Santa Lucia Rockhounds RockonteurThe Holiday Party at the Culinary Academy last month was...

Volume 25, Issue 1 January 2015

Words From the President

Rockonteur S a n ta Luc i a R o c k h o u n d s

The Holiday Party at the Culinary Academy last month was spectacular! The Culinary Academy furnished a large decorated room – with additional decorational enhancements by Mary Caparone - and prepared a delicious turkey dinner for our party. With live holiday music performed by Rachael Denny, we had our dinner and dessert, then a very short meeting, followed by a fun filled gift exchange. The Gift Exchange was a hoot!! Over 40 Santa Lucia Rockhound members joined in on the gift exchanging fun. The most memorable gift was the famous Pickle, received by Doren Strane. And we can all rest assured that Chris Driesbach has very smooth hands after receiving the “Anti Monkey Butt Hand Lotion”! We don’t know whose lips are on the receiving end of the “Chicken Poop Lip Balm”, but I’m sure they have a beautiful smile. The gifts were awesome this year! Thank you everyone; great job! I really enjoyed seeing everyone in the whole room talking and laughing the whole evening. There were several people with holiday hats and ugly holiday sweaters that also came to the party. Talking to several participants after the party, it was suggested that we could possibly have a “Holiday Hat and Ugly Holiday Sweater” competition at next year’s party. Keep this in mind, and keep your eyes peeled for accessories for your next SLRockhound Christmas Party outfit. Thank you to everyone for making this a wonderful, fun-filled holiday party. Can you believe that 2015 is already here? Were there really 365 days in 2014, because it seemed that the

This Month’s Program

Open club Show & Tell

Next Board Meeting:

12 January 2015

Next General Meeting:

19 January 2015

year just flew by. 2015 is going to be a great year for the Santa Lucia RockHounds. We will be starting Geology classes in February at Ruby Dragon in Morro Bay. Also, there may be a field trip in our future to Ralph Bishop’s Museum in February – the date is still to be set. Our Rock & Gem Show in May will be held at the Paso Robles Event Center – Bigger & Better! We have a lot planned for this year, and it’s only January! Quartzsite is here! This event starts in January and ends at the end of February. I know there are more than a few club members going to Quartzsite in January. I hope we can schedule a club get together in

Quartzsite. Please contact me if you are going so we can get together while we are there. Our January general meeting will be a club Show and Tell program, with John McCabe in charge. Club members are encouraged to bring a rock specimen to

show and tell. Also, if you have a rock and you have no idea what it is, bring it as well. There will be plenty of geology-minded people there to help with rock identification. At the end of the show and tell, the club will vote on the best specimen and presentation. The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate from Ancient Earth in Cambria. I am hopeful that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah, and welcomed in the New Year with confetti and laughter. Now, hold on to your hats, because I am sure that 2015 will be a fun-filled, Rockin’ Year! Happy New Year, Rockhounds!~~~~~~~~Mike Judy

Refreshments

Last names beginning with A through D, please bring

refreshments to share at the upcoming meeting.

VOLUME 25, ISSUE 1 January 2015 ROCKONTEUR

The Rockonteur is the official monthly newsletter of the Santa Lucia Rockhounds. It is an independent publication containing news and information consistent with the mission of SLR and of interest to its members.

Circulation is approximately 90 copies per issue.

Publisher: James King 8745 Martinez Drive San Miguel, CA 93451 [email protected] (805) 975-2740 (Please leave message)

Member submissions are encouraged and may be made by email or snail mail. We reserve the right to accept or refuse submissions and advertising that, in our opinion, do not reflect the standards of this newsletter, or are inconsistent with the objectives and purpose of the Santa Lucia Rockhounds. Submissions may be edited for content, grammar, spelling, punctuation and length without consent.

Rockonteur is not a creative writing outlet. However, all submissions that may be of interest to its readers and reflect the standards of the newsletter, will be considered for publication at the discretion of the editor or publisher.

Deadline: All submissions are due by midnight of the last day of the month but early submissions are highly appreciated and strongly encouraged. The publisher reserves the right to accept, reject or hold-over late submissions.

Santa Lucia Rockhounds Website: www.slrockhounds.org Webmaster - Vince Pelerin, (831) 594-1381 [email protected]

Santa Lucia Rockhounds, Inc. is a charitable group organized as a California non-profit public benefit corporation. The specific purpose of the group is to promote the study of mineralogy, including (but not limited to) the fields of lapidary, metal working, jewelry design & fabrication, geology and field trips for collecting and related history. We encourage learning and good citizenship in a congenial atmosphere. We respect both private and public property and we strive to protect natural resources.

