SOUTHEAST FEDERATION NEWSSOUTHEAST FEDERATION NEWS · 2009-01-17 · Show & Tell - Since the end of...

Lowcountry Diggings

JANUARY 2008JANUARY 2008JANUARY 2008JANUARY 2008

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Page 1 Lowcountry Diggings

LOWCOUNTRY DIGGINGS

OCTOBER 2008 Page 1 of 4

Volume XXXVI Number 10 October 2008 Founded 1969Founded 1969Founded 1969Founded 1969

PRESIDENTPRESIDENTPRESIDENTPRESIDENT

RAMBLINGSRAMBLINGSRAMBLINGSRAMBLINGS

By Marty Kersey

BIRTHSTONE OF THE BIRTHSTONE OF THE BIRTHSTONE OF THE BIRTHSTONE OF THE

MONTHMONTHMONTHMONTH

By Will Postell - “Rock Reporter”

Show & Tell - Since the end of Summer is upon us, please bring your rockhounding treasures that you acquired during the season for show & tell.

We meet Thursday, October 9, at the American Legion Hall on Howe Hall Road in Goose Creek. Fel-lowship and refreshment begins at 6:30 P.M. followed by a short business meeting at 7:00 P.M. The Show & Tell program follows the business meeting. See you there!!

2008 WILLIAM HOLLAND WORKSHOP DATES October 12-18

Y ou have two magnificent birthstones for October with that being opal and tourmaline. The focus this month will be on tourmaline. Tourmaline, a borosilicate of aluminum and alkali, has a very complex chemical com-position rich in elements of iron, lithium, titanium, chro-mium, and magnesium. Included with these elements are a wide variety of other “invader” elements found here more than in any other mineral because of substitutions. It is without question one of the most attractive semi-precious stones of the silicate minerals. Tourmalines are generally spoken of as being a multi-colored, prismatic crystal having curved triangular cross sections. It is quite often referred to as the "rainbow gem" and displays the widest range of exquisite rich and vivid colors more so than with any other gem in the min-eral world giving it an appeal to millions. It has hardness similar to that of quartz from 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness with topaz, corundum, and diamond being much harder. Tourmaline possesses a glassy luster and is three times as heavy as water. Tourmaline ap-pears in almost every brilliant color of the rainbow with many shades in between. A single crystal may be half of one color and half of another color, or possess three colors including red, green, and white similar to that of a watermelon. The rare and vibrant red colored tourma-line is referred to as rubellite where it resembles the world's finest ruby in color. The rich dark blue color in tourmaline, as compared to a fine quality sapphire, is known as indicolite. Just like many other gems, indico-

see Birthstone (Continued on page 3)

DDDD ue to a family medical emergency, we had to miss last month’s meeting. My sincere thanks to John Fee for stepping in and taking over on short notice. In August, CJ started back to school, 7th grade. So, my leisurely summer came to a close and I went back to work. I was blessed to find a production manager job with a reputable remodeling company. I am really enjoy-ing being back at work. With the crazy economy right now, just having a job is great and to have work you can enjoy is a blessing. With all this going on we really haven’t had time to think about rocks much lately. But, the weather is cooling down and the shark teeth are calling, so I am sure it won’t be long before I head out with my sifters to look for fossils. We did have a lot of fun going through the rocks John Haskins gave me. I was glad I waited for the whole family to look at them together. John wrote a nice review of his trip to Charleston and it should be on their club website, listed in last month’s Ramblings. I hope to see everyone at the meeting. Marty Kersey

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LOWCOUNTRY DIGGINGS

OCTOBER 2008

SOUTHEAST FEDERATION NEWSSOUTHEAST FEDERATION NEWSSOUTHEAST FEDERATION NEWSSOUTHEAST FEDERATION NEWS

Edited By Mark Easterbrook

Here are some highlights of the lat-est news of the American Federation (AFMS) from the October 2008 AFMS Newsletter… The honorees for AFMS Scholarship Foundation awards are an-nounced… AFMS President Shirley

