find this remarkable fossil. photo from Judy Cook Jay Tinker, (from an older photo). Jay is one of our extraordinary fossil collectors and a frequent speaker at club programs as well as Junior Rockhound Saturday classes. photo from GMSS Club archives THE MANIAC IS LOOSE? Yes, yours yours truly [Keith Gilmer] in the signature tt-shirt (no less). Editor, exhibitor, and malachite lover pretty much sums up what goes on with me. Gee, you’d think I was a maniac or something! photo by Dana Schwartz con’t on page 6
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Dave Arcaro speaking on his many excursions to Calvert Cliffs, MD. Dave is a fossil collector and avid collector of sharks’ teeth from Calvert Cliffs [and other areas]. Dave has organized many club field trips to various areas including including Calvert Cliffs. He mentioned in his discussion how he had great respect for the shark and its longevity in nature. He considers the shark teeth pieces of ancient history. photo by Keith Gilmer
Tom Huff is a Native American Soapstone sculptor, here he is showing and explaining his technique to a very interested group of eager observers. photo by Dorothy Gilmer
Judy Witkin with student. student. Judy is a very accomplished jewelry maker and offered classes in the learning center. Thanks go out to Judy and and all of the speakers and instructors for their time and talent. photo by Dorothy Gilmer Dave Blakely is new to the show this year with his ‘traveling ‘traveling mine’ (and that very interesting wellhead for his sluice). Dave was also very helpful in the setup/takedown setup/takedown of the display/exhibit area. Many thanks, Dave! photo by Keith Gilmer Dorothy Gilmer is working diligently on her jewelry project [which by the way turned out rather good]. The jewelry jewelry classes got a good turnout of patrons. photo by Keith Gilmer
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Rika Muratore providing some guidance to her young student. Rika is a fairly new member and conveys her skills of jewelry making. photo by Keith Gilmer
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Classes & Notes from the ‘Rock Doc’ from Keith Gilmer Once again our own Dave Millis, Millis a.k.a. the ‘Rock Doc’ held his gemtree making classes this year. He also had instruction on pendant making as well. We are fortunate to have an award winning instructor as a member of our club. Thanks Dave for all that you do. Here he is, the ‘Rock Doc’ offering instruction in pendant making for his eager participants. Go, Dave! photo by Keith Gilmer
Dave Millis pictured here with his gemtree making material and his Eastern Federation Trophy Award citation for his excellence in teaching. photo by hired professional photographer
Roxbury Garnet Trip Trip - 2010: By Dave Millis, Rock Doc On June 27th, 2010, a joint field trip involving 4 clubs met at the welcome center on I84 near Danbury, Connecticut and continued on to the Green’s farm near Roxbury where 19 of us collected almandine garnets. Nine of us were from the New York Southern Tier Geology club; five from the Che-Hanna Rock and Mineral club; two from the Gem and Mineral Society of Syracuse; two From the Mineralogical Society of Northeast Pennsylvania; and me, a member of all 4 clubs. All 4 clubs are members of the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies. Directions from there are difficult to describe, but if you get lost go to Roxbury and take South Avenue to Perkins Road and follow it to the last driveway on the right. The short way is to take Exit 10 at about MP15, turn right at end of ramp, at four-way red light take left and cross iron-truss bridge. Turn left at T, and right onto Purchase Brook Road
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(under construction finally); after a couple miles, Purchase Brook Road makes a sharp turn up a hill. Stay with it to a Y with Brown Brook Road and stay left. Somewhere in the middle of all this Purchase Brook Rd. changes to South Avenue, but you will not know where. Look for Perkins Road. The site is approximately 210 miles from Binghamton, NY. It is privately owned by members of the Green family and has been in their family for at least 3 generations. The mine has never been a garnet mine but a siderite & iron carbonate mine and was of some historical interest during the American Revolution and the war of 1812. Siderite was easily smelted with the coal from Pennsylvania to get iron. Iron oxides of hematite and magnetite are more common but hard to smelt. The process required two inventions: the production of coke from coal and the blast furnace. Part of these processes is named the Bessemer process. Iron from this mine was used in many ways including musket barrels. The mine closed in the first half of the 19th century and the Garnet is in all the dumps in huge numbers. There is a fee which is $5 per car for parking, but this can change. The metamorphic process that created the garnets also created staurolite in their prismatic habit, often twinned but, here, never at 90 degrees (fairy crosses). The presence of staurolite indicates a high degree of metamorphism. The garnet may not be all almandine, as both red and purple crystals are common. So far, all are opaque. The garnets come in clusters of more than a dozen but individuals are most common. The crystals are often perfect shapes and easily cobbed out. Look for matrix without quartz or staurolite (as garnet crystals mixed with these tend to break). Occasionally, each garnet has a staurolite attached. Digging techniques vary considerably. The easiest is to screen dirt from the dump and pick out the garnets. These are almost always single crystals and need extra cleaning. I always use half-inch mesh, but some prefer quarter-inch mesh. The big ones are about 1.25 inches, point-to-point. The hardest way to dig is hard rock mining of fresh material which is abundant in the sides of the siderite mine. The trick here is to find lots of feldspar and no quartz, so that the garnets don’t break. What works best for me is to dig into the dumps setting aside garnet bearing chunks and screen the loose dirt. The chunks I take home and break up later. Two observations are that while the number of garnets remains about the same each trip, they are getting smaller and fewer chunks are quartz free. My results this year were 1190 garnets that fit in a deep soda flat. I first visited this site in the early 1970’s and the farm had some pastured fields. Patches of small trees grew near the rock dumps, but not much shade was to be found. About 2000, I started to return to the site as I needed about 300 garnets a year to give to school children while teaching mineral identification basics. I described the site at a meeting in Syracuse where John Davis had some reflections. He had not been to the site since the 50’s, when it was completely open pasture. The site is now completely wooded. Perhaps, it was this reason that John Davis attended the field trip at age 95, and collected a lot of garnets unassisted in any way. I just hope that means I get to rock collect 28 more years.
