Alaska Pebble Patter
October 2012
ALASKA PEBBLE PATTER
OCTOBER, 2012
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.
Officers and Chairpersons for 2012 – page 2
Websites of the Month – page 2
Business Meeting Minutes: Sept/Oct– pages 3 -5
Editor’s Notes & Rock & Upcoming Events– page 5
Noted Minerals For The Month Of October - page 6
2012 Field Trip Schedule [Note that last planned event this year is Rock Show] - page 7
Bench Tips & Additional Hints - pages 8-9
Blank Membership Application Form – page 10
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October 2012
CHUGACH GEM AND MINERAL SOCIETY OFFICERS AND CHAIRPERSONS
ELECTED POSITIONS FOR 2012
PRESIDENT: Andres Macias 274-2204
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT: Joe Turnbow 337-6280
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT: Rick Parkhurst 644-0707
TREASURER: Nancy Danford 694-3288
RECORDING SECRETARY: Bobbie Turnbow 337-6280
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: Nancy Danford 694-3288
APPOINTED POSITIONS FOR 2012
PROGRAMS: Greg Durocher 337-2553
FEDERATION LIAISON: Tom Cooper 262-9759
FIELD TRIP: Bonnie Hepburn 274-0941
PARLIAMENTARIAN: Norval Kane 243-4648
NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Chris Teutsch 694-6586
CLUB GREETER: open
SUNSHINE: Dorothy Arnold 279-3876
MEMBERSHIP: Chris Teutsch 694-6586
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WEBSITES FOR OCTOBER
Provided by Greg Durocher
Here's the full URL for our club's FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chugach-Gem-and-MineralSociety/157967464259784
Graptolite predecessors still living: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-ancient-bottom-dwelling-critter-isnt.html
230 million yr. old bugs in amber: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-prehistoric-bugs-million-years.html
Website of the week: Two Cretaceous extinction events. This would explain a lot of things, Oct. 10th:
http://phys.org/news/2012-09-dinosaur-die-out-extinctions.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Business Meeting Minutes--September 13, 2012
The CGMS business meeting was called to order on 13SEP12 by President , Andres Macias at 7:09 pm.
~ Visitors were welcomed.
~ Bobbie Turnbow was not present to read the August business meeting minutes but they were published in the Pebble
Patter. Motion was made, seconded and passed to accept the minutes as written in the Pebble Patter.
Committee Reports:
~ Financial Secretary: Nancy Danford reported no changes in our accounts from last month’s report. All accounts are in
order.
~ Corresponding Secretary: Nancy Danford distributed all incoming mail.
~ Sunshine Report: Dorothy Arnold was not available.
~ Membership Report: Anita Williams is filling in for Chris Teutsch and reported our membership is below 100.
~Federation Representative: Tom Cooper was not available.
~ Pebble Patter: Chris Teutsch is on vacation. Anita William published an issue for him.
~ Website: No new information.
~ Upcoming Trips: Sheila Macias announced the upcoming trips.
~ Scholarship/Science Fair: Andre Macias had no new information, but mentioned that the science fair board has
proposed giving a picnic for all science fair volunteers.
Old Business:
~The club received the box of rocks from the Osage, MO club. The rocks included mozarkite and blue lace agate. Rocks
were displayed but not distributed.
New Business:
~1st United Methodist is holding a mandatory meeting for renters. Rental fees will increase. Nancy Danford will attend
and as a club officer, she has authority to sign the rental contract.
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October 2012
~Rock & Mineral show is coming. There are 3 folders – Vendor, Display, and Helping. Be sure to get your name in one,
two, or all three.
~Alaska Miner’s Association is going thru major changes. They have yet another new President as well as a new Secretary.
Field Trip Reports:
~ Craig taught gold panning at the state fair.
~ Doug Smith went to the Nike Site summit tour.
~ Little Nelchina field trip was very successful with members of both CGMS and the MatSu club attending.
~ New member, Kyle, went to Sheep Mountain and also Wishbone Hill.
~ Future trip: Andre is planning a Wrangell-St Elias/Rock Creek trip for 2013. There’s a public use cabin on Nugget
Creek. Trip might be 7 days.
~ Business portion completed and door prizes were distributed.
~ After the short break, Anita Williams gave a slide presentation on a mining area in the old lead belt in MO.
