• August Picnic Festivities!
• Minutes of the July Board Meeting     
• Minutes of the July 14, 2006 Meeting
• Father's Day Trip to the Cryo-Genie Mine 
• Garnet Hill, Ely, Nevada    
• Calendar of Events     

August Picnic Festivities!

Bring your family and friends to the MSSC's annual summer picnic!  Enjoy a potluck with a group who knows about good food, pick up some bargains at the silent auction, and learn more about minerals and mining in North Carolina.  Come on Sunday, August 13, from 2:30-5:30 to the home of Paul and Janet Gordon, phone 626-441-6715. 

Food plans:

Please bring a favorite dish of your choice to share with the group as well as your personal beverages.  The Gordons maintain an alcohol-free home, so please plan accordingly.  The MSSC will provide plates, utensils, napkins, ice, etc.

Support the silent auction!

This is the MSSC's only fundraiser for the year.  Contribute a mineral specimen, mineral book, or other appropriate item to the auction, and come prepared to bid on the goodies.  All proceeds will benefit the MSSC.

Enjoy an informal talk:

Dr. Janet Gordon will share more about her recent adventures learning about North Carolina minerals and mining while attending the 42nd Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals in Asheville, North Carolina.  There is more to hear about than has appeared so far in previous issues of the bulletin, and there are many more mineral and mine photos to help complete the picture of a fascinating part of the country.

Janet is Professor Emeritus of Geology at Pasadena City College where she taught mineralogy, petrology, and other geology classes for many years.  Her degrees in geology include a B.A. from Occidental College, an M.S. from California State University, Long Beach, and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.  She is a long-time MSSC member.

Minutes of the July Board Meeting

     The July 2006 Board Meeting of the Mineralogical Society of Southern California was held on July 9, 2006 at the home of Director James Imai.  President Ilia Lyles brought the meeting to order at 2:15 p.m.  In attendance were the following MSSC members: Ilia Lyles, Jo Anna Richey, Walter Margerum, James Imai, Leslie Ogg, Robert Housely, Gus Meister, Ann Meister, and Geoff and Pat Caplette.

Principal Topics:

November Meeting Date Change

Because of a Pasadena City College holiday on November 10, 2006, the November meeting will be held on November 17, 2006.

Current Finances

The show loss was in excess of $14,000.  In order to pay the remainder of the bills, $1,000 of mutual funds was redeemed.

Walt Margerum stated that one of the costs of presenting an annual show involved charges ranging from $1,300 to $1,600 for storing and moving display cases.

In order to balance the yearly budget without a show, Mr. Margerum estimated that individual membership fees would have to be increased to $45.00, and family memberships to $60.00.

The merger with the micromounters has not been finalized due to minor problems with the paperwork submitted.  However, corrections have been made and the merger approval should be forthcoming in the near future.

2007 Show

One important factor in determining the feasibility of holding a 2007 show is the identification of a reasonably  priced site of adequate size. Jo Anna Richey volunteered to investigate local venues.  Some of the leading candidates discussed were Pasadena City College ("PCC"), the Arboretum, and the Arcadia Masonic Lodge.  Members will meet at PCC before the July meeting to tour the campus for possible show sites.

The possibility of combining the micromount symposium with the show was also discussed.

If a show is held, it was suggested that all related contracts be signed off by the President, for directional and administrative purposes, and the Treasurer, for financial review.

August Picnic

The picnic will be held on August 13, 2006 at PCC [note: location was later changed to Gordons' home].  All members should bring food for the potluck, and a specimen for the silent auction.  All auction proceeds will go to the MSSC.

September and October Speakers

It was suggested that MSSC members Fred and Linda Elsnau be approached to make a presentation at the monthly meeting in September.  By all reports, they have an extensive micromount collection as well as sophisticated presentation equipment.

Field Trips

When the weather cools, the area surrounding Lone Pine (San Carlos, the Union Mine ) will be explored. A trip to Topaz Mountain in Utah, with side trips to the Maynard Mine and the Solar Wind, is a possibility for the Fall.

Webmaster/Bulletin Editor Replacement/New Officers

If she can use Bill Besse's computer, Ann Meister indicated her willingness to assist with the update of the MSSC website.

Shou-Lin Lee has expressed an interest in being the bulletin editor. Ms. Lee and Janet Gordon will meet to discuss the many details involved in the monthly undertaking.