Leeson discusses the Paleo Bill (HR 554) and a visit she had to the Canadian Federation show and meeting, in Ed-monton, Alberta… The AFMS Junior Ac-tivities Chair updated the “Kid’s Corner” of the website… There is an article dis-cussing the IRS club filing requirements for Form 990N… New club listings are found Rock & Gem magazine… More club members are nominated for the AFMS Club Rockhound of the Year award… There is an article by AFMS Chair John Washburn continuing his series about the All American Yearbook for 2008... There are new AFMS changes to the 2009 Bulletin Editor’s Contest… Read the AFMS Newsletter on their website at www.amfed.org…

AMERICAN FEDERATION NEWSAMERICAN FEDERATION NEWSAMERICAN FEDERATION NEWSAMERICAN FEDERATION NEWS

Edited By Mark Easterbrook

REGIONAL CLUB SHOW INFORMATIONREGIONAL CLUB SHOW INFORMATIONREGIONAL CLUB SHOW INFORMATIONREGIONAL CLUB SHOW INFORMATION

October 16-18, 2008 – Franklin, NC – Gem & Mineral Society of Franklin, NC. Leaflookers Gemboree at Macon County Community Building. Contact: Linda Harbuck at 800-336-7829.

November 7-9, 2008 – Pascagoula, MS – Mississippi Gulf Coast Gem & Mineral Society. Magnolia State Gem, Min-eral and Jewelry Show. Location: Civic Center Building. Contact: John Wright at 228.875.9192 or by email at [email protected].

November 21-23, 2008 – Marietta, GA – Cobb County Gem & Mineral Society. Location: Cobb County Civic Cen-ter. Contact: Mary Ingram at 770.427.1108 or by email at [email protected].

November 22-23, 2008 - West Palm Beach, FL - Gem & Mineral Society of the Palm Beaches. 42nd Annual Gem, Mineral, Jewelry, Bead and Fossil Show. Contact: Carl Bengtson at [email protected]. Website: www.gemandmineral.cc.

November 28-30, 2008 - Columbia, SC - Columbia, SC Gem & Mineral Society 41st Annual Gem, Mineral, and Jew-elry Show 2008. Contact: Sharon Sterrett at 803.356.1472 or [email protected] or Susan Shrader at 803.736.9317 or [email protected].

1 Sarah McNay

3 Karen Havenstein

8 Alan Treesh

13 Scott Gillis

17 Marty Kersey

18 John Fee

22 Dave Allen

23 Yvonne Gillis

The September 2008 SFMS Lodestar has information that is highlighted here… SFMS President Steve Henegar discusses his experiences at the SFMS workshop at Wildacres… SFMS Safety Chairman Don

Monroe has an article about lawnmower safety… Former 1994 SFMS President David T. Tuttle, Sr. of the Jack-sonville, Gem and Mineral Society of Jacksonville, Florida passed away in August 2008… There are proposed amendments to the SFMS Constitution and By-Laws… Julia Larson has a report of the SFMS Education Chair/Workshop... The Falls of the Ohio State Park’s 14th Falls Fossil Festival was held September 20 and 21, 2008 in Clarksville, Indiana… The updated 2008 workshop schedule is presented… Well, that is all I have for now. Please see the SFMS website for more information at http://www.amfed.org/sfms/index.html...

27 Betty Meeks

28 Anne Turner

TIP OF THE MONTH

The best thread for beads depends on what the beads are. Use strong, not-abrasive resistant silk on non-abrasive beads such as pearls, turquoise, mother-of-pearl, and lapis. Use abrasive-resistant nylon on beads such as onyx, metals, and quartzes. Before using nylon, pre-stretch overnight with a weight.

Source: New & Views via AFMS Newsletter ; via T-Town Rock-hound 7/98

Lowcountry Diggings




LOWCOUNTRY DIGGINGS


PREVIOUS MEETING REVIEWPREVIOUS MEETING REVIEWPREVIOUS MEETING REVIEWPREVIOUS MEETING REVIEW

By Mark Easterbrook

SEPTEMBER MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER MEETING MINUTES