Meeting adjourned at 8:55 pm
Respectfully submitted by
Sue Hilton, CGMS Member
Substituting for Bobbie Turnbow, CGMS Recording Secretary
Business Meeting Minutes--October 11, 2012
CGMS meeting called to order on 11OCT12 by President, Andre Macias, at 7:05 pm.
~ Visitors were welcomed.
~ Bobbie Turnbow read the 13SEP12 business meeting minutes. Motion was made, seconded and passed to accept the
minutes as read.
Committee Reports:
~ Financial Secretary: Nancy Danford reported that our accounts were in order.
~ Corresponding Secretary: Nancy Danford distributed all incoming mail.
~ Sunshine Report: Dorothy Arnold was not available. However, Greg arrived with a bruised eye and bandage on his
cheek. Seems he had a basil cell carcinoma (slow growing skin cancer) removed from his face. Chuck fractured his back,
we’ve got a card going around, be sure to sign before you leave. Craig got a serious abscess on his knee that required major
antibiotics.
~ Membership Report: Chris Teutsch reported no change in membership.
~Federation Representative: Tom Cooper was not available.
~ Pebble Patter: Chris Teutsch mentioned the club receives newsletters from other clubs and they are on the back table for
anyone to read. Joe stated we used to exchange newsletters with those clubs. Chris asked if it was permissible to send the
CGMS Pebble Patter in email format to those clubs who currently send us snail mail copies of their newsletters. The club
agreed emails were good when possible and snail mails if not. Chris would be reimbursed for any expense incurred for
this work.
~ Website: Andre stated it’s still not up and he hasn’t had a chance to get with Sheila’s brother. Greg stated he’d received
a call about the website and referred them to the CGMS Facebook.
~ Upcoming Trips: The November Rock and Mineral Show is around the corner. Greg will send an E-blast with dates and
tasks to get volunteers. Sign up sheets will be at the potluck.
~ Scholarship/Science Fair: Andre Macias hasn’t heard from Sonya at UAA. He warned the scholarship committee
to be ready for a short notice meeting at Nature’s Jewels. Weather precluded the picnic Andre wanted
for this year’s Science Fair supporters. Maybe next year will be dryer!
Old Business:
~ Nancy announced the church rescheduled the renters meeting because of a family emergency of one
of the officials. They stated all attendees were notified, however, Nancy never got the word. She’ll verify the club POC
with the church and let us know what other things were addressed at the rescheduled meeting.
New Business:
~ Mountain View Elementary is having a science night on 18OCT12 at 6:30 p.m. Joe will be there representing Nature’s
Jewels and CGMS.
~ The November potluck program will be a silent auction. Greg suggested 3 minutes per table and the rest agreed.
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October 2012
~ Greg is working on the schedule for next years programs. The slate is pretty open so get your hat in the ring early.
Field Trip Reports:
~ Joe talked about his trip to Bornite. It is 13 miles from Kobuk. He went as a guest to help clean up an old mining site. He
helped palletize old mining gear – as well as check out the field of core samples and bornite specimens.
~ Andre says he and Sheila are doing Katmai next year and willing to put in a group permit. They’ve decided to do
McNeal River which is a remote camp environment. Let Andre or Sheila know if you’re interested.
~ Chris brought some specimens from his Michigan trip. Looks like he had a really good trip!
~ After the break we had a good round of Rock Bingo!
Meeting adjourned at 8:55 pm
Respectfully submitted by
Bobbie Turnbow, CGMS Recording Secretary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Editor’s Notes:
After a month-long absence, I am reminded that it takes dedicated people to give life to club activities
such as the Scholarship program, Science Fair, meeting programs, field trip planning and annual
Rock Show. It also takes considerable time to put the Pebble Patter newsletter together. A big thank
you to Sue Hilton for filling in behind Bobbie Turnbow when she is unavailable to take the minutes,
Bobbie Turnbow for editing the minutes, and Anita William for having put it all together to get the
August-September edition out in time. _ct
Upcoming Events:
Our next meeting is the fall Silent Auction potluck on Thursday, October 25, starting at 6:30 p.m. at
the 1st United Methodist Church downtown. Bring a dish to pass, and if you have any specimens that
you'd like to put up for bid, you can bring those too. Have an index card or small sheet of paper for
each specimen with I.D. and location (if known), and a minimum bid. Leave numbered lines for bids.
