Chippers’ ChatterChippers’ ChatterNewsletter of the Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society
Baltimore, Maryland <chesapeakegemandmineral.org>
Volume 59, Number 10November, 2015
What’s New in Mineralsfrom Richard Hoff
JeffScovilisperhapsthepremierphotographerofmin-erals and gems in the westernworld today. His photos gracethe covers and stories found insuchmagazinesasMineralogical Record, Lithographie and Rocks & Minerals. He’s a fixture atall the major gem and mineralshows(Tucson,WestSpringfield,Denver,Munich,etc.)and is fre-quentlycommissionedbycollec-tors to photograph their speci-mens.He’llevendooneofyours
ifyouarrangetogetthespecimentohim.
Hespends99%ofhistimeatthemajorshowsphoto-graphingspecimensthatcollectorsanddealersaskhimtodoforthemsettinguphisstudioandtakinganhourorsoto setup the lightingandorientation foreach specimenandoftenspendsaweekormorephotographingprivatecollections.
Oneof the featuredtalksat theRochesterMin-eralogical Symposiumeach year is Jeff’s “What’sNew inMinerals” inwhich he shows someof the amazingmin-eralfindshe’sphotographedduringtheyear.Theprogramisalwaysextremelypopularandalwaysgenerateslotsof“oohsandaahs”.
JoinusonFriday,November13thasweenjoysomeofthefabulous imagesJeffproducedduring2014. Andyou’llalsogettohearhisbeautifulbaritonevoiceduringthenarration!
Ourmeeting is scheduled forFriday,November13thbeginning at 7:30 pm. In addition, we’ll also be holdingelectionsforour2016officers.
Nibbles “N Noshesfrom Liz & Wendy Stanne
OurauctionnightinOctoberdrewagoodcrowdandev-eryonehadplentyoftreatstochosefrom as the two tables were piledhigh with foods of all kinds! Our“auction four” really outdid them-selveswithchoicesofbananabread,pumpkin bread, brownies, cookies,
veggies,deliciousslicesofcakeandacheeseplatter.Thankyoutoallwhobroughtinthegoodiesfromallofus.
InNovemberthetreatswillbeprovidedtousbySydnee&BarryBerlin,CathyPurdumandAlPribulaandLindaWatts.
Yikes... It’s November!by Steve Weinberger
It’shardtobelievethatthecalen-dar already says November and thatit’s time to start collecting member-shipduesforthecomingyear.Renew-al forms are included in this issue onpage11. Pleasefillone inandreturnitwith your dues check payable to ChesapeakeGem&MineralSociety.
Dues remainat$15 for individualand$25 for familymembers(twoadultsandallchildrenunderage18livingatthesameaddress).
AND....ifyouareacommitteechairandhaveanyreim-bursementrequests,pleasebesuretohaveyourreceiptsandvoucherstomenolaterthentheDecembermeeting.
Page 2 Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015
Members of the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical & Lapidary Societies
Affiliated with the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies.
The Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society was established in order to al-low its members to gain knowledge and skills in various phases of the Earth Sci-ence field. Through field trips, exhibi-tions, and cooperation with other soci-eties, we endeavor to further not only our own knowledge, but also that of the general public. Meetings are held on the 2nd Fri-day of each month except August at the Westchester Community Center, 2414 Westchester Ave; Oella, MD.. Meetings begin at 7:30 P.m. and visitors are al-ways welcome. Dues are $15 for individuals, $25 for family memberships.
Officers:President - Barb Kays
<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>
Vice President - John Buchleitner<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>
Recording Secretary - Earle Pfetzing
Corresponding Sec’y - Patty Lortie<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>
Treasurer - Steve Weinberger<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>
Past President - Richard Hoff<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>
Directors: 2015 2015-16 Russell Byers Jim Hooper Steve Dyer Richard Meszler
Editor:Carolyn Weinberger
<cscrystals2 at gmail.com>
Deadline is the 15th of each month.
Non-commercial reprint permission granted to non-profit organizations unless
otherwise noted.
ChesapeakeGem & Mineral
Society
A Few Words from Barbaraby Barbara Kays President
Sitting here looking at the colorful trees andfeeling thecrispweathermakesme ready to for-getallobligationsandgocampingandcollecting;instead,Iaminsideworkinggettingreadyfortheevery-three-year state accreditation inspection.Guess our personal mineral and fossil collectionwill continue to grow by adding purchases fromshowsandclubauctions.Now,wasn’tthatanicelead-intocommentingonthegreatvarietyofbooks,minerals,fossilsandjewelryreadystonesfeaturedatourlastauction?Althoughasmallerthanusualattendance,westillenjoyedsomegoodbidding“wars.”Itwasnicetoseenewfacesandpossiblefutureclubmem-bersaddingtotheircollections.Iknowthattheyweremadetofeelwelcomed;however,Iamconcernedtheymightexpectsuchawidevarietyofgoodfoodateverymeetingaswasprovidedbyour“auctionfourandmore”members.Justareminder,pleaseremindmeifyoubringsnacksevenwhenyouarenotsigneduptodoso.Weliketogivecredittoeveryoneprovidingthefood.
