Alaska Pebble Patter
March 2013
ALASKA PEBBLE PATTER
March 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: March– pages 3-4
4. Programs – page 5
5. Points to Ponder – page 5
6. Feature Story: Fake Minerals, Part 1 – pages 5-8
7. Items For Sale – page 8
8. 2013 Field Trip Schedule - page 9
9. Blank Membership Application Form – page 10
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March 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
WEBSITES FOR MARCH
Provided by Greg Durocher
Here's the full URL for our club's FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chugach-Gem-andMineral-Society/157967464259784
View images of lava tubes, fountains, and more on our USGS Photo Glossary of Volcano Terms:
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/images/pglossary/
Dino double-whammy: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130212--chicxulubasteroid-dinosaurs-volcano-mass-extinction-environment-science/
precisely dating the K/T Impact Event: http://phys.org/news/2013-02-precise-dates-comet-asteroidimpact.html
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March 2013
Business Meeting Minutes – March 2013
CGMS meeting called to order on 14MAR13 by President, Andres Macias, at 7:05 pm.
~ Visitors were welcomed.
~ Bobbie Turnbow read the 14FEB2013 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 financial records updated and in order.
~ Corresponding Secretary: Nancy Danford distributed all incoming mail. Andres placed some of the other
club newsletters on the entry table for folks to review.
~ Sunshine Report: Dorothy Arnold brought a card for Chuck Underwood who’s still having some problems.
In fact, he’s scheduled for more back surgery. Dorothy noted Jean and Norval Kane are keeping the doctors
busy with all their visits also.
~ Membership Report: Chris Teutsch reported membership as of 01JAN2013 is 147 with 48 of those being
lifetime members. We still have a few members who aren’t current so get those dues paid up everyone!
~Federation Representative: Tom Cooper announced we ‘rock’ with our participation in the Federation stamp
program. In fact, a Federation representative told Tom CGMS provides more than all the other clubs in our
federation put together! Let’s keep up the good work.
~ Pebble Patter: Chris Teutsch is preparing the next issue. Chris still needs ideas and articles to publish. Take
20 minutes out of your busy day and help him out.
~ Website: Webmaster not present.
~ Upcoming Trips: Bonnie Hepburn presented the list for the 2013 trips and covered the next few trips in
detail. She’ll be out of the net for about 3 weeks so call Sheila Macias if you have any trip questions.
~ Scholarship: Joe and Bobbie Turnbow gave Andres a little help and tag teamed UAA to get some action from
their end. Seems UAA has the same contact staff, but workload makes things a bit crazy for them. Anyway,
we’ve moved one step closer to getting a list of perspective applicants. The Turnbow team will continue
working with UAA for the club.
~ Science Fair: Scheduled for 22-24MAR2013, Andres needs volunteers! Any time you can contribute will be
greatly appreciated. There is a need for set up and registration on Friday, 22MAR13; judging on 23MAR13
(college degree required to judge Junior/Senior High entries); then awards and teardown on Sunday, 24MAR13.
Greg Durocher volunteered to be the alternate speaker should one be needed. Andres suggested the club have a
information table during the fair.
Old Business:
~ Website: Nancy Danford gave Andres Macias the email address for David Blocker, her son’s friend who is
willing to reestablish our website presence. Greg Durocher mentioned we need price quotes before proceeding.
Joe Turnbow expressed concern regarding releasing passwords to a member of the general public. Andres
Macias stated he would make a presentation to the Board before any action is taken on this issue.
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March 2013
~ Bylaws revision: The latest Pebble Patter bylaws amendment was publication in the February 2013 edition.
After discussions, a motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to accept the amendment as read. The
change will be added to our bylaws under article 6, bullet 5, become bullet 5b, and reads as follows:
In the event a quorum is not present on election day, the current slate of officers is approved by the
general membership to continue in their existing positions until such time as a quorum is available
and a vote is taken for a new slate of officers.
