m general meeting thursday, may 25 at 7:00 pm at the...

May

2 0 17

General Meeting

Thursday, May 25 at 7:00 PM

At the Whittier Senior Center

Brilliant color spouting from a spiny, vicious hedgehog cactus.

Seen at Stoddard Wells recently

The Rockhounder May 2017

Whittier Gem & Mineral Society

Elected Officers and Committee Chairmen

2016-17 Elected Officers

President: .............. Jerry Turner .......

1st Vice President: ... Frank Winn ........ ([email protected]) ................ (626) 912-0404

2nd Vice President: .. Art Ragazzi .......

Treasurer: .............. Jay Valle ............ ([email protected]) ................ (626) 934-9764

Secretary: .............. Yvonne Morton .

Federation Director: Tony Fender .......

Directors: ................ Joe Goetz ........... ([email protected]) ............... (626) 914-5030

................................ Marcia Goetz ..... ([email protected]) ............... (626) 914-5030

................................ Kathy Valle ........

Appointed Chairmen

Budget/Finance: ........

Bulletin Editor: ......... Jay Valle .................. ([email protected]) ........ (626) 934-9764

Bylaws & Rules ........ Jerry Turner .............

Claim Secretary: ....... Art Ragazzi .............

Community ............... Kathleen Turner .......

Relations: .........

Displays: ...................

Door Prizes: .............. Loretta Ogden ..........

Field Trips: ................ Joe Goetz ................. ([email protected]) ....... (626) 914-5030

Librarian: ..................

Rockgabbers: ............ Tony Fender ............

Show Chairman:........ Frank Winn .............. ([email protected]) ........ (626) 912-0404

Social Secretary: ....... Kathy Valle ............. ([email protected]) .... (626) 934-9764

Regular Monthly Meetings: 7:30 PM 4th Thursday each month, 3rd Thursday in

November & December. No regular meetings in July & August. See Map on

cover for meeting place.

Board of Directors: To be announced.

Rockgabbers: To be announced. See pages 4 & 5.

Field Trips: Monthly except July & August. See inside bulletin for details.

Annual Dues: Adults – $15.00; Married couple – $25.00, Junior – $5.00

1-time initiation fee - $5.00


ROCKHOUNDER The Prez Sez:

I t’s May and the first thing that comes to mind is May Day.

Now how do I tie this into a WGMS President’s Message?

Somehow the image of WGMS field trippers doing a Maypole

Dance around a Saguaro Cactus is a bit more than any of us can

handle. Don’t Laugh; we’ve done some kind of kooky things on

field trips. I can remember one field trip where we dressed up in

costume (mostly improvised e.g. Sand People from Star Wars).

Somewhere I have a picture of everyone on a field trip with red

wax covers from baby bel cheese on our noses. We are not a dull

group. On one trip we had our pot luck in formal regalia

including silver wine bucket and candelabras, including full

tuxedo tee shirts, curtesy of Tony Fender. Rumor has it that in

the distant past one of our members used to take embers from the

campfire and place them under the chairs of those sitting around

the fire. Now this gives a whole new interpretation of roasting

your fellow members.

May has some rather strange days in addition to the more serious

days of celebration; Mother’s Day, VE day and Memorial Day.

May 14 is “Dance Like a Chicken” day. This follows immediate-

ly after “Blame Someone Else” day (May 13). It seems like they

got the sequence backwards on that one.

We will be putting on a show in October and although that may

(Continued on page 4)

WGMS Webpage: http://wgmsca.com/


WGMS General Meeting

Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 7:00 PM

at the Whittier Senior Center

C ome join us for another meeting of the Whittier Gem &

Mineral Society on May 25 at 7:00 PM. We will be found

at our new location at the Whittier Senior Center, located behind

the Community Center, next to the baseball park.

See you there.

Frank Winn

seem a long way away, I can guarantee that it will sneak up on us

before we know it. Now is a good time to think about what you

will be displaying in your cases.

Our theme is “Found in America” so that gives a broad spectrum

of things to display. Don’t feel, however, that you have to

incorporate the theme in your case. Anything you would like to

share with the public regarding our hobby is perfectly acceptable.

The next meeting will be on May 25, that’s just 12 days after

“Dance Like a Chicken” day.

See you then,

Jerry

The Prez Sez: (Continued from page 3)


Rockgabbers

May 13 at 1:00 PM

Pot Luck at 5:00 or 5:30 PM

T he May project for Rockgabbers is the wave necklace shown

above.

This necklace was made with 18 gauge sterling silver, although

heavier material could be used if you prefer a heavier look. The

necklace consists of 18 links and makes a necklace of 22 inch

length plus clasp.