Thismonthisthelasttimetoearnpointstowardstheclubcontest.CarolynandStevepurchasedsomebeautifulgeodesinTucson;and,afewotherprizeshavebeenpurchasedatlocalshows.Participationinthecontestisjustan-otherwaytoencourageyoutogetmorefromtheChesapeakeGMSbypartici-patinginactivities.ItisdesignedsoyoucangetcreditforwritingarticlesforChipper’sChatter,tobringingfood,torepresentingtheclubatshows. LizandWendywillbepassingaround theboard to signup for snacks through2016atthismeeting.Inoticedthatmostofthemonthsalreadyhadatleasttwo people signed up. Nowwill be your chance to add evenmore to ourrefreshmenttable.Also,pleasebethinkingaboutwhatyouwanttobringforourwonderfulHolidaymeal.Thatsign-upsheetwillbeavailablethismonth.
Hopeyouareenjoyingthisfallasyouprepareforwhatispromisedtobeacoldwinter.
Seeyousoon. Barbara
Winter Weather Policy
Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015 Page 3
November Meeting Minutesfrom Earle Pfetzing, Recording Secretary
President Barbara Kays called the October 9, 2015meeting of the Chesapeake Gem &Mineral Society to order at 7:41 pmandwelcomedmembersand1visitor.Minutes of the September meetingwereacceptedasprintedinChippers’Chatter. Treasurer SteveWeinberger,although not present, had sent a re-port stating that the club is in sound
financialcondition.
Personals:Lynnereportedthatseveralmembersnotinattendancewerehavinghealthproblems.Shewishedallaspeedyrecovery.
UnfinishedBusiness:None
NewBusiness:Arequestwasmadebythenominat-ingcommitteeformemberstohelpfillboardpositionsfor2016.
Announcements: Tony Wilner reminded membersthattheGem,Lapidary&MineralSocietyofWashington,DCwasholdinganauctionattheWomensClubofBethes-daonSunday,October25thfrom1-5pm.
LynnethankedthememberswhohadhelpedstafftheclubtableattheGemCuttersShow.
Theprogramfortheeveningwasanauction.
Themeetingwasadjournedat9:35pm.
Submittedby EarlePfetzing RecordingSecretary
NovemberiselectionmonthforChesapeakeandthenominatingcommitteehasassembledthefollowingslateofcandidatestoserveusin2016.Additionalcandidatesmaybenominatedfromtheflooratthemeeting.
President-tobeannouncedVicePresident-JohnBuchleitner
RecordingSecretary-tobeannouncedCorrespondingSecretary-PattyLortie
Treasurer-SteveWeinberger
Directors-2yearterm:KathyKanedaBobFarrar
JimHooper and RichardMeszler have one year left ontheirtermsofofficeasdirectors.
from the Nominating Committee
Personalsby Lynne Emery
CondolencestoLizandWendyStanneonthepassingoftheiruncleinWalesandanauntinMassachusetts.
ContinuedgetwelltoSydneeBerlin.Ihearthatsheisholdingherown.
BrendaTriplethasbeendiagnosedwithLymphoma.Herspiritsaregood,andwewillkeepherinourthoughtsandprayers.
CongratulationstoPattyLortieonhernewgrandson.(Anotherpotentialrockhound.) CongratulationstoBernieEmery;hiscaseintheGemCuttersshowwasvotedfirstplaceintheviewerschoicesurvey.CarolynWeinberger’scaseearned2ndplace. Lynne
Page 4 Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015
Holiday Party Newsby Lynne Luger
OuralwaysenjoyableHolidayPartypotluckdinnerissetforFriday,December11thatWestchester. Dawnwillbe passing around a sign-up sheet at the meeting thismonthsothatyoucan letherknowwhatfood itemyouwillcontribute.
Oneofthenicethingswedoatthepartyisexchangegifts. Doingso isalwaysvolun-tary. Ifyouwishtoparticipate,just bring a hobby related gift,wrapitupandnoteifitisforamaleorfemale.Donotincludeyourname.
The gift must be somethinghobbyrelatedandnewandval-
uedaround$20.Suggestionsincludejewelry,gemstones,booksonrelatedsubjects,cuttingrough,andanythingelsethatwouldfallintotheseorrelatedcategories.
Ifyouareanewermemberandnotsurewhattobring,justaskanyofus“old”folks.
Moredetailsaboutthepartynextmonth.
Happybirthdaywishestothefollowingmembers:
MartinSchmidt(13)AlPribula(18)
KeithKaneda(19)BernieEmery(21)BrendaTriplett(25)MikeHakulin(29)SydneeBerlin(30)
ThebirthstonesforNovemberaretopazandcitrine.
OneofThemajorcontroversiesrelatedtotheoriginofagateiswhetherThetubesseeninagatesareentrytubesor escape tubes. Entry tubes develop successive bands;escapetubesrelievepressurethatdevelopsinsideasthesilicagelcrystallizes.
