The Cochise County Rock
Monthly Newsletter of the Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club
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"Finding and Grinding Rocks in Cochise County, Arizona since 1967"
March 2012
This issue edited by Don Hammer
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The next General Meeting of the Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club is on Monday March 12, 2012 at 7:00 pm at the Sunsites Community Center. The program will be at 7:00 pm.
Are you wondering about the changes in our water table? Dr. James Callegary and Mr. Saeid Tadayon will present "An overview of water use in Arizona with an emphasis on the hydrology of the Willcox and Douglas Basins" at the Sunsites Gem and Mineral Club meeting at 7 pm on Monday March 12, 2012. Their talk will summarize information from a variety of sources. Topics presented will include changes in water use and water levels through time, and what is known about the hydrogeology of the Willcox Basin. The presenters will also discuss the water budget of the basin and identify some of the information that will be needed to improve understanding and predict the effects of development.
Dr. James Callegary and Mr. Saeid Tadayon are hydrologists with the US Geological Survey Arizona Water Science Center. Dr. Callegary received his doctorate from the University of Arizona in Soil, Water and Environmental Science. He works with teams of scientists to study groundwater-surface-water interactions, contaminant transport, environmental health, and the effects of climate- and land-use change on binational river basins. Saeid Tadayon joined the USGS Arizona Water Science Center in Tucson, AZ in 1990. He has his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cleveland State University and his M.S. in Watershed Management from the University of Arizona. He has been the Water-Use Specialist at the Arizona Water Science Center since 1995 and has been involved with collecting and estimating water use data in Arizona.
General Meeting Minutes - February 13, 2012
President Diane Dunn called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and opened by welcoming five visitors.
Minutes: The January minutes were published in the February Newsletter. As there were no corrections or objections the minutes were approved as published.
Presidents remarks: Diane Dunn reminded us that dues are due! Several members have not yet paid.
Joan Hammer, club member and member of Willcox Cowbelles has raffle tickets for sale. "Been Raining," an 18" x 24" framed, signed and numbered print on canvas by Lisa Johnson-McLoughlin will be raffled off on March 10 to benefit the Cowbelles Scholarship Fund.
Treasurers Report: Walter Sigel gave the monthly report which was accepted as presented.
Hospitality: Cherie Robb thanked both Joan Hammer & Larry Strout for providing wonderful Valentine's Day treats for us to enjoy.
Field Trip for January: Henri Van den Bos reported that last month's 3 part field trip along the San Pedro was in search of Epidote, an olive green material which takes on a great polish. Carl Schnabel cut and polished a small piece of found material. Further up the river, we hunted for red & yellow jasper. Eliot Hendricks displayed a large chunk of jasper. Many of the attendees then went on to Gammons Gulch, a movie set.
The February field trip will be at the Carlyle Mine, northeast of Duncan. For those interested, we will meet at Safeway in Willcox at 8 a.m. & depart at 8:15. Carpooling is recommended. High clearance vehicles are necessary to get into the mine. Mine tailings consist of quartz, amethyst, malachite and galena. Bring both light and heavy hammers & chisels, especially for the amethyst vein.
Henri also brought to our attention that the beautiful agates from the Deming area are on the back table. The Deming Gem & Mineral Society will have their Rock Hound Round Up on March 8-10. Three mines are available to explore, Big Diggings Mine, Baker Egg Mine and Flourite Ridge. A nominal fee is charged. For further information on the event, check their website: dgms.bravehost.com .
Before breaking for refreshments and the program, the monthly raffle was held. The General Meeting was then adjourned at 7:30.
Program: Jack Light, vice-president of the club provided a very interesting and informative video on mining.
Respectfully submitted,
Zoe Schnabel, Secretary
February Field Trip: On Saturday February 18, 2012 14 members assembled in the Willcox Safeway parking lot and followed Robb's pickup to Duncan, AZ and then east on Carlisle Road into New Mexico to the Carlisle Mine dumps. The Gem Guide incorrectly spells it Carlyle. We reached the mine (and ghost town) about 11 and immediately walked the short distance to the dumps. We found azurite, malachite, pyrite, amethyst, galena, agate, and jasper. Many rocks had three or four minerals in one rock. Several members made multiple trips to and from their vehicles hauling large colorful yard rocks. Everyone got excellent samples and most vehicles were a bit heavier on the way out.
The Carlisle area was first prospected in 1881 and the Steeple Rock Mine was founded in 1883. The town was named after the first baby born there. The boom period, when several thousand miners and their families resided in Carlisle, ran from 1883 to 1905. It had a post office from 1884 to 1896. A five stamp mill began operating in 1886 at East Camp, three miles east of Carlisle. A young mining engineer named Herbert Hoover, three years out of Stanford University, was hired as assistant superintendent of the Steeple Rock mines in 1898. He made a fortune in mining and later was President of the U.S. from 1929 to 1933.
