Volume 29, Issue 2 February 2019 NAME THAT ROCK€¦ · Rockonteur February 2019 Page 2 AMETHYST...

NAME THAT ROCK

The banner photo (above)

changes each month -

can you identify what type of

rock it is? Answer is on last

page but don’t peek until

you’ve tried to guess!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Birthstones 2

Words from the

President 3

Meeting, Events,

Announcements 4

Features 7

Board Meeting

Minutes 7

General Meeting

Minutes 9

Volume 29, Issue 2 February 2019

Info and photos by Mark Nelson

Almost a dozen members partici-

pated in the JANUARY SHOW &

TELL, sharing their stories on

how they acquired their rock

specimens. Among these were

items collected near Bonneville

Dam by Leonard Johnson; a

large Jade specimen collected

north of Morro Bay by Michael

Dunivan (left photo); a compari-

son of Orthoceras fossils from

Morocco and the United States,

and a fossil of a stingray were

shown by Wayne Mills. Some

members also brought in free

samples to give away.

Show postcard approved by the Board and to be distributed next

month. Contact Show Coordinator Kim Noyes if you have ques-

tions or want to volunteer: 805-610-0603, [email protected]

Rockonteur ❖ February 2019 ❖

AMETHYST TRIVIA

Amethyst is considered the best

form of quartz.

True False

Amethyst ranks amongst the old-

est gemstone forms ever recorded

in the world.

True False

Amethyst are found here:

Brazil and Africa

Russia and Germany

Mexico

All of the above

The name ‘Amethyst’ means ‘not

intoxicated’ and is derived from

this language:

Coptic

Greek

Middle English

Old Norse

Which color of amethyst did St.

Valentine prefer and hence, be-

came the color representing love:

Red

Yellow-orange

Rose

Purple

Take the test and check your an-

swers here:

www.gemstonebuzz.com/10-

interesting-facts-and-myths-you-

would-love-to-know-about-

amethysts

Santa Lucia Rockhounds (SLR)

is a non-profit public benefit corporation with the

specific purpose to promote the study of mineralogy,

including (but not limited to) the fields of lapidary,

metal working, jewelry design and fabrication, geology

and conducts field trips for collecting and education.

We encourage learning and good citizenship in a

congenial atmosphere. We respect both private and

public property, and we strive to protect natural

resources. Meetings are held during the third Monday of

each month, except December, at the Templeton

Community Center.

We are a member of the California Federation of

Mineralogical Societies (CFMS) and affiliated with the

American Federation on Mineralogical Societies (AFMS).

Santa Lucia Rockhounds, Inc. is also a member of the

American Lands Access Association (ALAA).

Annual dues are $20 for the first adult and $8

each for every additional member of the same

household. Annual dues are payable between August 1

and the third Monday of December, in person at club

meetings or by mail to P.O. Box 1672, Paso Robles, CA

93447.

The Rockonteur

This is the official monthly newsletter of the SLR and an

independent publication containing news and

information consistent with the mission of SLR and of

interests to its members. Circulation is approximately

100 copies per issue.

Member submissions are encouraged and may be

sent to the editor. We reserve the right to accept or

refuse submissions inconsistent with the objectives and

purpose of the SLR. Submissions may be edited as

needed without consent. Deadline are due by midnight

of the last day of the month but early submissions are

highly appreciated and strongly encouraged.

Newsletter Editor/Publisher:

Amy Phillips | [email protected]

Website: www.slrockhounds.org

mailto:http://www.gemstonebuzz.com/10-interesting-facts-and-myths-you-would-love-to-know-about-amethysts




mailto:[email protected]

http://www.slrockhounds.org


Words from the President

Happy Valentine’s Day! My Inspiration quote for this month is

“Faith makes all things possible…Love makes all things easy”

by Dwight L. Moody.

After the rainfall, I hope you will be successful at finding

more rocks while spending time outdoors.

You should watch for warning signs and not go

too far off the trail or road, it can be dangerous.

