THE 781st MEETING
OF
THE MINERALOGICAL SOCIETY
OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

7:30 p.m., Friday March 14, 2003

Building E, Room 220
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California

Featuring a Talk by

Bob Jones

on

The Life and Times
of
Mark Bandy

March Program

Our March speaker will be Bob Jones, and his topic will be the Life and Times of Mark Bandy.  As most of you know Bob is the Senior Consulting Editor for Rock and Gem Magazine.  Dr. Mark Bandy's contributions to the Science of Mineralogy and to the literature are extensive. His work career was spanned both South America and Africa. He  discovered new minerals, worked for 11 years at the great tin mine of Llallagua, Bolivia from which he supplied many superb specimens to museums and universities. Mark and his wife, Jean,  translated Agricola's second great work, De Natura Fossilium from Latin to English. He studied and wrote about the geology of Easter Island  and his treatise on the Mineralogy of Llallagua, Bolivia was published by the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society. Upon his retirement, Mark and Jean moved to Wickenburg, Arizona where I visited him and his lovely wife numerous times. His extensive collection, in large part, was eventually donated to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County where it can be seen today. My talk will be a synopsis of his life and contributions accompanied by slides of his specimen collection.

The Salt of the Earth

Walt Margerum

 The annual Searles Lake get-together last October reminded me that every day we add a mineral to our food.  The mineral is of course salt, or halite as it is known to the mineralogy community.  We take it for granted and never think about where that stuff in the shaker originated.  There are five sources of salt in California, the ocean, salt ponds, bedded salt deposits, saline springs and wells, and saline lakes. 

Salt is still being produced from the ocean in the San Francisco Bay area, and in the past was produced from San Diego Bay, and San Pedro among others (Smith, G. I., 1966, p. 357 ).  

Several salt ponds have existed in the state.  One interesting salt pond, Lake Salinas,  existed just north of Redondo Beach and was within 300 yards of the ocean.  It is speculated that the salt from this pond came from saline rain that was washed into the depression.  The reason for this speculation is the high magnesium content of the water, the fact that it was situated five feet above the high tide mark, and all of the ground water below the pond was fresh.  Saline rain is common along the shore.  It has been measured as high as 24 pounds per acre per year in England, and more in tropical climates (Ver Planck, 1958, p. 32). 

The only known California bedded salt deposit is in the Avawitz Mountains.  Most of this deposit is in Death Valley National Park or Fort Irwin.  Although it was prospected in 1911 and again in the 1940's there was very little production (Ver Planck, 1958, pp. 29-32).

There are several salt springs and wells in the state that have been producers.  Salt was produced from springs at Sites in Colusa County between 1895 and 1908.  The thermal wells on Mullet Island on the southeast end of the Salton Sea produced salt in the 1920's.  This island is presently submerged.  The Solono County gas well produced both gas and brine.  Saline springs occur in Siskiyou, Placer, and other counties (Ver Planck, 1958, p. 28).

To the mineral collector the saline lakes are most interesting.  They occur in three types; wet lakes, dry playas, moist playas. 

The Salton Sea, and Mono Lake are examples of wet lakes.  A wet lake is defined as a lake that has its salines in solution, and exists year-round.

Rogers dry lake, and the northern part of Panamint Valley are examples of dry playas.  They are dry most of the year and are occasionally covered with water due to rainfall.  They contain little  to no salt.

The moist playa is either wet all year or has a water table less than 10 feet below the surface (Thompson, 1929, pp 124-125). There are two subtypes of moist playas; clay incrusted, and salt encrusted.  Death Valley, Searles Lake, and Saline Valley are examples of salt encrusted playas.   Bristol Lake, Cadiz Lake, Danby Lake and Dale Lake are examples of moist lakes that have crystal bodies below the surface.  Most of these lakes have in the past had a thin coating of efflorescent salt on their surfaces.  Several, such as Searles, and Bristol have been extensively mined over many years, and very little to none of the original surface remains.

Owens lake is an artificial playa.  As most of you know it was a lake until the Los Angeles MWD diverted the Owens River to Los Angeles in the early part of the last century.  It is recently being changed again into an artificial man controlled environment.

Bibliography

Smith, G.I., 1966, "Salt" in "Mineral Resources of California": California Division of Mines and Geology "Bulletin 191"

Thompson, David G., 1929, "The Mohave Desert Region of California": United States Geological Survey "Water Supply Paper 578"

Ver Plank, William E., 1958, "Salt in California": California Division of Mines "Bulletin 175"

Call for Kid Rock

 Janet Gordon

It's time to begin organizing Kid Rock give away samples for next year's show!  We will need to have about 10,000 small, labeled mineral samples!  For those unfamiliar with Kid Rock production, patient members glue small mineral pieces or crystals onto a page of card stock that has been preprinted with label information.  After the glue dries, the page is cut apart to make individual samples.  This is most efficient when we have large batches (100 to 1000 pieces) of the same material to work with.

Fortunately, we are already supplied with or have been promised the

following in adequate amounts: obsidian, pyrite, quartz crystals, petrified wood, and calcite cleavages.  Some of these are even labeled

and ready to go, but there is much to do!  Here's what we can use if you can donate it in enough quantity to make at least 100 small pieces: gypsum, topaz, fluorite, ulexite, chalcopyrite, garnets, barite, polished chalcedony, and other minerals that would delight a kid.

