Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society - Chippers’ Chatter · 2019-10-23 · Chippers’ Chatter...

Chippers’ ChatterChippers’ ChatterNewsletter of the Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society

Baltimore, Maryland <chesapeakegemandmineral.org>

Volume 59, Number 10November, 2015

What’s New in Mineralsfrom Richard Hoff

JeffScovilisperhapsthepremierphotographerofmin-erals and gems in the westernworld today. His photos gracethe covers and stories found insuchmagazinesasMineralogical Record, Lithographie and Rocks & Minerals. He’s a fixture atall the major gem and mineralshows(Tucson,WestSpringfield,Denver,Munich,etc.)and is fre-quentlycommissionedbycollec-tors to photograph their speci-mens.He’llevendooneofyours

ifyouarrangetogetthespecimentohim.

Hespends99%ofhistimeatthemajorshowsphoto-graphingspecimensthatcollectorsanddealersaskhimtodoforthemsettinguphisstudioandtakinganhourorsoto setup the lightingandorientation foreach specimenandoftenspendsaweekormorephotographingprivatecollections.

Oneof the featuredtalksat theRochesterMin-eralogical Symposiumeach year is Jeff’s “What’sNew inMinerals” inwhich he shows someof the amazingmin-eralfindshe’sphotographedduringtheyear.Theprogramisalwaysextremelypopularandalwaysgenerateslotsof“oohsandaahs”.

JoinusonFriday,November13thasweenjoysomeofthefabulous imagesJeffproducedduring2014. Andyou’llalsogettohearhisbeautifulbaritonevoiceduringthenarration!

Ourmeeting is scheduled forFriday,November13thbeginning at 7:30 pm. In addition, we’ll also be holdingelectionsforour2016officers.

Nibbles “N Noshesfrom Liz & Wendy Stanne

OurauctionnightinOctoberdrewagoodcrowdandev-eryonehadplentyoftreatstochosefrom as the two tables were piledhigh with foods of all kinds! Our“auction four” really outdid them-selveswithchoicesofbananabread,pumpkin bread, brownies, cookies,

veggies,deliciousslicesofcakeandacheeseplatter.Thankyoutoallwhobroughtinthegoodiesfromallofus.

InNovemberthetreatswillbeprovidedtousbySydnee&BarryBerlin,CathyPurdumandAlPribulaandLindaWatts.

Yikes... It’s November!by Steve Weinberger

It’shardtobelievethatthecalen-dar already says November and thatit’s time to start collecting member-shipduesforthecomingyear.Renew-al forms are included in this issue onpage11. Pleasefillone inandreturnitwith your dues check payable to ChesapeakeGem&MineralSociety.

Dues remainat$15 for individualand$25 for familymembers(twoadultsandallchildrenunderage18livingatthesameaddress).

AND....ifyouareacommitteechairandhaveanyreim-bursementrequests,pleasebesuretohaveyourreceiptsandvoucherstomenolaterthentheDecembermeeting.

Chippers’ Chatter – November, 2015

Members of the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical & Lapidary Societies

Affiliated with the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies.

The Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society was established in order to al-low its members to gain knowledge and skills in various phases of the Earth Sci-ence field. Through field trips, exhibi-tions, and cooperation with other soci-eties, we endeavor to further not only our own knowledge, but also that of the general public. Meetings are held on the 2nd Fri-day of each month except August at the Westchester Community Center, 2414 Westchester Ave; Oella, MD.. Meetings begin at 7:30 P.m. and visitors are al-ways welcome. Dues are $15 for individuals, $25 for family memberships.

Officers:President - Barb Kays

<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Vice President - John Buchleitner<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Recording Secretary - Earle Pfetzing

Corresponding Sec’y - Patty Lortie<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Treasurer - Steve Weinberger<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Past President - Richard Hoff<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Directors: 2015 2015-16 Russell Byers Jim Hooper Steve Dyer Richard Meszler

Editor:Carolyn Weinberger

<cscrystals2 at gmail.com>

Deadline is the 15th of each month.

Non-commercial reprint permission granted to non-profit organizations unless

otherwise noted.

ChesapeakeGem & Mineral

Society

A Few Words from Barbaraby Barbara Kays President

Sitting here looking at the colorful trees andfeeling thecrispweathermakesme ready to for-getallobligationsandgocampingandcollecting;instead,Iaminsideworkinggettingreadyfortheevery-three-year state accreditation inspection.Guess our personal mineral and fossil collectionwill continue to grow by adding purchases fromshowsandclubauctions.Now,wasn’tthatanicelead-intocommentingonthegreatvarietyofbooks,minerals,fossilsandjewelryreadystonesfeaturedatourlastauction?Althoughasmallerthanusualattendance,westillenjoyedsomegoodbidding“wars.”Itwasnicetoseenewfacesandpossiblefutureclubmem-bersaddingtotheircollections.Iknowthattheyweremadetofeelwelcomed;however,Iamconcernedtheymightexpectsuchawidevarietyofgoodfoodateverymeetingaswasprovidedbyour“auctionfourandmore”members.Justareminder,pleaseremindmeifyoubringsnacksevenwhenyouarenotsigneduptodoso.Weliketogivecredittoeveryoneprovidingthefood.