Walt Margerum agreed to continue as Treasurer for another year, provided that James Imai assumed the duties as Field Trip Chair.  Mr. Imai agreed to do so.          

The board meeting was brought to a close at 4:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Pat  and Geoff Caplette

Minutes of the July 14, 2006 Meeting

The 821st meeting of the Mineralogical Society of Southern California was held on Friday, July 14, 2006.  President Ilia Lyles brought the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m.

She then introduced the speaker of the evening, Dr. Tony Kampf, the Curator and Department Head of Mineral Sciences at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Dr. Kampf's presentation was entitled: "Mineral Fakes, Frauds and Fantasies."

During his amusing discussion, Dr. Kampf explained that not only were complete fakes present in the marketplace, but that many specimens were altered or enhanced in some respect to improve appearance and promote salability. 

It was announced that the annual picnic would be held on Sunday, August 13, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. at Pasadena City College [note: location was subsequently changed to Gordons' home]. Members were encouraged to bring food and drinks, as well as specimens for the silent auction.  

During show and tell, Shou-Lin Lee presented interesting agate.  Black opals were also displayed.

The door prize was won by Ann Meister.  The meeting was brought to a close at 9:11 p.m. by Ilia Lyles.

Respectfully submitted,
Pat and Geoff Caplette

Father's Day Trip to the Cryo-Genie Mine

by Robert Housley

An enthusiastic group of 26 people turned out for our June 18th trip to the Cryo-Genie Mine.  Thanks to our gracious hosts Dana, Dave, and Bill all the logistics of handling such a big group were worked out smoothly, and everyone was soon either at work on the dumps, participating in a mine tour, or catching a breather while swapping stories in the shade of a canvas shelter.  The final makeup of the group included 14 current MSSC members plus 2 new members, 1 SCFM member plus 2 new members, and 7 guests.  One of the guests came all the way from Corvallis, OR for the opportunity.

MSSC field trip participants enjoyed a tour of the Cryo-Genie mine.  
Steve Knox photo.

Tourmaline and lepidolite in the Cryo-Genie mine wall.  The large tourmaline in the top-center of the photo turns abruptly from pink to black indicating a distinct change in the chemical elements available to the growing crystal.  
Steve Knox photo.

There seemed to be enough small pink and green elbaites and small quartz points in the dumps to keep even such a big group happy.  Several people were still digging and still finding tourmaline until about 5 pm when I had to suggest that it was probably time for us to quit.  Although not really watching what the others were finding, I saw one really nice group of elbaites on microcline.

For me the highlight of the trip was the mine tour.  A lot had changed since I was there several years ago.  However the main entrance is still the same, with the partially mined quartz pocket still intact in one of the supporting walls, and a couple of nice crystal points sparkling at you.  The inside however is much bigger.  We first got to see where the B.A.T. pocket had been taken out, and then a subsequent large pocket behind it.

The more extensive work made it easier to see what the miners are up against.  Most of the pegmatite is quite dense and hard and gives one no reason to expect that there are gem pockets nearby until they are within a few feet of the pocket itself.  In addition to that, the geometry of the pegmatite in the rock is more complicated than initially expected.  In places the dike is nearly horizontal and in other places it dips fairly steeply.  Some of the most recent underground workings show a branching of the dike to the south into a nearly horizontal component and a steeply dipping one.  Current exploration has simply followed the dikes in a meandering series of workings.

The giant morganite crystal came out of surface workings somewhat south of the underground working.  Current underground workings are focused on intersecting that dike, which is about 20 feet ahead on the south branch of the drift and about 30 feet above.  It is not clear how the segments of dike connect.  Work has been hampered since Jim Clanin left because they have not had a blasting permit and had to bring in an outside contractor to blast.  All the paper work has been done and they expect a new blasting permit this month, which should help a lot.

In a lucky break the University of Calgary has decided to use the Cryo-Genie Mine as a research area in developing new geophysical prospecting tools.  As a preparation for upcoming tests the mine crew has been paid to drill an extensive grid of shallow surface holes over the area.  When all the preparations have been finished the University will bring down their monitoring equipment and small charges will be set off in each of the holes.  Hopefully from the data obtained they will be able to construct a map of the dike structure and perhaps even locate pockets.  All the signs seem positive, and I expect new material will be coming out again within a few months.

I think at least one mineral new to the mine was found by our group, although I did not find it.  Douglas Peeler found some little greenish micro crystals of pharmacosiderite.  This fits in with the lollingite and scorodite that have already been found there.

