- Cuyuna Rock, Gem and Mineral Society

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Volume 20 Issue 10 Cuyuna Rock, Gem & Mineral Society October 2012
Club Calendar
Many members were in attendance at our
September meeting held at the home of
Dave & JoAnn Moe. They do have an
amazing collection, which we all enjoyed.
As they are putting their house up for sale,
they will be selling a large portion of the
collection:
~Next Meeting: Saturday, October 13
~Board Meeting:
~Regular Meeting:
~Program:
~Shop Day:
12:30 p.m.
2:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 20
9:00 a.m.- Noon
Call Tom Bebeau 218-820-0758 (Shop Supervisor) if you
would like to use the club equipment on a different day.
~Mineral Study Group:
Fri, October 5th at 7:00 p.m. Home of
Lisa Hughes (call for directions)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our October Program
will feature Tom Kulju, skilled
flintknapper. He will demonstrate
his art for the group. If you have
not seen his presentation and finished work, you are in for a treat!
You might even find you are interested in trying to do some knapAGATE EXPLORER
“We will be having an “Estate Sale” on
October 11-12-13. We will be selling our
rocks at the cabin and pole building at
the same time. The sale will include
some of my personal collection. Offers
will be considered.
Our Indian artifacts and other collectibles will be in the estate sale.”
Travel east from Outing on Co Rd 58. At about 2
blocks you will cross a bridge and then at about
1.2 miles you will cross a creek. There is no
bridge here so watch for the creek. After passing over the creek a gravel road will lead to the
right. This is Lawrence Lake Trl NE. Ours is the
first driveway on the right. We have a long
driveway passing a pole building and a cabin.
Continue on to the house. Our physical address
is 6883 Lake Lawrence Trl. NE.
October 2012
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THE CUYUNA ROCK, GEM, & MINERAL SOCIETY
MEMBER OF AFMS & MWFS
CLUB PURPOSE
To foster an interest (and encourage young & old)
to study Earth Sciences, enjoy the art of lapidary,
hunting for rocks and semi-precious stones. We
also strive to use what we know and acquire, to
further educate everyone who has
an interest in our hobby.
We are a not-for-profit organization
CLUB INFORMATION
Meeting Place: Cuyuna Range Community Center
Directions: 2 blocks north of stop sign at Hwy 6
& 210 intersection in Crosby. Meet in Basement on
the 2nd Saturday each month at 2:00 p.m.
CLUB DUES
$18 Family $9 Sponsored Juniors
Membership runs from Jan. 1st-Dec. 31st
CLUB OFFICERS
President: Tom Bebeau------------------(rocktom2012@hotmail.com) ------------------——-218-820-0758
Vice-President: Duane Smedsrud------(duane@halibrite.com)-------------------------------- 218-546-9862
Secretary: Dolores Sibet---------------------(tasdd@q.com)--------------------------------cell: 612-916-0485
Treasurer: Marge Jensen-----------------(marjen@crosbyironton.net)--------------------------218-546-8288
Newsletter Editor: Sharon Smith..……...(sharon@agatesrock.com)………………………..218-829-4992
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION: THE AGATE EXPLORER
VOLUME 20
ISSUE 10
October 2012
September Meeting :
Ron Fitch, Owen, Dave Moe, Lisa Hughes, Trever Berg
Jim Kropp demonstrating hand faceting techniques.
Dave Moe, Lester Netley, Ron Fitch
Kevin Martini with hosts JoAnn & Dave Moe
AGATE EXPLORER
October 2012
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November elections are coming up! Wehttp://www.foxitsoftware.com
will be filling the Treasurer
and the
Vice President positions (both 2 year terms), plus three “At Large” seats on
the board (1 year term.)
Presently, nominated for At-Large seats are:
Judy Dick, Joan Guerra, Sharon Smith, Duane Smedsrud and Lisa Hughes.
