Volume 55 No. 3
Alaska Pebble Patter
April 2013
ALASKA PEBBLE PATTER
April 2013
Official Bulletin Of The
Chugach Gem & Mineral
Society
Chugach Gem & Mineral Society
P.O. Box 92027
Anchorage, AK. 99509-2027
http://www/chugachgms.org/
CHUGACH GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY maintains
memberships in:
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MINERALOGICAL SOCIETIES
Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies
Chugach Gem & Mineral Society meetings are held at First United Methodist Church, 725 west 9 th Ave. Anchorage, AK.
Enter from the rear parking lot, south of 8 th Avenue between G & H Streets.
BUSINESS MEETING – 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM.
– 4th Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm.
Bring an entrée, side dish, salad, or dessert (plus serving utensil) to serve at least 5 people.
Also bring your own plate, silverware and drink.
Most importantly, bring a rock to show!
POTLUCK MEETING
Annual membership fees: Individuals - $20.00; Families (2 or more) - $25.00; Bulletin only - $10.00
Lifetime membership fees: Individuals - $200.00: Families (2 adults & children under 18) - $250.00
This Issue:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Officers and Chairpersons for 2013 – page 2
Websites of the Month – page 2
President’s Message – page 3
Business Meeting Minutes: April– pages 3-4
Safety Tips – page 4
Feature Story: Fake Minerals – pages 5-7
2013 Field Trip Schedule - page 8
Puzzle Of The Month: Alaska Rocks, Minerals & Fakes - pages 9-10
Puzzle answers – page 10
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CHUGACH GEM AND MINERAL SOCIETY OFFICERS AND CHAIRPERSONS
ELECTED POSITIONS FOR 2013
APPOINTED POSITIONS FOR 2013
PRESIDENT: Andres Macias 274-2204
PROGRAMS: Greg Durocher 337-2553
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT: Phillip Elrod 349-5457
FEDERATION LIAISON: Tom Cooper 262-9759
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT: Kyle Johnson 520-808-1220
FIELD TRIP: Bonnie Hepburn 274-0941
TREASURER: Nancy Danford 694-3288
PARLIAMENTARIAN: Norval Kane 243-4648
RECORDING SECRETARY: Bobbie Turnbow 337-6280
NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Chris Teutsch 694-
6586
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: Nancy Danford 694-3288
SUNSHINE: Dorothy Arnold 279-3876
MEMBERSHIP: Chris Teutsch 694-6586
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
WEBSITES FOR APRIL
Provided by Greg Durocher & Anita Williams
Here's the full URL for our club's FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chugach-Gem-andMineral-Society/157967464259784
Monsters of ancient seas:
http://phys.org/news/2013-01-fossil-museum-million-yearmarine.html http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/enormous-ichthyosaur
Interesting web site-- Earthquakes make gold veins in an instant : Nature News & Comment
http://www.nature.com/news/earthquakes-make-gold-veins-in-an-instant-1.12615
Publication: A Guide to Common Mineral FAKES – brought to you in conjunction with
FAKEMINERALS.COM: Quarterly Magazine – The Vug.com – Vol.1, No. 4
President’s Message
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Greetings, fellow rock hounds!
The landscape appearing outside our windows notwithstanding, spring really will arrive and
rockhounding will soon commence in earnest.
As usual, there is a wide range of trips planned, from kid-friendly to hard-core backcountry. The trip
folders are available for sign-ups on our Facebook site. Remember, current membership is required!
As you dig out your camping gear from snow-covered sheds, be assured that summer will come, and
with it, much adventure.
__Andres Macias
__________________________________________________________________
Business Meeting Minutes – April 2013
CGMS meeting called to order on 11APR13 by President, Andres Macias, at 7:05 pm.
~ Visitors were welcomed.
~ Bobbie Turnbow read the 14MAR2013 CGMS Business Meeting Minutes. Motion was made, seconded, and
passed unanimously to accept the minutes as read.
Committee Reports:
~ Financial Secretary: Nancy Danford reported financial records updated and in order.
~ Corresponding Secretary: Nancy Danford distributed all incoming mail. Andres shared other club
newsletters.
~ Sunshine Report: Dorothy Arnold announced Chuck Underwood is finally having some good days. He’s
home now.
~ Membership Report: Chris Teutsch reported membership as of 01APR2013 is 102 with 50 of those being
lifetime members.
