Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page

Inside this Issue:

Cheeps from the VeeP 2

Klicks & Klacks from the Editor 2

Treasurer’s Report 3

RMFMS: Wyoming, Part IV 3

Editors Contests 7

ALAA Misconception 7

Lindenmeier Archaeological Site 8

Argentium Sterling Silver 9

The Ten Rockmanments 10

Fluorescent Minerals 10

An Interview with Andrey Atuchin 12

A New Holiday Tradition 16

ACROYs 17

Multi-Federation Field Trip in 2014 17

Getting Your Money’s Worth 18

Newest December Gemstone 18

Newsletter Guidelines 20

Gene Stirms to Speak at SCRIBE 20

Agates 21

A Pale Blue Celestine Mineral 22

First China Gem & Mineral Show 23

August 2014 25

Shows & More 25

Officers & Committees 26

The official publication of the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. The RMFMS is a regional member of the American Feder-ation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. and is issued monthly (except June and July). It is a privilege of membership of the RMFMS and cannot be exchanged by the editor for individual club newsletters from other regional federations. www.rmfms.org

The President’s Voice

Volume 44

Issue 11

January 2014

Y our treasurer has been busy receiving and compiling annual reports. Forty-one reports have been

received, leaving about 36 to go. Has your club sent in its report, yet? If not please do so as quickly

as possible. So far, we showing a 5% increase in total members and 5% increase in our Junior members!

Let’s hope the trend continues.

Thank you to the clubs that filled out their reports in Word and emailed me the Word copy. Receiving the

Word copy keeps me from having to re-enter all of the information into Word. There have been more clubs this year

that could not/would not use Word, which has really increased my workload.

I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Treasurer’s Report by Gene Maggard

I hoped you could make the deadline ...

Maybe next month

chrip

chrip

chrip

WELCOME to our newest club, the Southern Teller County Focus Group!!

That gives us a total of 78 member clubs.

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 2

PUBLICATIONS

Editor:Betty Cain 2702 E. Pikes Peak Ave. Colo. Springs, CO 80909 719-634-8205 bettycain3@comcast.net

Circulation Manager: Bill Cain (see above) 719-322-6089 billcain4@comcast.net

Subscriptions: Gene Maggard 8318 SE Highway 77 Leon, KS 67076 316-742-3746 gandpmaggard@gmail.com

Rates—$3.50 a year for the Rocky Mountain Federation News only. $7.75 a year for both the Rocky Mountain Federation News and the RMFMS Directory.

Directory only—$5.00 Order from Supplies Chair, Kim Blanton 728 E. Sandy Dunes Dr. Sandy, UT 84094 801-604-1263 kimblanton2@aol.com

Deadline Bulletin submissions deadline is the second week of the month prior to publication date; i.e., the deadline for the February bulletin is the third week of January.

Unless otherwise marked, materials from this publica-tion may be reprinted by members, giving credit to the author and the Rocky Mountain Federation News.

Klicks & Klacks from the Editor by Betty Cain

I have always wanted to attend the SCRIBE Annual Meeting in

Quartzsite, Arizona but have never had the opportunity because of

work, health, $$, or other excuses. My budget in January is usually spent

covering our over-spending for Christmas. Well, I no longer work (thanks

to Department of Defense cut-backs in the Obama budget) which

means the December Christmas budget was small this year. My stress level has set-

tled down as I realize I will never be able to replace that position with a comparable

one and will have to depend on unemployment to cover a small part of my lost sala-

ry. This is probably a very familiar story to many of our members. At any rate, our life

style is smaller, and it’s time to do some of the things we’ve postponed for so long—

I’m making plans to attend the SCRIBE meeting on January 25th!!

It will be good to see many of our rockhound friends again and meet the ones we

only know by name in the newsletter. It appears that I’ve chosen a very good year

to attend as the speaker, Gene Stirm, has a lot to share with us. If you’re in the

neighborhood, stop by.

Another reason I am excited to attend this year is the Cartoon Contest currently un-

derway. We want to enrich our clipart files with new, exciting, and personal rock-

Peeps from the VeeP Jeri House, RMFMS VP

A s this is my first article for the Rocky Mountain Federation News, I think

that perhaps I should tell you a little bit about me.

I have been interested in rocks and semi-precious stones for about 30 years. I never

declared myself a rockhound until my husband and I joined the Chaparral Rock-

hounds about 8 years ago. In that time, I have been the Vice President of our club

for 5 years and Treasurer for about 7 years. I have also been the Show Chair for the

last two years. I was fortunate to have been tutored in how to be a Show Chair by

one of the best, Howie Whiting. When our show is a success, I owe a lot to him and

will be forever grateful for having known him. I am also grateful that I know Doris

and Diane as well. They are great support and sources of knowledge for me about

a lot of things RMFMS related.

I work for a living and don’t have as much time to do my hobby as much as I would

like. It would be fun to be able to travel around to shows all over the region; but

when you got bills, you gotta pay that isn’t always an easy thing to do.

I want to encourage all clubs in our Federation to make your shows stand out. Re-

member that one of the main reasons we have shows is to educate the public

about our hobby and to get more people interested in what we do. The easiest

way to do that is to have multiple cases at the show—cases that show every aspect

of our hobby. You don’t have to give out prizes, just show what you got and what

you do. Whenever possible, have members demonstrating what we do. The last

thing is to take field trips, I know that this is not always easy, believe me I know.

Diane and I will be in Tulsa; looking forward to seeing you there. We will also try our

best to get to other shows, if we can get time off from work and all the other things

that clog schedules.

So until next month, here’s hoping that you all had a Safe, Healthy, and Happy Holi-

day Season!

Jeri House

jerihouse@cableone.net

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 3

A s noted in previous newsletter articles I am on a mission—to record in this newsletter some interesting

geological facts about each of our federation states. On some states, I really don’t know where to

start or to end as the geology is fascinating and entire large books (many of them) have been written.

Wyoming is one of those states! But, as noted in the October Newsletter, there is a wealth of published

information available both on the WEB and in libraries (mainly college/universities). A good starting

place for Wyoming is the Wyoming Geological Survey at www.wsgs.uwyo.edu. If you have a universi-

ty library for browsing check out the many guidebooks published by the Wyoming Geological Association

(www.wyogeo.org).

For this ‘final” Wyoming offering I have chosen a couple of areas that sort of fascinate me, but when it comes to geology I

am easily fascinated! One is the hot springs area around Thermopolis where travertine terraces rival those of Yellowstone.

The other is in eastern Wyoming where agates, normally associated with the plains of South Dakota, have been collected.

Thermopolis, Wyoming, is an interesting city (pop. ~3200) located at the southern end of the Big Horn Basin on U. S. 20 (Fig.

1). The city was named after the Pass of Thermopylae, famed in

Greek history as the Spartan battleground. The word is combined

from the Greek derivative that is literally translated “City of Hot Min-

eral Baths.” The Big Horn River runs through town and carves the

beautiful Wind River Canyon as it cuts across the Owl Creek Moun-

tains to the south (Fig. 2). As an interesting sidelight, the Wind River

changes names (to Big Horn) as it leaves the canyon flowing north

(Fig. 1)! Thermopolis is a common rest stop on the way to/from Yel-

lowstone National Park and has a long history of thermal spring use

by Native Americans and later settlers. Most of the springs were, at

one time, located on the Shoshone Reservation (ceded to the

tribes in the 1868 Fort Bridger Treaty) but were acquired, through

purchase, by the U. S. Government in 1896. The city now bills itself

as home to “The World’s Largest Mineral Hot Springs” and also is

home to Hot Springs State Park. In addition, there are several other

hot springs or wells in or near the city.

RMFMS: Wyoming, Part IV by Dr. Mike Nelson

csrockguy@yahoo.com, www.csmsgeologypost.blog

spot.com

hound happenings. The contest is open to everyone. If you have funny events about a field trip, meeting, banquet, or

whatever that is rockhound related, please share it in an email to Trudy Martin of SCRIBE, martintm@shaw.ca, and she

will send the idea to an artist who is creating the cartoons. What fun it will be to

have your rockhounds immortalized in art to share in your newsletters! I hope the

new clipart will be included on the CDs/DVD that is given to each person who

submits a 2014 membership form. The dues are only $6/yr, and you get a lot for

those few dollars. A membership form is available at http://scribe.rbnet.net.

We have requested of the AFMS/RMFMS/Tulsa show chairman to arrange for a

SCRIBE mini-meeting at the 2014 Convention & Show in July. Tulsa is a very cen-

tral location for members all across the U.S., and we’re hoping for a good at-

tendance. We’re planning to combine the event with the Breakfast with the

Editors & Webmasters Awards. This is even more reason to plan to attend the

2014 Convention & Show! Mark your calendars and make plans to attend.

More details will be available before the show.

Start your year off with the SCRIBE meeting on January at Quartzside, AZ. I hear

the huge flea market held at the same time is awesome. ALAA is also having a meeting around this time. Great way to

attend three events with one trip.

Fig. 1. Satellite image of Wyoming (provided by Ray Sterner, Johns Hopkins University) showing location of Thermopolis and other landforms.

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 4

As the great conservationist Aldo Leopold once said, “everything is con-

nected to everything else.” So it is at Thermopolis where all of the springs

and vents are connected to the same thermal system with total dis-

charge perhaps over three million gallons per day (Breckenridge and

Hinckley, 1978). However, to a geologist, or even causal traveler, the

most interesting aspect of these wells/springs may well be the related

travertine deposits.

The springs at Hot Springs State Park are those most visited by travelers,

especially visitors wanting to “take a soak”! Most of these related waters

have high concentrations of Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Potassi-

um ions and make human consumption somewhat problematic. I can

personally attest to gastric discomfort (especially in 105O F summer weath-

er) after consuming similar water while working in South Dakota! The ther-

mal springs also have fairly high concentrations of HCO3 (bicarbonate ion),

SO4 (sulfate), and Cl (chlorine). The pH usually is calculated as between 7-8

(basic), about the same as sea water.

White Sulfur Springs is one of the largest springs in the park with a temperature of ~127O F and flowing at a rate of about

200 gallons per minute (gpm) (Breckenridge and Hinckley, 1978). The name most likely comes from its content of Hydro-

gen Sulfide (H2S), a compound notorious for the foul smell of rotten eggs. At one time sulfur was mined from deposits near

the spring.

Black Sulfur Spring in the park is now inactive but does form a pool in bottom

of a 20-foot cavern with bubbling mud high in sulfur. Dye tests indicate the

spring now has Terrace Spring as its outlet (Breckenridge and Hinckley,

1978).

The spring in the park that most visitors are familiar with, and the largest, is

Big Spring with a temperature of ~133O F, and a flow of over ~2900 gpm

(Breckenridge and Hinckley, 1978). The spring water enters a 25-foot pool

and then feeds the State Bathhouse pools and pools/tubs of five commer-

cial establishments. The commercial entities vent their water vapors via a

standpipe, and this action has created a really interesting phenomenon

known as Teepee Fountain (Fig. 3). This feature is a 20-foot high cone of

travertine streaked with algal growth, a very impressive piece of artwork.