Nominated for Treasurer: Kevin Martini
Nominated for Vice President: Harry Wagoner
If you have an interest in serving in any position or would like to nominate
someone else, please contact one of our nominating committee members:
Ron Dick: 218-763-2912 or rcdjademily@hotmail.com
Ed Opatz: 320-746-2897 or opatz1@att.net
Montana Field Trip Report
The river was low and the weather was beautiful for those who went to Montana to hunt
for Montana moss agates, petrified wood and
fossils. Delores and Tony Sibet, Kevin Martini,
Trevor Berg, Marge and Duane Jensen, Ed
Opatz, Lisa Hughes and Randy Knopik all got
a good work out and had a great time. We met
at Intake Saturday morning, September 22nd.
Unfortunately the river bank at the camp site
had been picked over. (Next time we'll go late
in August or early in September.) Ed found a
good site at a nearby stream and we found
moss agates, petrified wood and fossilized
coral. After lunch we drove to the east side of
the Yellowstone and we each picked a few
bags more of rocks. At the end of the day we
met Everett Mitchell an oil man/rancher. Mr.
Mitchell is a 'salt of the earth' kind of a guy
who invited us to his house to see the view
from his deck. His beautiful home is way up
high on the bluff and had spectacular views
of the river and surrounding area. He even
offered to let us hunt in his newly opened
gravel pit. The next day most of the group
searched the river bank on the other side of
the river at Intake. Some even took an unplanned swim! In the afternoon Trevor, Kevin
and Lisa drove to Glendive to look for fossils
and found a few ammonites, baculites and
mussels. The rest of the group walked the
AGATE EXPLORER
October 2012
banks or boated to islands to hunt for more
agates and petrified wood. By the end of the
day most of the group was tuckered out.
Everyone went home with bags of Montana
treasures!
Lisa Hughes
Above: Randy Knopik, Kevin Martini, Ed Opatz, Trever Berg,
Duane Jansen
Below: Tony & Dolores Sibet
2013 CUYUNA AGATE & MINERAL
SHOW UPDATE
There has been much discussion regarding shifting the
location of our 2013 venue from Aitkin to Brainerd.
The rational for doing this is based on several key
points. Primarily, the cost to our club for the facility we
now use (Aitkin School) and attendance based on population.
Two locations have been considered; the Brainerd Curling Club at the Crow Wing County Fairgrounds, and the
Brainerd National Guard Armory. The two locations
are within a few blocks of each other, both in well
known locations in Brainerd. The Armory however, is
not available on the first weekend of May. Because the
decision has yet to be voted on by the board, it would
not be advisable to try and change the date for 2013.
By sticking with the first weekend of May, those planning to attend would not have their schedules disrupted.
The new Brainerd Curling Club building at the fairgrounds is the logical choice as it is available May 4-5,
2013. This brand new facility would work beautifully
for our show. Favorable to our vendors would be; the
ease of access via a large overhead door (inside the fairgrounds gates – off the street) that allows them to drive
right up for unloading and loading, good lighting and
many outlets, no need to worry about water being
spilled on the ice arena floor, one central entry for attendees – thus keeping customers on the sales floor, increased attendance due to the larger population base, the
ability to park RV’s on site at no charge (no hookups),
hotels very nearby that will offer discounted rates to our
vendors, many restaurants to choose from in the area
and other amenities and conveniences found in a larger
community. In addition, as far as area recognition of
the location is concerned, the estimated attendance for
the 2012 Crow Wing County Fair was over 100,000
people!
To our clubs benefit would be; the ability to move traffic through the show more efficiently as all vendors
would be immediately visible to attendees – no more
confusion over having Tailgators hidden behind the
school and struggling with letting attendees know the
show extends further than the gym, a central entry
where we would be able to get a good attendance count,
a large elevated area immediately inside the entry which
looks over the show foor (a perfect place for our concessions, kids corner and club table to be located),
AGATE EXPLORER
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plenty of off street parking, a paved area just to the right
of the entry doors for Tailgators (great exposure), no
concerns over water use on the show floor, reduced
costs, and better community support and participation.