Garnet Hill, Ely, Nevada

by Walt Margerum

Last September I went to the Garnet Hill collecting area near Ely, Nevada to see if I could find any of the almandine-spessartine garnets found on the hill. The Garnet Hill rock-hounding area is located 5 miles northwest of central Ely, Nevada in the Egan Mountain Range. This 1280-acre area of public lands was designated on December 22, 1970 to ensure continued public ownership for its recreational and scientific study values. To get there travel west on US Highway 50 about 6.4 miles from the traffic signal at the US 93 and US 50 junction in Ely. At the sign turn right and proceed up the hill. The collecting area is easy to find, just follow the signs, and the trip can be made in any vehicle.  It is located on the side of garnet hill in a pretty tree covered area overlooking the Ruth pit copper mine, see figure 1.  There is a parking lot, and an outhouse at the collecting area, and many paths head both up and down the hill. 

There are two ways to find the garnets. The first is to scour the hill and washes for loose garnets and rhyolite containing garnets, and the second is to actively break the rhyolite looking for vesicles containing them.  The first is less work, but is also less productive since many rockhounds over the years have traversed the same ground.  The second is hard work, but has the best possibility of success.  Being a glutton for punishment, I chose both methods.  While I didn't find any loose garnets I did find loose rocks containing garnets in the washes and under the trees.  My best luck was in breaking rocks in areas that had been previously explored, and then looking for areas that had a coarser texture than the surrounding rhyolite.  After several tries, you will get an eye for the more productive areas.  The garnets are dark red, almost black, and range from diminutive to about a centimeter, although larger ones have been found.  Most are opaque, but some have small areas of translucency.  I did not find any of gem quality, but the locals all say they exist.

Figure 1. View of the Ruth Pit from Garnet Hill, Nevada.  
Walt Margerum photo.

One-centimeter in diameter garnet from Garnet Hill, Nevada.  
Collected and photographed by Walt Margerum.

References

Hose, Richard K., and Blake, M. C., Jr. (1976) "Geology and Mineral Resources of White Pine County, Nevada"; Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Bulletin 85, p. 75.

Pabst, A. (1938) "Garnets from Vesicles in Rhyolite Near Ely, Nevada"; American Mineralogist, v. 23, p. 101-103.

2006 Calendar of Events

August 4-6, Nipomo, Orcutt Mineral Society, "Earth's Treasures," St. Joseph's Church, 298 S. Thompson Ave., Hours: 10-5 daily, Wes Lingerfelt 805-929-3788.

August 5-8, San Francisco, San Francisco Gem and Mineral Society, San Francisco County Fair Building, Ninth Ave. and Lincoln Way, Hours: Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5, Ellen Nott 415-564-4230.

August 13, MSSC Annual Picnic, Mineral Swap, Silent Auction, Pot Luck, and other mineral fun!  Sunday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Gordons' home.  Details at the beginning of this bulletin.

September 16-17, Paso Robles, Santa Lucia Rockhounds, Pioneer Park and Museum, 2010 Riverside Ave., Hours: 10-5 both days, Joyce Baird 805-462-9544. liljoysee@charter.net.

September 22-24, San Bernardino, Orange Belt Mineralogical Society, 6th Annual Rock, Gem, & Jewelry Tailgate:  Ball Park, 6707 Little League Drive, Hours: Fri./Sat. 9-6, Sun. 9-4, Mike Woolery (909) 882-6806, Al Carrell (951) 961-5988.

September 23-24, Carmel, Carmel Valley Gem and Mineral Society, Monterey Fairgrounds, 2004 Fairgrounds Road, Hours: Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5, Sky Paston 831-755-7741, sky@familystones.net, www.cvgms.org.

September 23-24, Downey, Delvers Gem and Mineral Society, Woman's Club of Downey, 9813 Paramount Blvd., Hours: Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-4, Teresa Widdison (562-867-1521, twiddison72@aol.com.

September 23-24, San Diego, San Diego Lapidary Society, Bernardo Winery, 13330 Paseo Del Vernao Norto, Rancho Bernardo, Hours: 10-4 both days, Kim Hutsell 619-294-3914 info@sandiegolapidarysociety.org.

October 1, Fallbrook, Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Society, 123 W. Alva (FGMS Headquarters), Hours: 10-4, www.fgms.org, Janice Bricker (760) 728-1333.