Alaska Pebble Patter
July 2013
ALASKA PEBBLE PATTER
July 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. Officers and Chairpersons for 2013: page 2
2. Websites of the Month: page 2
3. Business Meeting Minutes for June: pages 3-4
4. Hatcher Pass Spring Cleanup Report: pages 4-5
5. 2013 Field Trip Schedule __updated 7/23/13: page 6
6. Mini Field Trip Report: pages 7-8
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July 2013
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
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WEBSITES FOR JULY
Provided by Greg Durocher & Chris Teutsch
Here's the full URL for our club's FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chugach-Gem-andMineral-Society/157967464259784
Website for July: Missing Link in Dinosaur Egg Evolution
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130723-chicxulub-asteroid-dinosaursfreshwater-survival-extinction/
USGS, Bulletin 849 I; The Moose Pass-Hope District Kenai Peninsula, AK., Ralph Tuck; pp 476-478
Stratigraphy, Slate and Graywacke - Distribution and Character
http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0849i/report.pdf
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July 2013
Business Meeting Minutes
CGMS meeting called to order on 013JUL13 by President, Andres Macias, at 7:05 pm.
~ Visitors were welcomed not in the normal agenda but welcomed they were.
~ Bobbie Turnbow read the 13JUN2013 CGMS Business Meeting Minutes. Corrections were made.
Motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to accept the minutes as corrected.
Committee Reports:
~ Financial Secretary: Nancy Danford reported all financial records were in order
~ Corresponding Secretary: Nancy Danford distributed all incoming mail.
~ Sunshine Report: Dorothy Arnold unavailable. Phil Elrod noted Beverly Baker’s close friend
Jimmy Durhagle is terminally ill. Phil plans to take some flowers to Jimmy from the club.
~ Membership Report: Chris Teutsch reports we have three new members. This brings our total
membership up to 112 for 2013.
~ Federation Representative: Tom Cooper was not available.
~ Pebble Patter: Chris Teutsch continues to generate our publication with little or no help from
membership. He sure needs your input.
~ Website: Sue Hilton and Andres are still looking for the password info Anita Williams needs to
move this project forward.
~ Upcoming Trips: Bonnie Hepburn announced the next scheduled trips.
~ Scholarship: Andres Macias will email both the scholarship recipients to confirm their registration
in fall courses. At that time, CGMS will issue their scholarship checks to them.
~ Science Fair: Still need a new chairperson.
Old Business: Andres asked about club member use of lapidary equipment stored in the connex.
Equipment needs to be inspected and have some level of maintenance performed before they will be
operational. Need to address financial issue; length of temporary use; maintenance after initial set
up; etc. Issue rolled over into New Business.
New Business:
~ Lapidary Equipment: After discussion, it was agreed a draft of rules needs to be generated and
reviewed by the club at the next business meeting. One element mentioned was the philosophy of
‘Break it- Buy it: Bend it –Mend it. Joe Turnbow will research his records to see if he has something
that could be used and Bobbie Turnbow will create the draft. Discussion followed regarding
covering cost to bring the machines up to usable condition. This will be addressed after Andres
Macias and Joe Turnbow complete their inspection.
~Recognizing Jean and Norval Kane: Chris Teutsch questioned Jean Kane’s club membership.
Seems Norval is a lifetime member but Jean isn’t. Motion was made, seconded, and passed
unanimously to grant Jean lifetime membership. Discussion also followed regarding giving
something to Jean and Norval for their long involvement in CGMS. Motion was made, seconded and
passed unanimously to have a recognition event before 15AUG13 for them. Funds up to $150 were
approved for this effort.
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July 2013
~ Meeting frequency: Chris Teutsch mentioned his article in the last issue of the Pebble Patter
regarding changing CGMS meetings from 2 to 1 per month. The majority of the meeting attendees
stated this should be tabled and discussed in about six months.
~ Field Trip Reports: Bonnie Hepburn gave a report of a flight-seeing tour she had over Knik glacier
Greg Durocher reported on a trip he and Sherri took on the highway between Tok and Fairbanks.
No presentation was available due to technical difficulties.