Thismonthisthelasttimetoearnpointstowardstheclubcontest.CarolynandStevepurchasedsomebeautifulgeodesinTucson;and,afewotherprizeshavebeenpurchasedatlocalshows.Participationinthecontestisjustan-otherwaytoencourageyoutogetmorefromtheChesapeakeGMSbypartici-patinginactivities.ItisdesignedsoyoucangetcreditforwritingarticlesforChipper’sChatter,tobringingfood,torepresentingtheclubatshows. LizandWendywillbepassingaround theboard to signup for snacks through2016atthismeeting.Inoticedthatmostofthemonthsalreadyhadatleasttwo people signed up. Nowwill be your chance to add evenmore to ourrefreshmenttable.Also,pleasebethinkingaboutwhatyouwanttobringforourwonderfulHolidaymeal.Thatsign-upsheetwillbeavailablethismonth.

Hopeyouareenjoyingthisfallasyouprepareforwhatispromisedtobeacoldwinter.

Seeyousoon. Barbara

Winter Weather Policy


November Meeting Minutesfrom Earle Pfetzing, Recording Secretary

President Barbara Kays called the October 9, 2015meeting of the Chesapeake Gem &Mineral Society to order at 7:41 pmandwelcomedmembersand1visitor.Minutes of the September meetingwereacceptedasprintedinChippers’Chatter. Treasurer SteveWeinberger,although not present, had sent a re-port stating that the club is in sound

financialcondition.

Personals:Lynnereportedthatseveralmembersnotinattendancewerehavinghealthproblems.Shewishedallaspeedyrecovery.

UnfinishedBusiness:None

NewBusiness:Arequestwasmadebythenominat-ingcommitteeformemberstohelpfillboardpositionsfor2016.

Announcements: Tony Wilner reminded membersthattheGem,Lapidary&MineralSocietyofWashington,DCwasholdinganauctionattheWomensClubofBethes-daonSunday,October25thfrom1-5pm.

LynnethankedthememberswhohadhelpedstafftheclubtableattheGemCuttersShow.

Theprogramfortheeveningwasanauction.

Themeetingwasadjournedat9:35pm.

Submittedby EarlePfetzing RecordingSecretary

NovemberiselectionmonthforChesapeakeandthenominatingcommitteehasassembledthefollowingslateofcandidatestoserveusin2016.Additionalcandidatesmaybenominatedfromtheflooratthemeeting.

President-tobeannouncedVicePresident-JohnBuchleitner

RecordingSecretary-tobeannouncedCorrespondingSecretary-PattyLortie

Treasurer-SteveWeinberger

Directors-2yearterm:KathyKanedaBobFarrar

JimHooper and RichardMeszler have one year left ontheirtermsofofficeasdirectors.

from the Nominating Committee

Personalsby Lynne Emery

CondolencestoLizandWendyStanneonthepassingoftheiruncleinWalesandanauntinMassachusetts.

ContinuedgetwelltoSydneeBerlin.Ihearthatsheisholdingherown.

BrendaTriplethasbeendiagnosedwithLymphoma.Herspiritsaregood,andwewillkeepherinourthoughtsandprayers.

CongratulationstoPattyLortieonhernewgrandson.(Anotherpotentialrockhound.) CongratulationstoBernieEmery;hiscaseintheGemCuttersshowwasvotedfirstplaceintheviewerschoicesurvey.CarolynWeinberger’scaseearned2ndplace. Lynne


Holiday Party Newsby Lynne Luger

OuralwaysenjoyableHolidayPartypotluckdinnerissetforFriday,December11thatWestchester. Dawnwillbe passing around a sign-up sheet at the meeting thismonthsothatyoucan letherknowwhatfood itemyouwillcontribute.

Oneofthenicethingswedoatthepartyisexchangegifts. Doingso isalwaysvolun-tary. Ifyouwishtoparticipate,just bring a hobby related gift,wrapitupandnoteifitisforamaleorfemale.Donotincludeyourname.

The gift must be somethinghobbyrelatedandnewandval-

uedaround$20.Suggestionsincludejewelry,gemstones,booksonrelatedsubjects,cuttingrough,andanythingelsethatwouldfallintotheseorrelatedcategories.

Ifyouareanewermemberandnotsurewhattobring,justaskanyofus“old”folks.

Moredetailsaboutthepartynextmonth.

Happybirthdaywishestothefollowingmembers:

MartinSchmidt(13)AlPribula(18)

KeithKaneda(19)BernieEmery(21)BrendaTriplett(25)MikeHakulin(29)SydneeBerlin(30)

ThebirthstonesforNovemberaretopazandcitrine.