Thesilicaget(SiO2+H2O)theorywaspopularizedbyDr.RogerPabianandDr.AndrejsZarinsinBandedAgatesOriginsandInclusions.1.Inthispublicationtheystate,“Thebandingprocess is initiatedwhen The silica gel comes into contactwithalterationorweatheringproductsofashfloworbasalt,orcomesintocontactwithalkalinegroundwateroralkalinesurfacewater. Contact between these incompatiblemediasetsupa concentric, electrochemicalwave front similar totheBelousov-Zbabotinskiireaction.Thechemicalreactionre-sults inspheruliticcrystalsofchalcedonyprecipitatingfromthegel.Impuritiesareexpelledfromthegelandcollectinthetroughsatthetipsofthesespheruliticcrystalstoformbands.Thisprocesscontinuesuntilthegelbecomesunder-saturatedandtheneuhedralquartzprecipitates.Atthisstagethesilicagelisbanded,butitisinaplasticstateandtheproductshavealowerspecificgravitythanthereactants;thus,wateroranyexcesssilicaissqueezedfromtheagate,forminganoutward-lydirectedescapetube.(Shaub,1955).
Silicagel iscomposedofwaterwithadensityof1.00andsilica,whichinitscrystallinestatehasadensityof2.71.Silica gels have been created in the laboratorywith con-centrationsof30%silicato70%water. Innaturetheyareprobablymorelike5%to10%silica.Crystallinequartzisthedensestformofsilicathatoccursintheupperseveralmilesof theEarth’s crust; therefore, theproductsof crystalliza-tioncannotbelessdensethantheoriginalgel.Thisdensitychangecannotbethedrivingmechanismforescapetubes.
The Question of Agate Escape Tubesby Robert G. Welch, from Sooner Rockologist, Nov. 2005.
Photos from the author
continued on page 6
Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015 Page 5
Hopefully we haven’t seen any drear November fogand snowyet. But ifwehad,agemstonemineral likeTopazwouldcertainlybrightenthingsup. While its crystal form isfairlyrecognizable,manydon’tknow that Topaz is an alumi-numsilicatefluoridehydroxideinthesilicatesgroupofminer-als.ThenameTopazmaycomefrom an island now called Ze-birgetintheRedSeathatcon-tainedasite localitycalledTo-pazios thought to be an earlysourceofTopazalthoughsomesuggest itmayhavealsobeenconfused with Peridot that
wasalsofoundthere.Whateverthecase,theTopaznamestuck. Ithasahardnessratingof8making itaveryfac-etablegemstoneforjewelry.It’shistoryofuseinjewelryhasbeen found inancientEgyptianandRomanwritings.It’scrystalsystemisorthorhombicandit’scrystalhabitisprismatic.ThechemicalformulaforTopazisAl2SiO4(F,OH)2.
TodayTopaz is found inBrazil,SriLanka,Russia,Bur-ma,Australia,Japan,Mad-agascar, Mexico, Africa,Germany, Scotland, andthe US. Topaz appears inseveral different naturalcolors ranging from clear-colorless, to gold, blue,‘sherryyellow’,brown,andorange.VeryrareredTopazcrystals are highly pricedandprized. Topazcrystalsofup to220 poundshavebeen found and there aremany Topaz gems weighing thousands of carats in theSmithsoniancollections.A75lbcrystalwasfoundinBrazilandfacetedtoanearly6inchsquaregemstonenamedthe‘Brazilian Princess’ weighing slightly over 21,000 carats.Topazcrystalsareformedinigneousrockswherefluorinevaporsarefound.Topazisfoundinrhyolitecavities,peg-matitedikes,hydrothermalveins,andgranites.Topazcrys-talsarealsofoundinalluvialdepositsafterbeingcarrieddownstreamfromweatherwornrocksbywindandrain.
Mineral of the Month: Topazby Jim Hooper
TopazMaynard’s Claim
Thomas Range, Juab Co. UTPhoto: Rob Lavinsky, IRocks.com.
Used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license.
Whilewidelyfoundaroundtheworld,itscontinuedpopu-larityallows it tocommandrespectableprices in jewelrymarkets.
AndwhereasTopazisbothMineraloftheMonthand birthstoneforNovemberhere’sanobservationfromsomeyearsgonebyregardingitsplaceamongbirthstones:
“Whofirstcomestothisworldbelow WithdrearNovember’sfogandsnow, Shouldprizethetopaz’samberhue, Emblemoffriendsandloverstrue.”
