Bulletin of the Mineralogical Society of Southern California
Volume 74 Number 2 February 2004
The 792nd Meeting of The Mineralogical Society of Southern California
"A Geologist's
View of New Zealand:
Volcanoes, Beaches, and Glaciers"
by Dr. Janet Gordon
Friday, February 20
at 7:30 p.m.
Geology Department, E-Building, Room 220
Pasadena City College
1570 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena
February Meeting Features New Zealand Geology
Dr.
Janet Gordon will present "A Geologist's View of New Zealand: Volcanoes,
Beaches, and Glaciers," at the February meeting. New Zealand owes much of
its scenic beauty to its unique geological setting on a complicated tectonic
plate boundary. It has both volcanoes caused by subduction analogous to our
Cascade Range and mountains formed along strike slip faults similar to our San
Andreas fault. Come find out what it is like to make the Tongoriro Crossing,
(known as the world's best volcano hike), view spectacular glaciated McKinnon
Pass in the rare sunshine, and find out what is hot about Hot Water Beach.
Janet Gordon is Professor Emeritus of Geology, Pasadena City College and a long-time MSSC member who has traveled much of the world observing and photographing interesting geological features.
Photo: Ngauruhoe, New Zealand, J. Gordon photo
Boron Pit Field
Trip Announcement
by Walt Margerum
The US Borax Company is hosting a collecting field trip to the Boron pit for the MSSC membership. It is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, March 27, 2004. Hard hats, safety glasses, sturdy boots, and gloves are the minimum personal protective equipment (PPE) required in the pit. Hard toed boots are normally required in the pit, but US Borax may dispense with this requirement. Even if they do sturdy boots are required. All the above are to be provided by the participant. The trip will be limited to a maximum of 30 adults, MSSC members only. No children will be allowed for safety reasons, so please do not ask.
Since the trip is limited to a
maximum of 30 people, and I anticipate more people will want to participate than
that, the signup list will be on a first response basis. If you desire to go,
contact me at (310) 324-1976 or email me at wmargerum@earthlink.net.
It is anticipated the major borate minerals will be available: borax, colemanite
and ulexite. Kurnakovite, probertite and tunnelite will not be too uusual. This
is a once in a lifetime trip for most of us, and I want to thank US Borax Co.
for this opportunity. I especially want to thank Joe Siefke for organizing the
trip, and Bill Moller for suggesting it to Joe. More details will be provided in
the March Bulletin.
The Whale Mine
by Walt Margerum
The recent publication of Minerals of Nevada aroused my interest in the Goodsprings mining district in Clark County Nevada, so I arranged with Bob Housley to explore the area. One of the mines we visited was the Whale situated about six miles west of Goodsprings on the road to Sandy. The Whale was located in 1904 and was mined from 1909 until 1917. It was primarily a lead-zinc mine, and the following minerals have been reported: aurichalcite, cerussite, galena, hemimorphite, hydrozincite, mimetite, mottramite, plattnerite, smithsonite, vanadinite, and wulfenite. The "Handbook of Mineralogy" also lists this mine on the mottramite page.
Bob had visited the Whale briefly and stated that the mottramite alone made the mine worth a visit. So early on a Wednesday morning we decided to dedicate the entire day to the mine. It consists of a series of adits located on the side of a hill.
Reasonable pieces of crystalline black mottramite can be found on the dumps. The crystals are small, about 1 to 2 mm, but they form masses that make nice specimens. Under the microscope the crystals are sharp and very showy.
Exploration of the mine disclosed that the majority of ore body had been removed leaving only small remnants for collecting. Even so the collecting was rewarding. The best material came from the third level, GPS NAD27 UTM coordinates 11 S 3963347N, 6333180E. At this level there are small pods and veins of mottramite scattered randomly in the mine. I found one area near the entrance that contained small lumps of galena, and massive cerussite. Near this location I also found several small, 1mm, brownish tabular wulfenite crystals. Deeper in the mine Bob found two pieces containing similar wulfenite that had fallen from the ceiling. The only other mineralization found was hemimorphite, and calcite crystals in the lowest adit. If you enter the mine please be very careful, since the ceiling can be quite loose in places.