Meeting adjourned at 9:30 pm
Respectfully submitted by
Bobbie Turnbow, CGMS Recording Secretary
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Spring Cleanup at Hatcher Pass Report by Bonnie Hepburn
Cleanup Date: June 2, 2013
Cleanup Crew: Bonnie Hepburn (trip leader), Phillip Elrod, Sue Hilton, Elizabeth Haus, Veronica
Orozco, Gary Powell, Marie Congdon, Doyle Miller
Due to this year’s cold spring and freak May snowstorm, our annual cleanup along the Hatcher Pass
road had to be rescheduled from May 19 to June 2. After a beautiful Memorial Day weekend and
great weather for most of the following week, Sunday, June 2, arrived cold, rainy, and generally
unpleasant. Nevertheless, eight hardy (hearty) souls from CGMS and the Mat-Su Rock Club arrived
at the Gold Mint parking lot around 11 am for the cleanup. Ranger Amy O’Connor and her assistant
met us with trash bags and gloves, as well as some grabbers and safety vests.
We divided into two groups, one starting at our meeting point and the other 3½ miles up mountain at
the Independence Bowl parking lot. The snowmelt was about the same as we’ve seen on our previous
May cleanups, however, this year’s trash was not as interesting as in the past. Some coins and the
usual assortment of bottles and cans. But no GPS’s, gold rings, or pot stashes as have been
previously discovered. The only thing that everyone commented on was the quantity of dog poop at
the Fishhook lot. Phenomenally more than I had ever seen.
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Throughout the cleanup, the weather would alternate between foggy and light rain. As we were near
completion, the rain got heavier. But all continued to labor at our task and both groups met in the
middle around 3:30 pm.
After congratulating ourselves, six of us celebrated our accomplishment at the Hatcher Pass Lodge.
We enjoyed such decadent treats as hot cocoa with whipped cream and chocolate bits or warm cups
of savory chili. We were exhausted, but glad to have completed the cleanup!
I did have our lodge waiter take a photo of the celebration, but regret that I forgot to photograph the
actual work.
As we were leaving, I did
snap a shot of the weather.
In closing, though the
turnout wasn’t great, those
that showed up were
fantastic! And Ranger
Amy has repeatedly thanked our clubs for continuing this annual community service. Hope to see
more folks onboard for next year’s cleanup.
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2013 Chugach Gem and Mineral Society Activity List
Date
Mar 7
Club membership is required for all club trips
Activity Name
Leader(s)
Comments
Evening at Nature’s
Joe Turnbow
Meet at Joe’s shop and talk about rocks. Bring an
Jewels (KF)*
interesting blue rock to the event.
Alaska Science and
Andres Macias
K-12 science fair at East High School. CGMS
Engineering Fair
members help with set-up, teardown and judging.
(KF)*
CGMS gives awards for best geology exhibits.
Spirit Rocks
Phillip Elliott
ATV trip. Beachcombing north of Nikiski for spirit
rocks. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
Knik Glacier
Phillip Elliott
ATV/4WD to Knik Glacier to view interesting ice
formations. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
Spring Cleanup at
Andres Macias
Meet in Hatcher Pass at the Gold Mint parking lot at 11
Hatcher Pass (KF)*
Bonnie Hepburn
am. Free parking for volunteers. Joint trip with Mat-Su
Club.
Mar 22-24
Days
Thurs
6:30 pm
Fri-Sun
Apr 27-28
Sat-Sun
May 11
Sat
June 2
Sun
June 6
Thurs
7 p.m.
Fri
6pm
Thu-Sun
Anchorage Dunes
(KF)*
Point Woronzof
(KF)*
Prindle Volcano
Expedition
Greg Durocher
See the dunes near the motocross area of Kincaid Park.
Anita Williams
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.
Thu-Sun
Richardson Hwy
North
Mat-Su Rock
Club
July 20
Sat
Elizabeth Haus
July 23
July 27-28
Tue eve
Sat-Sun
Crow Creek Mine
(KF)*
River Walk
Flat Creek
Aug 2-11
Fri - next
Sun
Nugget Creek
Expedition
Andres Macias
Aug 11
Sun
Golden Zone Mine
Dorothy Arnold
Sept 13
tentative
Fri
early eve
UAA Geology
Exhibits (KF)*
Bonnie Hepburn
TBD
summer
2014
TBD
5 days
from FBX
Elliott Hwy
Anita Williams
Bonnie Hepburn
Pogo Mine tour cancelled. Mat-Su Club took lead on
road trip portion to explore Rainbow Ridge and
Gulkana Glacier.
Pay-to-play gold mining at Crow Creek Mine in
Girdwood. Meet 10 am at mine parking lot.