North of town is another interesting thermal feature—Sacajawea Well (Fig.

4), first drilled for oil in 1918. Evidently at the 900 foot level the well hit arte-

sian pressurized hot water that blew the drilling rig off the casing!

Travertine began forming around the pipe and continues today.

The well flows at 1.37 million gallons per day at ~130O F.

Travertine is a sedimentary rock, a type of chemical limestone,

that usually precipitates from carbonate-rich waters associated

with springs (especially thermal springs), streams (especially water-

falls), and caves (Fig. 5). Both calcite (CaCO3, forms in trigonal

crystal system; most stable of calcium carbonate polymorphs) and

aragonite (CaCO3, a polymorph of calcium carbonate forming in

orthorhombic crystal system; is metastable and alters to calcite)

are found in travertine with the former usually found in cooler wa-

ters and the latter in hot water (Pentecost, 2005). Travertine com-

monly forms when dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) in peculating

groundwater, in this case the springs, creates a weak carbonic

acid (H2CO3) that then reacts with limestone (CaCO3) to form solu-

ble calcium acid carbonate [CaH2(CO3)] which then precipitates

when the water evaporates at an exposed surface (Rogers, 2011).

Pure travertine is generally white but impurities commonly impart a

Fig. 2. Wind River Canyon south of Thermopolis (looking south as river flows north) as the river cuts through the Owl Creek Mountains and exposes rocks

that range in age from Precambrian through Triassic. Relief in the canyon reaches 2500 feet.

Fig. 3. Teepee Fountain, a vent for pools/tubes of commercial entities.

Fig. 4. Sacajawea Well located north of town at Payne’s Foun-tain of Youth RV Park and is, according to the park, the “third largest hot mineral pool in the World”. Photo courtesy of www.city-data.com

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 5

brown/tan color to the rock. However, the bright colors at Thermopolis are

due to thermophilic (heat loving) organisms: Bacteria (Schizophyta), Blue-

green Algae (Cyanophyta), and Green Algae (Chlorophyta). The algae are

photosynthetic in nature and contain green chlorophyll and impart a green

color to the travertine. In addition, the Blue-green Algae have a blue pig-

ment, phycocyanin. Some, such as those at Thermopolis, also contain red,

yellow, brown, and orange pigments (Terrell, 1978). The bacteria lack a cell

nucleus and are non-photosynthetic but may use sulfur in the water as part of

their food production. They may impart colors from white to pink/purple to

yellow (Terrell, 1978).

Breckenridge and Hinckley (1978) described the geohydrology of the artesian

Thermopolis thermal system as follows: water enters the Paleozoic rocks (all are

aquifers but especially the Madison Limestone) exposed in the nearby Owl

Creek Mountains (Fig. 6). These rocks are capped by the Jurassic Chugwater

Formation, a rather impervious caprock, and dip away from the mountains toward the Big Horn River. At Thermopolis a

large fold, with a crest fault, appears and brings the Paleozoic rocks to the surface, and the water is released under pres-

sure. The solution conduits of the Madison Limestone are thought to be the major source of the water. The next major

question involves the source of the

heat. Most thermal springs are related

to either water heated at great

depths in the earth’s surface or heat

generated from nearby igneous activ-

ity. At Thermopolis, “the water has

become heated because it has circu-

lated to great depths” (Whitehead,

1996).

Thermopolis is a great little town to

visit, and I plan on going back and

“taking to the waters”. The price is right---free at Hot Springs State Park! In addition, the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in town is

an interesting museum, and the nearby Wind River Canyon has some spectacular geologic outcrops.

I have written, in the South Dakota section, about the famous Fairburn Agates. These banded pieces of microcrystalline

quartz have fascinated me since I first saw them back in the mid-1960’s and decided “they were pretty neat”-- my interest

has remains today. The initial Fairburn that I collected still sticks out in my mind---I had found a Rapid City (I suppose) AM

radio station that played “rock & roll” that I could receive out on the plains east of the Hills. I had cranked up the radio and

decided to look at some gravel exposures to see what was there---Tommy James’ My Baby Does The Hanky Panky was

playing when I looked down, and there it was. Now, my mind has a penchant for being able to remember trivial factoids

from decades ago but is unable to recall where I left the car keys!

At any rate, South Dakota Fairburn Agates are “plains’ agates” mostly to the south and east of the Black Hills and mostly

associated with terrace gravels along streams and/or lag deposits on top of the Eocene-Oligocene White River Group

(Chadron Formation). However, Fairburns or Fairburn-type agates have been located in the adjacent states of Wyoming

and Nebraska. Buena Vista Gem Works (2013) noted that in Nebraska the area of collecting is north of US 20 from Chadron

to the Wyoming state line, generally following outcrops of the Chadron. Major collecting localities in Wyoming include

Lance Creek and Hat Creek (southwest and reasonably close to the Hills) and Glendo and Guernsey (further to the south).

Gemworks (2013) also reported “stray finds” of Fairburn-type agates from the Yellowstone River in Montana, near New Ray-

mer, Colorado, (northeast Colorado), and along the Yampa River in northwest Colorado. The Chadron crops out near New

Raymer but is absent from the Yellowstone and Yampa River localities. Pabian and Cook (1976) reported Fairburn-type ag-

ates at localities along the east-flowing Platte River in Nebraska.

Most agate hunters describe Fairburns as fortification agates with a holly leaf banding. They have some sort of red to or-

ange banding due to iron oxides with the black banding ascribed to manganese. The “type area” for Fairburns is near

(east) of the small village of Fairburn along French Creek. It seems well established that the agates out on the South Dako-

ta plains originated in the Minnelusa Formation of Pennsylvanian-Permian age and were transported away from outcrops

Fig. 5. Travertine “terraces” at Hot Springs State Park

Fig. 6) Geologic cross-section through Hot Springs State Park. Sketch from Breckenridge and Hinckley (1978).

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 6

in the Black Hills by Cenozoic streams. Perhaps the best-know site for observing in situ Fairburn ag-

ates is at Teepee Canyon west of Custer.

I find it interesting that Fairburn-type agates found at the Glendo and Guernsey locations in south-

eastern Wyoming most likely came from rocks similar to the Minnelusa Formation (Hartville For-

mation) exposed around the perimeter of the Hartville Uplift (Sutherland, 1990) (Fig. 7). This uplift is

a Laramide structure, not unlike the Black Hills with which it connects on the north, but much more

topographically and structurally subdued. The Uplift does have a core of Precambrian rocks with a

surrounding ring of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks; most of the uplift is now covered by Cenozoic

rocks.

It appears, then, that the Hartville Formation (Hartville Uplift) is strati-

graphically equivalent to the Minnelusa Formation (Black Hills); both

produce similar fortification agates (Fig. 8). I also find it interesting that

Pabian and Cook (1976) believed the "fortification agates (Fairburn-

type) found in Nebraska originated chiefly in sedimentary rocks…of

Pennsylvanian age in the Hartville Uplift and the Front Range of Wyo-

ming. Some may have originated in the Black Hills but this appears to

be a minor source." It appears that Pabian and Cook (1976) expressed

this belief because of statements in a 1955 paper by Shultz and Stout

noting that “no physiographic evidence exists to show a major north-

south drainage from the Black Hills to Nebraska.” I don’t know enough

about recent stratigraphic studies on the White River Group to speculate on the accuracy of this

statement. So, perhaps Nebraska Fairburn-type agates came from the Black Hills and/or from the

Hartville or Front Range Uplifts?

My Wyoming Fairburn was collected near Douglas, Wyoming, from lag gravels associated with

rocks of the White River Formation. That is, I presume a Fairburn, or is it a Fairburn-type? Did it origi-

nate in the Black Hills or from the Hartville Uplift?

As I remember my first Fairburn (the real thing) the music floats through my mind:

“I saw her walking on down the line

You know I saw her for the very first time

A pretty little girl standing all alone

Hey, pretty baby, can I take you home…

My baby does the hanky panky”

And that little melody dates me as an aging Baby Boomer remembering those long-lost days of my youth! Ah, Life is Good.

REFERENCES CITED

Breckenridge, R. M. and B. S. Hinckley, 1978, Thermal Springs of Wyoming: Wyoming Geological Survey Bulletin 60.

Buena Vista Gem Works: www.buenavistagemworks.com/agates/fairburn.htm

Pabian, R.K. and Allan Cook, 1976, Minerals and Gemstones of Nebraska: A Handbook for Students and Collectors: Nebras-

ka geological Survey Educational Circular no. 2.

Pentecost, A., 2005, Travertine: Kluwer Academic Publishers Group, Dordrecht, Netherlands.

Sutherland, W.M., 1990, Gemstones, Lapidary Materials, and Geologic Collectables of Wyoming: Geological Survey of Wyo-

ming Open File Report 90-9.

Rogers, J. D., 2011, Grand Canyon Research Travertine and Pleistocene Lakes: http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/

grand_canyon_research/

Terrell, T. T., 1978, Vegetation of Wyoming Thermal Springs Outside of Wyoming in Breckenridge, R. M. and B. S. Hinckley,

Thermal Springs of Wyoming: Wyoming Geological Survey Bulletin 60.

Whitehead, R. L., 1996, Ground Water Atlas of the United States; Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming: U. S. Ge-

ological Survey Report HA 730-I.

Fig. 7. Map showing loca-tion of Hartville Uplift

(HU) in eastern Wyo-ming. The topographic

expression of the Uplift is limited to the outcrops while a subsurface struc-tural high (arch) extends

northeast to the Black Hills (BH). LR is Laramie

Range discussed last month. DB is Denver

Basin, part of the High Plains. Map from Ray

Sterner at Johns Hop-kins University.

Fig. 8. Fairburn agate collected near Douglas, Wyming. Length ~7 cm.

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 7

RMFMS Bulletin Editors' Contest 2013 - Deadline January 15 By Beth Simmons, 2014 Publications Chair,

1420 S. Reed St., Lakewood, CO 80232 cloverknoll@comcast.net

T his is THE time for you editors to be submitting your entries for the 2014 bulletin editors' contest. The deadline for

submissions - JANUARY 15, 2014. You have but two short weeks to submit your entries. The RMFMS and AFMS shows

are combined in Tulsa in July, so we have to get the RMFMS contest completed and send on the winning entries so the

AFMS can get them judged in time for the big show and editors' breakfast. And, of course, we have to have all the

awards and ribbons and trophies made! If you know you have winners, prepare the forms and paper work, and submit

them! Via email or hardcopy by snail mail.

Can we pull entries from over half of the approximately 77 Federation clubs - about 38 clubs? Nothing builds club mo-

rale and pride more than blue ribbons and trophies that demonstrate the excellence of your members' talents! Editors -

plan now to submit your members' best work!

Please send entries to me at one of the addresses above, either by email or hardcopy by January 15, 2014.

Clearing Up Misconceptions by Shirley Leeson, ALAA President

A t the recent meeting of AFMS in Jacksonville, Florida I had several people come to me and say “we’d like to be-

long to ALAA but we don’t want to risk loosing our non-profit status.” Our past ALAA president, Jon Spu-naugle will

address this confusing issue in a series of articles in the coming issues of the AFMS Newsletter.