~Federation Representative: Tom Cooper spoke about the Northwest Rockhound Retreat held in Oregon the
first week in September. It’s summer camp for grown-ups! Check out the write-up in the current Federation
Newsletter or go to their retreat website for more information
http://www.amfed.org/nfms/NwRockHoundRetreat.asp
~ Pebble Patter: Chris Teutsch brought in a couple copies of the current newsletter in case any attendees
aren’t getting theirs either through email or snail-mail.
~ Website: Andres hasn’t had time to work this issue. Anita Williams will take up this quest.
~ Upcoming Trips: Bonnie Hepburn announced weather is NOT our friend for the start of our 2013 trips. The
late snow and cold weather have pushed everything forward. Dates will be determined when the snow melts!
~ Scholarship: Committee will consist of Andres Macias, Anita Williams, Bobbie Turnbow, Joe Turnbow, and
Bonnie Hepburn. Bobbie received a list from UAA and will review them with Andres to determine those that
meet Club qualifications then schedule a meeting for the Scholarship Committee.
~ Science Fair: Each year works better and better. Marie wrote a great letter to the news and read it to the
club. Thanks Marie.
Old Business:
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~ Table donation to church: Greg Durocher has made numerous calls to the church to see if they are
interested. So far he hasn’t succeeded in reaching a real person. He’ll keep trying.
~ Club Shirts: Andres and Sheila Macias really don’t want to carry the few remaining shirts any longer. Greg
Durocher suggested a price reduction from $5 each to $3. After discussion, the motion was made, seconded,
and passed unanimously. All shirts were sold during the break. Many thanks go to Sheila and Andres for
managing this project over the years.
~ Bylaws revision: When Bobbie Turnbow was editing the bylaws she discovered a better fit for the new
amendment was in article 4, instead of article 6 and put it there. Andres Macias asked the club if there was any
issue with this relocation. No objections were made. Voting members need to sign and date the copy Andres
has for this year’s verification.
~ Proxy vote issue: Bobbie Turnbow provided an excerpt of Robert’s Rules of Order pertaining to this subject.
Andres Macias read it to the members present. Discussion ensued. Andres tabled the issue and will address it
with the Board, then reintroduce it to the general membership.
New Business:
~ Programs: Greg needs our help. He’s always looking for program material. Share your rock knowledge, it
can be something simple like checking your old trip photos and making a short presentation. It doesn’t have to
be a major production – just help.
~ Field Trip Reports: Bonnie talked about dragging family along for her foray into the Chesapeake &
Delaware fossil beds while on her latest trip to America. Joe talked about his recent trip to Prescott AZ and
hiking to view the stretch pebble conglomerate nearby.
After a short break, Greg Durocher gave an excellent visual presentation on Geologic Time: Comprehending
the Incomprehensible. We never looked at the value of a nickel in quite that way before. Thanks Greg.
Meeting adjourned at 9:05 pm
Respectfully submitted by
Bobbie Turnbow, CGMS Recording Secretary
___________________________________________________________________
Safety Tips
We are fast approaching field trip season that brings to mind activities such as hiking, ATV travel,
camping, using rock hammers and chisels and lugging back a load of interesting rocks. This spells
out not only fun in the sun (or rain) but the need for safe practices. One safe practice when riding
ATV’s, with others is staying in a group, especially if the terrain is unfamiliar to you. The leader may
know the trail but if others don’t, lagging behind could result in taking a wrong turn. Large, fuzzy
wildlife is also less likely to create problems when staying in groups. Mechanical equipment
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problems are often solved when pooling information and resources. Bottom line, when starting a
field trip as a group, end it as a group.
FAKE MINERALS
-- This concludes the second half Fake Minerals article. -Source for this article comes primarily from: The-Vug.com Quarterly Magazine. Permission to
reprint this material has been granted to CGMS by Justin Zzyzx, The-Vug’s editor. More information
can be gleaned from their excellent websites: Justin(@the-vug.com. and Fakeminerals.com
Listed below are just a few examples of things to look out for:
5. Irradiation of Crystals
Irradiation of mineral specimens is a fairly common thing, as it is simple to turn colorless quartz into
deep black smoky quartz or take pale aquamarine and turn it into a vibrant golden heliodor. With
quartz, the source of natural smoky coloration comes from radioactive sources in the formation and
host rock. These natural smoky quartz crystals tend to retain their color when exposed to sunlight,
where as irradiated crystals will fade fast when exposed to sunlight. People who sell heliodor from
Tajikistan will swear on their mother’s good name that the material is natural, but many of the
examples have been textbook representations of aquamarine deposits in Pakistan. Most blue topaz
that is seen on the jewelry market is irradiated to bring out the deep blue colors.