Our next meeting will be on President’s Day,

Feb. 18 @ 7pm. The featured speaker is Tim Elan

and his presentation is on Shark’s Tooth Hill.

During the meeting, our annual budget will be presented to the

membership for discussion and voting to approve it.

Mark your calendar on Feb. 16 @ 10am - 1pm to visit Ralph

Bishop’s Museum. Contact Wayne Mills @ 805-481-3495 or

email [email protected] for directions.

It’s getting closer to our Rock & Gem Show, which is Apr. 13

and 14, from 10am to 5pm. This year’s theme is “Discover The

World of Crystals.” Every member can help during the show, and

I encourage you to find something to add meaning and value.

The Show Coordinator will provide and update during our

meeting. There are still many volunteer shifts available.

Please help us market the show by inviting your family

and friends to come. We’ll have yard signs and other marketing

products next month and will need your help

to put them out and about.

Rock On, Mary


February 4 @ 7pm

Board Meeting

Rabobank Meeting Room, Templeton

February 16, 10am - 1pm

Wayne Mills is inviting our club to visit Ralph Bishop's Museum at his residence in Santa Maria. Interested members can call him for directions at

(805) 805-481-3495.

February 18 @ 7pm

General Meeting

Guest speaker Tim Elam,

a National Park volunteer ranger and

retired petroleum geologist, will talk about

Shark Tooth Hill, a well-known fossil site

outside of Bakersfield.

Mary Beatty is helping manage the Junior

Rockhounds classes until John McCabe recovers.

Juniors will be learning about Stone Age

tools and arts.

Templeton Community Center

March 4 @ 7pm

Board Meeting

Rabobank Meeting Room, Templeton

March 18 @ 7pm

General Meeting

Barbara Bilyeu and Galen Moyer is speaking

about thunderegg collecting in Nevada.

Templeton Community Center

CLUB MEETINGS & EVENTS OTHER EVENTS

February 23-24

Vallejo Gem & Mineral Society

McCormack Hall, Solano County Fairgrounds

For more info: www.vigems.org

March 1-3

Mineral & Gem Society of Castro Valley

Newark Pavilion, 6430 Thornton Ave.

For more info: www.mgsv.org

http://www.vigems.org

http://www.mgsv.org


President Mary Caparone 805-610-5281

[email protected]

Senior Director Mary Beatty

805-466-4917 runrungranny @gmail.com

VPs Membership

Kathy Clarke ladykatephotos @sbcglobal.net Karen Hilchey 805-296-4183

VP Education John McCabe

805-464-0528 [email protected]

VP Communications

Amy Phillips 805-269-4194 amyphillips18 @hotmail.com

Assisted by

Auctioneer Pete Duckworth 805-467-3413

[email protected]

CFMS Director Wayne Mills


Drawings

Roberta Hall 805-226-8965

Field Trips

Richard Smitten (805) 440-1496

Historian

Mike Doherty 805-466-4061

[email protected]

Hospitality Julie Cannon

[email protected] 805-610-7644 Brenda Obert

[email protected]

805-423-0737

Ron Rusconi

805-549-7961

Secretary Rachael Denny 805-472-9036 stormdragon71 @netscape.net

Treasurer

Laurie Wylie 805-466-7864 [email protected]

Junior Director

Lisa King 805-467-0062 anoldcowhand @gmail.com

Past President

Tina Clark 805-305-0246

tdkclark @sbcglobal.net

Library/Museum Barbara Bilyeu 805-434-2708

[email protected]

Merchandise David Nelson 805-423-0188

[email protected]

Museum Barbara Bilyeu

Newsletter Editor/

Publisher Amy Phillips

Program

Coordinator Gene Bilyeu


Rock & Gem Show

Chair Kim Noyes


2019 CLUB OFFICERS COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Thank you for your service!

Kim Noyes and Tina Clark sponsored a field trip to the San Simeon State Beach Park in Janu-ary, with about 20 folks participating. “They had a great time finding a variety of quartz from chalcedony to agate to various colors of jasper to brecciated jasper to jasper-agate to colorful cherts. Even one myrickite specimen may have been found. The recent storms had scoured out San Simeon Creek bringing to the beach a lot of fresh material and the wave action and recent king tides and further sorted the beach. Conditions were perfect!” - submitted by Kim Noyes


EXHIBITS It's almost show time so start putting your exhibits

together! Anyone can exhibit (including Junior

Rockhounds!), and we welcome new exhibitors.