I want to make this crystal clear, ALAA does not support members of Congress from either party nor candi-

dates for those offices. Our interest is in keeping access to public lands open and making sure those lands

are multiple-use for all. If we ask you from time to time to write YOUR legislature and offer you a sample let-

ter as example of what is needed, this is not lobbying.

At the Jacksonville meeting ALAA launched a membership drive, giving all Officers, and Chair­men, and

many in the audience of both the AFMS and Southeastern meetings, the 3rd Quarter ALAA Newsletters and

our new ALAA brochure. It is hoped all will take them back to their respective regions and clubs and promote ALAA.

With that out of the way, I’d like to ask you to put the following events on your 2014 calendar:

Starting with the ALAA Quartzsite meeting, Friday January 24, 7pm at the Quartzsite Alliance Church, 720 West Desert

Vista.

The Second Annual ALAA Desert Clean-up will be Sunday morning 8am – 12 noon at Gold Nugget Road, exit 26 going

east on I-10. Bring: Sturdy shoes and gloves, sun hat, long broom handle with nail to pick up trash under bushes.

We will have a booth and meetings at the following regional shows:

- California – Pomona, California May 30 – June 1

- Rocky Mt/AFMS Tulsa, Oklahoma July 9 – 13

- Northwest – Hermiston, Oregon August 15 – 17

- AFMS Inter-Regional Field Trip, Terry MT – July 31 – Aug 3. ALAA will have a road clean-up on one of the days during

this event.

We are working on some very interesting and important ideas that we will bring forth in the com­ing AFMS Newsletters.

Join us on any and/or all of these events. It’s exhilarating to be involved. Shirley Leeson, ALAA

<president@amlands.org>

P.O. Box 23, Tendoy, ID 83468

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 8

The Lindenmeier Archaeological Site: Celebrating the 80th anniversary of a national treasure by Gary Raham, North Forty News , Nov 2013

I n September 1934, Frank Roberts of the Smithsonian Museum and two Fort Collins “relic hunters,” Claude Coffin and his

brother Roy, made a discovery 16 miles northwest of Wellington that pushed back the history of mankind in North Amer-

ica 10,000 years to the end of the last Ice Age.

Wisdom at the time insisted Native Americans had only lived on the continent

three millennia or so. The Lindenmeier site, named for its Depression-era own-

ers, is still one of the most important archaeological sites in the Western Hemi-

sphere. It is the largest known Folsom-period cultural complex and the thou-

sands of artifacts found there helped flesh out understanding of the lives and

commerce of a culture that stretched from the Dakotas to Texas.

In October 2014, the City of Fort Collins and the city’s Museum of Discovery,

with the help of eager volunteers, will celebrate the 80th anniversary of ar-

chaeological discovery with a series of public programs and a unique symposi-

um. The symposium theme will be “Ancient Lives, Ancient Dreams.” The city will

fly Ed Wilmsen to Colorado from Scotland as keynote speaker. Wilmsen

wrote an important summary of the excavations: “Lindenmeier, 1934-1974,”

as part of his doctorate work. Others who played significant roles in unraveling the secrets of Lindenmeier appear eager to

contribute and visit the site again.

Public events at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area, which includes the Lindenmeier site, will include the reconstruction of a

1930s era field tent, and talks and demonstrations by the city’s cadre of Master Naturalists. The Museum of Discovery will

display many artifacts from the site and produce a movie for their dome theatre. Colorado State archaeologist, Jason La-

Belle, and his students will also contribute in some fashion. LaBelle led a post-symposium survey of the Lindenmeier valley in

2007, after Fort Collins purchased the site. He notes that Lindenmeier is unique because of its size, but there are more than

300 other archaeological sites on Soapstone Prairie and Red Mountain Natural Areas alone. Thousands of sites statewide

reveal glimpses of life here over the past 13,000 years.

Scientists reburied the trenches they made at Lindenmeier when they left, but visitors can see the arroyo in which they

worked and explore interpretive materials at an overlook a few miles from the entrance to Soapstone. The surrounding

prairie looks much as it did during a brief homesteading period that lasted for a few decades near the turn of the 20th cen-

tury. Cattle grazing companies preserved it as a place where deer, pronghorn and

livestock roamed.

Fort Collins sometimes struggles between its mandate to inform and share the site

with the public and the problems that ensue when that use leads to trespass and

vandalism by modern day “relic hunters” more interested in the monetary value of

artifacts than their scientific worth. Zoe Whyman, Community Relations Manager

with the Natural Areas Department, thinks the city has “found a good balance so

far. What we try to avoid is discussing the artifacts separate from the human story.”

Lindenmeier is unique because it tells prehistoric human stories in unusual detail.

People hunted here, yes. Scientist, author and then graduate student Loren Eiseley

found a Folsom point embedded in the vertebra of the now extinct Bison antiquus

in 1935 that proved beyond doubt that humans felled this extinct Ice Age animal.

(See North Forty News, June 2009: “Loren Eiseley and the Ghosts of Lindenmeier.”)

But the excavations also revealed beads, tools and carved pieces of ivory that

showed that Lindenmeier served as a vital center of art and commerce in the an-

cient West. A rich bounty of ice age animals also left their bones in this land once

enriched by glacial melt-water and a wetter climate.

Citizen volunteers called Master Naturalists tell many of Lindenmeier’s stories at

Soapstone. These volunteers take six weeks of training in natural history and educa-

tional techniques and engage with school children and adults in various natural areas acquired by the city with the help of

Excavation at the Lindenmeier site in the 1930s.

Measuring the depth to the Lindenmeier level in 2013. Photo by Gary Raham

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 9

a sales tax passed some years ago. I joined the program 18 years ago and was thrilled with the acquisition of Soapstone, as

I had known about Lindenmeier since the ’70s and had been a long-time admirer of Eiseley, the master prose writer.

Key advocate

Brian Carroll, another Master Naturalist (and retired 37-year veteran of the FBI), has been a key advocate for the Linden-

meier 80th anniversary celebration. His wife’s long-time interest in archaeology sparked Carroll’s interest in the area. Carroll

now serves as a consultant in vulnerability assessments, drawing on his FBI experience, and did some work with the city as-

sessing Soapstone’s security weaknesses. He would like to see the city do more in the way of posting “out of bounds” areas

and providing stiff fines for trespassers, but also wants to sing the praises of the site and share the incredible history there. He

and Suzy Riding, a city employee who serves as a gatekeeper at Soapstone, have spent considerable time and energy

researching the homestead era on the northern prairie.

Carroll located Wilmsen in Scotland and invited him to keynote the proposed symposium. Wilmsen was happy to oblige.

During a move of Lindenmeier artifacts from the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Smithsonian, researchers made an

incredible discovery. “Everyone was surprised to find that almost all the boxes of excavated materials from the site had

never been opened,” Wilmsen said. Roberts’ published work had been based on the first two field seasons. After 1935, the

events leading to World War II intervened. Wilmsen was asked to complete Robert’s work, which he did with National Sci-

ence Foundation support.

My literary hero, Loren Eiseley, who made the “smoking gun” discovery of Folsom point in bison vertebra, later expressed

some reservations about the discoveries at Lindenmeier. In his poem “Flight 857” about his work there he said:

“I know now

it should never have been resurrected

any more than these wheels and wings and electronic voices

should ever again be lifted

from oblivion”

But Wilmsen, though also a fan of Eiseley, observed that “like many in the 60s, Eiseley slipped into a kind of willful inno-

cence, almost a nescience” He goes on to say, “Science does not have a need to know, but people do; and it is part of

the importance of archaeology and anthropology that they strive to make the accumulated legacy of all cultures relevant

to present descendants of those cultures in equal measures.”

If you have that “need to know,” look forward to the events planned for 2014 at the Soapstone Natural Area. Details will

follow in the North Forty News. http://www.northfortynews.com/the-lindenmeier-archaeological-site-celebrating-the-80th-

anniversary-of-a-national-treasure/

Do you know what Argentium Sterling Silver is? By Vicki Hathaway

T raditional sterling silver is 925 parts fine silver and 75 parts copper. argentium sterling silver is similar, except that some

of the copper in the alloy has been replaced with germanium. Germanium prevents oxygen from penetrating the

surface of the metal, which allows argentium to resist both tarnish and firescale, making it a joy to work with less firescale

means less pickling, less polishing, and less labor.

However, there are a few key differences to remember:

Argentium sterling silver can be fused with less distortion than fine silver.

Argentium sterling silver melts around 1410 degrees F (760 degrees C) lower than

traditional or fine silver.

Fine silver doesn't change color when heated and traditional sterling turns dark

grey with firescale. Argentium will stay white or get a light grey scale. This can be

removed easily with an oxidizing flame, pickling, and/or a light sanding.

Use separate solder boards, bricks, files, pickle, and polishing tools for Argentium

sterling silver. Shared tools can contaminate clean Argentium sterling silver with

base metal, which can cause it to tarnish, develop firescale during heating, or not polish as beautifully.

From Alberta Geological Survey Rock Chips 12/13 via The Clackamette Gem, 12/13

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 10

Fluorescent Minerals What is a Fluorescent Mineral?

All minerals have the ability to reflect light. That is what

makes them visible to the human eye. A few minerals

have an interesting physical property known as

"fluorescence". These minerals have the ability to tempo-

rarily absorb a small amount of light and an instant later

release a small amount of light of a different wavelength.

This change in wavelength causes a temporary color

change of the mineral in the eye of a human observer.

The color change of fluorescent minerals is most

spectacular when they are illuminated in darkness

by ultraviolet light (which is not visible to humans)

and they release visible light. The photograph above

is an example of this phenomenon.

Fluorescence in More Detail

Fluorescence in minerals occurs when a specimen is

illuminated with specific wavelengths of light. Ultraviolet light,

x-rays and cathode rays are the typical types of light that

trigger fluorescence. These types of light have the ability to

excite susceptible electrons within the atomic structure of the mineral. These excited electrons temporarily jump up to a

higher orbital within the mineral's atomic structure. When those electrons fall back down to their original orbital a small

amount of energy is released in the form of light. This release of light is known as fluorescence.

The wavelength of light released from a fluorescent mineral is often distinctly different from the wavelength of the inci-

dent light. This produces a visible change in the color of the mineral. This "glow" continues as long as the mineral is illumi-

nated with light of the proper wavelength.

The Ten

Source: Nana Gems via The Berks Geode, via Desert Diggings, Mar

1999, via The Franklin County Rockhounder-Mar 2013, via Strata Gem,

April 2013, via Wasatch Gem Society Apr 2013, via The Voice, Nov 2013

One of the most

spectacular muse-

um exhibits is a

dark room filled

with fluorescent

rocks and minerals

that are illuminated

with ultraviolet

light. They glow

with an amazing

array of vibrant

colors - in sharp

contrast to the col-

or of the rocks un-

der conditions of

normal illumination.

The ultraviolet light

activates these

minerals and caus-

es them to tempo-

rarily emit visible

light of various

colors. This light

emission is known

as "fluorescence".

The wonderful pho-

tograph above

shows a collection of fluorescent minerals. It was created by Dr. Hannes Grobe and is part of the Wikimedia Commons collection.