We thank Henri van den Bos and Jim and Cheri Robb for organizing an excellent field trip to a very productive site.
March Field Trip
We will go to the backside of "W" mountain northeast of Willcox for geodes. Meet in the Willcox Safeway parking lot at 8:15 a.m. to leave at 8:30 a.m.. High clearance is needed. Mostly we will be picking geodes from the ground but some are still in the rock matrix. Many are large, if you remember the volleyball-sized one Henri brought to the February meeting, so backpacks might be useful. Bring water, lunch, lawn chairs, sun protection, bags or pails and heavy rock breaking tools.
Club Website
The address of the Club Website is on the masthead of this newsletter. The Website has past newsletters, photos from almost all of our field trips and other Club information.
Lapidary and Silversmith Classes
Our lapidary class meets at 9 am on Tuesday and silver soldering class meets at 6 pm on Tuesday; both in the lapidary lab behind the fire station. If you're interested call Larry Strout at 826-3991 now.
Cochise College Field Trip
Paleozoic Rocks of the Tombstone/Bisbee Area by Glenn Minuth. Did you know several ancient seas invaded our area from the west? Take a journey in geology to discover the nature of our famous local limestones that were deposited during the Paleozoic Era between 600 and 225 million years ago. We will learn about differences in the local formations and see their respective ancient (sea life) fossils. Additional feature: In route, we will also examine the geologically more recent, genesis of the San Pedro River's three major river terrace units and discuss their origins. Saturday March 24, 2012 from 8 am to 5 pm. Depart and return to the Sierra Vista Campus: Parking Lot D. $59. registration at 520-515-5492 or training@cochise.edu www.cochise.edu/dl
Dues are due.
Dues are $15 for individuals and $25 for a family. Bring your dues to the next meeting or mail your check to Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club, PO Box 87, Pearce, Arizona 85625. Unpaid members will be dropped.
Club Calendar:
March
12 General Meeting
17 Field Trip
29 Board Meeting
April
9 General Meeting
14 Field Trip
May
3 Board Meeting
14 General Meeting
Field Trip
June
2 Picnic
Upcoming Regional Events
March 8- 11
47th Annual Rockhound Roundup. 9am to 5 pm. Fairgrounds, Deming, NM. Public invited, free admission,free parking. Daily guided field trips, Friday & Saturday auctions. Jewelry & rock related items, equipment, displays, demonstrations. Maurice Crawford 575-546-0056; Ron Ehrlich 575-544-0028. dgms.bravehost.com
March 16-18
Albuquerque, NM; Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club's 43rd annual show (Treasures of the Earth); at the Creative Arts Center Bldg. in the NM State Fair Grounds, EXPO NM (San Pedro entrance); Fri. & Sat. 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Sun. 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; Admission kids 12 and under Free, for adults Fri. $1, Sat. & Sun. $3; over 45 quality dealers, displays, door prizes, silent auctions, mineral & gem identification, junior's booth, live wolf, geode cracking, faceting demonstration, gold panning and more; contact Paul Hlava, show chairman, at 505-255-5478 or paulhlava@q.com
Officers for 2012
President: Diane Dunn 520.826.0278
V-President: Jack Light 520 824-4774
Secretary: Zoe Schnable 520 826-0100
Treasurer: Walter Sigel 520-826-1009
Deleg-at-Large: Carl Schnabel 520.826.0100
Hospit Coord: Cherie Robb 805.660.0074
Field Trip Crd: Henri van den Bos 384-0288
Past Pres: Paul McKnight 775-434-8395
Club HistoryThe first meeting of the SunSites Rockhound Club was held on Monday evening, March 20th, at "The Old Store" in Pearce. Election of officers was held, and those elected are: Jeanine Szczepanik, President; Eileen Horning, Vice-president; Delmer Morrison, Secretary-Treasurer. Present at the first meeting were Mr, and Mrs. John Wilamaa, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wood, Mrs. Ann Morrison, Mr, and Mrs. Harry Savage, Mr. Frank Howell, Miss Alice Sawyer, Mr. Ben Seaton, and Bobby and Ricky Horning. Other members, not present, are Mr. and Mrs. Richard King, Mr. and Mrs. Keble Perine, Mr, and Mrs. Orville Keller, Mr, and Mrs. Gail McCandless, and Mr. and Mrs. Pete Winnie. Future meetings will be held the second Monday of each month, with the meeting place to be announced. The first field trip is planned for Sunday, April 2nd. All interested persons are welcome, and may contact one of the officers for more information. Arizona Range News March 30, 1967.
(Dr. Raymond Dooley owned the old store in 1967. Eileen Horning was active in the Club until her death in 1990 - Editor)