Lower adits of the Whale mine from the access road.
References
Anthony, John W.,et al., 2000, Handbook of Mineralogy, Volume IV, Arsenates, Phosphates, Vanadates; Mineral Data Publishing, p 392.
Castor, Stephen B. and Ferdock, Gregory C., 2004, Minerals of Nevada; Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Special Publication 31, 512 p.
Hewett, D. F., 1931, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Goodsprings Quadrangle; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 162, pp 145-146.
The Oceanview Mine,
Pala, California
By Larry Bruce
All members of MSSC should be aware of a weekly field trip possibility. The Oceanview Mine in Pala is open virtually every Sunday for some excellent tourmaline and kunzite recovery (plus other things). Each week they haul all the working dirt from their mine and from the Elizebeth R Mine just up the hill. The dirt is placed in the middle of the parking area. Each Sunday anyone who wants to attend should meet at about nine thirty in the west end of the parking lot of the Pala Casino. You will sign waivers and pay forty five dollars and join the caravan to the mine which is very close.
For folks who do not wish to hike a long distance, you can rejoice. You park next to the week's dumps. We bring some camp chairs and a screen and a garden water sprayer and carry them ten feet to our "spot".
There is more than enough dump material for everyone. The weather is usually wonderful, and the group that attends is always a happy bunch of folks. The good folks at the Oceanview are in attendance the whole time and are happy to identify material and also to take people who wish to go underground to see the pockets. (This is only a hundred yards walk and lit up quite nicely by electric lights.) The Oceanview has flush toilets. They have numerous water stations to rinse the material, and they usually light a nice bonfire and have barbeque facilities if you wish to bring your own meat, etc., to cook.
This is not only a happy day of fun but the dump material is literally laced with great material. More than once, I have seen people with thousand dollar specimens, and I have never seen anyone skunked. Everyone has good material which they have found. Most people in attendance are repeat visitors. I have visited three times so far and will be going again soon.
You do not need to be a part of a large group to attend. Simply call Lisa during the week at their jewelry store in Rancho Bernardo and list yourself. You can reach Lisa at 760-489-1566.
Interesting but
Useless Facts
by Walt Margerum
The naming of Silver as the theme for the 2003 MSSC show got me to thinking about how many silver mines existed in California. In 1995 the now defunct United States Bureau of Mines issued Special Publication 95-12 "Mineral Availability System / Minerals Industry Location System" in a CD-ROM format. My enhanced version of this data base has 29,665 entries for California; covering mines, quarries, mill sites, etc. With little else to do one day, I did selective searches of the data base. Here are some of the results.
Silver is listed for 3422 mines in California; 1971 (57.6%) of these were in the Counties of Alpine, Mono, Inyo, Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial. I will call this the California silver belt. There are a total of 9002 mines listed in this belt, and all the following data is about this area.
Gold occurs in 3515 (39.02%), silver in 1971 (21.9%), and lead in 932 (10.35%) of the mines. Of the 1971 mines that have silver, lead occurs in 705 (35.7%), and gold in 456 (23.1%). All three minerals occur in 400 (4.44%) of the mines. If you look at the data from the perspective of the 932 lead mines, 705 (75.6%) have silver, and 456 (48.9%) have gold. From the perspective of the 3513 gold mines, 1306 (37.2%) have silver, and 456 (12.9%) have lead.
So, what conclusions can one draw from the data. First, the best place to look for silver in California is along the eastern portion of the state that starts in Alpine and ends with Imperial County. More than 57.6% of California silver mines occur in this belt. If you extend the band northward it will include the major silver areas of Nevada, including Tonopah, and the Comstock lode. Second, where you find lead you most probably will find silver, but the reverse is not true. Third, gold mines are the least productive area to look. Only 37.2% have silver. Fourth, Silver is not always associated with lead or gold. 41.2% of the silver mines have no association with either metal.
I told you it was useless data, but I hope you found it interesting, just as I did.
Minutes of the January Annual Banquet and Meeting
The 791st meeting of the Mineralogical Society of Southern California was held on January 24th 2004 at the Oak Tree Room in Arcadia. The festivities began at 5:30 pm where great conversation and beverages were enjoyed. Numerous specimens of barite and millerite were on display and for sale.