The photo is used here under a Creative Commons license (permission is giving for educational re-use as long as credit is given to

the original author). http://geology.com/articles/fluorescent-minerals/

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 11

How Many Minerals Fluoresce in UV Light?

Most minerals do not fluoresce. Only about 15% of

minerals have this ability and every specimen of those

minerals does not fluoresce. [2] Fluorescence usually

occurs when specific impurities known as "activators"

are present within the mineral. These activators are

typically cations of metals such as: tungsten, molyb-

denum, lead, boron, titanium, manganese, uranium

and chromium. Rare earth elements such as europi-

um, terbium, dysprosium, and yttrium are also known

to contribute to the fluorescence phenomenon. Fluo-

rescence can also be caused by crystal structural

defects or organic impurities.

In addition to "activator" impurities, some impurities

have a dampening effect on fluorescence. If iron or

copper are present as impurities they can reduce or

eliminate fluorescence. Furthermore, if the activator

mineral is present in large amounts, that can reduce

the fluorescence effect.

Most minerals fluoresce a single color. Other minerals

have multiple colors of fluorescence. Calcite has

been known to fluoresce red, blue, white, pink, green

and orange. Some minerals are known to exhibit multiple colors of fluorescence in a single specimen. These can be band-

ed minerals that exhibit several stages of growth from parent solutions with changing compositions. Many minerals fluo-

resce one color under short-wave UV light and another color under long-wave UV light.

Fluorite: The Original "Fluorescent Mineral"

One of the first people to observe fluorescence in minerals was George Gabriel Stokes in 1852. He noted the ability of

fluorite to produce a blue glow when illuminated with invisible light "beyond the violet end of the spectrum". He called this

phenomenon "fluorescence" after the mineral fluorite. The name has gained wide acceptance in mineralogy, gemology,

biology, optics, commercial lighting and many other fields.

Many specimens of fluorite have a strong enough fluorescence that the observer can take them outside, hold them in

sunlight then move them into shade and see a color change. Only a few minerals have this level of fluorescence.

Fluorite typically glows a blue-violet color under short-wave and long-wave light. Some specimens are known to glow a

cream or white color. Many specimens do not fluoresce. Fluorescence in fluorite is thought to be caused by the presence

of yttrium, europium, samarium [3] or organic material as activators.

Lamps for Viewing Fluorescent Minerals

The lamps used to locate and study fluorescent minerals are very different from the ultraviolet lamps (called "black lights")

sold in novelty stores. The novelty store lamps are not suitable for mineral studies for two reasons: 1) they emit long-wave

ultraviolet light (most fluorescent minerals respond to short-wave ultraviolet); and, 2) they emit a significant amount of visi-

ble light which interferes with accurate observation, but is not a problem for novelty use.

The scientific-grade lamps used for mineral studies have a filter that blocks most of the visible light that will interfere with

observation. These filters are very expensive and are partly responsible for the significantly higher price of scientific lamps.

Scientific-grade lamps are produced in a variety of different wavelengths. The table at left lists the wavelength ranges that

are most often used for fluorescent mineral studies and their common abbreviations.

UV Lamp Safety

Read the safety instructions provided with your UV lamp prior to use.

Ultraviolet light is present in sunlight and is the type of light that causes sunburn. Avoid prolonged exposure of skin to direct

UV light. Cover your skin with long sleeve clothing and gloves. Avoid shining the lamp into the eyes of a person or pet. Pro-

tect eyes with UV rated safety googles or glasses. Looking into the lamp can cause serious eye injury.

Practical Uses of Fluorescence in Minerals

Fluorescence has some practical uses in mining, gemology, petrology and mineralogy. The mineral scheelite, an ore of

tungsten, typically has a bright blue fluorescence. Geologists prospecting for scheelite sometimes go out at night with fluo-

rescent lamps to look for deposits. They also use fluorescent lamps to examine core specimens and well cuttings. These

exploration procedures have also been used for other minerals.

Fluorescent lamps can be used in underground mines to identify and trace ore-bearing rocks. They have also been used

on picking lines to quickly spot valuable pieces of ore and separate them from waste.

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 12

Many gemstones are sometimes fluorescent including: ruby, kunzite, diamond and opal. This property can sometimes be

used to spot small stones in sediment or crushed ore. It can also be a way to associate stones with a mining locality. For

example: light yellow diamonds with strong blue fluorescence are produced by South Africa's Premier mine and colorless

stones with a strong blue fluorescence are produced by South Africa's Jagersfontein mine. The stones from these mines are

nicknamed "Premiers" and "Jagers".

In the early 1900s many diamond merchants would seek out stones with a strong blue fluorescence. They believed that

these stones would appear more colorless (less yellow) when viewed in light with a high ultraviolet content. This eventually

resulted in controlled lighting conditions for color grading diamonds. [5]

Fluorescence is not routinely used in mineral identification. Most minerals are not fluorescent and the property is unpredict-

able. Calcite provides a good example. Some calcite does not fluoresce. Specimens of calcite that do fluoresce glow in a

variety of colors including: red, blue, white, pink, green and orange. It is rarely a diagnostic property.

Fluorescent Mineral Books

Two great introductory books about fluorescent minerals are: Collecting Fluorescent Minerals by Stuart Schneider and The

World of Fluorescent Minerals also by Stuart Schneider. These books are written in easy-to-understand

language and each of them has a fantastic collection of color photographs showing fluorescent miner-

als under normal and ultraviolet light. They are great for learning and serve as valuable reference

books.

Other Luminescence Properties

Fluorescence is one of several luminescence properties that a mineral might exhibit. Other lumines-

cence properties include:

PHOSPHORESCENCE

In fluorescence, electrons excited by incoming photons jump up to a higher energy level and remain there for a tiny frac-

tion of a second before falling back to the ground state and emitting fluorescent light. In phosphorescence the electrons

remain in the excited state orbital for a greater amount of time before falling. Minerals with fluorescence stop glowing

when the light source is turned off. Minerals with phosphorescence can glow for a brief time after the light source is turned

off. Minerals that are sometimes phosphorescent include: calcite, celestine, colemanite, fluorite, sphalerite, and willemite.

THERMOLUMINESCENCE

Thermoluminescence is the ability of a mineral to emit a small amount of light upon being heated. This heating might be to

temperatures as low as 50 to 200 degrees Celsius - much lower than the temperature of incandescence. Apatite, calcite,

chlorophane, fluorite, lepidolite, scapolite and some feldspars are occasionally thermoluminescent.

TRIBOLUMINESCENCE

Some minerals will emit light when mechanical energy is applied to them. These minerals glow when they are struck,

crushed, scratched or broken. This light is a result of bonds being broken within the mineral structure. The amount of light

emitted is very small and careful observation in the dark is often required. Minerals that sometimes display tribolumines-

cence include: amblygonite, calcite, fluorite, lepidolite, pectolite, quartz, sphalerite, and some feldspars. Article & photos from http://geology.com/articles/fluorescent-minerals/

Andrey Atuchin: An Interview with a Natural History Illustrator By Jack Shimon, Pikes Peak Pebble Pups, Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society

I met Andrey by email this summer when I requested per-

mission to use a piece of his art in a story I was writing

about Nasutoceratops. Of the images I found online, his was

my favorite. When I was finding a way to contact him, I dis-

covered that he has a whole online gallery of dinosaur art-

work and it is very good1. I was fascinated by the idea that

this was his job. Andrey and his family, wife Svetlana and son

Daniil (probably the youngest dinosaur expert in Russia), live

in the provincial city Kemerovo, in South-Western Siberia, the

center of Russia, which is a country very different from my

own, although we both have dinosaurs. Being a curious 3rd

grader, I asked if I could interview him about his job and how

he got started in such a remote part of the world (I looked at

his hometown on Google Maps). Like me, Andrey was fasci-

nated by dinosaurs and science as a kid, but his career be-

gan with his imagination and love of art.

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 13

Andrey calls himself a Natural History Illustrator because of the wide range of subjects he illustrates. I have also learned

that his skills aren’t limited to traditional forms of art and that he also does ice sculpting, makes polymer clay dinosaurs,

and preserves beetles, among other things. His official career began in 2004 when he got an offer from the British pub-

lisher Anness to illustrate Dougal Dixon’s illustrated encyclopedias of dinosaurs. He loved painting encyclopedias, where

a variety of animals are painted in the same style. And like many of us as little kids, like 5 and 6 years old, he had a fasci-

nation with dinosaurs and was given his first set of plastic toy dinosaurs by his sister who found them in Moscow. After

that he relied on books and articles in magazines, although he didn’t have the endless choices like we do here.

Following is my interview of Andrey conducted by email. He was very patient answering my questions, and then a sec-

ond round of questions after I read his responses, and I had a lot of fun learning about what he does. I think you will real-

ly enjoy his story. After you read it, you should go online to his gallery and check out his art.

What type of education did you have for this job?

I am a biologist by education. I graduated from university from the Department of Zoology and Ecology. Originally, I

wanted to work as a Paleontologist, but at the university I had to study leaf beetles as there was no department of pale-

ontology or related professions.

Before then I studied at an art school for children for a couple years. One day I brought my drawings to the art school

and showed them to the teachers. I drew dinosaurs by pencil and gouache (paint similar to watercolor but the artist

can control the opacity) and I painted beetles, which I collected. The teachers allowed me into the art school without

an exam. I also took personal lessons in drawing.

You mentioned a beetle collection, I really want to hear more about that.

When I was 13-14 years old, I started to collect insects in the field. I liked to find new species (new for my collection) and

define them by using a special book with a key. I mounted them on a pin and then I drew them with gouache (beetles

mostly): leaf-beetles (Family Chrysomelidae), longhorn beetles (Family Cerambycidae), ladybugs (Family Coccinelli-

dae), ground beetles (Family Carabidae), and many others. I even engaged myself in growing larvae (mainly leaf-

beetles and ladybirds) and recorded in a notebook the dates and sketched larvae and pupae.

How did you learn English?

I learned English in school. At first, I was making great progress, but in high school we had a terrible teacher, a wicked

witch. Because of this, I stopped my knowledge of English. The result is that I got a bad grade on the school certificate.

Then I strongly improved my knowledge in college. At university I was again out of luck with the teacher. However, I

have independently studied the language, read articles, and communicate on the internet.

What was the first dinosaur you ever did?

Hmm… I really can’t remember now. But I remember how and why I started to draw

dinosaurs. The first drawings I made were in 1994 under the impression of the film

“Jurassic Park”. I think it was the Tyrannosaurus that attacks Ornithomimids. Translated

foreign books about dinosaurs began to pass in our country, probably on a wave of

popularity of dinosaurs after the movie. Encyclopedias! I love encyclopedias. But Rus-

sian books about dinosaurs were a rarity, especially in provincial regions. And in my

town, I did not even know that there was such a wonderful book with pictures by

Zdenek Burian (a Czech painter and book illustrator whose work played a central role in

the development of paleontological reconstructions)2. One day in the book store, I saw

an amazing and terrific book - an illustrated encyclopedia of dinosaurs by Dougal Dix-

on. I had never seen such a book. It included many different dinosaurs with their Latin

names, colorful images, description, and most importantly - the figures of a skeletons

and skulls. This book has been read so much by me that it is falling apart.