OneofThemajorcontroversiesrelatedtotheoriginofagateiswhetherThetubesseeninagatesareentrytubesor escape tubes. Entry tubes develop successive bands;escapetubesrelievepressurethatdevelopsinsideasthesilicagelcrystallizes.

Thesilicaget(SiO2+H2O)theorywaspopularizedbyDr.RogerPabianandDr.AndrejsZarinsinBandedAgatesOriginsandInclusions.1.Inthispublicationtheystate,“Thebandingprocess is initiatedwhen The silica gel comes into contactwithalterationorweatheringproductsofashfloworbasalt,orcomesintocontactwithalkalinegroundwateroralkalinesurfacewater. Contact between these incompatiblemediasetsupa concentric, electrochemicalwave front similar totheBelousov-Zbabotinskiireaction.Thechemicalreactionre-sults inspheruliticcrystalsofchalcedonyprecipitatingfromthegel.Impuritiesareexpelledfromthegelandcollectinthetroughsatthetipsofthesespheruliticcrystalstoformbands.Thisprocesscontinuesuntilthegelbecomesunder-saturatedandtheneuhedralquartzprecipitates.Atthisstagethesilicagelisbanded,butitisinaplasticstateandtheproductshavealowerspecificgravitythanthereactants;thus,wateroranyexcesssilicaissqueezedfromtheagate,forminganoutward-lydirectedescapetube.(Shaub,1955).

Silicagel iscomposedofwaterwithadensityof1.00andsilica,whichinitscrystallinestatehasadensityof2.71.Silica gels have been created in the laboratorywith con-centrationsof30%silicato70%water. Innaturetheyareprobablymorelike5%to10%silica.Crystallinequartzisthedensestformofsilicathatoccursintheupperseveralmilesof theEarth’s crust; therefore, theproductsof crystalliza-tioncannotbelessdensethantheoriginalgel.Thisdensitychangecannotbethedrivingmechanismforescapetubes.

The Question of Agate Escape Tubesby Robert G. Welch, from Sooner Rockologist, Nov. 2005.

Photos from the author

continued on page 6


Hopefully we haven’t seen any drear November fogand snowyet. But ifwehad,agemstonemineral likeTopazwouldcertainlybrightenthingsup. While its crystal form isfairlyrecognizable,manydon’tknow that Topaz is an alumi-numsilicatefluoridehydroxideinthesilicatesgroupofminer-als.ThenameTopazmaycomefrom an island now called Ze-birgetintheRedSeathatcon-tainedasite localitycalledTo-pazios thought to be an earlysourceofTopazalthoughsomesuggest itmayhavealsobeenconfused with Peridot that

wasalsofoundthere.Whateverthecase,theTopaznamestuck. Ithasahardnessratingof8making itaveryfac-etablegemstoneforjewelry.It’shistoryofuseinjewelryhasbeen found inancientEgyptianandRomanwritings.It’scrystalsystemisorthorhombicandit’scrystalhabitisprismatic.ThechemicalformulaforTopazisAl2SiO4(F,OH)2.

TodayTopaz is found inBrazil,SriLanka,Russia,Bur-ma,Australia,Japan,Mad-agascar, Mexico, Africa,Germany, Scotland, andthe US. Topaz appears inseveral different naturalcolors ranging from clear-colorless, to gold, blue,‘sherryyellow’,brown,andorange.VeryrareredTopazcrystals are highly pricedandprized. Topazcrystalsofup to220 poundshavebeen found and there aremany Topaz gems weighing thousands of carats in theSmithsoniancollections.A75lbcrystalwasfoundinBrazilandfacetedtoanearly6inchsquaregemstonenamedthe‘Brazilian Princess’ weighing slightly over 21,000 carats.Topazcrystalsareformedinigneousrockswherefluorinevaporsarefound.Topazisfoundinrhyolitecavities,peg-matitedikes,hydrothermalveins,andgranites.Topazcrys-talsarealsofoundinalluvialdepositsafterbeingcarrieddownstreamfromweatherwornrocksbywindandrain.

Mineral of the Month: Topazby Jim Hooper

TopazMaynard’s Claim

Thomas Range, Juab Co. UTPhoto: Rob Lavinsky, IRocks.com.

Used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license.

Whilewidelyfoundaroundtheworld,itscontinuedpopu-larityallows it tocommandrespectableprices in jewelrymarkets.

AndwhereasTopazisbothMineraloftheMonthand birthstoneforNovemberhere’sanobservationfromsomeyearsgonebyregardingitsplaceamongbirthstones:

“Whofirstcomestothisworldbelow WithdrearNovember’sfogandsnow, Shouldprizethetopaz’samberhue, Emblemoffriendsandloverstrue.”