The meeting was brought to order by President Jo Anna Ritchey at 6:30pm. Immediately on the agenda was the installation of the officers for the year. Ron Thacker, acting as Parliamentarian, then installed the following; Jo Anna Ritchey as President, Jim Kusely as Vice President, Ilia Lyles as Secretary, Walter Margerum as Treasurer, Jo Anna Ritchey as CMFS Director, and Larry Bruce, Bob Griffis, and Justin Butt as Directors for 2004-2005.
Along with the new officers, past presidents of the society were recognized and thanked for their efforts. Special appreciation and acknowledgment went out to Carolyn Seitz for all her hard work on the show, as well as Janet Gordon for her job as treasurer and Bill Besse for his job as webmaster.
Ron Thacker presented the 2003 show exhibit trophies. The Kristalle Trophy was won by Juliana and Jennifer Houser for best junior display. The Stan Hill Trophy for outstanding case was presented to Chris Korpi. The Guss Meister Trophy was then presented to Ken Raabe, for having the best specimen that represented this year's theme of silver. Tony Kampf then personally presented the Hyman Savinar Trophy, the award's debut, to Chris Korpi.
Carolyn Seitz then gave a brief report on the show. The general feeling is that the show came off beautifully. It was greatly enjoyed by both the venders and the public. Kid Rock was again a success, children who had enjoyed it last year returned to enjoy it again. It was also discussed that the show would not be held at the museum again due to numerous regulations put on vender goods and the great personal cost to those who helped with the show. Carolyn thanked everyone who had participated in putting the show together and a very special thanks went to Tony Kampf and Dorothy Ettensohn for their help at the museum.
Congratulations to Sarah Griffis,
this year's winner of the special door prize, a fine specimen of barite from the
Meikle Mine donated by Jane and Casey Jones.
Casey and Jane Jones then presented a terrific talk on the Meikle Mine. During
the talk everyone was shown incredible photos of calcite and barite filled
caverns that would amaze any rockhound. Barite crystals measuring 2 to 3 inches
were common as well as unique calcite formations, faulting and massive flow
textured pyrite. Photos of the unusual voltaite stalactites were also observed.
One particularly fascinating part of the talk was that of the Orange Crush
Cavern, a huge cavern completely lined with gorgeous barite crystals. Diamond
chain saws are used to carefully extract these crystal masses. The mines in
which the treasures are precariously collected can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit
while outside of the mine there are temperatures of 12 degrees and the
occurrence of snow. Reasons explaining as to why the caverns are so high in
temperature are still unknown. Many thanks to Casey and Jane for sharing their
adventurers.
At 8:45 the meeting was brought to
a close.
Respectfully Submitted by Ilia Lyles, Secretary
Minutes of the January Board Meeting
The January Board meeting was
called to order by President JoAnna Ritchey at 1:38 pm Sunday, January 25th at
the home of Janet Gordon. Those also present at the meeting included Carolyn
Seitz, Bob Griffis, Jim Kusely, Walter Margerum, Ilia Lyles, Ron Thacker, Justin
Butt, Paul Gordon, Larry Bruce, Charlie Freed and Bill Besse.
Treasurer Walter Margerum went over the budget. Thoughts on donations to various
places were exchanged. There was a recommendation to continue use of the newly
appointed dues information mailer for next year because it is was very effective
in updating information. It was moved by Janet Gordon and seconded by Bob
Griffis to donate $500 to the LA County Museum of Natural History, this motion
was passed. It was moved by Justin Butt and seconded by Ron Thacker to increase
the meeting gift to PCC, this motion was also passed. The motion was made to
approve the budget, and it was passed unanimously.
Carolyn Seitz then discussed the show financial report. The show did very well this year due to the fact that less money was spent and dealer fees were increased. Another aspect that improved the show results was that the museum paid for the marketing costs. A suggestion was made in regards to the postcards provided by the museum, in that there should be a properly placed return address on it. It was then reiterated that the show would not be held at the museum again this year.