Sue & Jim Hilton are off to Arizona for the winter. We’ll miss Sue’s friendly face and her active
participation in so many of the CGMS activities and programs for a while. I am sure she’ll enjoy
hearing from club members during her absence though. sueh@mtaonline.net
The annual Rock and Mineral Show will be hosted by the Chugach Gem and Mineral Society in
conjunction with the annual Miner’s convention which is sponsored by the Alaska Miners
Association. Show times are Friday, November 9, 2012 from 5-9 pm, Saturday, November 10 from 10
am – 5 pm and Sunday, November 11 from 11 am – 4 pm. Location is at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel
401 E. 6th Ave. Anchorage, Alaska and the show is free of charge. See the exhibits, browse at vendor
tables and enjoy other show programs. For more information call Amanda at the AMA, 907-563-9229
or Anita with CGMS 907-345-2541.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTED MINERALS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER
Two minerals that some folks note during the month of October are Opal and Tourmaline. Both of these minerals vie as
official birthstones. You can “Google” opal, or find books about the history and mythologies surrounding these minerals
and how they came to be chosen by certain cultures around the world. I wish to make some notes about their
characteristics from Dana, et al.
Opal is amorphous. Colors are white, yellow, red, brown, green, blue, and gray. Luster is
waxy to sub-vitreous while hardness ranges from 5.5-6.5 and s.g. ranges from 1.9-2.3.
Note that opal is not quite as hard as quartz. Opal consists of silicon dioxide with water
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Alaska Pebble Patter
October 2012
of hydration that may be anywhere from 3-21%. Opals may also contain sodium aluminum silicate. Opals are formed in
low temperature environments. Varieties include: precious opal, fire opal, black opal, hydrophane, hyalite, wood opal, etc.
The term, boulder opal refers to concretions and fracture fillings, often in rhyolites, sandstones and marls. The beauty of
multi-colored flashing light or play of colors in fire opals results from light rays striking the sub-microscopic spheres of
silica. Air may also be trapped in the spaces between these spheres. The bluish-milky, pearly appearance of common or
potch opals is the result of short wavelength light reflection and occurs in the blue spectrum. This phenomenon is termed,
opalescence. Opals should be checked for fluorescence. Occurrence of opals is worldwide, but some of the famous
locations include Western Australia, Oregon, and the Petrified National Forest in Arizona. Quiz question: is opal classified
as a mineral seeing how it lacks a crystal system to which it belongs? For an answer, consult Anita Williams or Greg
Durocher, our resident geologists.
Tourmaline: This mineral forms in high temperature environments. Representatives
of this group of minerals may be black, white, blue, green, red, pink or brown. They
have a hardness of 7-5.5 and a specific gravity of 3-3.3. Tourmalines are made up of a
complex series of compounds found in varying ratios of sodium, calcium, magnesium,
iron, lithium, boron and silica. Their crystal system is hexagonal and tourmaline
crystals are usually prismatic. Some of the better-known varieties include schorl,
rubellite, dravite and elbaite. Local names for some tourmaline varieties include:
“watermelon tourmalines” because of their pinkish centers, green and white outer
surface or “rind.” [Note the rough triangular or prismatic shape of the terminal face
and the color zonation from red center to outer green] Tourmaline crystals are fairly
common in some granitic pegmatites. Another characteristic of some tourmalines is that they may reveal different colors
when they are viewed through their different axis, a quality known as pleochroism. According to Dictionary of Geological
Terms; by Robert L. Bates & Julia A. Jackson, pleochroism is the ability of some crystals to differentially absorb various
wavelengths (colors) of transmitted light in various crystallographic directions. Another aside to tourmalines is that
rubbing or heating the crystals produces a static charge (pyroelectricity) at opposite ends so that they will attract dust
particles.
I might add that CGMS club members; Joe Turnbow and Tom Cooper have recovered watermelon tourmaline crystals
from a quartz/tourmaline pegmatite location bordering the Black Rapids Glacier near Ft. Greely, Alaska. Not a few
mineral collectors have benefited from their find and efforts to haul out specimens that now grace their display cases.
2012 Chugach Gem and Mineral Society Activity List
Club membership is required for all club trips
Date
Feb 25
Activity Name
Natural History
Museum (KF)*
Alaska Science Fair
(KF)*
Evening at Nature’s
Jewels (KF)*
Kodiak (KF)*
Leader(s)
Katch Bacheller
Comments
Club visit to the museum in Mountain View.