So you can understand my feelings when I received the offer to illustrate Dougal Dix-

on’s new illustrated encyclopedia of dinosaurs in 2004. I didn’t believe it… such an

amazing coincidence.

The lack of books with quality illustrations prompted me to start drawing illustrations myself. I just wanted to read a good

book about dinosaurs and started drawing dinosaurs how I wanted to see them in a book.

What is your favorite dinosaur and have you drawn it for publication before?

In fact, I do not have a favorite dinosaur. Rather, I love groups of dinosaurs. I love Hadrosaurs, Ceratopsians, and Abeli-

Russian Edition - Dougal Dixon’s Il-lustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 14

saurs and some others. I often and gladly draw dinosaurs from these groups for publishing.

What do you use to make your art - paint, colored pencils, water colors, or is everything digital painting?

Earlier, I used a pencil, ink (for skeletons, bones), gouache, and watercolor. I did a lot of watercolor drawings for the

books for Anness publishing: dinosaurs, prehistoric creatures, insects and flowers. Now I paint mainly in digital graphics,

although I'm using a very similar style as if I was painting with a brush and paints. Digital graphics gives me freedom,

more opportunities to do so as I would like, to correct some errors (watercolor does not forgive mistakes, and I have to

repaint again). Also in my spare time I sculpt dinosaurs by using polymer clay.

Since no one has ever seen a living non-avian dinosaur, do you work with paleontologists or other scientists to under-

stand how they look? Such as how tall they are, frills, horns, ridges, etc? Or are you asked to illustrate a dinosaur and

you have to figure out what you think it looks like?

I believe that if someone wants to be a professional illustrator, then he must study the subject. For example, a good illus-

trator who specializes in drawing birds should be an ornithologist or a biologist. That is the best way to do professional

artwork. My education helps me in my work as I know well the animals, their anatomy, behavior, evolution, ecology,

and more. I study science books and original publication about dinosaurs. I also consult with paleontologists to collabo-

rate and work together with them. Sometimes I study the real bones, take part in expeditions and excavations, and pre-

pare fossils. In fact I am a research scientist first and foremost, and I have learned as an artist in the second turn to quali-

tatively depict animals. Often, I will illustrate the dinosaurs based on my own speculation which is based on my science

background.

Where have you been on your excavating trips? Just within Russia? Have you found fossils of

dinosaurs you have drawn?

Yes, just within Russia. I had never been abroad at all, with the exception of one city in China,

on the border with Russia. It is very expensive for my budget to go abroad, and there are of-

ten difficulties with visas. I participated in excavations in Blagoveshchensk, Far East Russia

which is the location of the bone-bed of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs, Hadrosaurs mainly. I

drew dinosaurs from that place – Amurosaurus riabinini for example, Olorotitan arharensis

(from another location – Kundur), Kundurosaurus, Tyrannosaurids. Also I studied the bones of

Amurosaurus and Olorotitan and reconstruct them by making drawings of the skulls and the

skeleton that appears in scientific publications.

I took part in one digging in Sharipovo. It’s near the border of our region and has Middle Ju-

rassic bone-beds that contain fish, turtles, crocodiles, mammals, Stegosaurs, sauropods, thero-

pods and ornithischians. Do you know the Kileskus – the huge Tyrannosauroid similar to

Guanlong and Proceratosaurus. I drew this one too.

Near my town we have the location of Early Cretaceous fauna with Psittacosaurus sibiricus.

What about colors and design? Who decides what coloring each dinosaur has? Color wasn't preserved in fossils like the

basic structure. Is it a guess? Do you ever want to do something really crazy with the color or design? Sort of like the

pattern on Sinoceratops zhuchengensis (which we really like).

Excellent question. I use color exclusively for the more lively and naturalistic perception of the viewer. The human brain is

accustomed to perceive the world in color, we see the colorful world. Therefore, colored drawing will look more natural

for us. When we picture an animal that has been extinct for millions of years, and it is not easy to find modern equivalent

of it, it is very important that the audience believe that this is a real animal, so it is perceived plausible, natural, and

alive. To make the color more natural you can explore how modern animals are colored, relatives of dinosaurs, croco-

diles, other reptiles, and birds. You can try to imagine what kind of lifestyle or habitat led to such coloration of a dinosaur

and paint it accordingly. Ultimately this is a reconstruction of coloration - we still cannot claim it as truth. The aim is to

look natural, for better perception as a once living animal. Also, I do color design so that the animal looked aesthetical-

ly beautiful.

However, in recent years many publications revealed remains of coloration of dinosaurs. For example the study of fossil

melanosomes can answer how feathered dinosaurs was colored, the presence of spots, a striped tail, and what color is

it. It is also possible that patterns on the scales of mummies of Hadrosaurs and skin impressions may be indicative of col-

or, and in this case they were striped or spotted. Traces of color were found in one fossilized Psittacosaurus. In these cas-

Excavations in Sharipovo

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 15

es we can reconstruct the color and pattern and not only to look natural like a living being, but also to show the real

color pattern. That’s an amazing thing that science had brought to us in recent years.

As for the crazy color, I still prefer a more natural color and not too flashy, but with interesting design.

How many dinosaurs have you drawn? Who do you do the artwork for?

Oh, it's very hard to count them all, hundreds of them. I make drawings for books, encyclopedias, and magazine arti-

cles. Recently I painted birds, amphibians, insects, and mammals of the Red Book of my region. Also, I create illustrations

and murals for museums around the world. Some-

times I create textures for 3D animals which are

created by a colleague 3D modeler and 3D artist

Vlad Konstantinov3.

You said you have done murals for museums - any

in the United States?

Yes, I have one in the new beautiful Natural History

Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City. They made the

mounted skeleton of the new (unpublished) Tyran-

nosaur from Utah, and this exposition now has my

new mural behind the skeleton4.

We looked at the image of Psittacosarus5 in Vlad's

gallery that you textured. It is AMAZING. But I do

have a question about the things on the tail... are those quills like a porcupine? How did you know about those? I have a

new appreciation for how you create and color your dinosaurs after learning about the fossil melanosomes (my mom ex-

plained those to me).

The fact is there is one great fossil Psittacosaur from China that has bristle-like structures on the base of the tail. Therefore,

you can usually see some Psittacosaurs from different artists who drew it with such bristles. Maybe they are like bristles,

maybe like porcupine quills, but more thin and flexible, I think.

The Psittacosaurus sibiricus created by Vlad and I has bristles because the customer asked us to do that.

Do you draw other things besides dinosaurs and insects? What is your favorite thing to draw?

Yes. I draw other animals, ancient and modern. I even painted Ediacaran organisms and Devonian fish, ammonites, trilo-

bites, and much more. Ironically, among other things I have grown fond of astronomy. I love space, planets, and stars. As

a child, I drew pictures on the theme of space. This fascination came in handy when I was asked to draw a spaceship for

the GEO magazine. If you're an illustrator and live in Russia, then you should be able to draw a lot of things far from your

specialization otherwise remain out of work and earnings.

How many drafts or works in progress does it take to come up with the final design for your dinoart?

In fact, I start working in my imagination where I create most of the sketches. There is a severe selection of sketches in my

head. As a result, the paper gets 1-3 sketches. Often I already know what I want to paint and how, so I immediately start

drawing a rough draft, which I continue to the finished artwork. I have very limited space to work with. I just have nowhere

to work with a lot of sketches, so digital graphics - it's a good way out for me.

What would you like to tell kids interested in natural history illustration?

Just do what you love and what you are interested in, no matter what. Be amazed at this world, love it, learn, and study.

Study nature, watch, and be curious. And do not stop drawing. Drawing, drawing, drawing. Perhaps you will become pro-

fessionals, and maybe it will be only a hobby, it's not important, as long as it makes you happy.

You can see why I had such a wonderful time with my interview of An-

drey. I told him the digital painting of his was my favorite from his gallery,

and he sent me the image to share with all of you. Thank you, Andrey!

Liopleurodon

By Andrey Atuchin used with permission

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 16

A New Holiday Tradition by Llewellyn Alspach, The Shawnee Slate

Editor’s Note: Okay, your holiday shopping may be done for 2013, but what about all those gift-giving opportunities that

lie ahead in 2014?

A s the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to pro-vide Americans with monstrous

piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This

year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an

excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Oh.... Yes there is! It is time to

think out-side the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about improving their health. Who wouldn't appreciate

getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or

a book of gift certificates. Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the big bucks on

an overseas made flat-screen TV? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or his lawn mowed for

the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course. There are gazillion owner-run restaurants -- all

offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local

break-fast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans

with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open. How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car,

truck, or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy? Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom

would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day. My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find

some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running. OK, you were looking for something more per-

sonal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery, and beautiful

wooden boxes. Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. How

about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre. Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing

local bands.

Honestly people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When

you buy a five dollar string of lights, only about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds

of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy, or babysitter a nice BIG tip. You see, Christmas is no

longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is

now about US (We the People) and encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging way to

follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and

the benefits come back to us in ways we could not imagine. THIS is the new American Christmas tradi-

tion!! Please pass this around. We can make a difference. Can't we? Keep America Strong!

Notes:

1. http://dinoart1.narod.ru/

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zden%C4%9Bk_Burian

3. http://swordlord.cgsociety.org/gallery/1090073/

4. Image provided courtesy of Andrey Atuchin.

5. http://swordlord.cgsociety.org/gallery/1090073

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 17

AFMS Rockhound of the Year by Bill Cain, ACROY Chair

T he Cañon City Geology Club would like to honor James 'Holly' Meacham as our Rockhound

of the Year 2013. Jim's expertise is constantly being called upon to help members understand

the intricacy of the rocks in the landscape; his knowledge is both deep and broad, and he always

has time to talk rocks. He has the innate ability to make any old rock fascinating by giving it history,

chemistry, and respect! His patience and dedication to the Cañon City club have kept us alive for

decades. We don't think he ever met a rock he didn't love. Thanks, Jim, for your decades of ser-

vice to our club and our community. Submitted by your fellow club rockhounds

B laine and Kay Berry are members of the Golden Spike Gem & Mineral Society and are our Rock hounds of the

Year for 2013. Kay joined in 1970, becoming thoroughly involved. Blaine joined in 1988, following their marriage. He

loved camping but it took him four years to really enjoy rock hunting. He told everyone he was Kay’s

“Pack Mule”, but once the “Rock Pox” bug bit him, he was hunting with the best of them. They have

been Field Trip Leaders for over 15 years. Both have been Board Directors, served on Gem Show com-

mittees and teach rock education classes at schools. Kay has served as President and all offices ex-

cept Treasurer. She has been Program and Membership Chair, presented programs, and taught silver-

smith classes. She was Bulletin Editor for four years and won awards from the NFMS and AFMS. She

served as a Competition Judge and a Judge for the CFMS newsletter contest. Blaine served as Vice-

President, faithful supporter and donated rocks for the show. Submitted by Evan Day

Multi-Federation Field Trip – Make Plans to Attend NOW! by Doug True, AFMS Field Trip Chair

T he town of Terry, Montana may be small, but they are planning on rolling out the red carpet for us as they host the

AFMS 2014 Multi-Federation field trip gathering. The dates are July 31 - August 4, 2014, so mark your calendars and

get ready to register!