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.
Permission to collect on private claims. Short version:
Join group for long weekend. Joint trip with Mat-Su
Club. Note corrected dates.
$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.
Tour BLM Alaska rock and mineral specimens that
were moved from Douglas to Anchorage. Tour
relocated UAA geology “rock garden”.
The stars weren’t aligning for Anita and me this year
on this trip, so we’re tabling it till early summer 2014.
Sat or Sun
Phillip Elrod
Moil for gold near Hope. To be rescheduled.
TBD
Greg Durocher
Oct 5
Fri
6:30 pm
Sat
Sixmile Creek
Goldpanning
Growlers, Grillers
&Gravel @Greg’s
3rd Annual Elliotts
Summer Wake
Nov 8-10
Fri-Sun
AMA Rock and
TBD and
Beer, brats, and a tour of Greg’s rock collection. Bring
a dish to share. To be rescheduled.
Come over to the Elliotts for a potluck and bring rocks
to show off! Main dish and sodas provided. Joint trip.
Ltd to the first 25. (10 from CGMS)
Get your displays ready for this year’s show!
June 14
June 2023 (from
Chicken)
July 4-7
Andres Macias
Phillip Elliott
Phillip Elliott
Phillip Elliott
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July 2013
Mineral Show(KF)*
committee
Last updated: 2/10/2016
(KF): Kid Friendly; Note: Children's supervision is solely the responsibility of their parent(s).
Mini Field Trip Report
Saturday, July 20, I drove to Cooper Landing on the Sterling Highway to explore some of the roads I
have not been on before and to refresh myself on others that I traveled years ago. One of these roads
was the Old Sterling Highway between Cooper Landing and Tern Lake, and the other was the Snug
Harbor Road that leads from the north end of Kenai Lake to the old Hydro Project.
On this trip, I had planned to pan for gold here and there, but ended up doing neither. However,
while on the Snug Harbor Road, I did notice some interesting geology. Pictured below, and in back
of the mountain ash, is a good example of folded bedrock. It is comparatively small-scale, yet
displays anticline structure in slate bluff.
According to the free online dictionary, www.thefreedictionary.com/anticline, “Anticlines form
when rocks are compressed by plate-tectonic forces. (the folds are convex) They can be as small as a
hill or as large as a mountain range.” Further description is provided by the Dictionary of Geologic
Terms third edition, Anchor Books, 1984: “The core of anticlines contains the stratigraphically older
rocks. If the upper strata of the folds are impervious, they can act as a trap for hydrocarbons
beneath.” What I saw pictured below might simply fit the terminology of “Folded Rock.” But if you
were the size of an ant, and you let your imagination go wild, the term, anticline would creep in.
Folded slate bedrock on the Snug Harbor Road approximately seven miles from the junction of
the Sterling Highway, Cooper Landing, AK. By way of scale, note that the mountain ash in the
right foreground is approximately six feet in height from bottom of photo to the top of the foliage.
(Also note synclinal structure center left)
Speaking of slate, what is it? Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock, harder and shinier than shale
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from whence it came. According to Anita Williams, slate has a hollow, ringing tone when a thin plate
of shale is struck. In contrast, shale produces a dull tone. Besides, slate’s smooth surface will reflect
in the sunlight, where as shale generally appears dull.
Most slates, especially in South Central Alaska come in various shades of gray. But elsewhere, slate
can occur shades of red, brown and black. As the slate is subjected to pressure, foliation causes the
mineral grains to align along a given plane, parallel to each other. This explains the “slaty cleavage.”
The clay components of slate are altered to micas. Other minerals may include muscovite mica,
chlorite, graphite, quartz, end feldspars. Generally, the process of transforming sedimentary rock to
metamorphic rock may be seen as follows:
Mud and clay  mudstone (also argillites)  shale  slate  phyllite  schist  gneiss. With
sustained tectonic pressures and heat, it is not uncommon to see significant contorted bedding planes
in slate bedrock.
Local occurrences of slate include the road cuts near Bird Point on the Seward Highway, Snug
Harbor Road by Cooper Landing, along the Hope cut-off road. These outcrops occur interbedded
with graywacke. Other locations nearby include the drainages of Bear Creek, Palmer Creek and Six
mile Creek. This becomes obvious to anyone panning for gold in these creeks. For further
discussion, please refer to websites for July. __ct
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