An exhibit application form is on the following page

of this newsletter and copies will also be available

at the Library Table during our February and March

meetings. A limited number of exhibit cases can

be loaned from the Club if you do not own case.

The People's Choice Contest invites rock show par-

ticipants to vote for their favorite exhibit, so do

your very best! Our show theme this year is

"Crystals" and it's a great chance to show our visi-

tors the many wonderful forms crystals can take.

Other types of exhibits are very welcome as well

so don't feel left out if your collection isn't heavy

on crystals. For more info or questions, contact

Barbara Bilyeu at 805-434-2708 or bbilyeu2001@

yahoo.com.

KIDS BOOTH We need your help to make the Kids Booth a suc-

cess! This booth was very popular last year with

kids and adults alike. We have a spinning wheel

for a chance to win a rock specimen and $1 grab

bags for sale. This year, we’re adding a rock paint-

ing table for people to try their hand at rock art.

We need small tumbled stones, rocks, petrified

wood, or anything small and rock-related to

put in grab bags.

Painted or non-painted rocks to give-away as

prizes or use as references at the rock painting

table.

Unwanted small paint brushes, acrylic paint

and small rocks to paint on.

We also need volunteers for two-hour shifts

each day.

To donate, signup or ask questions, contact Amy

Phillips at [email protected].

Guest exhibitor Tom McGanty from Oregon won 1st Place with

his fossil display during the 2018 Rock Show People’s Choice

Contest.

Rock art by the Phillips family.

MORE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - CONTACT KIM NOYES!

805-610-0603 / [email protected]



Dear Friends, We would be honored to have your exhibit in our annual rock and gem show to be held at the Paso Robles Event Center. Our show theme this year is "Discover The World of Crystals." Exhibit set-up time is from 12:00 noon until 7:00 PM on Friday, April 12th, or between 8:00 and 10:00 on Saturday morning. Exhibits must remain in place until 5:00 Sunday afternoon. The Santa Lucia Rockhounds will have security in place during the show, but will not be liable for loss or damage to exhibits. Please complete the following form and return to:

Barbara Bilyeu 620 Santa Rita Rd.

Templeton, CA 93465 For further information, please call Barbara Bilyeu at (805)434-2708, or email at [email protected]. We look forward to your participation!

Detach here - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --

Name_______________________________ Club_______________________ Address_______________________________City______________ZIP______ Phone__________________ Email_______________________ I have my own case_____ Upright______ Slant______

Outside dimensions are Length_____Depth_____ Height_____ Maximum wattage not to exceed 150 watts.

I need to borrow a case _____. A limited number of loaner cases can be loaned from the Club, if you do not have your own case. They are standard 4’x2’x2’. Please pro-vide your own liners.

Description of exhibit ____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Signature__________________________________ Date_________________

EXHIBIT APPLICATION Santa Lucia Rockhounds Annual Gem and Mineral Show April 13 - 14, 2019 at the Paso Robles Event Center (Fairgrounds)


The central Andes Mountains and surrounding land-scape, as seen in this true-color image from NASA’s Ter-ra spacecraft, formed over the past 170 million years as the Nazca Plate lying under the Pacific Ocean has forced its way under the South American Plate. (NASA photo)

Earth's continental nurseries discovered beneath mountains Continent origins revealed in search for missing niobium

In a paper published this month by Nature

Communications, Tang, Rice petrologist Cin-

Ty Lee and colleagues offered an answer to

one of Earth science's fundamental questions:

Where do continents form?