Do you have a Topaz that exemplifies its beautifulcharacteristics?Doyouhaveonethatyoujustlike?Pleasebringanexampleittothemeetingandwecansharetheattractions of these great crystals, and maybe keep thesnowawayawhilelonger! References: TheCuriousLoreofPreciousStones–Kunz,Geo.Fred-erick,J.B.Lipincottpub.1913 Gems,Crystals,&Minerals–Sofianides,Anna,Harlow,George,VanPelt,HaroldandErica,Robinson,George,Sco-vil,Jeffrey,Simon&Shusterpub.1995 TheBookofStones–Simmons,RobertandNaishaAh-sian,HeavenandEarthPublishing,2005 <www.mindat.org>
Madan District, NW Frontier Prov., Pakistan
Photo: Rob Lavinsky, IRocks.com. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-
The American Golden Topaz22,892.5 cts; 172 facets. Donated to
the Smithsonian Institution by the rock-hounds of American via the AFMS.
Photo: Smithsonian press release, 1988. Used with permission.
Page 6 Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015
This discrepancy was apparently recognized by BobJones inhisSeptember2005article inRock and GemonArgentina’sCondoragate.Inthisarticlehecoversthevari-oustheoriesofagateformation,butchoosesthegeltheo-ryastheonehesupports.Heattributesthehypothesizedpressurewithinthevesicletotheheatofcrystallizationofthequartz.Hestatesinthearticle:“However,anyoneob-servinganabundanceofagatefromallovertheworld,in-cludingCondoragatesfromPatagonia,seesinstanceafterinstanceinwhichthedistortionsneverreachedtheouterskinoftheagate.Thisisvisualproofthattheband-forrm-ingmaterialdidnotentertheagatethroughthatchannel,butratherthatinternalstrifeworkedfromtheinsideout.Therefore,theseareescapetubesduetoaninternalfunc-tionandarenotformedfromanyoutsideinfluence.Thedistortioninthebandingssurroundingtheescapetubeisadditionalproofofhowsuchfeaturesformfrominternalpressures,notbyinvasiveaction.”
First I will address the pressure issue and later the“proof”. Anyonewho has ever had a broken bone is fa-miliarwiththeheatofcrystallization.Astheplasterdries,thegypsuminitcrystallizesgivinganuncomfortablewarmfeeling.Quartzwould also heat slightly as it crystallizes,warmingthevesiclefromthenaturalrocktemperature.Noevidencewaspresentedthatthisheatwouldcausethegeltoboil,whichwouldbenecessarytoincreasethepressuresignificantlywithinthevesicle.Thecoolerrocksurround-ingthevesiclewouldalsodissipatesomeoftheheat.Al-thoughthismechanismismoreplausiblethanthedensitychange,muchmoreevidenceneedstobepresentedbe-foreitcouldbechosenforthehypothesizedpressure.BobJones’sproofoverlookstwoimportantpoints.Firstisthatwhenyoucutthroughanagateyouareseldomattheper-fectpointtoobservetheentryor“escapetubes”.Intheex-amplegiven,thetubechangeddirectionslightlyoutoftheplaneofthecutleavingtheimpressionthatitterminatedshortoftheedgeoftheagate.Athreedimensionalconclu-sionwasarrivedatfromatwodimensionalslice.Bandingisalsodistortedinatwodimensionalslicebythefactthattheywouldnotallbecutatexactly90degreeangles tothebands.Secondly,whatishypothesizedisnotpossible.Foranescapetubetoformtherewouldhavetobeapres-suresinkattheedgeofthevesicletowardwhichthepres-sure is toberelieved.Thiswouldhavetobeanopeningtothenearatmosphericpressureoutsidethevesicle.AswaspointedoutbyBrianJacksonoftheNationalMuseum
ofScotlandinhis“HistoryofScottish Agate” presentedat the “Symposium on Ag-ate and CryptocrystallineQuartz”inSeptember2005,thebandsontheedgesofthetubesarenotdisrupted,butbecomeverythinattheedgesofthetubes.Thisisprob-ablyagravityeffectontubesatthetopoftheagate.Oftenothertubesdonotexhibitthisthinning,particularlywhenthereismorethanonetubepenetratingintotheagate.Asthefluidflowsintothevesicleitwouldthinonthetopsideofthevesicleduetoflowundertheforceofgravity.
Itisinterestingtomethattheproponentsofthegelthe-oryhavelittleornothingtosayabouthowthegelgotintothe vesicle. Since silica gels are viscous they cannot haveseeped through the walls of the vesicle and would havedifficultyevenentering throughsmallopenings.Thesilicawouldhavehad toenter throughopenings in the.vesicleandwouldnotyethavereachedaviscousstatewhenitoc-curred.Zarins(2005)duringthe“SymposiumonAgateandCryptocrystallineQuartzpartiallyaddressedthisquestionbystatingthatthesilicagelwouldbecomemoreconcentratedafter itenteredthevesicle.However; ifagel-filledvesicleconcentratedafterentering,itwouldbethroughthelossofwaterandthewholemasswouldshrink,separatefromthewallsandbelooseonthebottomofthevesicle.Ifanotherepisodeofgeloccurred,itwouldthenformaroundthepre-viouslyformedagate,notinsideofit.