The charge for the use of this building would be $500.
There is no kitchen at this time, just a large double door
refrigerator, but I am told there may be a full kitchen
installed before next May. If not, and we need to rent a
freezer for the weekend, the cost would be minimal.
The cost of tables would most certainly be lower, in
fact, the Brainerd Sertoma Club has all of the tables &
chairs, even pipes and draping materials (should we
choose to upgrade our “look”) they rent as a fundraiser
for their organization. They will even do the set up and
tear down if we want them to. (I have been assured rates
are much cheaper than the rental companies. At the time
of this newsletter, I am currently waiting for specific
pricing information.)
In comparison, the 2012 cost for us to use the Aitkin
High School added to the cost of table rentals, delivery
and pick-up amounted to $1753.93 - $800.46 for the
building, $753.47 for tables and $200 for table set up
and take down. We continue to have difficulty moving
people through the show due to the hallway and the
parking situation in Aitkin. We are allowed to use the
teachers lounge for refrigerator and freezer space, and
to get water, but not the school kitchen. Moving vendors in and out is inconvenient and attendee parking is
also inconvenient. All of which are good points to consider in regard to making a change of venue.
Our number one concern, as always, is that our vendors
are satisfied with the traffic we bring in to the show resulting in strong sales for them. At our first show meeting in September it was decided to prepare a brief questionnaire asking our vendors for input. The draft letter
was never presented to the board for approval, as requested, and was sent out as follows:
Dear Vendors,
First of all, thank you for your participation at our
annual show in the past. Your opinion and input is
valued as we plan for future club shows. We want
to do all we can to make it a successful show for
you, as well as our club.
There has been discussion about a change of
venue for the show. Also, we would like your opin-
October
2012
Page: 4
ion as to whether or not a change of date makes a
difference one way or the other.
We would appreciate it if you would answer yes or
no to each of these questions:
1. Would moving the show to a location other than
Aitkin be acceptable to you?
2. Does it make a difference to you if the date is
changed from the first weekend in May?
Please respond to marjen@crosbyironton.net We
will be back in touch with you soon to let you know
when and where the show will be held so you can
plan accordingly.
Thank you for your time in responding.
Marge Jensen
Show Co-chairperson (2012 Show)
At least four or our seven member board felt this letter
did not provide our vendors with the facts they needed to
make an informed decision. In spite of the vagueness of
the questionnaire, several did respond inquiring as to
what other location was being considered. Of those who
were told Brainerd was the location, all responded favorably. There were some negative responses from those
who did not know where the show was to move.
Upon making an informal inquiry to club members, the
majority had interest in moving the show to Brainerd (see
September 8, 2012 Club Meeting Minutes in this Newsletter.)
The participation of the membership is extremely important and knowing how the majority of our members feel
about a move is critical to our success. To those who responded, thank you for your comments. Lisa Hughes has
compiled spread sheets of the responses of vendors and
club members for all to see. To date, those responses
have heavily favored a move to Brainerd. If you wish to
make additional comments, please contact Lisa and she
will add to what she has already compiled.
I would volunteer to serve as the 2013 Show Chair if the
show is held in Brainerd. Though I worked with Kat on
the show for the past 10 years, I live almost 100 miles
round-trip from Aitkin which makes it impossible for me
to serve as Show Chair in Aitkin. Because of the distance, I did not step forward to replace Kat for the 2012
show.
To date, the Board has not appointed a show committee,
as required by our Bylaws. We need to have a Board
meeting as soon as possible, to appoint a Show Committee Chair. At the same meeting, the Board defines the duties and limitations of the Show Committee. Then, the
AGATE EXPLORER
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Show Committee Chair may
to only.
add committee
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Forproceed
evaluation
members, call Show Meetings, etc. The Show Committee Chair reports to the Board and the Board votes on
issues presented by that Chairperson to the Board.