"If our conclusions are correct, every

piece of land that we are now sitting on got its

start someplace like the Andes or Tibet, with

very mountainous surfaces," said Tang, lead

author of the study and a postdoctoral re-

search associate in Rice's Department of

Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences

(EEPS). "Today, most places are flat because

that is the stable stage of the continental

crust. But what we found was that when the

crust formed, it had to start out with moun-

tain-building processes."

The connection between niobium, one of

Earth's rarest elements, and continent for-

mation is a story that plays out over billions of

years at scales as small as molecules and as

large as mountain ranges. The leading players

are niobium and tantalum, rare metals so

alike that geologists often think of them as

twins.

"They have very similar chemical proper-

ties and behave almost identically in most ge-

ological processes," Tang said. "If you meas-

ure tantalum and niobium, you find that their

ratio is nearly constant in Earth's mantle. That

means that when you find more niobium in a

rock, you will find more tantalum, and when

you find less niobium, you will find less tanta-

lum."

The mantle is Earth's thickest layer, span-

ning about 1,800 miles between the planet's

core and its thin outer crust. Earth scientists

believe that little, if anything, moves between

the mantle and core, but the mantle and eve-

rything above it -- seafloor, oceans, conti-

nents and atmosphere -- are connected, and

many of the atoms on Earth's surface today,

including the atoms in humans and other liv-

ing things, have cycled through the mantle

one or more times in Earth's 4.6 billion years.

The rocks in continents are an exception.

Geologists have found some that are up to 4

billion years old, which means they were

formed near the surface and stayed on the

surface, without being recycled into the man-

tle. That's due in part to the nature of conti-

nental crust, which is far less dense than the

basaltic rocks beneath Earth's oceans. Lee,

professor and EEPS department chair, said it's

no coincidence that Earth is the only rocky

planet known to have both continents and life.

Finish reading this article here: https://

www.sciencedaily.com/

releases/2019/01/190129162402.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190129162402.htm




The meeting opened at 7:00 P.M. with the Pledge

of Allegiance. Present were Mary Caparone, Tina

Clark, Laurie Wylie, Rachael Denny, Kathy

Clarke, Karen Hilchey, Lisa King, Gene and Barba-

ra Bilyeu, Roberta Hall, Kim Noyes and Mary Beat-

ty.

Correspondence: the Club received the AFMS

newsletter, the Cuesta College News (for John

McCabe), passes for the Santa Barbara Gem Faire,

late membership renewals, and a postcard from

New England Meteoritical Services offering mete-

orite testing.

The C.F.M.S. is requesting help for the Paradise

gem club, which was seriously impacted by last

fall's devastating fire. Anyone who wishes to con-

tribute funds or equipment should contact CFMS

President Tony Fender.

Mary Caparone reported that she has received a

request from a Club member to place a website

link on the Club's website. If there are going to be

links to commercial sites on the Club's website, we

will need to add a formal disclaimer.

Tina Clark, Kathy Clarke and Mary Beatty will work

on changing the g-mail and website passwords for

this year.

Treasurer's Report: Laurie Wylie presented the

report and passed around the budget closeout for

2018. A budget for 2019 will be put together and

presented to the membership next month, so the

Board and Committee members need to think

about what they will need in the coming year.

Juniors: John McCabe has undergone major sur-

gery, and may not be able to resume his duties for

some time. Tina Clark has volunteered to send

out the scholarship letter, and it was suggested

that Amy Phillips might be willing to help work

with the Junior members. Mary Beatty brought

the new backpacks, and proposed giving them out

when the Junior members receive their badg-

es. Roberta Hall suggested giving out a backpack

when a Junior has earned three badges, and there

was general agreement that this would be a good

policy.

Equipment: Tina Clark will look into the possibility

of acquiring speakers for audiovisual presenta-

tions.