Example #1 a & b
Irradiated quartz crystal
Natural smoky quartz crystals
Example 2 a & b
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Natural aquamarine from Pakistan
April 2013
The same aquamarine irradiated to
pass as a “natural heliodor”
6. Heat Treatment Of Crystals
Heat Treatment causes changes in crystal color that are sometimes necessary to make a mineral
valuable as a gemstone. tanzanite is a perfect example of heat treatment in a gemstone, as most of the
crystals out of the ground have lots of brown hues in the crystal, which turn violet and blue when
exposed to heat. The most common heat treatment of a mineral is citrine, where the common purple
quartz of Rio del sol is cooked in a kiln to produce a rich reddish orange citrine color. These
specimens can be found in examples all over the world as one of the most common treated specimens
found at museum gift shops, truck stops, gem shops, mineral shows, metaphysical store, interior
design stores and any other imaginable place you could find a Brazilian agate or an amethyst geode.
This photo is a good example of this in heat treatment in action. They show what heat can do to some
minerals. Another quirky heat related fake can come from the heat applied to silver ore, acanthite,
silver wires will precipitate out, and sometimes in a way that looks an awful lot like natural silver
wires. The roasted specimens have a tell-tail roasted soot tarnish at the base of the crystals. The glut
of Moroccan silver wires on matrix were seen to have these signs of roasting.
A dull amethyst heat treated in
Artificially roasted acanthite
A kiln can be marketed as
wire
“citrine”
exuding silver
7. Dyeing Of Crystals
Dye plays a role in mineral fakes, as many rocks would not sell
readily en mass as drab clear, colorless and light brown/gray
rocks. With several ways of processing, agates from Brazil can be
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dyed to green, blue, red, black and purple quite readily. One of the main reasons for coloring a
mineral can be the lack of contrast. In the case of the uncommon mineral okenite, the white puffballs
on white quartz matrix did not have much contrast, but the okenite would draw in food color
willingly, making colorful blue and yellow okenites a common sight on eBay. Howlite was a very
common material from southern California, commonly dyed blue to mimic turquoise. Now, as
howlite has become scarce, magnasite from Africa is being marketed by Chinese lapidaries as
howlite.
8. Artisan Products
And finally, the most unique kind of “fake” is the artesian products of miners and people living in
mining towns around the world. Cemented quartz crystals in a flowery cluster, pyrite chispas piled
on top of flower pots. One of my favorites was a tower of brown tourmaline crystals stuck in a
towering stalactite of black tar matrix. It is a unique difference in cultural perception that fuels these
items, making them, perhaps, the most desirable of all these items listed.
Loose calcite crystals artificially glued
together on matrix
Other “fake catagories include outright hoaxes and misrepresentations such as taking low grade
diamonds from the Panna Mine in India, pretending to have found them in the famous Crater of
Diamond State Park in Arkensas and selling them at inflated prices. Another example is selling
swirly Chinese fluorite as Russian charoite, thus purposefully calling a natural similar-looking
mineral as something more valuable. There are undoubtedly dozens of examples that will fit this
description. Had we included the category of “Metaphysical” properties of minerals, this article
would easily have turned into a book. Suffice it to say that an exploration into the physical properties
of naturally occurring minerals contains enough astounding information to keep the professional
mineralogist and hobbyist rock hound alike imbued with wonder without having to resort to
“doctored up” specimens or ascribing bizarre attributes to them.