If you have comments you would like considered by the
Board for that meeting, please send them to us in advance. Of particular interest are your thoughts about the
2013 show and your thoughts regarding how your board
should be representing you. Of course, you are welcome to attend any board meeting!
I believe this club has a bright future! If we succeed in
improving our shows, attracting more members, show
attendees and vendors and investing in education and
opportunities to experience earth sciences, we can continue to grow and share our hobby with others.
Sharon Smith
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bits and Pieces
CLUB AGATE COLLECTION?
A couple of years ago Lisa Hughes and I talked
about the idea of putting together a collection of
every kind of agate that we could find. Imagine the
collection we could assemble if all the members of
the club pitched in and contributed! It would be the
club’s collection, agates of all types, from all over
the U.S. and the world. Perhaps a committee
could select which agates would go into the collection. We would not need multiple specimens of any
one variety, just examples of as many different
types as we can gather.
Specimens would not need to be the finest or very
best examples, just a good representative, 2” or 3”
would be adequate. A list of the donors could be
compiled and kept with the collection. Hopefully
the collection could be displayed in a showcase(s)
at shows.
Members, what do you think? Thank you, Harry
CUTTING TIP
When cutting on any saw larger than a trim saw, it
is good practice to always notch the stone to be
cut TWICE. This means, after securing the stone
for cutting, allow the blade to cut into the stone
about an 1/8” to 1/4” and then pull the carriage
back and repeat the process a 2nd time. Only then
should you begin the final cut. You are now certain
the cut will be straight and can allow the stone to
feed through the saw until complete. Assuring a
straight cut preserves the blade.
October
2012
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Cuyuna Rock and Mineral Club September 8, 2012
change the show date if we used the Armory. Lisa
made a motion to continue to look into moving the
show to Brainerd, msp. A show of hands resulted
in the following:
Move the show to Brainerd – 20 votes
Keep the show in Aitkin – 4 votes
If the show is in Brnd: Armory with an April date –
17 votes Fairgrounds with a May date – 1 vote
Vice President Duane Smedsrud called the meeting to order at Dave and Joann Moe’s house.
There were 32 people present, three juniors,
Owen, Trever and Eric and three guests, Jerri was
Sara Lucken’s guest, Dennis was Ed Opatz’s
guest and Ron Finch is a repeat guest. The August minutes were read and approved. Marge
gave the treasurer’s report.
Members Forum:
-Dave and Joann offered a selection of rocks to
those present and to the club. Harry Wagoner
made a motion to have our Sergeant at Arms go
through them for the rock room, msp. Dave and
Joann also donated Rock and Gem and Lapidary
magazines to the club. Kevin Martini and Trevor
Berg volunteered to deliver them to the club
house. Thank you guys! Dave is also donating a
creationist paleontologist book to the club as soon
as he finds it.
-Ann Lembke shared information about their trip to
the Mystery Cave in Forestville, MN and nearby
locations where they found fossils. Ann left literature for the club.
-Harry brought a sample of Mohawkite and shared
a story of someone who thought his Mohawkite
had silver in it. Mohawkite has a mixture of algodonite, domeykite and arsenic-rich coppers.
Old business:
-Lisa Hughes passed out information for the Sept.
22nd, 23rd Montana field trip. Contact Lisa if you
will be joining the group in Montana.
-CLC Professor David Kobilka responded to a field
outing inquiry. He suggested an itinerary of stops
at the Ripley Esker, Headwaters of the Rum River,
Pike Point near Garrison and Wealthwood to look
at glacial sediment and determine positions of ancient shorelines along with a few other stops. The
trip would take 4 to 6 hours and involve about 100
miles of driving. The dates Kobilka has available
are 09/22, 10/06, 10/13 and 10/27. Kobilka is requesting a $100 payment for this event. If there
will be a field trip a motion was made to select the
date of 10/27, msp.
