VOLUME 53, ISSUE 10 October, 2015 © 2015 RIMH

Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show & Sale

It’s Fun, Educational and Interesting for ALL AGES!

Crystals u Gemstones u Minerals u Jewelry u Gifts u Fossils

The Rhode Is land Minera l Hunters present the i r 44th Annual Southern New England

October 24 & 25, 2015 CCRI Rt 113, Warwick RI

Free Exhibits and Door Prizes* Free Parking*See back for details and directions. Free entry for military and scouts in uniform.

C RAZy CRYSTALS

Field Trimming SpecimensTony Cesana will be offering a class on field trimming of mineral specimens. Tony will take six people at a time at his home for two Fridays.Those interested please contact Tony at:

a_cesana@verizon.net or call him at 401-766-9076.

It’s Getting Near The Time for our show and you better believe I get a little nervous. Lots to do, but I think that this year’s show will be terrific. Don Fail has done a superb job and we have a full complement of vendors.

All spaces are taken! We have several new vendors also. We have given out or mailed over 5,000 postcards and we have several rock displays in libraries with our information and postcards that should attract attention.We need volunteers to man/woman the show. Our pot luck supper could use some more dishes. We need people to man the entrance when people arrive for the show. Also need people to help with the hospitality table, t-shirt sales, memberships, Kid’s tables, and fluorescent tent. This year’s displays will be great and we need people to help set up displays on Friday evening. So let me know if you can volunteer, and anytime you can give is welcome.For those who haven’t been in the club that long we have a long tradition of providing a pot luck supper for the vendors and volunteers on Friday evening before the show. Everyone raves about it. You can come late as the food isn’t usually served until 7pm or so. So bring a dish then if you like. Again let me know. I hope all of you are as excited as I am so bring all you friends and family, acquaintances, and be sure to do all the social media stuff (alas I am not that up to date on these things). I will have some more postcards for anyone who wants them at the next general meeting. Thanks.

Steve Emma, your RIMH President

Club Field Trip to Simpson Quarry CTPhotos by Claudette Delpozzo and Tom & Louise Barbish.

VOLUME 51, ISSUE 1 JANUARY, 2013 © 2013 RIMHRhode Island Mineral Hunters, Inc.

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Volume 53, Issue 10 Bowen-Lite October, 2015

OUR NEXT MEETING RIMH FIELD TRIPS

RHODE ISLAND MINERAL HUNTERS ~ 2015The RIMH is a 501(c)(3) organization.

OFFICERSPresident: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steve EmmaVice-President: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buck LeachSecretary: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *Chris TremblayTreasurer: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dante Caprara

EXECUTIVE BOARD (includes above officers)Louise Barbish, Tom Barbish, James Brenek, Rachel Cesana, *Jen Davis, Don Fail, Joel Russo, Bill Wilson

DEPARTMENTS / COMMITTEESHistorian: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bill WilsonMembership:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *Leo DoucetField Trip Coordinator:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joel RussoShow Chairman: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Don FailLibrarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bill NealEditor: . . . Bruce Luscombe, bdluscombe@msn.comWebmaster: . . . . . .Bruce Hecker, bbhecker@cox.net

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.RIMH.us* indicates a new: officer / board member / duty for 2015

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2015 RIMH GEM, MINERAL & FOSSIL SHOWOur annual mineral show is Oct. 24 & 25 and it’s approaching fast. This is our main educational and fund raising event.Please contact Don Fail, show chairperson, to see where you can help. All members are encouraged to volunteer time and help make this a big success. Don Fail: 781-784-3224 kfarrell-dfail@comcast.net

Date: October 13th at 7:00 PMPlace: CCRI (Community College of RI) 400 East St., Rt. 113, Warwick, RIRoom: 1130Speaker: Sherri Blennerhassett, RIMH club member, will be speaking on our new “Geocaching” adventures. Come and learn more about this exciting, new, fun activity for the whole family.

Executive Board meets at 7 PM on the 1st Tuesday of the month.

October 6th, 7 PMMeeting will be at: Steve Emma’s house.

C RAZy CRYSTALS

There are no scheduled field trips at this time. Joel will email members later with trips that get arranged.