Each link needs 3¾ inches of wire, so about 6 feet is required

for this necklace.

Tony and Sandie.


Japan’s Cherry Blossom Stone

Image: John Rakovan et.al.

A n intriguing geological peculiarity has found in the Japanese city of

Kameoka, which lies just over the western mountains of Kyoto city. It’s a

small subhexagonal-shaped stone of very fine-grained muscovite mica hosted

on a type of metamorphic rock called “Hornfels”. Interestingly when cracked

and opened, their internal cross-sections appear just like tiny golden-pink

flowers. They’re exclusively called “Cherry Blossom Stones”, after the revered

flower of Japan and one of the most renowned icons of the country.

The Science Alert.explains the pattern of these flowers weren’t always made of

mica. They began their existence as a multifaceted matrix of six prism-shaped

crystal deposits of a magnesium-iron-aluminum composite called cordierite,

radiating out from a solitary dumbbell-shaped crystal made from a magnesium-

aluminum-silicate composite called indialite in the center. Moreover; cherry

blossom stones are hosted in a matrix of hornfels, a very fine-grained, contact

metamorphic rock shaped underground about 100 million years ago by the

intense heat of molten lava. The sub-hexagonal formed masses of

cordieriteindialite in the hornfels contain seven individual crystals. At the

center of each mass is a dumbbellshaped indialite crystal very narrow at the

center, and fairly wide at the ends. Adjacent the indialite crystal are six

prism-shaped cordierite crystals. They’re widest at the center of each cherry

blossom stone and narrowest at the ends.

The cordierite-indialite masses underwent a 2nd metamorphic event when they

were uncovered to a type of hot water called hydrothermal fluids. These fluids

altered the chemical composition of minerals inside the cherry blossom stones,

producing mica to change the original cordierite-indialite inclusion. Since they

have to undergo two penetrating and very specific types of metamorphosis in

order to shape, cherry blossom stones are extremely rare, and found only in


central Japan. Therefore; cherry blossom stones that underwent a whole

replacement of their internal minerals during their geological lifetime are so

subtle inside that they can without difficulty be snapped in half or crushed

between one’s fingers. In order to preserve the prettiness of their subtle mica

patterns, the Japanese locals coat them in a diluted solution of wood glue

mixed with water to keep everything in place.

Sources: www.Charismaticplanet.com

www.AmusingPlanet.com

Rocks & Minerals

Science Alert

Additional from the Japanese Kiseki Museum of World Stone:

Mineral called cordierite turns into mica when hydrothermally altered. The

altered mineral is called cerasite (cherry blossom stone).

Normally cordierite has amethyst color, but cordierite from Sakura Tenmanguu

has rose-pink color by the action of iron oxide, and it looks just like cherry

blossom.

Today ceriste from Sakura Tenmanguu is designated as natural monument.

Source: http://www.kiseki-jp.com/english/e-index.html

Via El Gambrisino 11/16


Field Trip

Kramer Junction and Beyond May 27th thru 29th, 2017

K ramer Junction is always a great fieldtrip and a great camping

spot to explore nearby areas such as the Princess Pat Mine and

other area Tungsten mines, Opal Mountain, North Edwards or Castle

Butte So you know it's not going to be boring. There is great

collecting right there at the junction as well. There is moss and

flower agates as well as jasper some petrified palm and opalite.

There is a large area to explore and who knows what we’ll find (the

best stuff has been found when we were “lost”). Typically, where we

camp not 30 feet away are some of the widest seams of agate I have

ever seen.

This can be done in a single day, but it is much more enjoyable to be

there each day of the trip. It is really nice to be camping there,

because when you wake up, you are there. It is really neat to walk

around with a cup of coffee and find rock. You can relax and not

worry about making it to camp before the group leaves to head out to

explore and collect choice material.

The time to be in camp is before 8:30 a.m., because that’s when

you’ll find out where we are going and what will be collected. If by

chance you are a little late call on the cell and let us know. This way

then we could wait by the road for you to show up. Should you miss

us, we’ll probably have left a map and directions on how to get to

the area we have headed to. Bring a lunch, lots to drink, sunscreen, a

hat, sunglasses, a rock hammer and something to put you collected

material into.

It could just happen that we all might be popping wheelies on the

way home.

Somewhere in Calif driving in circles

Joe Goetz

(626) 260-7239


Kramer Junction

3.8 mi

1 mi

.2 mi

.4 mi

.4 mi

Camp


Graphite Found at Pluto Moon Charon and Dwarf Planet Ceres

By: Nola Taylor Redd , Space.com

T he gray surfaces of the dwarf planet Ceres

(the asteroid belt's largest resident) and

Pluto's biggest moon, Charon, both show signs of

containing forms of graphite, the material in

pencil lead.