Board positions: There was further discussion

about creating a new Board position of Vice-

President, or President Elect. This would require

amending the Club's by-laws, which is a complex

process. Mary Caparone and Tina Clark will be

working on this.

Programs: The featured program for this month's

general meeting will be the Club's annual Show

and Tell, and in February, Tim Elam will give a

presentation on Shark Tooth Hill. In March, Bar-

bara Bilyeu and Galen Moyer will present a pro-

gram on the thunder eggs of Aurora, Nevada. As

the Club's annual show is scheduled for April 13-

14, Tina Clark will check on the possibility of hold-

ing the general meeting on April 8th, so as not to

have a meeting immediately after the show.

Gene Bilyeu proposed giving an honorarium to the

speakers at our meetings, to help cover their ex-

penses. Lisa King moved that the Club give an

honorarium of $100 per program, Laurie Wylie se-

conded the motion, and the proposal was ap-

proved by the Board. Tina Clark made a motion to

approve the minutes of last month's business

meeting, Lisa King seconded the motion, and the

minutes were approved by the Board.

Field trips: Mary Caparone reported that the

Orcutt club is having a field trip to Ralph Bishop's

museum on February 16th. Anyone who is inter-

ested in going should contact Wayne Mills. Barbara

Bilyeu reported that there will be a sale of rocks,

minerals and fossils to benefit the Buena Vista Mu-

seum of Natural History in Bakersfield on February

2nd.

Roberta Hall asked where the drawing prizes are

kept. They are in the storage shed, and Tina Clark

suggested Roberta contact David Nelson about

helping her get them out and that she could help if

David was not available. Tina moved that Lisa

King be given $125 to buy some more drawing

prizes when she goes to Quartzite, and the pro-

posal was approved by the Board.

(Continued on page 10)

JANUARY 7, 2019

BOARD MEETING MINUTES


JANUARY 17, 2019

GENERAL MEETING

MINUTES

Mark Nelson has been sending out a survey to the

Board members, with the aim of nominating our

Club for the A.F.M.S.-C.F.M.S. All-Club Award. Af-

ter some discussion, it was decided that Mark

should submit his requests for information to Mary

Caparone for club wide distribution instead of

emailing members directly himself. Mary Capa-

rone, Tina Clark, and Lisa King would like to re-

view the document before it is submitted.

Kathy Clarke has been having technical difficulties

with the membership list. She will be working with

Galen Moyer to resolve this issue.

Show Report: Kim Noyes presented the report.

At present, the dealer contract has the wrong

dates, and needs to be corrected. Richard

Smithen and Mark Nelson are willing to be in

charge of the People's Choice. and Debbie

Meacham and Amy Phillips have both offered to

work on the Kid's Booth. Roberta Hall will be in

charge of the Drawing, and Kim will see about

getting prizes. Lisa King is willing to get shark's

teeth in Quartzite. She will need about $500 for

that, and an additional $200 to get a nice crystal

for the Grand Prize. Galen is happy with the

Gravel Pit. Laurie and Tom Wylie will need to get

more geodes, and they should have an estimate

on that by next month. Kim will talk to Amy

Phillips about postcard printing, and get quotes on

yard signs and banners. It will probably be more

cost-effective to put patches on last year's ban-

ners to change the date than to get new ones. Ti-

na Clark will talk to Meagan from Paso Robles

Magazine, and send a press release to Kim. Kim

will call Richard Wade about presenting a program

at the show. As yet, there has been no feedback

from dealers.

The meeting adjourned at 9:15 P.M.

Submitted by Rachael Denny, Secretary

The meeting opened at 7:00 P.M. with the

Pledge of Allegiance. Ryan Jones performed

the badge check, and a Junior Rockhound

led the singing of "Happy Birthday" and

"Happy Anniversary" to those Club mem-

bers celebrating these events in the month

of January. Guests were invited to intro-

duce themselves.

Mary Caparone announced that the general

meeting in April has been scheduled for the

second Monday (April 8th), so that it will

not take place right after the show.