Annual Dues are $20 for the first adult and $8 each for every additional member in the same household. Dues are payable between 1 September and 31 December, in person at the meetings or by mail. Members in good standing receive the Rockonteur by mail or email.

We are a member of the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies (CFMS) and affiliated with the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS). Santa Lucia Rockhounds, Inc. is also a member of the American Lands Access Association (ALAA).

Address or Email Changed? Remember, it is up to you to notify the club if your mailing or email address changes. We wouldn’t want you to miss any of these informative newsletters.

Could this be your last newsletter?? 2015 DUES ARE NOW DUE

This is also your last chance to be in the 2015 directory

You Crack Me Up! What happened when the rockhound bit into a rotten apple?

He lost his APATITE!!!


Did you know? A look at earth science odds and ends by a

geology geek (Jim Mills) I’ve been thinking about some trick questions that might be posed in a game of “Geology Trivia” or perhaps even “Geology Jeopardy.” How about this for starters? What is the world’s longest mountain chain? Did you guess Rockies or Alps? Himalayas or The Hindu Kush? Those are not even close to correct. To find the world's longest mountain range you'd have to look down -- way down -- not up. And, it would have to be out of a window in a deep ocean submersible because the longest mountain chain is completely under water. It is formally called the mid-ocean ridge, an underwater chain of volcanoes that spans some 40,389 miles (65,000 km). Check out the map here from Oregon State University.

As lava erupts from the mid-ocean cracks, it cools and creates more crust of the Earth, thereby adding to the mountain chain, which stretches around the entire globe.

I particularly like this simplified diagram from Ms. Kaiter’s Science Class at mail.colonial.net which I’ve included here; it shows exactly how the enormous cracks in the middle of the ocean allow magma to well up from great depths and form the mountain

chain. More importantly, it also forms the edges of the tectonic plates which are being pushed aside and ultimately provide the forces that make the faraway other edge of the oceanic plate dive under the continental plate which is above sea level (the technical geology word, as John McCabe pointed out in his excellent November club meeting program, is subduction). Those stresses from the pressure of subduction are the forces that cause movement along the San Andreas Fault (as in: Are you ready for the ‘”Big One”?) This naturally leads to the next trivia question: Just how low can you go on our earth? The deepest point on the ocean floor is 35,813 feet (10,916 meters) below sea level in the Mariana Trench. But, what is the lowest point on Earth not covered by ocean? It is 8,382 feet (2,555) meters below sea level, but good luck walking there. That spot is in the Bentley Subglacial Trench in Antarctica, buried under lots and lots of ice. Not only is it buried under lots of ice – the ice continues to grind away at the Antarctic continental rock and make the trench even deeper (not on a daily basis but in relatively short lengths of geologic time it would become noticeable). If the climate change scientists are right and our ocean levels are rising, that situation will make the Bentley Subglacial Trench even deeper below mean sea level. Of course, I am just playing with words here. If the ice melts because of climate change, the Bentley Trench will simply fill with ocean water and it will no longer be the lowest point on earth not covered by ocean. Indeed, compared to the Mariana Trench, it would become only a minor submarine canyon. Just thought you would like to know…

Plate 1 & plate 2 move apart. Magma rises, cools and solidifies forming new igneous rock. This is sea-floor

spreading and is a constructive plate boundary.

Map of the mid-ocean ridge Courtesy of Oregon State University

Alfred Wegener, The Father of Continental Drift 1880 - 1930 Wegener, a meteorologist, advanced the theory of continental drift in 1912 based on his observation of the apparent “fit” of the continents (including the continental shelves) into one giant landmass. The theory was controversial and was met with skepticism from geologists that were unwilling to change (the science was settled, after all) and who viewed Wegener as an outsider.

In the 1950s, other discoveries, such as paleomagnetism, provided support for the theory and in 1953 rock samples from India indicated that it had once been in the southern hemisphere, just as Wegener predicted.

In the 1960s seafloor spreading and other developments in geology brought a fresh look at the theory of continental drift and led to the theory of plate tectonics. Alfred Wegener was finally recognized for his revolutionary discovery.