By Secretary Whit McMillan

Vice-President John Fee called the meet-ing to order at 7:05 on September 11, 2008. The Treasurer’s Report was read by John in absence of our treasurer. A motion was made

to accept the Treasurer’s Report as read and passed unanimously by the membership… The Minutes for Au-gust were circulated at the meeting. A motion was made to accept the minutes and they were approved. Sunshine Report: Marty missed the meeting since his mother-in-law was in surgery. Jan Kneisley fell and broke her hand.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Hostess Report: Thanks to Yvonne, Dorian, and oth-ers for snacks and refreshments. Program: Show and Tell is the program for next month. There will be a Silent Auction in November. Field Trip: The Graves Mountain Rock Swap is coming up on October 3 through 5… There is a gem show in Jacksonville, Florida on the 26th - 28th of September… There will be a DMC dig at the Hogg mine in LaGrange, Georgia on November 1, 2008. Old Business: Mark reminded everyone about the Pa-leontological Resources Act and the need to e-mail con-gressional representatives. Dina asked about issues with the website and said there had been some issues. New Business: A contact form came to the club re-garding a quartz piece that someone wanted replaced. No one was able to help the requester.

Meeting adjourned at 7:24 PM.

Birthstone (Continued from page 1)

lite is usually heat-treated to brighten and bring out its color with spectacular results creating a very valuable stone. These three colors - the bright green chromium-rich tourmaline, the dark red rubellite, and the brilliant blue indicolite - are not only the rarest, but the costliest and most highly prized of the tourmaline colors. All tour-malines were assigned a group name in the past. Today, only three still carry their own individual names to the retail market (rubellite, indicolite, and schorl (black in color)). All the other stones are now generally classified by color. Significant localities include the following: Brazil, USA, Myanmar, east Africa, Siberia (Russia), Canada, Australia, Mexico, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia, and Sri Lanka… Will Postell 2

Sources: Gem Stones by Hall, Gems by Dennis; Rocks & Fossils by Coenraads; Rocks & Fossils by Bishop; Rocks & Minerals by Brobst; Fossils & Minerals by Erickson…

Last month, we had the membership involved in Show and Tell where folks were asked to bring in what rock-hounding treasures they acquired during the summer months since the season was winding down. There were some interesting items that were brought in by the mem-bership including Larry with some of his petrified wood, Dina with some beautiful jewelry she created, and I brought in a couple of gemstone carved fish that I col-lect including one of blue topaz. There were many others who brought in their treasures to show all of us. Thanks!

LINCOLN’S MARBLE LEAKS

Did you know that the Lincoln Memorial in Washing-ton, DC is sprouting stalactites and stalagmites in its basement? This phenomenon is caused by water seeping through the marble. Though the Memorial is only a little over 55 years old, the formations have grown several feet in length. When the Memorial was built, engineers sank 122 cylinders to bedrock 50 feet underground on a rectangular platform, thus forming a cavernous space beneath the floor. This is where the stalactites and stalagmites are growing.

Source: Rockhound Ramblings, 2/2006; via Hound’s Howl, 9/2008; Breccia, 6/2007; and others

The Museum will open in Cartersville, Georgia in late 2008 and at that time will encompass 120,000 square feet and feature galleries on minerals, fossils, transpor-tation technology, and hands-on experiences. There will also be housed the only fully digital planetarium in North Georgia open to the public. The collections and programs of the Weinman Mineral Museum and the science programs of the Resource Cen-ter will also be included. Proposed galleries, observatory, and Great Hall, which will house a full scale cast of an Apatosaurus can we viewed on the website: www.tellusmuseum.org.

Source: Hound’s Howl, 9/2008

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LOWCOUNTRY DIGGINGS

OCTOBER 2008

DIXIE MINERAL COUNCIL

OCTOBER FIELD TRIP An Official Field Trip of the Mississippi Gem and Mineral Society (Jackson, MS) and the LG&MS as hosts. WHEN: 8:30 AM CST; Saturday, October 25, 2008 WHERE: Bayou Pierre River near Utica, Mississippi near Utica, MS. WHAT: Agates, petrified wood, jasper and chert fossils. Children are welcome, and pets on leashes. DIRECTIONS: Meet at 8:00 A.M. at Hubbard's Truck Stop on highway slightly south of Utica. You can take Highway 18 from I-20 in Jackson, going toward Raymond. You will pass the turnoff for Raymond, and the turnoff for Utica. Shortly thereafter, you will see Hubbard Truck stop on your left, at the intersection of Hwy 18 and MS 27. There is a nice restaurant at the truck stop for those who would like to eat breakfast. It is approxi-mately 30 miles from Jackson to Utica. BRING: food, drink, and water (there are no stores nearby). We usually all pitch together with a lunch under the trees. You can use a beaver stick rock stick), and you will need sturdy shoes you can wade in, and bags or buckets in which you can put your rocks. Bring sun-screen, hat, and dress according to weather reports; just remember it will probably heat up a little as the morning progresses. ACCOMMODATIONS: I would suggest motels in Clinton and Pearl, MS, which is very near the exit for Hwy 18. West Jackson is a high crime area, so be leery of motels in that area. CONTACT: If you have any questions, please contact Janie Hand at 601-825-3989, or email to [email protected]. We will have a general meeting Fri-day night before the field trip and you are invited. If you are interested in attending, contact myself at the address above, or Betty James at 601-914-6747, or [email protected].