Andres Macias
Sun
Spring Cleanup at
Hatcher Pass (KF)*
Bonnie Hepburn
K-12 science fair at East High School. Club awards for best
geology exhibits.
Meet at Joe’s shop and talk about rocks.
Bring an interesting rock to the event.
Ferry (from Homer) or fly to Kodiak. Explore Fossil Beach, et al.
If flying, subtract a day from each end of this trip.
Meet in Hatcher Pass (parking lot location TBD) at 11 am. Free
parking for volunteers. Joint activity with Mat-Su Club.
June 2
Sat
June 8
Andres Macias
Greg Durocher
Greg Durocher
June 30-July
8
Fri eve
6:30 pm
Thu
6pm
9-day
expedition
Wishbone Hill / Mat
River Hike (KF)*
Growlers, Grillers, and
Gravel
Point Woronzof (KF)*
Andres Macias
Rockhound the Taylor Hwy, celebrate 4th in Chicken, ATV and
hike up the Prindle Volcano. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club.
Jul 1-2
Sun-Mon
Taylor Hwy, Chicken
on the 4th,
Prindle Volcano
Taylor Hwy only
Andres Macias
Rockhound Taylor Hwy. Meet 9am Jul 1at Tok VC. Joint trip
Mar 23-25
Apr 19
Apr 26-May
1
May 20
June 21
Days
Sat
10 am Fri-Sun
Thurs
6:30 pm
Thu-Tue
Joe Turnbow
Greg Durocher
Put two great trips in the Sutton area together for a full day of
fun in the valley! Vegetative fossils and river rocks.
Beer, brats, and a tour of Greg’s rock collection. Number of
attendees limited to 16.
Evening of beachcombing and picnicking in Anchorage.
Anita Williams
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October 2012
Jul 20-22
Fri - Sun
Boulder Creek
July 28
Sat
Aug 4-5
Sat-Sun
Falls Creek near Moose
Pass
Alfred Creek
Aug 18
Sat
Aug 18
tentative
Aug 31-Sep
3
Sep 15
TBD
Nov 9-11
Andres Macias
Greg Durocher
Sat
Hatcher Pass Rd
(Willow side) (KF)*
Gold Cord Mine Tour
Fri-Mon
Little Nelchina
Sat
noonSat
Kincaid Beach (KF)*
Greg Durocher
Andres Macias
Anita Williams
TBD
Fri-Sun
with Mat-Su Club.
ATV and fossil hunt up Boulder Creek in the Talkeetnas. Joint
trip with Mat-Su Club.
ATV to an old, historic hard rock mine. Date dependent on snow
conditions.
ATV over Belanger Pass and into Alfred Creek and Caribou
Creek. Fossils, agates. Joint trip with Mat-Su Club (they have the
lead on this).
Rockhound Willow Creek and visit Independence Mine State
Historical Park.
Mat-Su Club will take the lead on this. If trip develops, we will
join them. Date tentative.
ATV and fossil hunt up the Little Nel in the Talkeetnas. Joint trip
with Mat-Su Club.
Afternoon of beachcombing and picnicking in Anchorage. Meet
at chalet at noon.
Moil for gold at one (or more) of the recreational panning sites
near Hope.
Day trip to see and learn about the Pebble Prospect. Drawing for
seats.
Get your displays ready for this year’s show!
Greg Durocher
Andres Macias
Chris Teutsch
Phillip Elliott
Gold Panning near
Hope (KF)*
Pebble Prospect Tour
Phillip Elrod
AMA Rock and
Mineral Show (KF)*
TBD and
committee
Andres Macias
Last updated: 3/18/2016
(KF): Kid Friendly; Note: Children's supervision is solely the responsibility of their parent(s).
BENCH TIPS
PIECE OF LEATHER: Leather has a multitude of uses in the shop. I often use a
scrap of it to avoid scratching the back of a piece of jewelry while setting stones. It's
also great for times when you need to clamp one of your tools in a vise, for instance a
drawplate.
BURNISHING BEZELS: A dapping ball can sometimes be used to burnish a bezel.