-There was discussion about fixing the club house
door. Ed priced a new door at $1000. There were
suggestions of checking with the Brainerd ReStore
and replacing the door in lieu of rent. Last month
Tom Bebeau said he would check with Dallas, the
building Manager. Discussion on hold until we
hear from Tom.
-Ann Lembke washed three of the soiled table
cloths. Lisa volunteered to take the remaining
ones to the laundry at the next club meeting.
Upcoming meetings:
Show Brainstorming meeting: Sat. 09/15 at 2p
Mineral study group:
To be announced
Next meeting:
Sat 10/13 Board @
12:30, Business @ 2:00, program @ 3:00
New business:
-Lisa explained the board has been discussing
moving the show to Brainerd. A letter was sent to
the vendors and 11 of the 13 who responded replied ‘Yes’ to move the show to Brainerd or ‘Yes’ to
just move to another location. The locations being
considered are the Brainerd Armory for $450
which includes tables, a kitchen and a visible tailgater area. The Crow Wing County Fair Grounds
for $500 has great visibility and water, but does not
have a freezer and tables would have to be rented.
We paid $1,553.93 for the Aitkin School and tables. Moving the show would be a significant savings to the club. Downside, we would have to
AGATE EXPLORER
The meeting was adjourned. Dave cracked geodes and cut rocks. Everyone enjoyed looking at
Dave and Joann’s fabulous collections. They also
gave us the fruits or I should say the vegetables
out of their garden. Thank you very much Dave
and Joann for your gracious hospitality!
The program was provided by club member Jim
Kropp who showed us the tools and methods of
making free form cabochons and explained his
money saving tips for Dremel tools. He told us a
little about how jewelry is judged at competitions.
Jim challenged us to make cabochons this winter.
Thank you for a great program Jim!
Respectively submitted by Lisa Hughes.
October 2012
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Talking Minerals by Harry Wagoner
MINNESOTAITE
NOT TURRITELLA
One variety of "Turritella agate", that from the Green
River Formation in Wyoming is not in the marine genus
Turritella, instead they are freshwater snails in the species Elimia tenera, , family Pleuroceridae.
The chalcedony rich sedimentary rock from Wyoming
which hosts the fossil shells of Elimia tenera was originally incorrectly called Turritella agate. It was named
after the sea snail genus Turritella because of the resemblance of the freshwater snail shells to the Turritella
fossils that are found in agate in Texas and California.
The Wyoming fossil shells, however, are in a freshwater
sedimentary deposit and identifiable as the genus Elimia. These fossilized and less-silicified Elimia tenera
occur in a region, which is now southern Wyoming,
northern Colorado and northeastern Utah.
The fossil beds, from the Eocene Epoch, are approximately 46 to 51 million years old and occur in the
Laney Member of the Green River Formation. Evidence
suggests that the Elimia tenera were deposited nearshore in a series of shallow lakes, which geologists have
named the Fossil, Uinta and Gosiute Lakes. The climate
was subtropical and there were intermittent volcanic
eruptions. The best preserved Elimia tenera are from
Lake Gosiute which fossils occur in the Fort Laclede
Bed of the Laney Member at outcrops in Sweetwater
County, in southwestern Wyoming.
ROCKS WE ALL HAVE FOUND
LEAVERITE – A rock we all know and have found
tons of. Good for paving a driveway.
Minnesotaite is an iron silicate mineral. It occurs as fine
needles and platelets with other silicates. It is isostructural with the pyrophyllite-talc mineral group. Valid
Species first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) "Grandfathered".
Chemical Formula: (Fe++,Mg)3Si4O10(OH)2
Color: Pale green.
Luster: Pearly Resinous, Waxy, Greasy
Diaphaneity: Translucent
Streak: white
Hardness: 1.5-2 - Talc-Gypsum
Density: 3.01
Cleavage: {001} Perfect
Fracture: Uneven - Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven pattern.