WHERE: HOGG MINE, LAGRANGE, GEORGIA - FEE SITE WHEN: Saturday, November 1, 2008 COLLECTING: Rose quartz, tourmaline, beryl, mica

books, & quartz crystal. The Rose Quartz will star if cut correctly, and some of the beryl can be gemmy aquama-rine. TIME: Sign-in is from 8:30 A.M. to 9:30 A.M. at Smith’s Corner Store at 1231 Bartley Road in LaGrange (gps 32 57.296n 85 1.130w). Dig is from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. You will be required to sign a waiver of liability and you must have a ticket before you can enter the mine site. FEE: Adults - $ 17.00 & children under 18 are free (regular fee is $35.00). DIRECTIONS: From Atlanta, take I-85 south to La-Grange. Get off on Hwy. 219 also Whitesville Road (Exit 13) and go south (left) about 2.2 miles from I-85. We will be meeting at Smith’s Corner Store (The Citgo on the left) at the intersection at Whitesville Rd. and Bartley Rd. From Carrollton, take Hwy 27 S. (past Wal-Mart). Go through Franklin to LaGrange. Just stay straight and Hwy 27 dumps into Hwy 219. Take Hwy 219 south and cross I-85. Allow one hour & 15 min from Atlanta at I-285 and I-85 connection on the south side. WHAT TO BRING: Pick, shovel, rock hammer, chisels, scratching tools, screen, buckets, gloves, and of course plenty of water. We have been lucky and had beautiful weather in November, but extra clothes and boots might be useful if its muddy or the weather turns. GENERAL INFORMATION: Port-a-Potty on site. Pets welcome on a leash... Hospitality booth with hot coffee, water, and BBQ plates will be for sale… An area for Rock Swap and Shop with vendors. WHERE TO STAY: Nearby LaGrange, GA offers many hotel choices. Camper-type vehicles can stay at the store free of charge, but there are no hook-ups. Tent campers can make prior arrangements to camp for $9 per night at the site for primitive camping. Local state parks offer a full range of camping options. SITE MANAGER: Rodney Moore; follow the Code of Eth-ics to preserve our relationship with our host. For more directions and information on other collecting sites in the area, check out www.dixieeuhedrals.net and www.dixieeuhedrals.com/page8.html. CONTACT: Bill Mayer at [email protected] or 678-423-8936 or 706-319-7022.

DIXIE MINERAL COUNCIL

NOVEMBER FIELD TRIP An Official Field Trip of Carroll County Gem & Mineral So-ciety and LG&MS as hosts.

These field trips are only open to the member clubs of the DMC/FIELD TRIP COMMITTEE. Members of associated clubs may

not invite non-associated clubs, their members, or members of the general public on these or any other DMC field trip.

SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH - With skin cancer on the rise we need to be vigilant on protecting our skin. Any out-door activity regardless of time of year requires that we continue to use sunscreen whether it is sunny or not. Mark

Lowcountry Diggings




LOWCOUNTRY DIGGINGS


The Lowcountry Gem & Mineral Society of Charleston, South Carolina is a non-profit organization. The society was chartered in South Carolina on April 8, 1969. The purpose of the society is “to foster the interest in and to facilitate the study of gems, miner-als, fossils, and other related fields of geology and earth sciences.” The society is a founding member of the Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. and affiliate of the American Federa-tion of Mineralogical Societies, Inc.

Meetings are held the second Thursday of each month. Refresh-ments and fellowship start at 6:30 pm followed by the meeting at 7 pm.