Terry is right in the middle of some of the best Montana rock hounding

areas. We'll have numerous trips to the Gravel Bars on the Yellowstone

River; productive areas that I've been hunting on annually for 40+ years.

Many are accessed only through private property, but permissions have

been granted. We'll be hunting for Montana agates, Jasper, Petrified

Wood, fossil coral, stromatolites, and numerous other "oddities".

We'll have numerous trips into Montana fossil country to the Pierre and

Bear Paw formation areas, and we'll collect ammonites, baculites,

scaphites, natiloids and many other shells (70-95 million years old) in the

ancient sea bed areas. We are also working on trips to several areas where we can collect dinosaur fossils from the Hell

Creek Formation. More information will be forthcoming as plans are solidified.

In addition, we'll have an opportunity to take a guided tour through the Eastern Montana Badlands - a once in a lifetime

opportunity.

Start planning your collecting vacation now. Kids are welcome!!!! What could be better then four days in Eastern Montana

with a chance of collecting wonderful material.

But wait, there's more....The town of Terry is allowing us to use their 2 block city park for dry camping and other activities.

We'll have pot luck dinners, a barbecue and much, much more. For more information contact Doug True, Fieldtrip Chair,

(406) 670-0506, or email <dtruefossils12@yahoo.com> AFMS Newsletter – November, 2013

X

Terry

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 18

Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth?

E ach year around the time we pay our club dues, I ask myself am I getting my money’s

worth for membership? Most of our clubs offer a great deal for the small dues they re-

quest. Your club also pays a small Federation due for each of its members, age 12 and

above. So, I’ll ask you—are you getting your money’s worth?

Just in case, I asked Google the definition of dues: “to earn respect because you worked

hard to develop a skill; to pay a fee required to belong to an organization.” Okay, we attend

the meetings, smile and greet one another, show off our latest found treasures, listen to the speaker during the presen-

tation, enjoy the refreshments, and then go home. Is that all there is? NO! There’s a whole lot more to belonging to a

rock club (of any size). Have you volunteered for one of the offices? Do you lead field trips? Do you bring the refresh-

ments? How about working at the annual show? Have you submitted a story or idea to your newsletter editor? You

could even offer to assist one of your club chairs in their duties (a good way to “learn the ropes”). It is a wonderful feel-

ing to know that your efforts, no matter how big or small, made a difference in the success of the endeavor. The same

is true of Federation volunteers. If you really want to know how things are done, be in the know, or to feel ownership—

VOLUNTEER. That’s all it takes. You can start out small if you like, but once you catch the bug, you’ll want to go for the

big jobs like an officer or newsletter editor. Your club will reap the rewards and everyone benefits. There is pride in

ownership.

A position that not all of our clubs have is the Federation Representative. You could assist your club by being the first

Fed Rep appointed. The Fed Reps work with the State Directors to receive and pass information along about the Feder-

ation and about their club. The Fed Rep is a vital communication link for everyone. The RMFMS Operating Procedures

suggest the Fed Rep is responsible for providing the Rocky Mountain Federation News to their club members. This hasn’t

been done in recent history, and the club editors were asked to pick up the slack; our editors have enough to do each

month! I think it’s time to get our duckies in a row and operate the Federation the way it was intended. Just because

we’ve been slack on following the rules does not mean the rules were not good. We can do it if everyone cooperates.

So, make it your 2014 New Year’s resolution to make yourself proud. See the last page of this newsletter for a list of Va-

cant positions you could fill. Let President Diane know that you are willing to “throw your hat in the ring” as a Federa-

tion volunteer.

Core

Values

The World’s Newest Birthstone by Bob Carnein. Lake George Gem & Mineral Club

A few of the world's gemstones are known from only one or two localities. Some of these, such as larimar from Baraho-

na Province, Dominican Republic and thomsonite, from Minnesota, are nearly opaque and are best cut into relative-

ly inexpensive cabochons. More exotic, transparent rarities include red beryl from Juab Co., Utah; pink diamonds from the

Argyle deposit, inWestern Australia; and violet topaz, from the Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan.

For my money, the most beautiful rare gem comes from an area in northeastern Tanzania, near Mt. Kilimanjaro. Consisting

of several contiguous mining concessions, the Simanjiro tanzanite district, in the Merelani Hills, was not even discovered

until the early 1960s, when a specimen showed up in a curio shop in Arusha. Since then, Merelani has been the world's sole

producer of gem tanzanite, in quantities that have made it one of the greatest of modern gem occurrences. In the late

1960s, Tiffany and Co. named and popularized the gem, but problems with mining in Tanzania caused the supply to dry up

in the early 1970s. Since then, production has been spasmodic at a few million carats per year. Reserves currently are esti-

mated to last for 2 to 3 decades. In 2002, the American Gem Trade Association named tanzanite as one of its three official

December birthstones (along with turquoise and zircon).

Besides tanzanite, Merelani also yields emerald

green tsavorite garnet (a variety of grossular),

diopside, tourmaline, and tremolite, as well as

blue apatite and lavender to pink axinite-(Mg).

The world's best free-standing graphite crystals, as

Tanzanite color grades. (www.krohsnest.net)

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 19

well as fine specimens of pyrite and prehnite, also make Merelani a Mecca for mineral lovers. What is it that makes this de-

posit so special?

Like many valuable gemstones, tanzanite is the transparent, colored vari-

ety of a common mineral. Zoisite, a member of the epidote group, is a

complex silicate containing calcium and aluminum. It most commonly

occurs as gray-green or brown prismatic crystals or masses in metamor-

phic rocks and altered igneous rocks, where it may occur in veins and

joint fillings. Although it's used as a gemstone, it is not especially hard (at

6 to 7). The fact that it's brittle and has a perfect cleavage also compli-

cates its use. Tanzanite should never be subjected to sudden tempera-

ture changes or abrasives.

Also like many other valuable gemstones, tanzanite is colored by an impurity. The blue to violet color

is attributed to the presence of trivalent vanadium (V+3). A pink gem zoisite, called thulite is colored

by manganese. Gem tanzanite crystals up to 22 cm. (9 inches) long are known, but crystals typically

measure a few cm. long.

Tanzanite is unusual in that heat treatment to enhance its color is not considered objectionable. Alt-

hough natural blue gem quality tanzanite does occur, it is very rare

(though the color improves with depth of mining). Most freshly mined

stones have a green, yellow, or brown cast that, for many buyers,

makes them colored zoisite, rather than tanzanite. To achieve the

typical saturated blue or purple-blue color, stones are heated to just below 400°C for a

couple of hours. Problems with exploding inclusions and cracking can be avoided by cut-

ting stones to remove flaws before treatment. There are several ways to identify treated

stones, but most people don't bother, since 99.9% of the stones are treated anyway

(jckonline.com).

It should be noted that tanzanite is strongly trichroic, meaning the col-

or varies with direction in the stone. Crystals commonly are carefully

oriented before cutting, to maximize the saturated blue color. Its color

also varies with the type of lighting: in incandescent light, tanzanite

has a more violet color; in fluorescent lighting, it tends to be more

blue. Rarely, stones are coated with a cobalt compound to enhance

the color, but this, by law, must be disclosed in the U.S. market, where

most tanzanite is sold.

The geology of the Merelani tanzanite deposits has been thoroughly described. A good summary is provided by Wilson, et

al. (2009), from which this account is derived. The rarity of tanzanite (and tsavorite garnet) reflects the fact that the geolo-

gy of the Merelani Hills area is unusual and complex. The rocks are all high grade Proterozoic metasediments. Tanzanite

occurs at the centers and edges of pockets or pods of epidote-quartz-pyrite rimmed by a graphite rich layer and alternat-

ing bands of limonite and epidote. The pods or pockets occur along the crests of northeast-plunging folds, where stretch-

ing of quartz veins and sedimentary layers produced sausage-shaped boudins. On average, tanzanite rich pods occur

every 3 to 7 meters along the strike, over an area measuring 2 km wide and 8 km long.

The presence of abundant graphite, sometimes as free-standing crystals, indicates that a black, carbon rich shale was

one of the original pre-metamorphic sediments. Shales containing organic carbon often concentrate vanadium. As this

and other sediments were deformed and heated, fluids are thought to have removed some of the vanadium and rede-

posited it in the quartz veins at fold crests. Tanzanite and other gem minerals crystallized from the circulating fluids as the

quartz veins underwent several stages of deformation.

Tanzanite reserves of more than a hundred million carats, worth several billion dollars, promise to provide Tanzania with an

important source of income for decades to come. Current wholesale prices of cut stones average several hundred dollars

a carat, and the businesses of mining, cutting, treating, and marketing the gemstones em-

ploy an estimated 50,000 people.

Who knows: if you've been really good this year, you may receive one of these rare gems in

your Christmas stocking.

Reference Cited:

Wilson, W.E., et al., 2009, Famous mineral localities: the Merelani tanzanite mines: The Miner-

alogical, Record, vol. 40, no. 5, p. 346-408.

Left to right: tsavorite garnet (tmcpak.com); green diopside (CR Carnein collection); green tremolite (marinmineral.com), all from Merelani, Tanzania.

Graphite crystals with gem diopside, Mere-

lani, Tanzania (Carnein collection & photo)

Left: Pyrite crystal from Merelani (Carnein collection & photo); right:

Axinite-(Mg) (wikimedia.org).

Typical crystal habits (l. to r.: akadiancollection.com; tanzanitejewelrydesigns.com; minfind.com).

Left: pinkish zoisite crystal; right: Prehnite crystals, both

from Merelani, Tanzania. Carnein photos and collection.

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 20

Newsletter Guidelines by Betty Cain, Editor

A s you may recall, I am one of four volunteers appointed to look at our Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and Oper-

ating Procedure for recommended updates. I have spent a lot of time checking out the facts, references, rules,

and regulations under which our great Federation operates. With that said, I was reading an exchange bulletin the oth-

er day, saw their newsletter guidelines, and became aware that we do not have guidelines for our newsletter’s content.

The only reference I could find about the editor or newsletter in the AOI was Article VIII—Standing Committees, 1: PUB-

LICITY COMMITTEE – The PRESIDENT shall appoint a Publicity Committee, composed of a Chairman and two members, whose duties shall

be to publish a Rocky Mountain Federation bulletin, to furnish news of societies, elections, and Federation affairs to member societies, and

to furnish information about the Federation to other earth science publications. The Chairman shall be EDITOR of the bulletin and shall be

a person qualified for the task. The bulletin shall be issued to societies in good standing with the frequency and distribution as specified in

the Operating Procedures. Also, in the Operating Procedures, OP No. Publicity—1, 4: The editorial policy shall be determined

by the Editor. In the event that the Executive Committee disagrees with current policy, it can, by action described in Article VII, Section 6

of the Articles of Incorporation, request the Editor to change policy or request the President to appoint another Editor.

