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 1965”
October 2013
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The next GENERAL MEETING of the Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club is on Monday, October 14, 2013 at 7:00 pm in the Sunsites Community Center.
The program will be presented by Jack Light. His topic will be on the Chiricahua National Monument, it's geology and many other facts about about the eroded volcanic pinacles, resulting from an eruption about 28 million years ago now known as the Turkey Creek Caldera. The caldera was about 12 miles in diameter and in several pulses, the ejecta covered thousands of square miles. The rock type is rhyolite, a rock high in silica, and is in several different forms. Much of it has now been eroded away.
Jack grew up in an Army family and has lived all over this country and Japan. He got his BS in geology from the University of Texas at El Paso and has worked as geologist, engineer and supervisor in the mining industry. In later years he started his own company, offering services in geology and surveying. Since retiring, he has done contract work in geology for several mining companies.
Be sure to attend as this will be a very informative talk about "our own back yard."
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
As you all probably know by now, our lapidary lab has been “kicked out” of the Arts & Crafts building at the fire house. I’ve been pursuing other venues and following is a report on my efforts. This will have to be approved by the Board, hopefully, with a lot of input from the membership.
Probably the best thing would be to get a shed and leave it on skids. That way, the County doesn’t have to get involved. We can get one already built, or, I’ve been told that Lowes or Home Depot (and maybe others) will give us a donation to buy the materials to build one. This, however, would entail a lot of effort by the membership. One advantage would be that we could get the electrical equipment for it. David Schultz, who works for R & R Electric, has said he would hook up the electricity for us. I’ve talked to the Board of the Community Center and they were enthusiastic about putting our shed on the Community Center property. David said he would put a meter between the Community Center and us and we would read the meter every month and subtract our share from their bill. That way we don’t have to involve SSVEC either.
We have a lot of important business to conduct so please try to attend the meetings. We need your input! Jack
Field Trips:
On Sept. 21 a small group of club members traveled to the area S of Lordsburg, NM to look for Fluorite. They ran across a rancher who told them about the local silver mining. One particular mine that the group visited operated from the 1880's until the 1930's. The group searched for flourite in the 6 mines that they went to and also found a host of other minerals such as chrysocolla, azurite, malachite and calcite crystals. See photo's at picassaweb.google.com/cochisecountyrock/ as well as photo's of past field trips. There is lots to see on our website and you just might see a photo of yourself!
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On Sunday October 20 we will be going to St. David to hunt for Selenite roses (Desert Roses). Ed Fenn will be leading the trip. 4 wheel drive will be necessary if you want to cross the wash and head higher into the hills. Meet at Benson Feed at 8:30 am. Bring the usual as well as small shovels and hand trowels, as we will be digging in ash for the fragile desert roses. A good idea is to bring along egg cartons to hold the small treasures. (extra’s will be on hand)
Benson Feed is located on 4th St., Benson. Exit from Rt 10 at Pomerene Rd and turn L, go under overpass & make R onto 4th St. Go past Circle K & Shannons Tire. Turn R onto the dirt/gravel frontage towards the Veterinarian. Benson Feed is at the end.
What is a Desert Rose?
A Desert Rose is the colloquial name given to rosette formations of crystal clusters…i.e. the crystals are flattened, fanning out in radiating clusters. They tend to form in arid sandy conditions. Gypsum/Selenite (hydrous sulfate) roses usually have better defined and sharper edges than barite (barite) roses. The Desert Rose may also be known by the names: Sand Rose, Rose Rock, Selenite Rose, Gypsum Rose and Baryte Rose. Sometimes even chalcedony shows a rosette effect.
Localities include: Canary Islands Spain, St David, AZ, Morocco, Tunesia, and the Naica Mine in Chihuahua, Mexico. Baryte Roses are found in some area’s of Oklahoma, and are usually reddish tan. Compared to the Selenite Roses of St. David, the Barite Roses feel “heavy.” They are of a different composition, but still called a rose.
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FYI:
Earth Science Week is Oct 13-19. Theme is "Mapping Our World" visit earthsciweek.org
See www.rmfms.org for an interesting story on "Permits & Prospecting on Mt. Antero, CO.“ Steve Brancato & Amanda Adkins who appear on the Weather channel’s “Prospectors,” speak their minds.