Do you have a Topaz that exemplifies its beautifulcharacteristics?Doyouhaveonethatyoujustlike?Pleasebringanexampleittothemeetingandwecansharetheattractions of these great crystals, and maybe keep thesnowawayawhilelonger! References: TheCuriousLoreofPreciousStones–Kunz,Geo.Fred-erick,J.B.Lipincottpub.1913 Gems,Crystals,&Minerals–Sofianides,Anna,Harlow,George,VanPelt,HaroldandErica,Robinson,George,Sco-vil,Jeffrey,Simon&Shusterpub.1995 TheBookofStones–Simmons,RobertandNaishaAh-sian,HeavenandEarthPublishing,2005 <www.mindat.org>

Madan District, NW Frontier Prov., Pakistan

Photo: Rob Lavinsky, IRocks.com. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-

The American Golden Topaz22,892.5 cts; 172 facets. Donated to

the Smithsonian Institution by the rock-hounds of American via the AFMS.

Photo: Smithsonian press release, 1988. Used with permission.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topaz


This discrepancy was apparently recognized by BobJones inhisSeptember2005article inRock and GemonArgentina’sCondoragate.Inthisarticlehecoversthevari-oustheoriesofagateformation,butchoosesthegeltheo-ryastheonehesupports.Heattributesthehypothesizedpressurewithinthevesicletotheheatofcrystallizationofthequartz.Hestatesinthearticle:“However,anyoneob-servinganabundanceofagatefromallovertheworld,in-cludingCondoragatesfromPatagonia,seesinstanceafterinstanceinwhichthedistortionsneverreachedtheouterskinoftheagate.Thisisvisualproofthattheband-forrm-ingmaterialdidnotentertheagatethroughthatchannel,butratherthatinternalstrifeworkedfromtheinsideout.Therefore,theseareescapetubesduetoaninternalfunc-tionandarenotformedfromanyoutsideinfluence.Thedistortioninthebandingssurroundingtheescapetubeisadditionalproofofhowsuchfeaturesformfrominternalpressures,notbyinvasiveaction.”

First I will address the pressure issue and later the“proof”. Anyonewho has ever had a broken bone is fa-miliarwiththeheatofcrystallization.Astheplasterdries,thegypsuminitcrystallizesgivinganuncomfortablewarmfeeling.Quartzwould also heat slightly as it crystallizes,warmingthevesiclefromthenaturalrocktemperature.Noevidencewaspresentedthatthisheatwouldcausethegeltoboil,whichwouldbenecessarytoincreasethepressuresignificantlywithinthevesicle.Thecoolerrocksurround-ingthevesiclewouldalsodissipatesomeoftheheat.Al-thoughthismechanismismoreplausiblethanthedensitychange,muchmoreevidenceneedstobepresentedbe-foreitcouldbechosenforthehypothesizedpressure.BobJones’sproofoverlookstwoimportantpoints.Firstisthatwhenyoucutthroughanagateyouareseldomattheper-fectpointtoobservetheentryor“escapetubes”.Intheex-amplegiven,thetubechangeddirectionslightlyoutoftheplaneofthecutleavingtheimpressionthatitterminatedshortoftheedgeoftheagate.Athreedimensionalconclu-sionwasarrivedatfromatwodimensionalslice.Bandingisalsodistortedinatwodimensionalslicebythefactthattheywouldnotallbecutatexactly90degreeangles tothebands.Secondly,whatishypothesizedisnotpossible.Foranescapetubetoformtherewouldhavetobeapres-suresinkattheedgeofthevesicletowardwhichthepres-sure is toberelieved.Thiswouldhavetobeanopeningtothenearatmosphericpressureoutsidethevesicle.AswaspointedoutbyBrianJacksonoftheNationalMuseum

ofScotlandinhis“HistoryofScottish Agate” presentedat the “Symposium on Ag-ate and CryptocrystallineQuartz”inSeptember2005,thebandsontheedgesofthetubesarenotdisrupted,butbecomeverythinattheedgesofthetubes.Thisisprob-ablyagravityeffectontubesatthetopoftheagate.Oftenothertubesdonotexhibitthisthinning,particularlywhenthereismorethanonetubepenetratingintotheagate.Asthefluidflowsintothevesicleitwouldthinonthetopsideofthevesicleduetoflowundertheforceofgravity.

Itisinterestingtomethattheproponentsofthegelthe-oryhavelittleornothingtosayabouthowthegelgotintothe vesicle. Since silica gels are viscous they cannot haveseeped through the walls of the vesicle and would havedifficultyevenentering throughsmallopenings.Thesilicawouldhavehad toenter throughopenings in the.vesicleandwouldnotyethavereachedaviscousstatewhenitoc-curred.Zarins(2005)duringthe“SymposiumonAgateandCryptocrystallineQuartzpartiallyaddressedthisquestionbystatingthatthesilicagelwouldbecomemoreconcentratedafter itenteredthevesicle.However; ifagel-filledvesicleconcentratedafterentering,itwouldbethroughthelossofwaterandthewholemasswouldshrink,separatefromthewallsandbelooseonthebottomofthevesicle.Ifanotherepisodeofgeloccurred,itwouldthenformaroundthepre-viouslyformedagate,notinsideofit.