As recording secretary, Bobbie Turnbow will prepare a new edition of the CGMS Bylaws to present to club
officers for certification.
~ Membership Dues: For some reason, Greg Durocher got a letter from Federation regarding CGMS dues.
Nancy Danford has not paid them because she, Chris Teutsch, and the Federation can’t come to an agreement on
the total membership figure. Chris and Nancy will determine a definite membership figure as of 31DEC12.
Then Nancy will send the check to cover that number.
New Business:
~ Proxy voting: Anita Williams and Sheila Macias brought up ways to ensure a quorum with proxy/absentee
voting but the members present did not want to address the issue at this time. Andres Macias stated a board
meeting is needed to address this issue. He also noted we need to research Roberts’ rules of order to determine
what we want and the appropriate methods available.
~ Old CGMS display tables: Andres Macias noted the church tables are in terrible condition and they don’t
seem to be replacing broken ones. CGMS has an abundance of tables not being used in the Conex. His
suggestion was to see if the church can use some donated tables. After discussion, a motion was made,
seconded, and passed unanimously. Greg Durocher will talk with the church.
~ Field Trip Reports: Chris Teutsch shared his trip to Berny, CA where he collected diatomaceous stone. He
had some interesting pieces to show the club. Joe Turnbow talked about the clubs field trip to Nature’s Jewels
for Blue Rock night. Joe and Bobbie enjoyed hosting the evening. Bonnie Hepburn mentioned the table of
labeled rocks that tested your ability to identify each stone was lots of fun. Kyle Johnson spent some time at
Nature’s Jewels and gave Joe some core samples from the Pogo mine. Joe shared his bounty with the club.
Everyone got at least one from the bucket. Thanks Kyle!
After a short break, Dorothy Arnold gave a presentation on her recent trip to Iceland and Greenland.
Meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm
Respectfully submitted by
Bobbie Turnbow, CGMS Recording Secretary
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March 2013
Programs
The presentation for the March 28th potluck was on the Nike Site "Mountaintop Fortress of the Cold War"
by guest speaker Jim Renkert. This was a Nike-Hercules missile site that sat above the Christmas star
on the mountain to the east of Anchorage. I was stationed for two-and-a-half years there back in the
70's. Jim is the director of the nonprofit group Friends of Nike Site Summit (FONSS), of which I am a
member. __Greg Durocher
POINTS TO PONDER (practical or academic: You decide)
In defining a mineral, the February 2012 Pebble Patter stated that a mineral: “is a naturally-occurring,
inorganic substance (solid) having a homogenous chemical composition, a crystal lattice structure and
other physical characteristics . . . . by which it is identified. By this definition, ice and snowflakes are
minerals, water is not.” Let is refine our assessment of ice. If we pop an ice cube tray into the freezer
for our party drinks. Is the resultant ice a mineral? According to Geology.com, it is. Even if the ice
cube’s surface appears amorphous, the internal structure of the frozen water is hexagonal. But since
the ice in the ice cube tray is man-made, strictly speaking, we could not call it a mineral.
****************************************************************************
FAKE MINERALS
There is an increasing supply of man-made or man enhanced mineral specimens on the market today.
This is driven by the human desire to create things of beauty and find expression in artistry as well as
by an enhanced profit margin.
The following article is dedicated to shed light on this topic without ascribing any value judgment on
products that appeal to the eye. However cause for concern lies not with the process of enhancing or
altering a mineral’s natural characteristic but in purposefully mislabeling it to represent something it
is not.
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:
1. Man Made Crystals
Man made crystals are wonderful teaching tools, often made of elements that are not found in
nature, or rarely as exciting as crystals created in a controlled environment. Alumium and
magnesium from refining operations are often sold as natural crystals, as well as the supposed
smokestack, but truly, lab grown, zincite crystals. Sulfur stalactites are sometimes sold as
natural occurrences, yet, form on the side of pipes, precipitating out the element. Lab grown
crystals of Zircon, Emerald, and Ruby are often sold as the real thing, embedded in matrix in
some extremes. Gemstones known for a rare source for desirable hues find labs searching for
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Alaska Pebble Patter
March 2013
ways to duplicated them, such as “Siberian” amethyst or “russian” ametrine. Some specimens,
like the crafted Malachite stalactites from the D.R. Congo, contain copper wires inside, with a
layer of malachite produced by man, with druzy malachite glued to the outside.