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AFMS News AFMS Club Rockhounds of the Year from Loretta Ogden, ACROY Chair Will it be yours? yours? It is not often these days that you can do something nice and not have it cost you a penny. So how about every club honoring one of their members, by writing a short (50-100 words) article about how your choice for AFMS Club Rockhound of the Year has contributed to the success of your club. After you have chosen your member you can mail it to your federations chairperson and they will sent it to me and I will mail it to the AFMS Newsletter editor for publication. That’s it! Your member or couple will be so proud you chose them and also having it in print in the AFMS and in your regional federation newsletter.
Exercise? Absolutely! Absolutely! by Don Monroe, SFMS Safety Chair [from [from Lodestar, February 2010] 2010] Almost every newspaper or magazine or television advertisement extols the virtues of exercise and usually tries to sell you some sort of equipment. Now the equipment is probably not all bad but may not be necessary. Many forms of exercise such as walking or swimming may be accomplished without any significant investment. Who really needs to exercise? Basically all of us need to exercise but it takes a lot of commitment to do enough. Think about young children. If we can keep them off the couch and out from in front of the television, they can burn up a lot of energy and hopefully not do too much damage around the house. It often takes a lot of imagination to challenge little ones. To get pre-teens to exercise is often more of a challenge because they often have a short attention span and you may need to constantly come up with new ideas or different games. All of you who have dealt with grandchildren are probably aware of just what it takes to keep them doing new and different things. Teenagers present the same issues but just more of them. As you look through this article you begin to see a pattern. As the participants get older, the job gets more difficult. Well you haven't seen anything yet. Just wait until we get to adults and, even worse, senior citizens. Many of us have been in a situation where we had to amuse our parents. Mercy, can they be demanding! They often have the attention span of a child but are quite comfortable telling us what to do and how to do it. Do I have any answers? I am not sure that I do, but I will, however, make the following suggestions: • Collect puzzles appropriate to the various age groups. • Look for games. Most game boxes will tell you what age group may be the best. • Collect crayons, pens, pencils and paper. • Collect decks of cards and a copy of Hoyles’ Rules. Years ago we discovered that our entire family (about a dozen of us) really enjoyed rummy and canasta. Try dominos. There are some new ones on the market. Last but not least you may want to pray for dry weather. Even a large house seems small on a rainy day.
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Bulletin Exchange STILBITE or STELLERITE? by George Reimherr This question came up regarding recent finds from Society field trips to the Vulcan Materials quarry, Manassas VA, in the spring of 2010. There were two general types of specimens found. Type 1 consisted of brownish-yellow groups of individual crystals. Type 2 consisted of brownishorange rounded clumps or hemispheres, often with smooth, shiny surfaces. The type 2 specimens rather looked like those found at the Luck Stone quarry, Centreville VA, collected as far back as 1981. The Centreville specimens were labeled “stilbite” and were sold as such. After receiving permission from the Geology Dept. at James Madison University, Eric Thompsen and the author submitted samples of both types of specimens from the Manassas quarry for analysis. An EDS analysis was performed. The result: type 1 - the lighter color, brownishyellow single crystals had sodium - analyzed as stilbite. The type 2 - the smooth, shiny rounded clumps and hemispheres had no sodium - came out to be stellerite. Some specimens may have had both stilbite and stellerite. The specimens given away at the Society meeting on May 10, 2010 were mostly, if not all, type 2 specimens, hence stellerite. Let’s return to the story of the Centreville VA “stilbites”. In 1999, Richmond VA collector Rudy Bland noticed that the Centreville hemisphere“stilbites” resembled specimens coming from Asia, but which were labeled “stellerite”. (The author has a thumbnail size stellerite from Kazakhstan, purchased in 1994, which resembles the Manassas type 2 specimens). So Rudy submitted 4 “stilbite” specimens from the Centreville quarry, to the Geology Dept. at JMU for analysis. All four specimens tested as “stellerite”. The result was written up in a brief paper at JMU, but was not widely disseminated. At the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History minerals exhibit, one may see, up on the wall opposite the little theater with its repeating motion picture about plate tectonics, a large specimen with beautiful orange hemispheres, from the Centreville VA quarry. The specimen - possibly found in the early 1980’s - is labeled “stilbite”…but…might it really be stellerite? taken from ‘The RockHounder’ July-August 2010 edition Stilbite: Origin: Manassas, Virginia, USA Size: 4.8 X 4.4 X 4.0 [cm] photo courtesy of Rob Lavinsky for