We Love Petrified Wood! Photos and article by Barbara Bilyeu It may not seem that close, but our show is coming up sooner than we realize, and it's time to start giving it some thought! We are featuring petrified wood as our show theme this year and we are looking forward to some wonderful programs and exhibits. Just to get you thinking....you may know that one of the most spectacular petrified wood locations in the United States is the Petrified Forest located in Arizona, where you can drive through the park in your vehicle and get out and walk through acres and acres of beautiful petrified logs in glowing rainbow colors. If you have never visited the Petrified Forest,

you definitely need to put it on your list of "cool rockhound places to go"! No, you cannot collect any of the specimens in the park, but there are still collecting opportunities available on nearby ranches outside the park boundaries by arrangement. Or you can stop by Jim Gray's rock shop just outside Holbrook, southwest of the southern park entrance where petrified wood in all sizes (and prices) is available for purchase. Whether or not you are interested in buying, it's worthwhile stopping in to see his museum of petrified wood specimens and other artifacts he has collected and now has on display.

Petrified wood can be appreciated for the miracle of the fossilization process, the story it tells of life in our world long ago and the incredible details that can emerge in the telling, the multitude of places it is found throughout the world, the type of wood it was as indicated by the cellular structure, the colors, or just because it's beautiful! This will be a good year to focus on this amazing "rock" which is loved by so many rockhounds!

Petrified logs at Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified logs at Petrified Forest National Park

Cords of petrified wood

Jim Gray’s petrified wood museum

Holbrook, Arizona is about a 5 hour drive northeast of Quartzite


General Meeting Minutes, 15 Dec 2014 Christmas Party

After a fine dinner and some seasonal music, Mike Judy called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the singing of "Happy Birthday" and "Happy Anniversary" to those club members celebrating those events during the month of December. Mike thanked the staff of the Culinary Arts Academy for a job well done, and reminded everyone that dues are due by the end of this year. Barbara Bilyeu announced that the club may have a field trip to Ralph Bishop's museum in February-the date is still to be set.

Mike Judy called up the board members who served during 2014, and thanked them for their service. The list of board members for 2014 is as follows: Mike Judy, President, Kim Noyes, Vice-President of Programs, Mary Caparone, Vice-President of Communications, John McCabe, Vice-President of Education, Laurie Wylie, Treasurer, Rachael Denny, Secretary, Ralph Lawless, Senior Director, David Nelson, Junior Director, and Barbara Bilyeu, Past President. As Past President, Barbara Bilyeu formally installed the Board members who have been elected to serve in 2015. The list of Board members for 2015 is as follows: Mike Judy, President, Beverly Brown, Vice-President of Programs, Brett Weathersbee, Vice-President of Communications, John McCabe, Vice-President of Education, Rachel Miller, Treasurer, Rachael Denny, Secretary, David Nelson, Senior Director, James King, Junior Director, and Barbara Bilyeu, Past President. After the installation of the officers, the evening's festivities concluded with a lively gift exchange.

Wishing you a most pleasant holiday season, and the best of everything in the coming year, I am respectfully yours,

Rachael Denny, Secretary.

Business Meeting Minutes, 8 Dec 2014 The meeting opened at 7:01 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Present were Mike Judy, Mary Caparone, John McCabe, Rachael Denny, Laurie and Tom Wylie, David Nelson, Barbara and Gene Bilyeu, Lisa and James King, Brett Weathersbee, and Denise Halopoff.

Laurie Wylie moved to approve the minutes of last month's meetings, and David Nelson seconded the motion. Mike Judy thanked the current board for all their work during the past year, and announced that he and Denise Halopoff will be in Quartzite at the time of next month's general meeting. John McCabe will take charge of the meeting, but we still need someone to be in charge of the refreshments. In correspondence, the club received the newsletters of three other clubs.

Laurie Wylie presented the Treasurer's Report. At the last meeting, the club made $11 on the silent auction, $51 on the drawing, $252 in membership fees, $15 on merchandise, and $2.25 in badge fees.

Owing to a technical glitch, Mike Judy did not receive the minutes for October's general meeting. Rachael Denny will make sure that he gets them. Mary Caparone reported that there are 44 people signed up for the club's annual Christmas party.

John McCabe is planning to send letters about the club scholarship to the high schools in Paso Robles, Atascadero, Templeton, and Shandon. At Cliff Brewen's tailgate sale, John raised $188 for the scholarship fund. Several years ago, the club lent a display case to the Gomez family, and April Gomez has asked John if we would like it back. The answer is yes.

Gene Bilyeu reported that efforts are still underway to influence land-use plans in the Mojave Desert that could seriously restrict public access to favorite rockhounding sites. Everyone who is concerned about this issue is encouraged to speak out, and let their voice be heard. All club members should have received e-mails on this topic.

Barbara Bilyeu reported that a field trip to Ralph Bishop's museum is being planned for February, but a date has not yet been set. There are plans for a geology class in late February, as well.