Newly appointed show chair, Justin
Butt then brought up the possibilities for the 2004 show. It is believed that
because the show is so close to Christmas it should be moved to an earlier
month. Dates in October such as the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd, as well as the
16th and 17th were looked at as possibilities for the show. Justin Butt has
called some facilities and found that most places are booked the first weekend
of each month. It was also discussed that the facility chosen should be at least
30 thousand square feet, to assure enough spaces for the vendors, aisles and Kid
Rock.
Walter Margerum announced a field trip to the Boron mine on March 27th for
members of the MSSC.
It was proposed that a joint
meeting with the MSSC and the Gem and Mineral Council take place. A motion was
placed and it was seconded, passing unanimously that the MSSC participate. The
meeting is an open house at the LA County Natural History museum's hall of
minerals on May 5th. Deliberations regarding possible speakers and programs for
the open house followed.
The subject was also raised that the MSSC voicemail be terminated. After some
consideration it was decided that the voicemail would be kept.
The dates and locations for the future board meetings were chosen and are as
follows; April 18th at the home of Jim Kusely, July 18th at the home of Bill
Besse, October 24th at JTI and January 23rd at the home of Janet Gordon.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:15
pm.
Respectfully submitted by Ilia Lyles, Secretary
A Few Words from the New Editor
Here I am, MSSC bulletin editor again after all these years! It was back in the '70's when I took the bulletin over from Bill Moller after his thoughtful mentoring. I don't miss the old Selectric typewriter we used one bit, and today's readers will benefit from my spell checker.
As a retired mineralogy professor, I have lots of stuff that could be used to fill these pages, but this is your bulletin, and the responsibility for its content rests with each MSSC member. Please send me your contributions, large or small, so that I can be an editor instead of an author. In addition to articles, consider submitting photographs, drawings, maps to your favorite collecting areas, items for the events calendar, or the latest mineral gossip that your fellow members would like to hear. Reports of official and unofficial field trips are also wanted. Remember, unless you have made special arrangements, the bulletin deadline is the 20th of each month.
Walt Margerum, our former editor, deserves many thanks for his three years of consistently fine bulletins, and I wish to give him credit for providing most of the content of the January issue, also. This made my transition into the editor's job much easier. Walt has promised to continue contributing material, and it is my hope to hear from many other members, as well.
Janet Gordon
MSSC and Gem and Mineral Council Joint Meeting
In lieu of the MSSC's regular May meeting, the MSSC will join the Gem and Mineral Council of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County at its annual meeting on the evening of May 5, 2004. This event will include an open house of the mineral section of the Natural History Museum, refreshments, and a presentation by a noted speaker. Save the date now, and watch for more details in future bulletins.
An Invitation from the Geological Society of America
According to a letter received from Clark Burchfiel, President of the Geological Society of America, the GSA wishes to strengthen its tie with societies such as ours which promote earth science to a wide range of people. To that end, GSA is offering some of its activities to our members. This includes participation in GeoVentures field trips. These trips allow people to discover the wonder of geology in places such as Mono Lake, Grand Canyon, Alaska, Mongolia, and Kamchatka. The GSA also offers an Affiliate Membership for those who have an interest in geoscience, but who are not trained or working in geology. To learn more about the GSA and its activities to share the wonder and excitement of geoscience with the public visit www.geosociety.org.
2004 Calendar of Events
Jan. 31- Feb. 14: Arizona Mineral & Fossil Show, Tucson. 10 am-7 pm daily at Best Western Executive Inn, Innsuites Hotel, Vagabond Plaza Hotel, and Mineral and Fossil Marketplace. Information at http://mzexpos.com.
Feb. 12-15 The 50th Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Tucson Convention Center. www.tgms.org.
February 13-22, Indio, CA, San Gorgonio Mineral & Gem Society "Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival" Gem & Mineral Bldg. Fairgrounds; @ 46-350 Arabia St. Hours: 10 - 10. Bert Grisham (909) 849-1674 / grish1@msn.com.
February 21-22, Stockton, CA, Stockton Lapidary & Mineral Club San Joaquin County Fairgrounds Bldg. 4 1658 South Airport Way Hours: Sat. 10 - 5; Sun. 10 - 4 Jim Dunlap (209) 488-0747 / jimsopals@comcast.net.