I noticed this when setting some 10 mm cabs on a piece of filigree. It was difficult to get
enough pressure with a regular burnisher, so I tried a dapping ball and found it much
easier. Make sure the ball is well polished (hit it with the Zam wheel) and let it ride
along the base of your piece. Select a ball just big enough so its curvature hits the top of
the bezel at the best angle to burnish it down onto the stone.
SANDING DISKS: One of the flexshaft tools that saves a lot of time is the snapon sanding disk. I mainly use the medium and fine grits but sometimes like the
very fine ones sold for working with platinum. Ordinarily, you'd think of placing
the disk on the mandrel with the grit side facing away from your hand, but notice
that you end up with your elbow up in the air. Instead, try flipping the disk so that
the grit side is towards your hand. It's a much more comfortable pose because the
elbow is down near your side, and it lets me hold the work much closer so I have a
better view of what I'm sanding. I use these snap-on disks so frequently that I keep
multiple mandrels with different grits already mounted in the bur stand. Some
mandrels have the grit facing out and some facing in.
SAWING SMALL TUBING: When making a hinged bracelet, I needed to cut 16
pieces of small diameter silver tubing. These were to be just approximate lengths
and trimmed to final size after soldering. Not having a tube cutter, I had trouble
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Alaska Pebble Patter
October 2012
holding the tubing on the bench pin while trying to saw through it. So here's what I did. I drilled a hole in the side of the
bench pin just large enough for the tubing to slide into and almost as deep as the length of cut tubing I wanted. Sawing
became quick and easy. With my free hand, I inserted the tubing and held it from rotating while sawing off each length.
Ever tested the fit of a bezel and after pushing the stone in . . . the darn thing won't come
out. Frustrating to say the least. Here is a simple answer. Use a dental floss loop. Place it
over the bezel, push in the stone and then just pull it back out. Dental floss is very thin
and very strong. Enjoy. __Jurgen Maerz, Jewelry Industry Consulting LLC
Above BENCH TIPS article and website was forwarded to newsletter editor by Sue Hilton. Bench Tips material was
authored by Brad Smith.
Brad Smith <brad@greenheart.com>
Brad writes: “Oftentimes a rock club newsletter editor needs some fresh material to fill a little extra space. One of the
things I've done for my club's newsletter is to write up bench tips for those who like to make jewelry. The idea started as
part of the jewelry classes that I teach, and now I send them out each month to a bunch of other clubs.
A sample of these tips is included below. Feel free to use them in your Chugach newsletter, and if you'd like to receive a
couple new ones each month, just let me know.
“I'm glad to supply these free of charge to fellow rockhounds. The understanding is that the material is for non-profit use
in your club, to be given away and not to be sold. The only thing I ask is that you respect my copyright to the material and
that you include an acknowledgement with each publication that says:” See more BenchTips by Brad Smith.
Learn more Bench Tips by accessing the following Facebook address: Facebook.com/BenchTips/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additional Hints __From Bette Motes’ folder.
“After Lapping flat stones, such as cut Thunder Eggs with 600 grit, wash them and leave under a heat lamp or 100 watt
bulb for about five minutes. When the stones are warm, polish them on a flat wheel with tin oxide. By preheating, the
polishing is almost instant. Otherwise the felt wheel has to heat the stone before the polishing action begins. __ The
Tumbler and others.
Minimize Waste: Tin oxide and other polishing compounds can be kept in plastic squeeze bottles with dispenser tops.
Small amounts can be squeezed out as needed, minimizing waste. The mixture does not dry out and the chance of
contamination is eliminated. __The Nishna Valley Grindstone
Working Rhodochrosite: Rhodochrosite is soft and must be worked carefully. It is sensitive to heat and care should be
used dopping it. Grinding should be done on a fine grinding wheel that is true and free from lumps. Use plenty of water
to keep work cool; not much pressure is needed. Wash stone and hands before sanding. Sanding should be done wet on a
fairly new 400 grit cloth to help avoid undercutting. Polishing is done on a hard leather buff with pure tine oxide and a
little Linde-A.
__Rocky Trails
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October 2012
There are many more hints collected by Bette Motes & Nancy Danford that will find its way into the newsletter pages from
time to time. __ct
Membership Application
CHUGACH GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY, INC.
P.O. Box 92027, Anchorage, AK 99509-2027
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
8
Volume 55 No. 3
Alaska Pebble Patter
9
May – June 2005