Field Trip Report ~ Sharon, VTWe met seven members of the Southeast Massachusetts Mineral Club on a beautiful, dry, cool Vermont morning at the General Store in Sharon Vermont. My wife and I are also members of the SEMMC but were a little

disappointed to not see anyone else from the RIMH. Since this was also a two day trip for many with a d d i t i o n a l sites for other minerals and

rocks on Sunday. We were just two day-trippers so would not be going on the Sunday digs, the mind is willing but the body is weak and other commitments precluded our participation.So off we all went in a six car, jeep and truck caravan approximately 6 miles to the first site. A steep cliff of sand and clay being utilized as a staging site for road construction equipment. Paul Monti showed the newbies in concretion hunting, myself included, what to look for and where. In no time everyone was find concretions from tiny bits to a few large plates of 20 pounds or more. They were heavily coated with a sticky clay sand mixture and would require a little water for cleanup but there was none on the site and we all had only a small amount for drinking. So like most rock-hounds you packed up what looked like it might be good and headed off to site two.Site two was further up the road and by a side tributary to the main river in the valley. It was also located in a disused sand pit. This site also consisted of an imposing 30 to 50 foot cliff composed of sand clay and millions of concretions. There were pieces from very small up to

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Volume 53, Issue 10 Bowen-Lite October, 2015Field Trip . . . continued from page 2

Pulling Herkimer Diamonds,Quartz Formations, Fossils, and Anthraxolite from Little Falls DolostoneThose of you that have been to the Herkimer mines in New York state know that pulling Herkimer Diamonds out of the Dolostone is tough hard rock mining and not always successful. You end up with a pile of seemingly worthless chunks of hard Dolostone that is tough to crack open and you spend hours with a hammer in your hands “making little ones out of big ones”. I have an easier way to expose what is immersed inside the rock which will not damage any SiO2(quartz) or non-carbonate mineral within the matrix.Dolostone is a grey rock composed of Dolomite - a form of calcium magnesium carbonate {CaMg(CO3)2} to marble and the lime you throw on your lawns to adjust pH. Inclusions within the Dolostone which are primarily agatized (quartz replacement) deposits. These may or may not be fossils and close examination is warranted.Calcite (CaCO3). Fossil Stromatolites may be formed with this mineral. Anthraxolite, a very uncommon and odd mineral which is hydrocarbon based and associated with oil/coal. I have found this mineral associated with quartz inclusions in Dolostone and will appear black.It is extremely difficult to remove any of the above minerals from Dolostone by hammering without damaging the specimens. After thinking long and hard about this (and wondering how I was going to get rid of chunks of Dolostone in my garage from previous expeditions), I reached back to my high school and college chemistry and came up with the perfect solution: chemical dissolving.It’s easier than it sounds but it does run some risks. DO NOT PERFORM THIS WITHOUT TAKING THE BELOW PRECAUTIONS. This procedure should not be performed by minors. That having been said, I did some research and came

up with the solution: Muriatic Acid which is Hydrochloric Acid (HCL). Muriatic Acid is used to balance swimming pool pH, to clean concrete (which is heavy in calcium carbonate), etc. I chose HCL simply because it will work fast. Vinegar will eventually erode Dolostone if you have the patience to wait a very long time. I ordered 31% HCL over the internet (not very expensive) and it was delivered to my home in gallon plastic jugs. You can get it at pool supply stores and hardware outlets.

That having been said, it can be noted that the fumes only last a few seconds. I have a gravel driveway so I chose a spot out of the way on the gravel away from everything. For those of you that wish to see what happens chemically in an equation:HCL + calcium carbonate = calcium chloride + carbon dioxide + waterOR 2HCL(aq) + CaCO3(s) = CaCl2(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l)In other words, the by-products are calcium chloride (the same stuff you melt ice with in the winter), carbon dioxide gas, and water. This reaction will take about a day to occur before all the HCL is converted and the reaction stops. You will know that the reaction is finished when the carbon dioxide bubbling stops. The resulting mix will look like a grey mush. Carefully find a place to dump out the brew (I

HCL at 31% is extremely corrosive to most metals, will dissolve concrete, and may burn skin. In the open air, it will fume. Do not inhale the fumes. These will damage your lungs THIS OPERATION MUST BE DONE OUTDOORS IN OPEN AIR. If you have a concrete driveway, it is best NOT to do this on your driveway in the event of a spill. It will erode the concrete. Find a dirt area to perform this and ensure that you will have a few days of good weather as any rain will dilute the HCL. Wear rubber gloves to handle the HCL and be aware of wind direction as you don’t want the fumes drifting toward you or any metal surface that you don’t want corroded (like your car).