I hope this series of articles on Fake Minerals has been helpful in providing an appreciation not only
for natural wonders, but also for the inventiveness and the God-given ability to re-create and enjoy
objects that find an expression through human artistry. For the rock and mineral enthusiast, there is
no substitute for knowledge when it is coupled with honest inquiry. To learn more about Fakes, visit;
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www.fakeminerals.com. To learn more about the natural world of minerals, check out books on
mineralogy by James Dwight Dana, Frederick H. Pough, Simon & Schuster’s Guide to Rocks And
Minerals, et.al. Examples and photos cited above were provided by: THE VUG. __ct
2013 Chugach Gem and Mineral Society Activity List
Club membership is required for all club trips
Date
Mar 7
Activity Name
Evening at Nature’s
Jewels (KF)*
Alaska Science and
Engineering Fair (KF)*
Leader(s)
Joe Turnbow
Mar 22-24
Days
Thurs
6:30 pm
Fri-Sun
Apr 27-28
Sat-Sun
Spirit Rocks
Phillip Elliott
May 11
Sat
Knik Glacier
Phillip Elliott
May 19
Sun
Spring Cleanup at
Hatcher Pass (KF)*
Andres Macias
Bonnie Hepburn
May 31
Fri
6:30 pm
Thurs
7 p.m.
Sat
Growlers, Grillers
&Gravel @Greg’s
Anchorage Dunes
Greg Durocher
Greg Durocher
Beer, brats, and a tour of Greg’s rock collection. Bring a dish
to share.
See the dunes near the motocross area of Kincaid Park.
Sixmile Creek
Goldpanning (KF)*
Point Woronzof (KF)*
Phillip Elrod
Moil for gold near Hope.
Anita Williams
Prindle Volcano
Expedition
Andres Macias
Evening of beachcombing and picnicking in Anchorage.
Bring a log for the bonfire.
ATV and backpack to Prindle Volcano. Trip starts in
Chicken. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
Anita Williams
June 6
June 8
June 14
June 2023 (from
Chicken)
July 4-7
Fri
6pm
Thu-Sun
Thu-Sun
Andres Macias
July 20
Sat
July 23
July 27-28
Tue eve
Sat-Sun
Richardson Hwy
North
Crow Creek Mine
(KF)*
River Walk
Flat Creek
Aug 5-13
Monnext Tue
Nugget Creek
Expedition
Andres Macias
Aug 11
Sun
Golden Zone Mine
Dorothy Arnold
TBD late
summer /
early fall
TBD fall
5 days
from
FBX
TBD
Elliott Hwy
Anita Williams
Bonnie Hepburn
UAA Geology
Exhibits (KF)*
Bonnie Hepburn
Elizabeth Haus
Phillip Elliott
Phillip Elliott
8
Comments
Meet at Joe’s shop and talk about rocks. Bring an interesting
blue rock to the event.
K-12 science fair at East High School. CGMS members help
with set-up, teardown and judging. CGMS gives awards for
best geology exhibits.
ATV/4WD trip. Beachcombing north of Nikiski for spirit
rocks. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
ATV/4WD to Knik Glacier to view interesting ice
formations. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
Meet in Hatcher Pass (parking lot location TBD) at 11 am.
Free parking for volunteers. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
Road trip to explore Rainbow Ridge and Gulkana Glacier
areas. Pogo Mine tour. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
Pay-to-play gold mining at Crow Creek Mine in Girdwood.
Join Mat-Su club on one of their 4th Tues river walks.
ATV/4WD to areas near Little Nel. Agates, fossils. Joint trip
with Mat-Su Club.
ATV and hike in W-StE NP. Trailhead in Strelna. Public use
cabin reserved. Permission to collect on private claims. Short
version: Join group for long weekend.
$120 adult/$50 child for transportation from MP188 Parks.
Meet there at 9AM. Make check payable to “Denali
Sightseeing Safaris”. Could camp nearby on Sat. Joint trip
with Prospectors, Mat-Su Club.
Road trip to explore permafrost tunnel, Elliott Hwy to
Manley Hot Springs. Starts in Fairbanks.
Tour BLM Alaska rock and mineral specimens that were
moved from Douglas to Anchorage. Tour relocated UAA
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Alaska Pebble Patter
Oct 5
Sat
3rd Annual Elliotts
Summer Wake
Phillip Elliott
Nov 8-10
(?)
Fri-Sun
AMA Rock and
Mineral Show(KF)*
TBD and
committee
April 2013
geology “rock garden”.
Come over to the Elliotts for a potluck and bring rocks to
show off! Main dish and sodas provided. Limited to the first
25 who sign up.
Get your displays ready for this year’s show!
Last updated: 2/8/2016
(KF): Kid Friendly; Note: Children's supervision is solely the responsibility of their parent(s).
ALASKAN ROCKS, MINERALS & FAKES
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Puzzle answers
ACROSS
DOWN
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April 2013