Lab grown bismuth crystals
Lab grown zircon crystals on similarly
Colored matrix
Naturally occurring chalcanthite
Lab grown chalcanthite crystals
2. Coated Minerals
Coatings of crystals are a common way to create new items to market. Years ago it was discovered
that you could take a somewhat tough mineral and place it in a vacuum chamber and fuse it with
an element in gas form. The result is a durable bond of elements such as gold, titanium, indium
and iron oxide, to the surface of the crystal, giving it a beautiful sparkle and color. Gold creates
blue, or Aqua Aura, indium produces a violet hue, titanium produces a opalescent white coating
and iron oxide colors the quartz a predictable orange, with a vibrant sparkle. Most dealers are very
up-front about the origin of these specimens and most buyers are not turned off by this fact. The
crazy colorful sparkle is something that could not be found in nature for such a price! The other
treatment of quartz was a Teflon coating, which created “jelly quartz” in all sorts of bright colorful
hues. Electroplating and similar treatments can be used to fuse quartz with chromium and produce
bright green quartz clusters.
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Alaska Pebble Patter
Quartz crystals treated with fused, vaporized elements
March 2013
Poor quality quartz cluster with elemental
bonding of chromium
3. Chemical Reaction To Crystals
Chemical Reactions create all sorts of colorful results in crystals. The most common would be the
results of Copper Sulfate, which makes colorless carbonates turn bright blue and green. The result is
“pseudomorphs” of malachite after calcite and malachite after aragonite.
Calcite crystal soaked in a solution of copper
sulphate to mimic pseudomorph of malchite
after calcite
4. Mechanical Alteration Of Crystals
Mechanical alterations are when someone takes a natural specimen and uses a tool to alter it in a
completely un-natural way to produce a fake that is intended to be a natural find. Fluorite is often the
victim to this, as the material is very soft and can be made into fluorite octahedrons by cleaving, then
sold as natural crystals, or carved into spheres or crude crystals and sold as natural formed specimens.
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March 2013
In the 2000’s there was a batch of galena crystals which were found to be the product of creative,
aggressive, micro-abrasion.
Carved and braded fluorite cubes
Sand-blasted galena cubes
The April edition of the Pebble Patter will bring the second half of this article by discussing 5)
Irradiation of Crystals, 6) Heat Treatment of Crystals, 7) Dyeing of Crystals and 8) other types of
Misrepresentation of Minerals. I will mention that I have a number of “Fakes” in my rock and mineral
collection because some of them are perfect examples of crystal forms. But it bears repeating that
these man-made and altered objects are only fakes if they are advertised and sold under false labels.
__ct
***************************************************************************
ITEMS FOR OR SALE:
Kurt Rein (344-5554) is selling the following:
1) Raw Australian Opals of various sizes, qualities and prices.
2) Pixie Grinder with four grinding wheels & end polisher. $800. Can be configured
in different ways to suit your grinding/polishing needs.
Call: 344-5554
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Alaska Pebble Patter
March 2013
2013 Chugach Gem and Mineral Society Activity List
Club membership is required for all club trips
Date
Mar 7
Mar 22-24
Days
Thurs
6:30 pm
Fri-Sun
Apr 13
Sat
Activity Name
Evening at Nature’s
Jewels (KF)*
Alaska Science and
Engineering Fair
(KF)*
Knik Glacier
Apr 27-28
Sat-Sun
Spirit Rocks
Phillip Elliott
May 11
Sat
Phillip Elrod
May 19
Sun
Sixmile Creek
Goldpanning (KF)*
Spring Cleanup at
Hatcher Pass (KF)*
Andres Macias
Bonnie Hepburn
Meet in Hatcher Pass (parking lot location TBD) at 11
am. Free parking for volunteers. Joint trip with Mat-Su
Club.