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several thousand pounds. Each piece discovered invoked a sessions of “what does this one look like to you”? Frogs, turtles, bugs, people, as well as scenery and trees were unearthed or just picked up off the surface. One beautiful plate of three by three feet across was unearthed and given to another club member for transport home filling the back seat all the way across. It resembled pictures of western sandstone formations as seen from the air. The recent dry weather was both a blessing and a curse. It made the sand easier to get off but there was no water here. To remove any clay stuck to the nodules you need a lot of water, so Paul went to a local store to get some since the riverbanks nearby were so steep it was unsafe to try and get down to them. Jean and I ended up with a five gallon pail full of a wide assortment of “critters” as well as several other containers. I was beat, tired and

dirty but still game for another site and we headed off to another. Up, down and all around the convoy went and we ended up staring at a peacock in someone’s back yard while Paul attempted communication with the landowner. Eventually getting

our bearings and turning the convoy around much to the amusement of the locals we headed back to the main road. At this point my mate was showing signs of fatigue and I realized I was pushing it so we thanked Paul for a great time and headed for home.

Don and Jean Mello, RIMH

Bruce LuscomBe

Po Box 360N. KiNgstowN, ri 02852-0360

© Rhode Island Mineral Hunters ● “Bowen-Lite” newsletter ● October, 2015

The “Bowen-Lite” newsletter is produced by and for the members of the Rhode Island Mineral Hunters, Inc. (RIMH).All portions are copyright © 2015 - RIMH and/or original author / photographer. www.RIMH.us A 501(c)(3) organization.

All newsletter photographs are by © Bruce Luscombe unless otherwise noted.

Pulling Herkimers .. .continued from page 3

There’s no going back now, I just put my house on the market. Soon I’ll be hunting for great minerals, crystals and fossils from North Carolina to Florida. I plan to send the new newsletter editor some photos and articles about the new collecting adventures I’m having.I’m looking forward to digging for fossil shark teeth, cenozioc mammal fossils and lots of other goodies. Maybe gem and gold hunting in NC too. Not sure what else is there but I’ll join the local club and develop great new friends - just like the ones I have in the RIMH.No matter where we end up I’ll always remember the RIMH and have wonderful memories of all our collecting adventures. Of couse I have some great specimens to remind me of those trips too.This is not good bye, it’s just “I’ll see you later” as we still have lots of family in the area plus a grandson to visit. Without a house to tie me down I’ll feel free to travel more, so who knows what adventures and treasures I’ll find. Maybe it’ll be some exquisite crystals or unique fossil. It just might be some great archeology dig or some really funky food I’ve enjoyed.You’ll never know what kind of article and photos I’ll send back but you can bet that you haven’t heard the last of me!!! You will still see in our family booth at the upcoming RIMH show later this month.Be sure to support the new newsletter editor by sending in lots of photos and articles. Remember this is YOUR NEWSLETTER ~ PLEASE SUPPORT IT!

Bruce Luscombe, Editor

wouldn’t down the sink) without dumping out any minerals and flush with water several times. Take an old toothbrush and scrub off any calcium chloride remaining on the matrix. Again rinse with water. Allow the specimens to dry in the sun to evaporating any moisture. Examine what you have and remove anything you want to save. Repeat the HCL procedure as one application will not dissolve all the Dolostone.Tips to Remember:Use a plastic container or pail. Do not use metal (you will find it dissolved along with your Dolostone). The bubbling is an indication that the HCL is working on the Dolostone. Once the bubbling stops, the resulting mush is relatively harmless as it is just dissolved calcium chloride in water. Use care in handling the etched Dolostone. It will be fragile as it will be a skeleton of its former self. It may crumble in your hands.Prior to redoing the HCL, ensure that most, if not all, calcium chloride is removed as it will interfere and block the action of the HCL on the Dolostone underneath. Ensure that the Dolostone is dry as remaining moisture will dilute the HCL’s action on the matrix.Stay upwind of fumes and wear rubber gloves when handling the HCL. A hospital mask will NOT protect you from fumes, only a cartridge respirator. You will smell a sour odor from the fumes.If you are unsure whether a specimen imbedded in the matrix is resistant to HCL, put a drop of HCL on it and be ready to wash it off if it starts to bubble (I have found that fossil Stromatolites from Herkimer County are calcium carbonate and will dissolve in HCL). This procedure works very well in dissolving calcium carbonate matrix liberating imbedded agatized fossils.As with any procedure utilizing chemicals, care must be taken (I must add that I assume no responsibility for anybody’s carelessness) but the end result will astound you with surprises that are hidden inside the matrix. Ernie Zielinski, RIMH

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Here’s More:THINGS I LOVE ABOUT ROCKS!