Myfinalpoint is that if the tubeswereescape tubes,then there should always be just one tube in the agate.Thereareoftenmorethanone,whichcanonlybeexplainedby groundwater hydrogeology. If pressure was being re-lieveditshouldgoinonlyonedirection,tothepointoflow-estpressure.Also,theflowwouldnotbefromthecenter,asthelowestpressurewouldbeatthepointofexit.Theflowatthispointwouldbefromalldirectionsaroundtheexitandwouldlikelyneverextendtothecenteroftheagate.
Inconclusion,thetubesobservedinagatescannotbeexittubes.Entrytubesareessentialtobringthesilicaintothevesicleandarethecauseofthefeaturesobserved.
1Pabian,RogerandZarins,Andrejs,BandedAgates .Originsand Inclusions.NebraskaDepartmentofEnviron-mentalQualityEducationcircularNo.12.
Agate Escape Tubescontinued from page 4
Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015 Page 7
(Na,Ca)(Li,Mg,Cl)(Al,Fe,Mn)6(BO3)(Si6)18)()H)4=Tourmaline
Manypeopleseeachemicalformulaandimmediatelyduckit,thinkingtheycanunderstandthemeaning,there-byoverlookingagreatdealof information.First, the let-tersyouseeareshorthandsymbolswhichstandforeachelement in the structure. The symbols are generally thefirstletteroffirstandsecondletteroftheelementname.Thefirstletterisalwayscapitalizedandthesecondletterisnevercapitalized.Someexceptionscomeaboutbecausecertainlettersarealreadyinusewhenasymbolisestab-lishedandthatlettercannotbeusedasecondtime.
Otherseemingexceptionsarethoseelementsnamedearly,aftertheLatinname,andthusironbecameFeafterferrum;lead,Pbafterplumbum;gold,Auafteraurium,etc.theycanbelearnedwithalittleconcentratedeffort.
Subscripts(thenumbersjustbelowtheline)showhowmanyatomsoftheprecedinglistedelementarenecessarytohaveabalancedformula.Ifthereisnosubscriptthereisonlyoneatomintheformula.Parentheses()areusedtosetasidegroupswhichshouldbelookedatasaunit.Iftheelementsintheparenthesesaresetasidebyacomma,i.e.(Li,Mg,Cl),inourtourmalineformula,theymustbetreatedas a group. Parentheses are also used to set aside thoseradicalswhichhavecombinedtoformaniongroupslikecar-bonate (CO3); phosphate, (PO4), hydroxyl, (OH); arsenate,(As04),etc.Thesealsoaretobetreatedasoneunitentity.
Let’sthenlookatandanalyzethetourmalineformulaabove.Wewillrefertotheseriesofelementswithintheparenthesesassites.So,inthefirstsitewecanhaveoneatomorsodiumoroneofcalcium,butnotboth.Thepre-dominantatomwillbesodium,becauseitislistedfirst.Thenextsitecancontainanyoneofthethreelistedatomsoflithium,magnesiumorchlorinewithlithiumpredominant.Inthethirdsitewecanhaveacombinationwhichwillgivesixatomsforthesite,butthedominantelementmustbealuminum,withironthesecondmostdominant.Logically,thedistributioncouldbe threealuminum, two iron, andone manganese. These first three sites are the CATION(kat’i‘en)sitesastheatomsareallpositivelycharged.Byconvention,cationsarealwayslistedfirstintheformulas.The ANION (an’i ‘en) sites beginwith the borate radical(BO3)andwehaveatotalofthreesuchanions,andtheyarenegatively charged.Totaling thisunitwewouldhave
three boron atoms andnine oxygen atoms. Thelast site, the hydroxl, hasfour oxygen atoms andfourhydrogenatoms.
Thefollowingselectedelements are the onesmostlikelytobeshowninmineralformulas: AlAluminum SbAntimony AsArsenic BaBarium BeBeryllium BiBismuth BBoron CCarbon CaCalcium ClChlorine CrChromium CoCobalt CuCopper FFluorine AuGold HHydrogen IIodine FeIron PbLead LiLithium MgMagnesium MnManganese HgMercury MoMolybdenum NiNickel NNitrogen OOxygen PPhosphorus PtPlatinum KPotassium RaRadium SeSelenium SiSilicon AgSilver NaSodium SrStrontium SSulfur SnTin TiTitanium WTungsten UUranium VVanadium ZnZinc ZrZirconium
Reference: Hurlbut&Klein,ManualofMineralogy,19thEdition
Chemical Formulas and How to Read Themby Fred Schaefermeyer, from the Mineral Newsletter, February, 1985
Page 8 Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015
Ihopeeveryone isenjoying thisfall season and getting the last oftheseasonfieldtripsin.TheleavesarestartingtochangehereinNewHampshire(endofSeptember);thereds and yellow are showing thefirstsignsofwhatiscoming.