Crystal System: Triclinic - PinacoidalH-M Symbol ( 1)
Space Group: C1
Habit: Foliated - Two dimensional platy forms. Radial Crystals radiate from a center without producing stellar
forms (e.g. stibnite)
It is probably isomorphous with talc.
It occurs associated with quartz, siderite, stilpnomelane,
greenalite and magnetite. In addition to the low-grade
metamorphic banded iron formations it has also been
reported as an alteration mineral associated with sulfide
bearing veins
Co-type Localities:Cuyuna North Range, Crow Wing
Co., Minnesota, USA
Mesabi Range, St. Louis Co., Minnesota, USA
Drill Core M4450, Mesabi Range, St. Louis Co., Minnesota, USA
JUNKITE - Very similar to a Leaverite, maybe a little more attractive and takes you longer to decide on (keep or toss?)
PACKITE / CARRYITE - This rock looks good enough to put
into the rock sack, bucket, etc. and carry home. Usually placed in a
pile in the garage and forgotten. Good as a reminder that there are
more rocks out there than you can ever cut.
WHYITE – Very similar to the Packite and usually forms from a
Packite after laying around for a couple of years. When finally examined closely you wonder why you ever kept it.
GOODITE - This rock is good enough to be cut. Commonly taken
home, slabbed, threw into a box with other slabs and forgotten.
Usually ends up in a silent auction.
MISTAKENITE - You think this rock looks like a rock or mineral
that you know is rare and valuable (usually a meteorite). All experts, and most people, tell you it isn’t but you know different. After several years this rock turns into a Junkite and you throw it into
a field for someone else to find.
ABSURDITE – A rock that looks so much like something that you
just know it has to be. Examples would be : A petrified eyeball, a
fossilized heart, petrified bacon, an agatized drumstick from a
Pterodactyl. Hahahahahaha!
AGATE EXPLORER
October 2012
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Upcoming Fieldtrip Plans
The club has contacted Professor David Kobilka of
the Department of Geoscience at the Central
Lakes College about leading a fieldtrip for us which
will provide us with a better understanding of the
geology which shapes the environment here in our
“neck of the woods”.
He has suggested the following itinerary for our exploration:
1st Stop: Ripley Esker. Hike along the esker.
Some rough land surfaces, tall weeds and hills.
1 – Always walk up hill when collecting large specimens.
2 – Tin Oxide will not work as good as Cremora in your
coffee.
3 – Most good gemstones can only be found during a
rainstorm.
4 – All good rocks are found 5 miles away from the car,
at the end of a dirt road at 8,000 ft. elevation.
2nd Stop: Headwaters of Rum River at Lake
Ogechie. We would stop, get out and do a small
interpretive activity here.
5 – If you can’t identify a stone, call it jasper. No one
else knows either.
6 – Don’t keep tumbled stones in a candy dish.
3rd Stop: Pike Point near Garrison. Here we
would walk up the hill and try to measure ancient
lake water levels.
7 – There are approximately 140 ways to polish jade,
most do not work.
4th Stop: Wealthwood to see massive ice ramparts. Here we could get out at the beach to look
at the glacial sediment there and determine the positions of ancient shorelines.
These are the major stops. There would also be a
few short pull-outs in between. The entire trip
would take 4 to 6 hours and involve about 100
miles of driving.
The best timing for this excursion is after the
leaves have fallen. In previous meetings, the
members thought October 27th would be a good
Saturday to attempt this outing.
There was discussion about the club renting a bus
for this fieldtrip, if we had enough participants committed to attending. If the group is relatively small,
car pooling is an option.
The details will need to be decided at our October
meeting.
AGATE EXPLORER
HELPFUL HINTS FOR
ROCKHOUNDS
8 – Most specimens chipped to determine quality will
shatter and close examination will substantiate – it was
a beauty.