Myfinalpoint is that if the tubeswereescape tubes,then there should always be just one tube in the agate.Thereareoftenmorethanone,whichcanonlybeexplainedby groundwater hydrogeology. If pressure was being re-lieveditshouldgoinonlyonedirection,tothepointoflow-estpressure.Also,theflowwouldnotbefromthecenter,asthelowestpressurewouldbeatthepointofexit.Theflowatthispointwouldbefromalldirectionsaroundtheexitandwouldlikelyneverextendtothecenteroftheagate.

Inconclusion,thetubesobservedinagatescannotbeexittubes.Entrytubesareessentialtobringthesilicaintothevesicleandarethecauseofthefeaturesobserved.

1Pabian,RogerandZarins,Andrejs,BandedAgates .Originsand Inclusions.NebraskaDepartmentofEnviron-mentalQualityEducationcircularNo.12.

Agate Escape Tubescontinued from page 4


(Na,Ca)(Li,Mg,Cl)(Al,Fe,Mn)6(BO3)(Si6)18)()H)4=Tourmaline

Manypeopleseeachemicalformulaandimmediatelyduckit,thinkingtheycanunderstandthemeaning,there-byoverlookingagreatdealof information.First, the let-tersyouseeareshorthandsymbolswhichstandforeachelement in the structure. The symbols are generally thefirstletteroffirstandsecondletteroftheelementname.Thefirstletterisalwayscapitalizedandthesecondletterisnevercapitalized.Someexceptionscomeaboutbecausecertainlettersarealreadyinusewhenasymbolisestab-lishedandthatlettercannotbeusedasecondtime.

Otherseemingexceptionsarethoseelementsnamedearly,aftertheLatinname,andthusironbecameFeafterferrum;lead,Pbafterplumbum;gold,Auafteraurium,etc.theycanbelearnedwithalittleconcentratedeffort.

Subscripts(thenumbersjustbelowtheline)showhowmanyatomsoftheprecedinglistedelementarenecessarytohaveabalancedformula.Ifthereisnosubscriptthereisonlyoneatomintheformula.Parentheses()areusedtosetasidegroupswhichshouldbelookedatasaunit.Iftheelementsintheparenthesesaresetasidebyacomma,i.e.(Li,Mg,Cl),inourtourmalineformula,theymustbetreatedas a group. Parentheses are also used to set aside thoseradicalswhichhavecombinedtoformaniongroupslikecar-bonate (CO3); phosphate, (PO4), hydroxyl, (OH); arsenate,(As04),etc.Thesealsoaretobetreatedasoneunitentity.

Let’sthenlookatandanalyzethetourmalineformulaabove.Wewillrefertotheseriesofelementswithintheparenthesesassites.So,inthefirstsitewecanhaveoneatomorsodiumoroneofcalcium,butnotboth.Thepre-dominantatomwillbesodium,becauseitislistedfirst.Thenextsitecancontainanyoneofthethreelistedatomsoflithium,magnesiumorchlorinewithlithiumpredominant.Inthethirdsitewecanhaveacombinationwhichwillgivesixatomsforthesite,butthedominantelementmustbealuminum,withironthesecondmostdominant.Logically,thedistributioncouldbe threealuminum, two iron, andone manganese. These first three sites are the CATION(kat’i‘en)sitesastheatomsareallpositivelycharged.Byconvention,cationsarealwayslistedfirstintheformulas.The ANION (an’i ‘en) sites beginwith the borate radical(BO3)andwehaveatotalofthreesuchanions,andtheyarenegatively charged.Totaling thisunitwewouldhave

three boron atoms andnine oxygen atoms. Thelast site, the hydroxl, hasfour oxygen atoms andfourhydrogenatoms.

Thefollowingselectedelements are the onesmostlikelytobeshowninmineralformulas: AlAluminum SbAntimony AsArsenic BaBarium BeBeryllium BiBismuth BBoron CCarbon CaCalcium ClChlorine CrChromium CoCobalt CuCopper FFluorine AuGold HHydrogen IIodine FeIron PbLead LiLithium MgMagnesium MnManganese HgMercury MoMolybdenum NiNickel NNitrogen OOxygen PPhosphorus PtPlatinum KPotassium RaRadium SeSelenium SiSilicon AgSilver NaSodium SrStrontium SSulfur SnTin TiTitanium WTungsten UUranium VVanadium ZnZinc ZrZirconium

Reference: Hurlbut&Klein,ManualofMineralogy,19thEdition

Chemical Formulas and How to Read Themby Fred Schaefermeyer, from the Mineral Newsletter, February, 1985


Ihopeeveryone isenjoying thisfall season and getting the last oftheseasonfieldtripsin.TheleavesarestartingtochangehereinNewHampshire(endofSeptember);thereds and yellow are showing thefirstsignsofwhatiscoming.