AsmanyofyouhaveheardtheMerrill Dickinson, 2015 presidentoftheEFMLSresignedinmid-Sep-
temberandIhaveacceptedhisresignation.Asperourby-laws(ArticleXI,Section2&3),ascurrent1stVicePresident,IassumedthepositionofPresident,DaveKorzendorfer,assumedthepositionof1stVicePresidentandBarbaraRin-ghiser, 2nd Vice President elect assumed that position asofthedateofMerrill’sresignation.Ifyouhaveanyques-tions,pleasedirectthemtome([email protected]>.
Letmetellyoualittlebitaboutmyself. IgrewupinNebraskaandwent toHastingsCollege. I enlisted in theNavyintheearly60’sandwenttoSubmarineSchoolandthenontoNuclearPowerSchool.IretiredfromtheNavyin1984andstartedworkingforPublicServiceofNewHamp-shireNuclearPowerPlantintheengineeringdepartment.IretiredfromSeabrookin2004.
IlearnedhowtocutcabochonsduringthelastyearIwasintheNavy.AfterIretired,I learnedhowtocutfac-etedstones,andIwashooked.IntimeIlearnedhowtodosilversmithingandtoworkwithgold. I joinedtheSouth-easternMineralClubandIamthecurrentsecretary.
I am married and have 7 children. My wife Shirleyis theeditorofour clubnewsletter.We live inKingston,NewHampshire,closetotheoceanandalsototheWhiteMountains.Wehavethebestofbothworlds.
Iwouldliketothankallofthewonderfulpeoplewhosteppedforwardtotakeuptheworkofbeingacommitteechairperson.ThankyoutoallofyouandIlookforwardtoworkingwithyouinthecomingyear.
Theholidayseasonisfastapproaching,soatthistime,IwouldliketowisheveryoneaveryHappyThanksgivingandhopethatyouenjoythatturkey.Iwouldliketohearfromallofyou.Mye-mailaddressis<[email protected]>. Larry
Meet The New EFMLS Presidentby Larry Heath, EFMLS President, from EFMLS News, Nov. 15
QuiteafewfolksknowIwritesafetyarticlesfortheAFMSNews and several other newslet-ters. So, itwas no surprisewhenafellowcameuptomeatalocalgemandmineralshowandposeda question and a concern aboutfield trip safety.Hisquestionper-tainedtoatriptoaworkingmineandhowtoapproachamatterofsafetythatwas,tohiswayofthink-ing,differentfromthatofthemineowner’spointofview.
Thefellowhadseenasituationattheminethathethoughtcouldhavebeenmoreofasafetyhazardthanhadtheminerowner’srepresentative.Itispossiblethattheowner’srepre-sentativemaynothavenotedthepotentialofthehazard,ormayperhapsnothavenotedthehazarditself.Theowner’srep-resentativecertainlydidnotknowthephysicalabilitiesoftheclubmembersattendingwhenjudgingapotentialhazard.So,ineffect,theinstancewasonewherethefellow,aclubofficer,thoughtasituationwasmorehazardoustohisclub’smembersthandidthemineowner’srepresentative.
It is rather unusual, given operating equipment, mineworkings, owners stocks, and the biggy -- company insur-ances,thataclubofficerwishedtoimposegreatersafetylim-itsthanthoserequiredbytheminingcompany.Thisisnotanissuefacedbymanyfieldtripleaders,so,howdoesoneapproachanissueinvolvingthehazardpotentialofanyoneparticularsituation?Eventhoughinstancessuchasthisareseldomfacedbyfieldtripleaders,I’mafirmbelieverinhavingaplanforeverysituation.Soherearesomeconsiderations:
1. Safetyis,aboveall,paramount.
2. Thefieldtripisusuallyattherequestoftheclub,nottheminerowners.
3. Mine and quarryworkers are specially trained tostringentsafetyguidelines. Suchworkersareeverwatch-fulandconstantlymonitorsafetyissuesintheirworkareas.Clubmembersontheotherhand,aregenerallynottrainedtoevaluateeverypotentialsafetyissueinaworkingmine.Members areusuallyonly given the site/mine specific in-structionthoughtnecessaryfortheareaofcollecting.
continued on page 9
Safety Matters: Tough Guyby Ellery Borow, from AFMS Newsletter, November 2015
Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015 Page 9
4.Ofseveralsetsofsafetyguidelinescanbeappliedtoasituation,thestrictestsetofrulesshouldbeutilized.Membersafetymustbeparamount.
5. Field trip leadersof theclubshouldbeawareofclub member’s weaknesses - who is likely to dehydratefaster than the others, who has a heart condition, whomighthave frailtiesneeding tobemonitoredmore thantherest,whomighthavebalanceissues,andsoon.True,folks have to ultimately be responsibility for themselvesbut things suchasdehydration can sneakuponperson,even a responsible person. Trip leaders need to be everwatchful,it’spartofthejobdescription.