February 27-March 7, Imperial, CA, Imperial Valley Gem & Mineral Society, Imperial Valley Fairgrounds, Hours: week days 12-10; Weekends open later.
March 5-7, Hayward, CA, Mineral & Gem Society of Castro Valley Centennial Hall; 22292 Foothill Blvd., Hours: Fri. - Sat. 10 - 6; Sun. 10 - 5, Ron Miller (510) 538-2397.
March 6-7, Arcadia, CA, Monrovia Rockhounds. Los Angeles County Botanical Gardens, 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Hours: 9-4:30 both days, Jo Anna Ritchey (626) 359-1624.
March 6-7, Ventura, CA, Ventura Gem, Mineral, Lapidary, & Fossil Show, Seaside Park - Ventura Co. Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Hours: Sat 10-5 Sun 10-4. Ventura Gem & Mineral Society's show includes a kids' "petting zoo" of dinosaur bones and casts, grab bags, and a variety of kids' activities. Approximately 15 dealers of fossils, minerals, and lapidary items plus exhibits and demonstrations. Jim Brace-Thompson (805) 659-3577 / jbraceth@adelphia.net.
March 13-14, San Marino, CA, Pasadena Lapidary Society, San Marino Masonic Center, 3130 Huntington Dr., Hours: Sat. 10 - 6; Sun. 10 - 5, Marlene Kyte (626) 794-0519.
March 13-14, Spreckles, CA, Salinas Valley Rock & Gem Club, Parade of Gems, Speckels Veteran's Memorial Hall, 5th & Llano Streets, Hours: 10-5 both days, Bill McFalda (831) 442-9964 / WildBell@prodegy.net..
March 13-14, Turlock, CA, Mother Lode Mineral Society, Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, 900 N. Broadway, Hours: 10 - 5 both days, Bud McMillin (209) 527-8000 Hm 524-3494.
March 13-14, Vallejo, CA, Vallejo
Gem & Mineral Society, I 80 & Hwy. 37(across from Six Flags Marine
World), Hours: 10 - 5 both days, Phyllis Malicki (707) 745-3255.
March 20-21, Angels Camp, CA, Calaveras Gem & Mineral Society, County
Fairgrunds, Hours: Sat. 10 - 5; Sun. 10-4, Earl Klein (510) 632-9373 Marlynn
Blake (209) 795-7202 / bomar@goldrush.com.
March 20-21, 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.
March 27-28, Roseville, CA, Roseville Rock Rollers Gem & Mineral Society, Placer County Fairgrounds, 800 All America City Blvd., Hours: Sat. 10 - 5; Sun. 10-5, http://www.rockrollers.com.
March 27, MINERALS OF ARIZONA, Twelfth Annual Symposium, sponsored by the Arizona Mineral and Mining Foundation, and the Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources. Saturday, March 27, 8 am to 5 pm, Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum15th & Washington, Phoenix, Arizona. $35 fee includes registration, abstracts, lunch, refreshments at breaks. Registration must be received no later than March 24. Send checks to Arizona Mineral and Mining Museum Foundation, PO Box 41834, Mesa, Arizona 85274. Info: Museum: 602 255 3795. They are working on a field trip for Sunday, March 28. Registrants will be notified when the field trip info has been developed.
April 23 - 26,, The 2004 Desert Symposium will be held at California State University's Desert Studies Center at Zzyzx, on the shores of Soda Lake south of Interstate 15 between Barstow and Baker, California. The symposium will feature current research on archaeology, anthropology, paleontology, geology, ecology, biological sciences, and environmental issues. Field Trip, Saturday afternoon, Sunday and Monday, April 23, 24, 25, will focus on tectonic structures: faults in the Mojave Desert that range in age from Miocene to Recent. For more information: Bob Reynolds (909) 781-9318, e-mail bob.reynolds@lsa-assoc.com, William Presch, wpresch@Exchange.FULLERTON.EDU.
May 28, Mariposa, CA, CFMS and Mariposa Gem & Mineral Club, Mariposa County Fairgrounds, One hour from Yosemite National Park, California State Mining and Mineral Museum, P.O. Box 1192, Mariposa, CA 95338, (209) 742-7625 / minealmuseum@sti.net