AsmanyofyouhaveheardtheMerrill Dickinson, 2015 presidentoftheEFMLSresignedinmid-Sep-

temberandIhaveacceptedhisresignation.Asperourby-laws(ArticleXI,Section2&3),ascurrent1stVicePresident,IassumedthepositionofPresident,DaveKorzendorfer,assumedthepositionof1stVicePresidentandBarbaraRin-ghiser, 2nd Vice President elect assumed that position asofthedateofMerrill’sresignation.Ifyouhaveanyques-tions,pleasedirectthemtome([email protected]>.

Letmetellyoualittlebitaboutmyself. IgrewupinNebraskaandwent toHastingsCollege. I enlisted in theNavyintheearly60’sandwenttoSubmarineSchoolandthenontoNuclearPowerSchool.IretiredfromtheNavyin1984andstartedworkingforPublicServiceofNewHamp-shireNuclearPowerPlantintheengineeringdepartment.IretiredfromSeabrookin2004.

IlearnedhowtocutcabochonsduringthelastyearIwasintheNavy.AfterIretired,I learnedhowtocutfac-etedstones,andIwashooked.IntimeIlearnedhowtodosilversmithingandtoworkwithgold. I joinedtheSouth-easternMineralClubandIamthecurrentsecretary.

I am married and have 7 children. My wife Shirleyis theeditorofour clubnewsletter.We live inKingston,NewHampshire,closetotheoceanandalsototheWhiteMountains.Wehavethebestofbothworlds.

Iwouldliketothankallofthewonderfulpeoplewhosteppedforwardtotakeuptheworkofbeingacommitteechairperson.ThankyoutoallofyouandIlookforwardtoworkingwithyouinthecomingyear.

Theholidayseasonisfastapproaching,soatthistime,IwouldliketowisheveryoneaveryHappyThanksgivingandhopethatyouenjoythatturkey.Iwouldliketohearfromallofyou.Mye-mailaddressis<[email protected]>. Larry

Meet The New EFMLS Presidentby Larry Heath, EFMLS President, from EFMLS News, Nov. 15

QuiteafewfolksknowIwritesafetyarticlesfortheAFMSNews and several other newslet-ters. So, itwas no surprisewhenafellowcameuptomeatalocalgemandmineralshowandposeda question and a concern aboutfield trip safety.Hisquestionper-tainedtoatriptoaworkingmineandhowtoapproachamatterofsafetythatwas,tohiswayofthink-ing,differentfromthatofthemineowner’spointofview.

Thefellowhadseenasituationattheminethathethoughtcouldhavebeenmoreofasafetyhazardthanhadtheminerowner’srepresentative.Itispossiblethattheowner’srepre-sentativemaynothavenotedthepotentialofthehazard,ormayperhapsnothavenotedthehazarditself.Theowner’srep-resentativecertainlydidnotknowthephysicalabilitiesoftheclubmembersattendingwhenjudgingapotentialhazard.So,ineffect,theinstancewasonewherethefellow,aclubofficer,thoughtasituationwasmorehazardoustohisclub’smembersthandidthemineowner’srepresentative.

It is rather unusual, given operating equipment, mineworkings, owners stocks, and the biggy -- company insur-ances,thataclubofficerwishedtoimposegreatersafetylim-itsthanthoserequiredbytheminingcompany.Thisisnotanissuefacedbymanyfieldtripleaders,so,howdoesoneapproachanissueinvolvingthehazardpotentialofanyoneparticularsituation?Eventhoughinstancessuchasthisareseldomfacedbyfieldtripleaders,I’mafirmbelieverinhavingaplanforeverysituation.Soherearesomeconsiderations:

1. Safetyis,aboveall,paramount.

2. Thefieldtripisusuallyattherequestoftheclub,nottheminerowners.

3. Mine and quarryworkers are specially trained tostringentsafetyguidelines. Suchworkersareeverwatch-fulandconstantlymonitorsafetyissuesintheirworkareas.Clubmembersontheotherhand,aregenerallynottrainedtoevaluateeverypotentialsafetyissueinaworkingmine.Members areusuallyonly given the site/mine specific in-structionthoughtnecessaryfortheareaofcollecting.

continued on page 9

Safety Matters: Tough Guyby Ellery Borow, from AFMS Newsletter, November 2015


4.Ofseveralsetsofsafetyguidelinescanbeappliedtoasituation,thestrictestsetofrulesshouldbeutilized.Membersafetymustbeparamount.

5. Field trip leadersof theclubshouldbeawareofclub member’s weaknesses - who is likely to dehydratefaster than the others, who has a heart condition, whomighthave frailtiesneeding tobemonitoredmore thantherest,whomighthavebalanceissues,andsoon.True,folks have to ultimately be responsibility for themselvesbut things suchasdehydration can sneakuponperson,even a responsible person. Trip leaders need to be everwatchful,it’spartofthejobdescription.