6. Safety precaution lectures by mine representa-tives, as I havepersonallywitnessedonnumerousocca-sions,consistofanarmIhandwaveindicatingstayawayfrom (an armwave for) “there” or you can collect over(anarmwavefor)“here”.And,oh, it isalsonecessarytowearyourhardhats,safetyshoes,glovesandgogglesatalltimes.Whilethoseguidelinesaregoodformostfolks,therearethosefewwhotendtowanttostretchthelimitsof“there”or“here”.Myownpreferenceistohaveamoredistinct or physical barrier between “there” and “here”.Barrierscanincludewoodenstakesandflagging,fences,alineofboulders,orpaintedlinesontheground.It’sharderforwanderstoignoreadistinctorphysicallimiter.
7. It’s one thing if the owner’s representative givesafieldtripleaderthesafetyspecificsandthenthatperson,inturn,passestheparametersontotheclubmembers.Itisquiteanotherwhentherepresentativegivesthespecificstoeveryonepresentatthesametime.Theseareverydifferentapproachesinoneimportantrespect.Iftheminerepresenta-tivepassesthespecificstojustthetripleader,theleaderisthenabletopassevenmorerestrictiveguidelinesontothemembers.Ifthemembersaregiventhespecificsdirectlybytheminerepresentativeandthentheclubfield trip leaderwantstoimposesevenmorerestrictiveguidelines,itispos-sible thatmembersmaywant to knowwhy theadditionalrestrictionwere imposedbythetrip leader.Morestringentrestrictionsmaybedifficulttoexplaintomembers-unlessaclearcaseismadeastowhy.Suchawhytalkmaynotbeun-derstoodbymembers,orevenbytheminerepresentative.Therehastobegoodlevelofconfidenceinthefieldtriplead-er’s judgment if additional restrictionsneed tobe applied,andacceptedbymembers.Withhumannaturebeingwhatitis,therewillalwaysbememberswhowanttostretchthe
minerepresentative’shandwaveof“there”and“here”.
8.Whathappensifafieldtripleaderseestheneedtoimposegreaterrestriction?Mightthecompanyseeitasacallingintoquestiontheirjudgment?Mightthecompanyseesuchajudgmentasaneedtoperhapsrethinktheirallowingfieldtripstotheirfacility?Suchinstancescertainlycallforcom-munication-communicationindicatingthatthefieldtripleaderknowstheadditionalneedsorabilitiesofthemembers,com-municationindicatingthatthefieldtripleaderunderstandsthecollectinginterestsofthemembers,communicationindicatingtheneedtokeepanywanderingfolkstotighterdesignatedar-eas,andsoon.Goodnegotiationskills,goodcommunicationskills,goodsafetybackgroundsandjudgements,goodpeopleskillsareimportantinsuchinstances.
9. One helpful guide in deciding limits is the clubsownfieldtripguide.Yourclubdoeshaveafieldtripguidedoesn’t it?Anactualprintedguidecanhelpmakeacasefor“No”meaning“No”.Caseclosed,endofstory.Agener-alizedwrittenfieldtripsafetyguidecanbehelpful.Itisalsohelpful tohave some specialized guidelines thatmaybeappliedifnecessary-especiallyininstanceswhenimple-mentingadditionalsiterestrictionsbasedonthejudgmentofthefieldtripleader(s)
10. Speakingofjudgment,let’ssayamemberseesacol-lectingtreasure justa footortwoontheothersideofthelinewherecollectingisnotpermitted.Themember,byrights,shouldnotjustwalkacrossthatlimitlinebythosetwofeetandpickupthetreasure.Thatsaid,itmightbepossibletoseek permission from the owner’s representative to reachoverthosetwo(orthree,orfourorso)feetovertheline.Oneshouldalwaysbeawareofthepotentialproblemswithanyover-the-linecollecting.Thekeyistotryandavoidjeopardiz-ingfuturetrips--orcollectingonanyslipperyslopes.
There are numerous possibilities and pitfalls withanyaddedrestrictions.Firstandforemost isputtingclubmembersafetyfirst--evenifthefieldtripleaderhastobethetoughguy.Alltheofficialpositionsinaclubhaveclubconstitutionalorbylaworothergoverningclubdocumentauthority,thereforefieldtripleadersshouldbenolesssoauthorizedtodotheirjob--afterall,safetyrules.
Besafe,youdeserveno less. Pleasemindyourfieldtripleaders.
Tough Guycontinued from page 8
Page 10 Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015
◆Jasperismoredifficulttopolishthanit’scousinag-ate.Manyvarietiesareeitherporousorcontaintracesofhematite.
◆Howdoyouknowifthejasperyou’replanningtocutorpurchasewilltakeagoodpolish?Getitwet!Iftherockabsorbswateranddriesrapidly,don’twasteyourtimetry-ingtogetagoodpolishbecausetherockisveryporous.Ifitstayswetanddoesnotdryquickly,itcontainsahighamountofchalcedony(quartz)andwilltakeagoodpolish.
◆Darkhouseholdvinegarwilldissolveepoxygluebysoaking overnight. The final polish on silver depends onthenumberofbuffingwheelthreads,notontheamountofrougeused.Acheapbuffwillnotgivethesameresultsasaqualityone.Yougetwhatyoupayfor!