I propose to one and all that the following guidelines be used for the Rocky Mountain Federation News. The Rocky

Mountain Federation has a proud history of promoting the education and pure enjoyment of the mineralogical and

fossil worlds. At the very heart of its existence are the many volunteers and contributors who spend their time and efforts

in direct support of the Federation’s mission. The RMFMS official newsletter is published monthly except June and July,

and is the primary way the Federation’s activities and mission are communicated to its members and prospective mem-

bers. To offset the newsletter costs, I would like to start selling rockhound related advertisements in the newsletter. The

amount of space used and suggested “donation” for one year will be determined as the market will allow. All dona-

tions will be handled by the Treasurer. We are missing out on an opportunity from today’s shopping methods. I, myself,

have made several purchases from ads seen in exchange newsletters.

Formal announcements concerning clubs’ business and/or memberships

Information around mineral-related education opportunities or fundraising activities

Stories or history that concentrate on the edifying aspects of mineral and fossil collection and education

Sharing of personal mineral-related experience from field trips or other related adventures serving an educational

purpose

Announcements of volunteer/leadership opportunities for the clubs or club representation

Worthy news events or discoveries related to mineralogy or geology that align to Federation’s core interests

Appropriate announcements regarding mineral shows, one-time mineral related events, mineral auctions, sale of

private collections and/or equipment, etc.

Information around relevant donations and/or gifts made available to the clubs or club members

Tastefully written op ed pieces

Please note that the editor may correct spelling, syntax, or content to conserve space and is also entitled to bring con-

tributions in compliance with newsletter guidelines. Any material herein may be reproduced by any club if proper credit

is given. Material from many sources is used in the newsletter. While it is believed these items are accurate, neither the

editor nor RMFMS assumes any liability for their use. Advertiser's claims are their own, and their products are not warrant-

ed by RMFMS.

Deadline for publication is the third week of the month prior to publication. All correspondence to the newsletter should

be sent to Editor. Your comments are welcomed.

Gene Stirm To Speak at 2014 SCRIBE Annual Meeting

G ene Stirm, the award-winning author, editor ,and publisher will present a series of tips he calls “Facelifts for Bulletins”

to rock collecting club editors at this year’s Annual Meeting of SCRIBE! In this age clubs are striv-

ing to use a professional-looking bulletin to attract and retain members. Gene, a member of the

Tehachapi California club, will share his experience with editors for using simple techniques to effec-

tively use typefaces and layout to jazz up and improve readability in bulletins and other printed mate-

rial.

Gene Stirm, former art director and editor for Josten’s American Yearbook Company, brings his expe-

rience in writing, illustrating, publishing and film making to lapidary and rockhound editors. Those edi-

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 21

Agates By Shannon Kosman, Pikes Peak Pebble Pups Steven Veatch, Leader

I will tell you a few facts about agates. Agates are rarely larger than an adult’s fist. Agates appear in a variety of col-

ors: white to gray, red, reddish brown, brown to yellow, blue to purple, and have multicolored bands. Agates are at a

level seven on the Mohs scale of hardness. They can be scratched by topaz. Agates are a form of quartz crystals that

are too small to see. You can find agates all over the country. In the southern part of Colorado try looking along the Ar-

kansas River. Agates are also found in the San Juan Mountains. Agates can be found to the west of Teller County in Park

County. Look for material you can see through with bands of color. Maybe if you’re luck, you can find some agates in

your own backyard!

References Cited

Green, D. (2013). Rocks and minerals. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Lynch, D. R., & Lynch, B. (2010). Colorado rocks & minerals: A field guide

to the centennial state.

Cambridge, MN: Adventure

Publications, Inc.

About the author:

Shannon Kosman is 8 years old and is a third grader at Pikes Peak School

of Expeditionary Learning. She enjoys rock collecting, Girl Scouts, reading,

and baton twirling. She has been a member of Pebble Pups for the past

year and is looking forward to writing more articles .

Figure 1. A agate from Deming, New Mexico. Photo by Pete Modreski.

Figure 2. Note the beautiful banding of this agate. Various agates can be found in Park coun-ty and Fremont county. Photo by Pete Modreski.

tors and guests attending the meeting will leave with solid tools for making their yearbook more professional-looking and

easier to read.

The meeting will be from 9am until noon on Saturday, January 25th, 2014 at the Senior Citizen Center on Moon Mountain

Road in Quartzsite, Arizona. Doors open at 8:30 AM (MST) for registration and coffee.

For information contact Mark Nelson at mnelsonair@aol.com

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 22

January 20

January 31—Year

of the Horse

A Pale Blue Celestine Mineral from Madagascar By Nate Blume, Pikes Peak Pebble Pups,

Steven Veatch, Leader

A Mineral Haiku Lustrous crystals shine

Shimmering in stunning blue

They are beautiful

Facts on File:

Formula: SrSO4 (Strontium Sulfate)

Specific gravity: 3.96 – 3.98 g/cm3

Crystal system: Orthorhombic

Group: Barite group

Color: Colorless to shades of blue, white,

red, green and brown

Luster: Vitreous, pearly

Streak: white

Mohs hardness: scale: 3-3.5

Fracture: Irregular/uneven

Figure 1. Blue crystals of celestine in a geode. This specimen measures 1.875” x 0.875” (23 mm x 19 mm). Image © by Nate Bloom, A Nate Bloom specimen.

Notes: Celestine was discovered in 1791. The name celestine is based

on the word “celestial” and refers to the beautiful blue colors of some

celestine minerals that look like the sky. I got this specimen from an old

mineral collection from the 1960s. The blue coloring is caused by irradia-

tion of impurities of gold in the crystal. Celestine is often found in sedi-

mentary rocks like limestone and hydrothermal veins.

References:

Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals by Chris Pellant

Firefly Guide to Minerals Rocks & Fossils by A.C. Bishop, A.R. Woolley and

W.R. Hamilton

web sources: http//www.mineral.net

http//www.mindat.org

Author Bio:

Nate Blume is 10 years old and attend 5th grade at the Rocky Mountain Clas-

sical Academy in Colorado Springs. He is a member of the Pikes Peak Pebble

Pups and the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society, Colorado Springs, CO.

The Pikes Peak Pebble Pups have a unit in Teller County that meets in Lake

George. The other unit meets in Colorado Springs.

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 23

The First China (Changsha) Mineral and Gem Show, May 15-20, 2013 BY: Dr. Peter Megaw, Tucson Gem & Mineral Society, Rock Talk,Sep-Oct, 2013

D espite Hunan Province being home to a number of Carbonate Replacement Deposits and skarns similar to those I

work on in Mexico I have somehow never gotten there…or anywhere else in China for that matter. Thus it was

with pleasant anticipation that Allison and I accepted the invitation of the organizers of the First China (Changsha) Min-

eral and Gem Show (CMGS) to attend as their guests at what was billed as the “Oriental Tucson Show” and see wheth-

er it was possible to build a Tucson or Munich scale

show essentially overnight. The Tucson Gem and

Mineral Society naming me their official ambassa-

dor to the Changsha Show helped immensely as

the Chinese bestowed full VIP status on us both. The

TGMS letter of congratulations and Show Posters

(2005 Minerals of China) were warmly received and

the presentation was reported on Chinese national

television!

Changsha lies in east central China and is the capi-

tal of Hunan Province. Considered one of China’s

“20 Most Economically Developed Cities,” Chang-

sha is a bustling industrial and commercial center of

7-8 million people. The area is mostly flat with a few

rolling hills and the slow-moving Xiang River, tributary to the Yangtze, runs through the middle of the city and makes it a

major inland port. The region is well known to movie fans because the bizarre rock pillars in the nearby Zhanjiajie Moun-

tains were digitally modified to make the “Floating Mountains of Pandora” for the animated movie “Avatar.” Vegeta-

tion is lush thanks to a warm and humid subtropical climate. We were there in early summertime and it was already in

the 90s with 75% humidity, but we were told it gets a lot hotter and stickier later on. Hunan has a reputation for spicy

food but, for palettes attuned to Mexican cuisine, it presented few challenges. The “delicacies” like chopped turtle

were another matter. All foods were labeled in Chinese and English although the translation of some names (“bacteria

chicken”, “breakfast intestinal”) was a trifle disturbing.

Like many Chinese cities, Changsha has mushroomed over the last 20 years and it does not have many historic tourist

attractions as do Shanghai and Beijing. It is, however, next door to the boyhood home of Chairman Mao Zedong, which

is now a museum and ritual touchstone for Chinese wishing to honor the Revolution. Other than the signage being in

Chinese characters and often of mammoth proportions, the streets of Changsha are lined with modern department

stores and fast food restaurants, many with familiar logos.

Because of its location in a major mining area, Changsha has be-

come a focus of the mineral industry in China, somewhat akin to

Tucson, El Paso or Fallbrook. Until recently, many mines in Hunan

and neighboring provinces were operated mainly for specimens

and the commercial mines were largely unmechanized so many

specimens were produced locally. Unfortunately for collectors, the

commercial mines are getting increasingly mechanized and speci-

men mines have closed, so production has suffered.

On the flip side working conditions for the miners are now much

cleaner and safer. given a media tour through the exhibits. The

organizers made “Mineral Museums” their inaugural theme and

focused on getting the show’s commercial/physical aspects es-

tablished, leaving education and exhibits to grow in coming years.

The focus was reflected by the range of international guests in-

cluding: Johannes Keilman of the Munich Show, Joel Bartsch of the

Houston Museum, Peter Larson of the Black Hills Institute, Me from

Dr. Peter McGraw presents the poster

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 24

the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show™, and Bill Larson

and other representatives of the GIA and ICGA.

Each of the first three days featured a forum devot-

ed to gems, minerals or fossils, with a fair blending of

Chinese and guest speakers. Talks ranged from sci-

entific themes to overviews of mineral shows world-

wide to general collecting philosophies and strate-

gies. The organizers also took several pages from

successful shows worldwide and featured a limited

but very popular series of hands-on activities for chil-

dren including gold-panning, (Mexican!) geode

cracking and interactions with dinosaur experts.

School children visits will be incorporated next year.

The show proper ran for five days and occupied

three floors of the huge facility. Jewelry, gem and lapidary dealers occupied the upper floor. There were two show-

stopping diamond and jade necklaces carrying price-tags of over $10 million each … both sold! The color and transpar-

ency of the five jade cabochons in these necklaces was astounding, as clearly was the value of each cabochon. The

main floor was devoted to mineral and fossil dealers and exhibits. Front and center were the guest clearly a work in pro-

gress that will doubtless be very different next year. Overall, the facility is excellent and the show looked great, but it will

look even better as they add more exhibits and create more interactive attractions that will bring in a broader spectrum

of attendees. Economically, it appeared that the show was successful for Chinese dealers and collectors focused on

Chinese specimens and goods, especially jewelry. Guest dealers with large and relatively inexpensive materials also did

very well and Munich-like dolly loads of large pieces went out the back doors with regularity. The show was much less

successful for the first-time visiting dealers who

not only had to grapple with unresolved Cus-

toms and Duty issues, but also had materials

that are not yet drawing strong interest from the

Chinese market.