When NASA's Dawn spacecraft arrived at Ceres

last year to embark on an orbital survey, it found

a gray, icy world covered with debris left behind

by impacts. Spectral observations of the object,

which is both a dwarf planet and an asteroid,

revealed evidence of a form of graphite called

graphitized carbon on its surface, according to

Amanda Hendrix, a senior scientist at the

Planetary Science Institute in Arizona.

The dark carbon suggests that similar processes could change the colors of

both worlds, though they're significantly different environments.

Graphitized carbon forms when carbon is heated to high temperatures in the

absence of oxygen.

Hendrix studies how carbon forms in the inner solar sys-tem. She presented

the results of her ultraviolet examination of Ceres at the Lunar and Planetary

Sciences Conference in The Woodlands, Texas, in March.

Throughout Ceres' history, carbon-filled meteorites and asteroids have crashed

into the dwarf planet. The solar wind's charged particles have collided with the

deposited carbon, repeatedly reprocessing it to release hydrogen and leaving

behind a dull, gray graphitized carbon. The dark material has a low albedo,

meaning it doesn't reflect a lot of light.

"It hasn't evolved to proper graphite," Hendrix told Space.com. But it's close.

Similar carbon processing may occur on other objects in the asteroid belt, she

said.

And earlier this year, scientists found that Mercury's sur-face has high levels

of carbon, suggesting that it once boasted a graphite-rich crust.

The dull, gray surface of the dwarf

planet Ceres may come from

graphite as organic material is

bombarded by radiation from the

sun.


A dull moon

The inner solar system isn't the only place to find a gray world. Only a few

months after Dawn reached Ceres, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew by

Pluto and revealed that the dwarf planet's largest moon, Charon, has a grayish

appearance. That color could have been caused by graphite on the moon's

surface, according to lab results presented at the conference by Dale Cruik-

shank, a planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center.

The presence of graphite at Charon presents a puzzle because New Horizons

didn't spot carbon on Charon, but it did so at Pluto.

Before New Horizons arrived at Pluto, scientists hypothesized that the dwarf

planet shared its atmosphere with its largest moon, and observations made by

the spacecraft seem to confirm it. So carbon may travel from Pluto over to

Charon, New Horizons scientists have said.

But although it is mostly gray, Charon also boasts a bright-red spot at its pole.

Cruikshank performed several experiments to learn more about this unusual

color combination. In dousing ices similar to those found on the dwarf planet

with radiation, Cruikshank was able to produce a residual organic gunk known

as tholin. The color of this substance - named in 1979 by Carl Sagan and his

colleague Bishun Khare, who performed similar space-themed experiments

that left behind tholin as a sticky residue - resembles the color of Charon's red

spot, as well as the color of some features seen at Pluto.

In fact, tholin may be involved in both the gray and reddish hues at Charon.

"The neutral color of Charon is consistent with taking tholin material and

irradiating it," Cruikshank said during his presentation. "You end up with

graphite."

The reddish region at Charon's pole is likely a newer de-posit, whereas the rest

of the moon is covered with an older layer, Cruikshank said.

Hendrix called these results surprising. Radiation from the solar wind should

be significantly weaker at Charon than it is at Ceres, because Charon lies, on

average, about 10 times farther from the sun than Ceres does. If the moon's

surface is covered with graphite, she said, "it likely formed a different way."

Via The Heavenly Herald, Summer 2016


Banalinga

By Anastasia Chaparro

B analinga are most popularly known as

Shiva Lingam. In the ancient form of

Sanskrit Shiva Lingam means a sign or

symbol. They are also called Svayambhu

Linga which means, “Selfexistent mark or sign

of God”. By this they mean that it is natural

and not carved or crafted by human hands.

These are naturally formed river rock, made of

cryptocrystalline quartz that are oval in shape and contain earth colored hues,

which are generally two-toned. Their chemical composition is SiO2 with

inclusions of iron and magnesium. They are a 7 in hardness.

These only come from one place on earth, and that is the Narmada River in the

Madhya Pradesh state of India. This is one of the seven holy rivers, and these

stones are worshiped by the Hindus. The river and the stones within them have

been considered sacred objects for thousands of years. This river is said to have

sprung from the body of Lord Shiva, created in the form of a lovely damsel. It

is believed that these stones give happiness and salvation to the owner. So

every year there are celebrations when the Hindu people will collect them from

the Narmada river and bestow them upon family and friends in a ritual.