6. Safety precaution lectures by mine representa-tives, as I havepersonallywitnessedonnumerousocca-sions,consistofanarmIhandwaveindicatingstayawayfrom (an armwave for) “there” or you can collect over(anarmwavefor)“here”.And,oh, it isalsonecessarytowearyourhardhats,safetyshoes,glovesandgogglesatalltimes.Whilethoseguidelinesaregoodformostfolks,therearethosefewwhotendtowanttostretchthelimitsof“there”or“here”.Myownpreferenceistohaveamoredistinct or physical barrier between “there” and “here”.Barrierscanincludewoodenstakesandflagging,fences,alineofboulders,orpaintedlinesontheground.It’sharderforwanderstoignoreadistinctorphysicallimiter.

7. It’s one thing if the owner’s representative givesafieldtripleaderthesafetyspecificsandthenthatperson,inturn,passestheparametersontotheclubmembers.Itisquiteanotherwhentherepresentativegivesthespecificstoeveryonepresentatthesametime.Theseareverydifferentapproachesinoneimportantrespect.Iftheminerepresenta-tivepassesthespecificstojustthetripleader,theleaderisthenabletopassevenmorerestrictiveguidelinesontothemembers.Ifthemembersaregiventhespecificsdirectlybytheminerepresentativeandthentheclubfield trip leaderwantstoimposesevenmorerestrictiveguidelines,itispos-sible thatmembersmaywant to knowwhy theadditionalrestrictionwere imposedbythetrip leader.Morestringentrestrictionsmaybedifficulttoexplaintomembers-unlessaclearcaseismadeastowhy.Suchawhytalkmaynotbeun-derstoodbymembers,orevenbytheminerepresentative.Therehastobegoodlevelofconfidenceinthefieldtriplead-er’s judgment if additional restrictionsneed tobe applied,andacceptedbymembers.Withhumannaturebeingwhatitis,therewillalwaysbememberswhowanttostretchthe

minerepresentative’shandwaveof“there”and“here”.

8.Whathappensifafieldtripleaderseestheneedtoimposegreaterrestriction?Mightthecompanyseeitasacallingintoquestiontheirjudgment?Mightthecompanyseesuchajudgmentasaneedtoperhapsrethinktheirallowingfieldtripstotheirfacility?Suchinstancescertainlycallforcom-munication-communicationindicatingthatthefieldtripleaderknowstheadditionalneedsorabilitiesofthemembers,com-municationindicatingthatthefieldtripleaderunderstandsthecollectinginterestsofthemembers,communicationindicatingtheneedtokeepanywanderingfolkstotighterdesignatedar-eas,andsoon.Goodnegotiationskills,goodcommunicationskills,goodsafetybackgroundsandjudgements,goodpeopleskillsareimportantinsuchinstances.

9. One helpful guide in deciding limits is the clubsownfieldtripguide.Yourclubdoeshaveafieldtripguidedoesn’t it?Anactualprintedguidecanhelpmakeacasefor“No”meaning“No”.Caseclosed,endofstory.Agener-alizedwrittenfieldtripsafetyguidecanbehelpful.Itisalsohelpful tohave some specialized guidelines thatmaybeappliedifnecessary-especiallyininstanceswhenimple-mentingadditionalsiterestrictionsbasedonthejudgmentofthefieldtripleader(s)

10. Speakingofjudgment,let’ssayamemberseesacol-lectingtreasure justa footortwoontheothersideofthelinewherecollectingisnotpermitted.Themember,byrights,shouldnotjustwalkacrossthatlimitlinebythosetwofeetandpickupthetreasure.Thatsaid,itmightbepossibletoseek permission from the owner’s representative to reachoverthosetwo(orthree,orfourorso)feetovertheline.Oneshouldalwaysbeawareofthepotentialproblemswithanyover-the-linecollecting.Thekeyistotryandavoidjeopardiz-ingfuturetrips--orcollectingonanyslipperyslopes.

There are numerous possibilities and pitfalls withanyaddedrestrictions.Firstandforemost isputtingclubmembersafetyfirst--evenifthefieldtripleaderhastobethetoughguy.Alltheofficialpositionsinaclubhaveclubconstitutionalorbylaworothergoverningclubdocumentauthority,thereforefieldtripleadersshouldbenolesssoauthorizedtodotheirjob--afterall,safetyrules.

Besafe,youdeserveno less. Pleasemindyourfieldtripleaders.

Tough Guycontinued from page 8


◆Jasperismoredifficulttopolishthanit’scousinag-ate.Manyvarietiesareeitherporousorcontaintracesofhematite.

◆Howdoyouknowifthejasperyou’replanningtocutorpurchasewilltakeagoodpolish?Getitwet!Iftherockabsorbswateranddriesrapidly,don’twasteyourtimetry-ingtogetagoodpolishbecausetherockisveryporous.Ifitstayswetanddoesnotdryquickly,itcontainsahighamountofchalcedony(quartz)andwilltakeagoodpolish.

◆Darkhouseholdvinegarwilldissolveepoxygluebysoaking overnight. The final polish on silver depends onthenumberofbuffingwheelthreads,notontheamountofrougeused.Acheapbuffwillnotgivethesameresultsasaqualityone.Yougetwhatyoupayfor!