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NOMINATIONS FOR 2014 OFFICERS
The nominating committee this year is comprised of Don Hammer and Carl Schnabel. Nominations will be asked for at the October meeting. Voting will be held in November for President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary & Delegate at Large
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CLUB DUES are due for 2014. Dues are $15 for individuals and $25 for a family. Walter Sigel will be collecting them at the meeting or you can mail your check to Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club, PO Box 87 Pearce AZ 85625
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Officers 2013
President: Jack Light 520-824-4774
Vice Pres: Glenn Rennell 520-507-1896
Secretary: Bette Greene 617-688-1474
Treasurer: Walter Sigel 520-826-1009
Del. At Large: Carl Schnabel 520-826-0100
Newsletter: Zoe Schnabel 520-826-0100
Hosp. Coor: Gail Rennell 520-507-1896
Field Trip Coordinator:
Henri Van den Bos 520-384-0288
Speaker Cooridinator:
Don Hammer 520-384-3105
CLUB CALENDAR:
Oct. 14 General Membership Meeting
Oct. 20 Field Trip to St. David
Oct. 31 Board Meeting (tentative)
Nov. 11 General Membership Meeting
Nov. 16 Field Trip
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FOR APPROVAL At OCTOBERS MEETING
SUNSITES GEM & MINERAL CLUB
GENERAL MEETING MINUTES, SEPT 9, 2013
President Jack Light opened the meeting by introducing our new Vice President, Glenn Rennell who was appointed by the Board of Directors after Jim Robb vacated the position.
The Minutes from May appeared in the monthly newsletter. They were approved by motions made.
Treasurers Report: Walter Sigel reported that the balance in the treasury in May was $6323.45. After all deposits and debits were accounted for, the balance as of today’s date is $6297.45.
Field Trip Report: In May a nice size group followed trip leader Carl Schnabel into the Dragoon Mining District where everyone found a lot of interesting material. Most outstanding was the chrysocolla that was all over the area.
On Saturday Sept. 21, trip leader Henri Van den Bos will lead us to The Mule Mt area outside of
Silver City, NM. We will be digging for Fluorite which occurs in greens & purples. Bring suitable equipment, chairs & lunch. The area is within a forest but sun screen is still advisable. We will meet at 8am at the Willcox Safeway parking lot. A sign- up sheet was passed around.
OLD BUSINESS:
Jack stated that the Sunsites Community Centers Board is enthusiastic about us putting our lapidary lab on the property and the location will also put us in front of the community a little more. There are several places in which to purchase a shed: Willcox Shed, Mr. Shed in Huachuca City, as well as Lowes & Home Depot. Donations from Lowes and/or Home Depot may be possible.
The shed will be placed on skids to avoid County participation.
Cheryl McLaughlin knows how to do grants and is looking into ones that may be of interest as well as being suitable. David Schultz from R & R has volunteered to put in our electric at a cost of under $500. This cost is for materials.
Jack said that suggestions from members are welcome however it is up to the Board to make any decisions. Reason being is that it is hard to get a quorum from the membership meetings but much easier to do so at the Board meetings.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
⦁ Zoe Schnabel has volunteered to take over the newsletter but cannot continue to be secretary at the same time. Bette Greene has consented to do the secretarial duties until the next elections. (note: Cheri Robb resigned from the club)
⦁ This evening’s refreshments were provided by Gail Rennell & Zoe Schnabel. A sign-up sheet was passed around for monthly refreshments.
⦁ The Huachuca Gem & Mineral Club will be having their annual show on Oct. 12 & 13.
As there was no further business at hand, a motion was made & accepted to adjourn.
Respectfully submitted,
Zoe
Zoe Schnabel, Secretary
Regional Events
Oct 12-13 39th annual show Huachuca Gem & Mineral Club - Cochise College, 901 N. Colombo Av. Sat 9-5, Sun 10-4 free admission, raffle, gems, jewelry, fluorescent display, etc.
Oct 19-20 Sedona Gem & Mineral Club Annual Show. Contact Gayle Macklin @gayleis@gmail.com for further info.
Nov 16-17 Annual Show,Payson Rimstones Rock Club. Mazatzal Hotel & Casino. Contact Margaret Jones@margieaberry@gmail
IF you have a question or comment about the Cochise County Rock, you may contact the Editor at ssgmeditor@gmail.com This issue was edited by Zoe
FYI, A neat trick- Silver Jewelry Cleaner
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon dish detergent
1 cup water
1 piece aluminum foil.
Directions:
Heat water in microwave for 2 minutes.
Cut a piece of aluminum foil that covers the bottom of a small bowl.
Pour hot water into bowl.
Place jewelry on top of foil & let sit for 10 minutes.
Rinse jewelry in cool water and dry with a soft cloth.
DO NOT use this recipe for turquoise – just hand buff the stone.