To make a donation, please contact Janet Gordon (JGGordon@pacbell.net, or 626-441-6715) and make arrangements to get the specimens to her at a meeting or other mutually agreeable time.  If you have just a few specimens that you think a kid would like, we would be happy to have them if they arrive properly labeled.  Please contact Janet about Kid Rock labeling requirements.

All members are invited to help with this project.  Your enthusiastic willingness to do a little gluing or cutting in the social time before or after meetings will speed this project along!

Need Help with Competition and Rules?

Jo Anna Ritchey

Need help with putting together a good looking, award winning case?  This seminar is for you. 

• How to read the Rules Book
• Helpful hints on how to improve your case
• What Judges look for when they are judging cases at the CFMS or AFMS level

Remember that the CFMS Show in Ventura will be held on June 5-8, 2003.  There will still be time to submit your application.

Since educating the public in our hobby is also one of our goals, we need to exhibit the best possible displays.  By following the AFMS rules, even if you are not competing, your exhibit will improve and increase the quality of our shows.  The rules are a good guideline when deciding what and how to display your Treasures.

Date:    March 29, 2003

Hours:  Registration:   8 am

              Seminar        9 am

              Lunch           11:30 to 1 pm 
                                   (many restaurants within 5 blocks, several across the street)

              Seminar        1 pm to 2:30 pm

Cost     $10.00 (includes copy of AFMS Rule Book)

Location:         Presbyterian Church, 101 E. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia, CA.  Monrovia is on the 210 Freeway between Pasadena and the 605 Freeway.  Exit the 210 Freeway at Myrtle Avenue, turn north (toward the mountains) and continue through town.  The Presbyterian Church is on the corner of Myrtle Ave. & Foothill Blvd.  Parking and the Fireside Room are on the East Side of the Church.  Additional parking is located behind the Church.

Deadline:         March 15, 2003. 

Reservations:   Mail to: Jo Anna Ritchey

Please mail by March 15, 2003.  Make Checks payable to Monrovia Rockhounds, Inc.

Calendar of Events

March

1-2   Arcadia, CA  Monrovia Rockhounds, Inc.

The Arboretum of Los Angeles County , Ayers Hall: 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia

Hours: 9-4:30 both days

Fee to enter The Arboretum

Jo Anna Ritchey (626) 359-1624 / j.ritchey@verizon.net 

1-2  Ventura, CA The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Inc., 41 annual show; Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Hours:(10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Saturday; 10:00 AM -4:00 PM, Sunday).

The show is free. Kids will enjoy a "petting zoo" of dinosaur bones and casts, grab bags, and a variety of kids' activities. There will also be demonstrations of lapidary arts and exhibits from wonderful private collections of rocks, minerals, fossils, and lapidary work. Donation award prizes and a silent rock auction will be held continuously throughout the show. Approximately 15 dealers in fossils, minerals, lapidary equipment, slabs, etc., will be on hand, along with a country store featuring rummage sale items, used books and magazines, and plants. For further information (or to enter a display), contact Jim Brace-Thompson, show chair, at (805) 659-3577, email jbraceth@juno.com.

8-9    San Marino, CA  Pasadena Lapidary Society, San Morino Masonic Center, 3130 Huntington Drive
Hours: Sat. 10 - 6; Sun. 10 - 5
Marlene Kyte (626) 794-0519
Show Theme: "Gems, Minerals and Jewelry of the Southwest"

14, 15, 16  Stoddard Well, CA Victor Valley Gem & Mineral Club
Tailgate and Sat. field trip 9 am;  Hours: unscheduled all days
E-mail for directions or call
Bob Harper (760) 947-6383 / robrokx22@earthlink.net 

17-18  Hawthorne, CA  Northrop Grumman Gem & Mineral Club, 12303 Crenshaw; Entrance 16
Hours: Sat. 10 - 5; Sun. 10 - 4
Jimmy Lamham (310) 784-0407

22-23  Torrance, CA  South Bay Lapidary & Mineral Society
Torrance Recreation Center, 3341 Torrance Blvd.
Hours: Sat. 10 - 6; Sun. 10 - 5
Omer Goeden (818) 353-9279

29-30  San Diego, CA  San Diego Mineral & Gem Society
Al Bahr Shrine Center, 5440 Kearny Mesa Road
Hours: Sat. 9:30 - 5; Sun. 10 - 4  Wayne Moorhead (858) 586-1637

April

5-6   Hacienda Heights, CA  Puente Hills Gem & Mineral Club
“Magic in Rocks”
Steinmetz County Park; 1545 S. Stimson Ave. (between Gale Ave. and Halliburton Road.)
Hours: 10 – 5 both days
Bob Hess (562) 696-2270 / rpsthess@earthlink.net 

12-13  Boron,CA  Mojave Mineralogical Society
Boron High School, 26831 Prospect
Hours: Sat. 9 – 7; Sun. 9 – 4
Derek English djenglish@ccis.com
David Eyre (760) 762-6575 or 762-6861