Lisa King reported that the club presently has 79 paid members. The membership applications of Julie and Lyle Leman, and John Chrisman were approved by the board. It was generally agreed that the membership list should include contact information, unless a member specifically requests otherwise.

David Nelson would like some help looking through catalogs, and selecting new merchandise. Mike Judy announced that the 50/50 drawing will be discontinued, as it is not attracting a great deal of interest. Vendor contracts for the 2015 show are set to go out this week.

At this time, the club has received a formal offer to buy the property on Railroad Street. After some discussion, a majority of the board voted in favor of making a counter-offer. Allan McElwain will handle the details. The meeting adjourned at 8:43 p.m.

Respectfully yours, Rachael Denny, Secretary.

Geology 201, Pillow Lava By James King These are lavas that contain characteristic pillow-shaped structures created by the extrusion of the lava under water, or subaqueous extrusion, often at spreading centers (mid-ocean ridges). Pillow lavas are characterized

by thick sequences of discontinuous pillow-shaped masses. They are created when magma reaches the surface and the surface of the emergent tongue of lava cools very quickly, forming a skin. The tongue lengthens and inflates with more lava, forming a pillow, until the skin ruptures and a new tongue, or eruption point, forms nearer the vent.

Pillow lava off of Hawaii Public domain photo

Pillow lava Photo courtesy of Colin Vosper via

Creative Commons


Newsletter Notes Consider taking your newsletter by email. Every printed and mailed 12 page Rockonteur costs about 80¢ or $9.60 per year. Send a note to [email protected] and ask to receive your newsletter by email in beautiful living color. If it doesn’t work out for you, we can always switch you back. Writers needed - A constant supply of articles is needed to keep this newsletter interesting and informative...short ones, long ones and in-between. If you have a special area of interest, in rockhounding, write an article or two on it. Tell about a recent field trip or find. Other members would love to read all about it.

The Wellness Kitchen Calendar 1255 Las Tablas Rd Ste 102, Templeton (805) 434-1800

[email protected]

JANUARY 2015 6) Body in Balance - Quigong Part 1 of 3, 6:30 to 8 pm 15) Healthy Cooking for People Touched by a Health Crisis - Comfort Foods , 5:30 to 7 pm 13) Body in Balance - Quigong Part 2 of 3, 6:30 to 8 pm 20) Body in Balance - Quigong Part 3 of 3, 6:30 to 8 pm 23) Cooking With Fennel, 5:30 to 7 pm

FEBRUARY 2015 19) Healthy Cooking for People Touched by a Health Crisis - Heart Healthy Food , 5:30 to 7 pm 25) Intro to Wellness - A Taste of Change , 5:30 to 6:30 pm 23) Cooking With Beets, 5:30 to 7 pm

Due to a glitch, the minutes of the October general meeting did not run in November as they were supposed to. They are included here, now, for your consideration. - Editor

General Meeting Minutes, 20 Oct 2014 The meeting opened at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance, after which Faith lead the singing of "Happy Birthday" and "Happy Anniversary" to those club members celebrating these events during the month of October. John McCabe introduced Faith as the newest member of the Junior Rockhounds, and presented badges to two other Juniors. Mike Judy thanked Barbara and Gene Bilyeu, David Nelson, Mary Caparone, and the Rodriguez family for their participation in Caledonia Days at the Rios-Caledonia Adobe, and announced that Don Huntington and Don Pierce have been interviewed in Central Coast Journal Plus Magazine. Lisa King announced that she has extra ice chests and cold packs, if anyone needs them, and reminded everyone that dues are due this month. On the show and tell table, Don Huntington had free rocks for anyone who would like them, Wayne Mills had an assortment of rocks and shells, and other members had thunder eggs, biconoids, petrified wood, and a fossil. Elections are coming up, and Lisa King, Barbara Bilyeu, and Rachel Miller will serve on the Nominating Committee. At this time, candidates are still needed for the positions of Vice-President of Communications, Vice-President in charge of Programs, Treasurer, and Junior Director. Sign-ups are starting now for this year's Christmas party. The cost is $10 per person, and we need a minimum of 30 people to sign up. There is a possibility that the Club will soon be able to have geology or lapidary classes. Jack Raven and Penny Harrington, (of the Rudy Dragon in Morro Bay), have been getting in touch with instructors in these fields. The Board has been planning to hold the 2015 show at the Mid-State Fairgrounds, and tonight, that plan was officially approved by the general membership. Cliff Brewen will be holding his annual tailgate sale on November 22nd, rain or shine. Set-up starts at 7:00 a.m., and anyone who has stuff to sell should get in touch with Cliff. The featured speaker of the evening was Jim Mills, who gave us a very interesting virtual tour of the Petrified Forest, Brown Butte, and several other sites known for petrified wood, and plant fossils, with some discussion of the past and present ecology of the different sites. These are all places that, for various reasons, you would not visit with the idea of adding to your collection, but, as Jim rightly points out, a trip to one of these places has its own intangible rewards. The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. for refreshments, the drawing, and the silent auction, dispersing between 8:45 and 9:00 p.m. Hoping your next outing yields intangible rewards, I am respectfully yours, Rachael Denny, Secretary.