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EFMLS News Visit a Show
July/August 2010
Junior Rockhound Activities Activities from Keith Gilmer from Matt Charsky
August: July 3131-August 1: 29th Annual Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show sponsored by the Long Island Mineral & Geology Society. NEW LOCATION: Cutchogue East Elementary School, Cutchogue, NY 7-8: 40th Annual Mid-State Gem & Mineral Show sponsored by the Water-Oak Gem & Mineral Society. Mt. Merici School, Waterville, ME 7-8: 60th Annual Gem & Mineral Show sponsored by the Gem, Lapidary & Mineral Society of Washington, DC. Stone Ridge School, 9101 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD. 2121-22: 44th Annual Rock & Mineral Show sponsored by the St. Lawrence Co. Rock & Mineral Club. Madrid, NY (NEW LOCATION), near Canton, NY 2121-22: Gemboree 2010 sponsored by the Blue Grass Gem & Mineral Society. Lexington Convention Center, Lexington, KY
September: 4-5: 21st Annual Rockhounder’s Gem & Mineral Show sponsored by the Kennebec Rock & Minerals Club. National Guard Armory, Augusta, ME 1818-19: 41st Annual Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show and Sale sponsored by the Mid-Hudson Valley Gem & Mineral Society. Dutchess Co. Fairgrounds, Rhinebeck, NY 1818-19: Central Pennsylvania Rock & Mineral Show sponsored by the Central PA Rock & Mineral Club. Zembo Shrine, Harrisburg, PA 2525-26: 46th Annual Atlantic Coast Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show hosted by the Gem Cutters Guild of Baltimore. Howard County Fairgrounds, West Friendship, MD. from the April, April, May, May, & June/July June/July editions of the EFMLS Newsletter
COME AND SEE A SHOW!
The Junior Rockhounds sure do get around! Here are some photos from their latest trip to Tully, NY on June 19th.
Crystal Smith and Pat Egolf found plenty of brachio brachiopod and crinoid specimens in the shale at the Tully site. photo from Judy Cook Mary Schloss and Cindy Domanski really enjoy hunting for fossils while enjoying the sunshine. It is a good way to unwind. photo from Judy Cook Crystal Smith with her daughters Kaitlyn and Jordan discussing their found Devonian aged aged treasures. photo from Judy Cook
Kaitlyn Egolf, Jordan Egolf and Alyssa Domanski in the forefront. Crystal Smith and Pat Egolf Egolf in the background. They are out enjoying another day of fossil hunting in the fresh air and sunshine. photo from Judy Cook
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P.O. Box 801 Syracuse, New York 13201
First Class Mail July/August 2010 2010 Time Dated Material
Crack ‘N Cab The newsletter of the Gem and Mineral Society of Syracuse, Inc. Eight persons organized the Gem and Mineral Society of Syracuse in 1951. Since that time it has grown in membership to include adults, families, and young folk. The Society was incorporated in 1969 under the name. The objectives of the Society are to stimulate interest in mineralogy, paleontology, and the lapidary arts. Individual interests include collecting, identification, and display of minerals and fossils, and many aspects of jewelry design and fabrication. The monthly meetings stimulate the social and educational factors. Frequent field trips provide collectors with opportunities to find specimens as well as to enjoy the benefits of outdoor exercise and potential friendships. The Society meets on the third Monday of every month at 7:30 PM in the Parish House of the First Presbyterian Church, 620 West Genesee Street, Syracuse, New York. (Except in July, August, & December). Visitors are always welcome. Annual membership dues: Single Adult - $6 Junior - $3 Family - $9 Honorary Life Membership - $3 For more information write to the Gem & Mineral Society of Syracuse, P.O. Box 801,
Syracuse, New York 13201.
Officers 20 200909-2010 2010 President Carlotta Brown 458458-4636 ViceDick Lyons 488Vice-President 488-6444/6726444/672-5328 Treasurer Lou Budell 673673-1891 Secretary Connie Johnson 672672-5520 SergeantJudy Cook 452Sergeant-atat-Arms 452-1359 Show Chairman Carlotta Brown [ph # above] -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Librarian Steve Albro 607-756-2298 Sunshine Cathy Patterson 638-8817 Refreshments Joan Livingston 446-4505 Editor Keith Gilmer 307-1283 5682 Williamson Pkwy. Cicero, NY 13039 E-mail: [email protected] Visit us online at: http://www.gmss.us http://www.gmss.us Permission is hereby granted to reprint material contained in the Crack ‘N Cab if proper credit is given to the author, if known, and this bulletin.