The logistical issues should be solvable, but until

China grows a larger internal collector base it is

unlikely that many of these dealers will work on

selling into the Chinese market. Over time, build-

ing this internal collector base will be vital to the

continuation and growth of the CMGS and the

Chinese domestic mineral business in general.

Once this happens, the demand for more inter-

national specimen materials should grow. Rising

awareness of mineral collecting in China will

doubtless bring more Chinese collectors to our

show and we have already had an overture

from the Chinese Viewstone Association (4 Mil-

lion members!) to establish “diplomatic” rela-

tions with TGMS.

[The above is excerpted from a longer and profusely illustrated review in an upcoming Rocks and Minerals magazine.

Check that out for more details! Photos from Mindat.com]

Presentation in the fossil Center

Excellence in China means BIG! Amethyst with wooden carved base

Chrysanthemum Stone from Liuyang, Hunan province

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 25

To have your RMFMS member club sponsored events listed here, email bettycain3 @comcast.net. You may include other info about your show if you wish but will only be printed as space permits.

All RMFMS clubs are also encouraged to register their event listings

on the RMFMS web site at: www.rmfms.org. Email your submis-

sions to the Webmaster at webmaster@rmfms.org.

January 17-19, 2014 Miami, AZ

Gila County Gem & Mineral Society Show, Gila

County Fairgrounds, Globe, AZ.

January 25, 2014 Quartzsite, AZ

SCRIBE Annual Meeting, Senior Citizen Center on Moon Moun-

tain Road, Quartzsite; 8:30a.

February 21-23, 2014 Denver, CO

Denver Gem & Mineral Guild Show at Jefferson County Fair-

grounds, Golden, CO.

March 7-9, 2014 Ada, OK

Ada Gem, Mineral & Fossil Club Show, Pontotoc County Fair-

grounds, Ada, OK; contact Ed Vermillion, 405-527-6431, okieed42@

windstream.net.

March 14-16, 2014 Albuquerque, NM

Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club Springs Show, NM Expo Center

on San Pedro Dr,; contact Paul Hlava, 505-255-5478, paulhlava@

q.com.

March 21-23, 2014 Fort Collins, CO

Fort Collins Rockhounds Show, Larimer County Fairgrounds.

April 12, 2014 Arvada, CO

North Jeffco Gem & Mineral Club Silent Auction, 6842 Wadsworth

Blvd, Arvada, CO.

April 12-13, 2014 Siloam Springs, AR

Northwest Arkansas Gem & Mineral Society Spring Show, AR

Community Bldg. on Mt. Olive; contact DeLane Cox, 479-254-0894,

delanec3@earthlink.net.

April 25-27, 2014 Wichita, KS

Wichita Gem & Mineral Society Annual Show, “It’s not just gold

that glitters”, at Cessna Activity Center, 2744 George Washington

Blvd. Wichita, KS. Contact Gene Maggard, 316-742,3746 or

gandpmaggard@wildblue.net.

Shows, Events

& More Membership Renewals

Good Job! We’re over the half-way mark for club dues. Please send yours in as soon as

possible to put us at 100%.

August 2014 will have 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sun-

days. This happens only once every 823 years.

The Chinese call it “Silver pockets full."

Zon My Din Woe Don Vrij Zat

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31

August 2014

79

February 78

68

January 58

48

21-Dec 45 58%

17-Dec 39 51%

December 38

16-Dec 34 44%

13-Dec 33 43%

8-Dec 29 38%

6-Dec 26 32%

4-Dec 22 29%

November 18

8

29-Oct 4 5%

October 0

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 26

President Diane C Weir 2300 S Union Ave Roswell, NM 88203 575.622.5679 dcweir@cableone.net

Vice President Jeri House 1604 Sunset Place Roswell, NM 88203 575.622.3688 jeriron90@juno.com

Secretary Gene Maggard 8418 SE Hwy 77 Leon, KS 67064 316.742.3746 gandpmaggard@gmail.com

Treasurer Gene Maggard 8418 SE Hwy 77 Leon, KS 67064 316.742.3746 gandpmaggard@gmail.com

Historian Cinda Kunkler 210 NE35th St Topeka, KS 66617 785.286.1790 cindakunkler@att.net

DeLane Cox 8152 Spanker Ridge Dr. Bentonville, AR 72712 479.254.0894 delanec3@earthlink.com

Bill Smith PO. Box 311 Hardtner, KS 67057 620.296.4652 beetlebill@kanokla.net

Arizona/Nevada Russ Stewart 1300 N. Matterhorn Rd Payson, AZ 928-474-9712 azrusstew@npgcable.com

Colorado Beth Simmons 1420 S. Reed Lakewood, CO 80232 303.986.9693 cloverknoll@comcast.net

Kansas

Lyle Koerper 1644 Valleyview Court Wichita, KS 67212 316.722.7115 koerperk@aol.com

New Mexico/Texas Robert L. Carlson 1585 Los Pueblos Los Alamos, NM 87544 505.662.5534 illegitimusnoncarbor udum@inbox.com

North Dakota Ray Oliger 516 N 20th St Bismarck, ND 58501 701.223.4986 reorocks@gmail.com

Oklahoma/Arkansas Virgil Richards 26815 51st St Broken Arrow, OK 74014 918.640.9592 dws@dances-with-snakes.com

S Dakota/Nebraska Sony Hemscher PO Box 376 Piedmont, SD 57769 605.431.2755 sony2755@hotmail.com

Utah Tom Burchard 875 E. 4500 S. S. Ogden, UT 84403 801.479.4286 Roxhund@aol.com

Wyoming Jim McGarvey PO Box 116 Kinnear, WY 82516 307.856.6188 degarbey@wyoming.com

Circulation Bill Cain Address on page 2

Convention Advisory DeLane Cox

See Past President

Editor—Publicity Betty Cain Address on page 2

Finance Robert Haines, Chair 104 S. Brookside St. Wichita, KS 67218 316.683.9021

Wayne Cox 8152 Spanker Ridge Dr. Bentonville, AR 72712 479.254.0894 waynec3@earthlink.com

Fluorescent Technical Pete Modreski 3555 Mill St Wheat Ridge, CO 0033 303.425.9549 pmodreski@aol.com

Fossil Technical Roger Burkhalter 16560 E. Maguire Rd Noble, OK 73068 405.899.4260 rjb@ou.edu

Insurance Gene Maggard 8418 SE Hwy 77 Leon, KS 67064 316.742.3746 gandpmaggard@wildblue.net

Lapidary Tech Mike Snively 8495 W. Starr Circle Littleton, CO 80128 720.981.0752 photomaker@earthlink.net

Mineralogical Tech Jim Hurlbut 2240 S Adams Denver, CO 80210 303.757.0283 jfhu@earthlink.net

Nominations Judy Beck, Chair

3021 E Country Club Rd Saline, KS 67401 785.823.7069 lkbeck@mowery-clinic.com

2nd Committee Member DeLane Cox

See Past President

3rd Committee Member

Vacant

Program Library Jennifer Biddle 1620 Kingsway St Sapulpa, OK 74016 918.361.1957 drrainea@gmail.com

Publications Contest Beth Simmons 1420 S. Reed Lakewood, CO 80232 303.986.9693 cloverknoll@comcast.net

Safety Vacant

Webmaster Jennifer Biddle See Program Library webmaster@rmfms.org

Webmaster Contest Vacant

AFMS Club Rockhound of the Year Award (ACROY) Bill Cain Address on page 2

All American Club Vacant

Boundaries Robert L Carson See NM/TX State Director

Credentials Vacant

Directory Kay Waterman

1334 N. McFarland Place Claremore, OK 74017 918.521.4386 kay.waterman@cox.net

International Relations Mike Nelson 645 Popes Valley Dr Colo. Springs, CO 80919 719.522.1608 csrockguy@yahoo.com

Junior Program Vacant

Long-Range Planning Judy Beck, Chair See Nominations

Robert L. Carlson See NM/TX State Director

3rd Committee Member

Vacant

Name Badges Richard Jaeger 3515 E 88th St Tulsa, OK 74137-2602 RjgrSci@aol.com

Parliamentarian Gene Maggard See Treasurer

Permanent Address Robert Carlson See NM/TX State Director

Program Competition Jennifer Biddle See Program Library

Ribbons Kaye Thompson 1830 Mesita Ct.

Colo. Springs, CO 80906 719.636.2978

Scholarship Sandy Cannedy 15071 County Rd 1170 Binger, Okla. 73009-5006 405.656.9019 jscannedy@att.net

Supplies Kim Blanton 728 E. Sand Dunes Dr. Sandy, UT 84094 801-604-1263 kimblanton2@aol.com

Trophies Robert L. Carlson See NM/TX State Director

Arizona/Nevada Bill Jaeger 3441 E Astro St Hereford, AZ 85615 520.803.6590 billjaeger@hotmail.com

Harry Kilb 3411 Tomahawk Dr Lake Havasu City, AZ 86406 928.855.1630 hmkilb@rraz.net

Colorado Tim Austin 2918 Plymouth Rd Grand Junction, CO 81503 970.263.7404 Austintimbarb@aol.com

Mike Nelson See Int’l Relations

Kansas Mike Nelson See Int’l Relations

Nebraska Leroy Meininger 81 Toluca Lane Gering, NE 69341 308.623.2661 prairiefossil@yahoo.com

New Mexico/Texas Vacant

N Dakota Rodney Hickle 1631 28th Ave SW Central, ND 58530 701.794.3342

Oklahoma/Arkansas Bill Lyon 112 N. Hillcrest St Ada, OK 74820 580.332.8666 jblyon@cableone.net

Doris Perkins 405 SE Ave G I Idabel, OK 74745 580.286.3133 rperkins8236@sbcglobal.net

S Dakota Jan Baumeister 19702 E Hwy 18 Sp 56 Welton, AZ 85356 928.785-3238 rockhoundgal@aol.com

Utah Jim Alexander 360 5th St Ogden, UT 84404 801.399.0785 jwalex1@aol.com

Wyoming Jim McGarvey See WY State Director

Lee Whitebay, Chair 4669 N Prentice Rd Ponca City, OK 74604 580.765.2074 lwhitebay@sbcglobal.net

B. Jay Bowman 191 Bowman Rd Ponca City, OK 74601 580.761.5966 bjb@wildblue.net

Roger Burkhalter See Fossil Technical

Robert Carlson See NM/TX State Director

Jack Thompson 1830 Mesita Ct. Colo. Springs, CO 80906 719.636.2978

Updated 11/20/13

STANDING COMMITTEES

PAST PRESIDENTS

RMFMS Officers, Executive Committee, and Committee Chairpersons 2013/2014

OFFICERS

STATE DIRECTORS

SPECIAL COMMITTEES

PUBLIC LAND ADVISORY

UNIFORM RULES COMMITTEE

Committee Chairs

are appointed by the

President.

Ofcrs & State Directors

are elected by the House

of Delegates

Executive Committee

consists of Officers,

State Directors, and two

immediate Past

Presidents

Every president’s dream member!

Rocky Mountain Federation News—January 2014 Page 27

RMFMS Distribution

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Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Educational Nonprofit Time Value

Do Not Delay

January 2014