◆Ifyouwantasoftfinishonyoursilver jewelry,usepumice. Don’t have any pumice in the house? Sure youdo-it’sthepolishingagentinyourfavoritetubeoftooth-paste.Ifyouhaveafluoridetoothpaste,youcanalsouseittocleancrystals.

Hints From the Rockpileby the late Leon Hornstein, 2006

WhencuttingRhodochrosite,itisimportantthatonlywaterbeusedinthesaw.Anoil-basedproductwillbeab-sorbedandthestone’scolorwillbedeadened.

Afteryou’veshapedthestonetoit’sdesiredform,firstsandona220wheelandthenmovethroughthevariousmesh wheels. Use plenty of water and don’t apply toomuchpressure.

Checkthestonecarefullywitha loupeormagnifyingglassbetweenwheels tobesureyou’veremovedall thesandingmarksandflatspots.

Thebest polishing agent forRhodochrosite is still touseafeltwheelwithtinoxidemixedwithasmallamountofvinegar.

Polishing Rhodochrositefrom the late Ed Wengerd’s Notebook

•Thereisalwaysalottobethankfulforifyoutakethetime to look. For example, I’m sittinghere thinkinghowniceitisthatwrinklesdon’thurt. •Laughinghelps.It’slikejoggingontheinside.

•Middleage iswhenyouchooseyourcereal for thefiber,notthetoy. •Mymindnotonlywanders;sometimesitleavescom-pletely.

•Ifyoucanremaincalm,youdon’thaveallthefacts. •Youknowyou’regettingoldwhenyou stoop totieyourshoesandwonderwhatelseyoucandowhileyou’redownthere.

•Growingoldismandatory;growingupisoptional. •Insanityismyonlymeansofrelaxation.

•Forgetthehealthfood.IneedallthepreservativesIcanget. •You’regettingoldwhenyouget the samesensationfromarockingchairthatyouoncegotfromarollercoaster. •EverytimeI thinkaboutexercise, I liedowntill thethoughtgoesaway. •It’s frustratingwhenyouknowall theanswers,butnobodybotherstoaskyouthequestions.

•NowthatI’vegotmyheadtogether,mybodyfellapart. •Time may be a great healer, but its also a lousybeautician.

•Age doesn’t always bring wisdom; sometimes agecomesalone. •JustwhenIwasgettingusedtoyesterday,alongcametoday.

•SometimesIthinkIunderstandeverything,henIre-gainconsciousness. •It’sbadtosuppresslaughter,itgoesbackdownandspreadstoyourhips.

•Freedomofthepressmeansno-ironclothes.

•Seenitall,doneitall,can’tremembermostofit.

Truths About Growing Oldsource unknown


Auctions - Lynne and Bernie Emery

Directory (address changes) Patty Lortie Field Trips - Russell Byers

Greeters - Barbara Buchleitner

Hospitality - Liz & Wendy Stanne

Committee Chairpersons

Mineral of the Month - Jim Hooper

Personals/Announcements/ Sunshine - Lynne Emery and Patricia Smith

Programs - Richard Hoff, Keith Kaneda & Tony Wilner

Safety - Johnny Johnsson

Show - Bernie & Lynne Emery

Showcase - Steve Dyer

Telephone Chain Lynne Emery Phylllis Dyer Dawn Johnsson Mary Chandler Liz Stanne Wendy Stanne

Please complete this form and include it with your membership renewal.

Individual ($15)____________ Family ($25____________

Names of Members:________________________________________Birthday (M/Day)________________

Hobby Interests (see below):__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________Birthday (M/Day)_________________


__________________________________________________Birthday (M/Day)_________________


__________________________________________________Birthday (M/Day)________________

Address:_________________________________________________________________________________

City:___________________________ State:____________Zipcode:__________________________

Telephone:_____________________________ E-mail:_____________________________________

Hobby Interests: (Please use numbers in the spaces above)

1. Lapidary 2. Jewelry 3. Minerals 4. Fossils 5. Microminerals 6. Field Trips

Mail or give to:

Steve Weinberger, PO Box 302; Glyndon, MD 21071-0302.

Make checks payable to “Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society”

2016 Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society Membership Renewal


Carolyn Weinberger PO Box 302 Glyndon, MD 21071-0302

Upcoming EventsNovember: 7 - 8: TuscaroraGem&Mineral Show. NEWLOCA-TION:GreaterPhiladelphiaExpoCenter,100StationAve;Oaks,PA

11:Veteran’sDay

13: “What’sNew inMinerals” -ChesapeakeGem&MineralSocietymeetingatWestchester-7:30pm.

26:ThanksgivingHoliday

December: 1:AuctionattheGemCuttersGuildmeeting.MeadowMillatWoodberry-7:30pm.

11:ChesapeakeHolidayPartyatWestchester-6:30pm

19:OneDayMineralSale-HolidayInnTimonium

19:Balto.MineralSocietyHolidayParty.

Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society - Chippers’ Chatter · 2019-10-23 · Chippers’ Chatter...

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