May 31
Fri
6:30 pm
Thurs
7 p.m.
Thurs
6pm
Growlers, Grillers
&Gravel @Greg’s
Anchorage Dunes
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.
Point Woronzof
Business Meeting
(KF)*
Prindle Volcano
Expedition
Anita Williams
Richardson Hwy
North
Crow Creek Mine
(KF)*
River Walk
Nugget Creek
Expedition
Anita Williams
June 6
June 13
Leader(s)
Joe Turnbow
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 to Knik Glacier to view interesting ice
formations. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
ATV/4WD trip. Beachcombing north of Nikiski for
spirit rocks. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
Moil for gold near Hope.
Andres Macias
Phillip Elliott
Greg Durocher
Business meeting on the beach. Picnicking, brief
meeting, and beachcombing in Anchorage. Bring a log
for the bonfire. Note earlier start time.
ATV and backpack to Prindle Volcano. Trip starts in
Chicken. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
June 2023 (from
Chicken)
July 4-7
Thu-Sun
July 20
Sat
July 23
Aug 5-13
Tue eve
Mon-next
Tue
TBD
Sun
Golden Zone Mine
(KF) *
Dorothy Arnold
TBD late
summer
TBD late
summer /
early fall
TBD fall
Fri-Sun
Flat Creek
Phillip Elliott
5 days
from FBX
Elliott Hwy
Anita Williams
Bonnie Hepburn
TBD
UAA Geology
Exhibits (KF)*
Bonnie Hepburn
Thu-Sun
Nov 8-10
Fri-Sun
AMA Rock and
(?)
Mineral Show (KF)*
Last updated: 2/9/2016
Andres Macias
Elizabeth Haus
Phillip Elliott
Andres Macias
TBD and
committee
9
Road trip to explore Rainbow Ridge and Gulkana
Glacier areas. Pogo Mine tour.
Pay-to-play gold mining at Crow Creek Mine in
Girdwood.
Join Mat-Su club on one of their 4th Tues river walks.
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. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
$$$ adult/$$ 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.
ATV/4WD to areas near Little Nel. Agates, fossils.
Joint trip with 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 geology “rock garden”.
Get your displays ready for this year’s show!
Alaska Pebble Patter
March 2013
(KF): Kid Friendly; Note: Children's supervision is solely the responsibility of their parent(s).
\
Membership Application
CHUGACH GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY, INC.
P.O. Box 92027, Anchorage, AK 99509-2027
- PLEASE FILL OUT COMPLETELY Date __________________ Receipt No. __________________Membership Card No.
 Individual $20
 Family $25
 Lifetime – Individual $200
 Lifetime – Family $250
 New Membership
 Membership Renewal
Last Name
First Name
Spouse’s Name
Mailing Address
Home Phone
 Bulletin Only $10
City
Work Phone
State
Zip
Spouse’s Work Phone
Occupation
Spouse’s Occupation
Would you like to receive the club’s newsletter, the “Pebble Patter,” by e-mail?
Yes or
No
______________________________________________
E-mail address
Release of Liability
In applying for membership in the Chugach Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. (CGMS), each applicant agrees to abide by the rules
adopted by CGMS. The applicant acknowledges that there are risks associated with all CGMS activities – including but not
limited to travel, acts of God, natural and manmade hazards – and agrees to hold CGMS, its officers, and membership harmless
for any injuries sustained while engaged in these activities.
I have read and understand the Release of Liability.
______________________________________ _____________________________________
Printed Name
Signature
______________________
Date
_____________________________________ _____________________________________
Printed Name
Signature
______________________
Date
10
Volume 55 No. 3
Alaska Pebble Patter
11
May – June 2005