“…Why you know, I found a place up north where there was peetrified trees agrowin’ right up out o’ the ground; with peetrified birds in ‘em, singin’ peetrified songs. Why you could ride straight across from one mountain peak to another, without havin’ to go down into the valleys, ‘cuz gravity, that was peetrified too.” - Jim Bridger, Mountain Man


2014 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

President, Michael Judy (805) 238-4469 [email protected] VP Programs, Beverly Brown (805) 550-9079 [email protected]

VP Education, John McCabe (805) 464-0528 [email protected]

VP Communications, Brett Weathersbee (805) 550-2753 [email protected]

Secretary, Rachael Denny (805) 472-9036 [email protected]

Treasurer, Rachel Miller (408) 497-0715 [email protected]

Sr. Director, David Nelson (805) 423-0188 [email protected]

Jr. Director, James King (805) 975-2740 [email protected]

Past President, Barbara Bilyeu (805) 434-2708 [email protected] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2014 COMMITTEE CHAIRS

CFMS Director, Gene Bilyeu (805) 434-2708 [email protected]

CFMS Alternate, Jim Mills (805) 237-0303 [email protected]

Drawings, Michael Judy (805) 238-4469 [email protected] Field Trips, Vacant

Membership, Lisa King (805) 467-0062 [email protected]

Merchandise, David Nelson (805) 423-0188 [email protected]

Museum & Library, Barbara Bilyeu (805) 434-2708 [email protected]

Hospitality, Denise Halopoff (805) 238-4469 [email protected]

History, Mike Doherty (805) 466-4061 [email protected]

Pioneer Museum Liaison, Richard Smithen (805) 467-2966 [email protected]

Rock & Gem Show, Kim Noyes (805) 610-0603 [email protected]

Silent Auction, Pete Duckworth (805) 467-3413 [email protected]

Newsletter Publisher, Vacant

Newsletter Publisher, James King, (805) 975-2740 [email protected]

Meetings Board meetings - 2nd Monday of the month at the Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Tablas Rd. Ste. 102, Templeton at 7 p.m. General meetings - 3rd Monday of every month except September and December at the Templeton Community Center, 601 Main St. Templeton at 7 p.m..

CALENDAR OF EVENTS JANUARY 2015

12) SLR Board Meeting, 7 pm Location: Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Tablas Rd Ste 102, Templeton Contact: Michael Judy (805) 238-4469, [email protected]

19) SLR General Meeting, 7 pm, Location: Templeton Community Center at 601 S. Main Street, Templeton Contact: Michael Judy (805) 238-4469, [email protected]

FEBRUARY 2015 9) SLR Board Meeting, 7 pm Location: Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Tablas Rd Ste 102, Templeton Contact: Michael Judy (805) 238-4469, [email protected]


MARCH 2015 9) SLR Board Meeting, 7 pm Location: Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Tablas Rd Ste 102, Templeton Contact: Michael Judy (805) 238-4469, [email protected]


APRIL 2015 13) SLR Board Meeting, 7 pm Location: Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Tablas Rd Ste 102, Templeton Contact: Michael Judy (805) 238-4469, [email protected]


MAY 2015 11) SLR Board Meeting, 7 pm Location: Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Tablas Rd Ste 102, Templeton Contact: Michael Judy (805) 238-4469, [email protected]


JUNE 2015 8) SLR Board Meeting, 7 pm Location: Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Tablas Rd Ste 102, Templeton Contact: Michael Judy (805) 238-4469, [email protected]


JULY 2015 13) SLR Board Meeting, 7 pm Location: Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Tablas Rd Ste 102, Templeton Contact: Michael Judy (805) 238-4469, [email protected]


AUGUST 2015 10) SLR Board Meeting, 7 pm Location: Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Tablas Rd Ste 102, Templeton Contact: Michael Judy (805) 238-4469, [email protected]

SANTA LUCIA ROCKHOUNDS P.O. Box 1672 Paso Robles, Cal i fornia 93447 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Please support our sponsors

1255 Las Tablas Rd Ste 102, Templeton (805) 434-1800

Open weekdays 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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