2008 OFFICERS & COMMITTEE MEMBERS President Marty Kersey……….……………..……..Vice-President John Fee…….……………...……... Secretary Whit McMillan.………...………………… Treasurer Carol Pierce..…………..………………... Program Chairperson Walt McNay……..………... Budget Chairperson Carol Pierce..………..……... Public Relations Chair Rick Day………..………... Field Trip Chairperson Larry Moss…………….... By-Laws Chairperson Whit McMillan..……...…... Membership Chairperson Barb Brenneman…….Newsletter Editor Mark Easterbrook…….....……. Chaplain Marty Kersey………………...…………… Nominating Chairperson Ken Brenneman.…….. Host/Hostess Anne Turner…………………..……. Club Show Chairperson Karen Havenstein..….. Dealer Chairperson Karen Havenstein…………. State Director Liaison Mark Easterbrook….……. Stamp Chairperson Kathy Robinson….……….... For submissions to Lowcountry DiggingsLowcountry DiggingsLowcountry DiggingsLowcountry Diggings, you can either e-

mail the editor (Mark Easterbrook) or send them by the twenty-first of the month to the following snail mail address:

Lowcountry Diggings c/o Mark Easterbrook P.O. Box 80275 Charleston, SC 29416-0275

Email submissions should be put into the body of your email and submitted by the 21st of every month.

Home telephone: (843) 552-1049 or (843) 276-4016 (cell) Daytime work: (843) 416-1219 E-Mail: [email protected]

Webmaster: Skiles Montague URL Web Pages: http://www.geocities.com/lowcountrygem http://www.lowcountrygemandmineralsociety.org

Club Meeting Dates and RemindersClub Meeting Dates and RemindersClub Meeting Dates and RemindersClub Meeting Dates and Reminders

Club Meeting Dates in 2008:

January 10 February 14 March 13 April 10 May 8 June 12

SC Aquarium “Geology Day” month - March 2008 SC Aquarium “Fossil Day” month - October 2008 Club Show - May 3 & 4, 2008 Reminders: The bulletin submission deadline is the 21st of each month and the publication date is the 6th of each month. If you would like to volunteer to provide refreshments at an upcoming meeting, please sign up

with Host/Hostess Chair Anne Turner

The Lowcountry DiggingsLowcountry DiggingsLowcountry DiggingsLowcountry Diggings is a monthly publication of the

Lowcountry Gem & Mineral Society. We are a founding member of the Southeast Federation of Mineralogical So-cieties, Inc.; affiliate of the American Federation of Minera-logical Societies. Membership dues: Individual - $12, Family - $25, Junior - $5 (payable by December)

Except for items specifically copyrighted by authors, other non-profit organizations have permission to re-print any-thing else that is used in this newsletter.

July 10 August 14 September 11 October 9 November 13 December 11

571-7765 571-0422 763-9545 747-7483 554-7213 747-7483 571-3188 225-6931 763-9545 556-3127 552-1049 571-7765 556-3127 899-0467 795-2956 795-2956 552-1049 899-2554

BULLETIN AWARDS 2004 SFMS - 1st Place (Mini) 2003 SFMS - 2nd Place (Small) 2002 SFMS - 3rd Place (Small) 2001 SFMS - 1st Place (Small) 1998 SFMS - 3rd Place (New - Small)

2004 AFMS - 1st Place 2003 AFMS - 7th Place 2002 AFMS - 7th Place 1998 AFMS - 6th Place

©2007 - Diamond Dan Publications. Cartoons and line drawings copyrighted for purchase only from Darryl Powell at [email protected] - used by permission

Dues: Individual - $12.00 Family - $25.00 Junior - $5.00

LOWCOUNTRY DIGGINGS c/o Mark Easterbrook, Editor P.O. Box 80275 Charleston, SC 29416-0275 FIRST CLASS MAIL Address Correction Requested ____________________________________________

____________________________________________

ssss Please remember to submit your articles by the 21Please remember to submit your articles by the 21Please remember to submit your articles by the 21Please remember to submit your articles by the 21stststst of each month of each month of each month of each month ssss Monthly publication date is the 6Monthly publication date is the 6Monthly publication date is the 6Monthly publication date is the 6thththth of each month of each month of each month of each month

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