◆Ifyouwantasoftfinishonyoursilver jewelry,usepumice. Don’t have any pumice in the house? Sure youdo-it’sthepolishingagentinyourfavoritetubeoftooth-paste.Ifyouhaveafluoridetoothpaste,youcanalsouseittocleancrystals.
Hints From the Rockpileby the late Leon Hornstein, 2006
WhencuttingRhodochrosite,itisimportantthatonlywaterbeusedinthesaw.Anoil-basedproductwillbeab-sorbedandthestone’scolorwillbedeadened.
Afteryou’veshapedthestonetoit’sdesiredform,firstsandona220wheelandthenmovethroughthevariousmesh wheels. Use plenty of water and don’t apply toomuchpressure.
Checkthestonecarefullywitha loupeormagnifyingglassbetweenwheels tobesureyou’veremovedall thesandingmarksandflatspots.
Thebest polishing agent forRhodochrosite is still touseafeltwheelwithtinoxidemixedwithasmallamountofvinegar.
Polishing Rhodochrositefrom the late Ed Wengerd’s Notebook
•Thereisalwaysalottobethankfulforifyoutakethetime to look. For example, I’m sittinghere thinkinghowniceitisthatwrinklesdon’thurt. •Laughinghelps.It’slikejoggingontheinside.
•Middleage iswhenyouchooseyourcereal for thefiber,notthetoy. •Mymindnotonlywanders;sometimesitleavescom-pletely.
•Ifyoucanremaincalm,youdon’thaveallthefacts. •Youknowyou’regettingoldwhenyou stoop totieyourshoesandwonderwhatelseyoucandowhileyou’redownthere.
•Growingoldismandatory;growingupisoptional. •Insanityismyonlymeansofrelaxation.
•Forgetthehealthfood.IneedallthepreservativesIcanget. •You’regettingoldwhenyouget the samesensationfromarockingchairthatyouoncegotfromarollercoaster. •EverytimeI thinkaboutexercise, I liedowntill thethoughtgoesaway. •It’s frustratingwhenyouknowall theanswers,butnobodybotherstoaskyouthequestions.
•NowthatI’vegotmyheadtogether,mybodyfellapart. •Time may be a great healer, but its also a lousybeautician.
•Age doesn’t always bring wisdom; sometimes agecomesalone. •JustwhenIwasgettingusedtoyesterday,alongcametoday.
•SometimesIthinkIunderstandeverything,henIre-gainconsciousness. •It’sbadtosuppresslaughter,itgoesbackdownandspreadstoyourhips.
•Freedomofthepressmeansno-ironclothes.
•Seenitall,doneitall,can’tremembermostofit.
Truths About Growing Oldsource unknown
Page 11 Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015
Auctions - Lynne and Bernie Emery
Directory (address changes) Patty Lortie Field Trips - Russell Byers
Greeters - Barbara Buchleitner
Hospitality - Liz & Wendy Stanne
Committee Chairpersons
Mineral of the Month - Jim Hooper
Personals/Announcements/ Sunshine - Lynne Emery and Patricia Smith
Programs - Richard Hoff, Keith Kaneda & Tony Wilner
Safety - Johnny Johnsson
Show - Bernie & Lynne Emery
Showcase - Steve Dyer
Telephone Chain Lynne Emery Phylllis Dyer Dawn Johnsson Mary Chandler Liz Stanne Wendy Stanne
Please complete this form and include it with your membership renewal.
Individual ($15)____________ Family ($25____________
Names of Members:________________________________________Birthday (M/Day)________________
Hobby Interests (see below):__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________Birthday (M/Day)_________________
Hobby Interests (see below):__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________Birthday (M/Day)_________________
Hobby Interests (see below):__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________Birthday (M/Day)________________
Address:_________________________________________________________________________________
City:___________________________ State:____________Zipcode:__________________________
Telephone:_____________________________ E-mail:_____________________________________
Hobby Interests: (Please use numbers in the spaces above)
1. Lapidary 2. Jewelry 3. Minerals 4. Fossils 5. Microminerals 6. Field Trips
Mail or give to:
Steve Weinberger, PO Box 302; Glyndon, MD 21071-0302.
Make checks payable to “Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society”
2016 Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society Membership Renewal
Page 12 Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015
Carolyn Weinberger PO Box 302 Glyndon, MD 21071-0302
Upcoming EventsNovember: 7 - 8: TuscaroraGem&Mineral Show. NEWLOCA-TION:GreaterPhiladelphiaExpoCenter,100StationAve;Oaks,PA
11:Veteran’sDay
13: “What’sNew inMinerals” -ChesapeakeGem&MineralSocietymeetingatWestchester-7:30pm.
26:ThanksgivingHoliday
December: 1:AuctionattheGemCuttersGuildmeeting.MeadowMillatWoodberry-7:30pm.
11:ChesapeakeHolidayPartyatWestchester-6:30pm
19:OneDayMineralSale-HolidayInnTimonium
19:Balto.MineralSocietyHolidayParty.