The wonderful shape of these stones is natural. They are hand polished, and

generally are used as icons, or talisman to bring happiness to the home. As

jewelry, they do have small ones that you can find, but I would not want to cut

into one as their formation is considered a blessing. Most people will wrap

them and use them as pendants. I have personally seen them in sizes of one

inch to about 4 feet long, but I understand that they can be found much larger. I

have seen photos of them larger than 11 feet in length.

Today they are highly sought after as collectables, but

are quickly becoming endangered by projects to dam

the Narmada river. When this happens, the jumping

waters which form this river rock will be stilled and

they will be lost forever. At this time, you can purchase

them on numerous sights and I suggest that everyone

should own one in honor of the ancient traditions.

Via The Hound’s Tale 3/17


Local Rocks - Sagenite Wayne Mills, Ore-Cutts Editor

C alled “weed rock” by local

collectors, Sagenite agate is one

of the two highly desirable agates

produced by the Nipomo Volcanics.

The website listed below, Agates with

inclusions.com, mentions that the

author, Pat McMahan has identified

Sagenite agate from over 250 loca-

tions worldwide. The agate begins as

a bundle of needle-like (acicular) crystals in a vug in volcanic rock. The

material that causes the crystals to grow is likely the relict gasses from

the original lava flow. When the sagenite needles have formed,

silica-laden water seeps into the cavity where the crystals are, gradually

inundating them, then solidifying into chalcedony (crypto crystalline)

quartz. In Nipomo, the sagenite can be a golden brown or red

depending on mineral impurities present in the vug when the needles

were formed. About 30 miles from Nipomo, a different kind of sagenite

agate occurs. Near California Min’s Colony, nodules containing needles

of aragonite surrounded by Chalcedony have been found.

OMS Honorary member Ralph

Bishop has the finest collection of

both the Nipomo and San Luis Obispo

sagenite agates. Member John Von

Achen has adopted Nipomo Sagenite

as his favorite gemstone, and has a

wonderful collection of it as well.

See this website for some world class pictures of agates with inclu-

sions, including sagenite: http://agateswithinclusions.com/

The pictures found at:

http://www.omsinc.org/mem3/mem_display3.html

Via Ore-Cutts 3/17


Upcoming CFMS Gem Shows

Jun 2-4 LA HABRA, CA. North Orange County Gem & Min Soc

La Habra Community Center, 101 W. La Habra Blvd.

Hours: Fri 5 - 8; Sat & Sun 10 - 5

Website: www.nocgms.com

June 3-4 ESCONDIDO, CA. Palomar Gem & Mineral Club

California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd.

Hours: Sat 10 - 5; Sun 10 - 4

Website: www.palomargem.org Show Page

June 3-4 GLENDORA, CA. Glendora Gems

Goddard Middle School, 859 E. Sierra Madre Avenue

Hours: Sat 10 - 5; Sun 10 - 4

June 9-11 VENTURA, CA. CFMS-AFMS Show & Convention

Hosted by Ventura County Gem & Mineral Society

Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 West Harbor Boulevard

Hours: Fri & Sat 10 - 5; Sun 10 – 4

Website: 2017CFMS-AFMSShow.com

June 17-18 CAMBRIA, CA. San Luis Obispo Gem & Mineral Club

Cambria Vets Hall, 1000 Main Street

Hours: 10 - 5 daily

Website: www.slogem.org Show Page

July 8-9 CULVER CITY, CA. Culver City Rock & Mineral Club

Veterans Memorial Auditorium, 4117 Overland Blvd

Hours: Sat 10 - 6; Sun 10 - 5

Website: www.culvercityrocks.org

Aug 4-6 NIPOMO, CA. Orcutt Mineral Society

Nipomo High School, 525 Thompson Avenue

Hours: Fri-Sat 10-5, Sun 10-4

Website: www.omsinc.org

http://www.cfmsinc.org/www.nocgms.com

http://www.palomargem.org/

http://www.palomargem.org/Documents/GemShow2017.pdf

http://www.2017cfms-afmsshow.com/

http://www.slogem.org/

http://www.slogem.org/4-shows.html

http://www.culvercityrocks.org/

http://www.omsinc.org/


NEW WGMS MEETING LOCATION!

Whittier Senior Center

13225 Walnut Street, Whittier

Whittier Senior Center

Wh

itti

er G

em

an

d M

iner

al

Soci

ety, In

c.

Po

st O

ffic

e B

ox 8

65

, W

hit

tier

, C

alif

orn

ia 9

06

08

-08

65

Ed

ito

r: J

ay

Vall

e, 1

421 L

atc

hfo

rd A

ve.

Ha

cien

da

Hei

gh

ts,

CA

91745

Meeting Date: May 25, 2017 at 7:00 PM

Location: Whittier Senior Center (See page 4 & 15 for information)