Next month's Board meeting (which is open

to everyone) will be on February 4th, and

the general meeting will be on February

18th. The featured speaker will be Tim

Elam, who will give a presentation on

Shark's Tooth Hill, and the budget will be

presented, as well.

John McCabe is recuperating from heart

surgery, and was unable to attend. Mary

Beatty presented certificates to Junior

Rockhounds attending the general meeting.

The Juniors will receive backpacks after

earning two badges and a patch.

Mary Caparone thanked Tina Clark for

sending the scholarship letter to the local

high schools.

Kathy Clarke reported that there were 45

members present (not counting guests)

and encouraged all members to wear their

name badges.

Wayne Mills reported that the C.F.M.S.

show will take place on March 8-10 at the

Pomona Fairgrounds, and that the Ventura

show will be March 2-3. C.F.M.S. insurance

needs to be submitted by March 1st. There

will be a joint field trip with the Orcutt Club

to the Ralph Bishop Museum in Santa Maria

on February 16th, from 10;00 A.M. to 1:00

P.M. Anyone who wants to go should con-


tact Wayne for directions. Wayne also

thanked Mark Nelson for entering the Club in

the All-American Yearbook 2018 competition.

Kim Noyes presented the Show Report. Kim,

Tina Clark and Laurie Wylie will be going to

get the contract worked out. Lisa King has

obtained prizes for the drawing and sharks

teeth for the Kid's Booth, and the dealer con-

tracts are coming in. Exhibit forms will be

available next month, and there is someone

in charge of all the different sections, but it

appears that Richard Wade will be unable to

attend the show this year.

Julie Cannon thanked everyone who brought

refreshments to share, and Roberta Hall an-

nounced that Lisa King brought some nice

crystals for the drawing.

The featured program for the evening was

the Club's annual Show and Tell. The mem-

bers, adult and junior alike, presented speci-

mens of crystals, fossils, thunder eggs, jade,

fire opals, artifacts, jewelry, and other inter-

esting things, and told the stories of how

these prizes came into their possession.

The meeting adjourned at 8:15 P.M. for re-

freshments, the drawing, and the silent auc-

tion.

Submitted by Rachael Denny, Secretary

DIATOMITE

IS A BEER FILTER Diatomite is a friable light-

colored sedimentary rock that is mainly com-posed of the siliceous skeletal remains of dia-

toms. Diatoms are members of a large, di-verse group of algae that drift freely in the

waters of oceans and lakes. Diatomite has a very small particle size, a high porosity, and is

relatively inert. That makes it an excellent material for use as a filter. Much of the beer

brewed in the United States is filtered through crushed diatomite, known as diato-

maceous earth. When selecting diatomite for beer filtering, it is important to source the

diatomite from a deposit that was formed in a freshwater environment - because the salty

marine diatomite will ruin the beer! Diato-maceous earth is also used to filter wine, drinking water, syrup, honey, juice, swim-ming pool water, and much more. Learn more here: https://geology.com/rocks/

diatomite.shtml

https://geology.com/rocks/diatomite.shtml

https://geology.com/rocks/diatomite.shtml

MALACHITE Used as an ore of copper, a pigment, a gemstone, and a sculptural material for

thousands of years. It was one of the first ores used to produce copper metal.

Today it is most often cut into cabochons or beads for jewelry use. Malachite is a

mineral that forms at shallow depths within the Earth, in the oxidizing zone above

copper deposits. Some of the first malachite deposits to be exploited were located

in Egypt and Israel. Learn more at: https://geology.com/minerals/malachite.shtml

P.O. Box 1672

Paso Robles, CA 93447

https://geology.com/minerals/malachite.shtml

Volume 29, Issue 2 February 2019 NAME THAT ROCK€¦ · Rockonteur February 2019 Page 2 AMETHYST...

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Transcript of Volume 29, Issue 2 February 2019 NAME THAT ROCK€¦ · Rockonteur February 2019 Page 2 AMETHYST...