9 – When breaking rocks with a hammer, to avoid hitting your thumb, have your wife hold the rock.
10 – Try to avoid licking rocks that are found in a field
with cattle.
Harry Wagoner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANCIENT HOARD OF GOLD
COINS FOUND
A 1,000 year-old hoard of 108 gold coins was found in
the ruins of a castle in Arsuf, Isreal, the site of a Knights
Hospitaller stronghold during the crusades. The coins
were found in a ceramic jug beneath a tile floor at the
cliff-top coastal ruins 9 miles from Tel Aviv. The castle
fell to the Muslim army forces in 1265 and was destroyed. The coins total about 14 ounces in weight.
Some were minted two centuries earlier in Egypt.
October 2012
Page: 8
Happy Birthday
Sharon Leek~~~~~~10/15
Ed Opatz~~~~~~~~10/20
Marcia Opatz~~~~~10/23
Happy Anniversary
Dave & Dennie Holbeck
10/20
Our SUNSHINE HOSTESS Phyllis Wagoner
asks that you please notify her of anyone who
might need an encouraging word from their
friends here at the Cuyuna Club. Also send
birthdates and anniversary dates to:
218-927-9983 email hpwagy@centurylink.net
Please update your name, address and contact information anytime by sending the information to
Phyllis Wagoner at the above phone or email.
Raffle ~ Raffle ~ Raffle
Have you sold any raffle tickets for the amazing agate
print donated by Tom Shearer? Only ONE month to go!
This is a statement piece for any room at 25” x 40”!
Tickets sell for $1.00 and the drawing is scheduled
for November 12, 2012 so do your best to help us
raise some funds and sell a few. They may be obtained from treasurer Marge Jensen (contact info page
2) or at a regular meeting.
ATTENTION EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER EDITORS:
Should this newsletter appear in your hands from a
source other than sharon@agatesrock.com please contact me directly so that I may add you to my list. It
would be great if you would share your newsletter with
us at the same address (if electronic.)
If you know someone who should be getting this—
please pass it on! Thanks!
Sharon Smith, Editor
AGATE EXPLORER
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Mineral Study Group News
The Mineral Study Group met on Sept. 4.
The clubhouse was locked and not available for
use so the group met at the Crosby Library and
held the meeting
outside on a bench. Lisa Hughes, Ron Dick
and Harry Wagoner were present.
The topic of study was the minerals Marcasite,
Pyrite, Arsenopyrite and Pyrrhotite. Specimens
of Marcasite from Oklahoma and Polaris Mine,
Little Cornwalis Island,
Artic Circle – Pyrite from Spain and Eleanor
Colleen Mine, Colorado, Arsenopyrite from
Mexico and Portugal and Pyrrhotite from Mexico were brought by Harry and
were studied.
Analytical testing of minerals could not be
done because of having to meet outside. The
next study group meeting is to be Oct. 2, hopefully, at the clubhouse. (see page one for
changes)
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GOLD ROBBERY
Authorities are searching for armed robbers who made
off with as much as $2 million in gold and gems from
the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in
Mariposa, California.
About 4 pm Friday, Sept. 28, two armed men dressed
in black and wearing masks and night goggles, threatened a museum curator and guide with pickaxes. Neither woman was harmed. The robbers then used pickaxes to break open displays and tried to access the Fricot Nugget, believed to be the largest intact crystalline
nugget of California’s Gold Rush era, at 201 troy
ounces (13.8 lbs). The nugget is kept safe within a
vaulted room. The thieves could not get into the safe,
but managed to escape with other gold and gems.
Some of the stolen gold is fairly large and would be
difficult to sell. It is believed the robbers could torch
the historic gold nuggets into melted gold that could
sell for as much as $1700 per ounce. However, President Ron Iudice stated, “The gold if crystal in form and
worth up to 50 times what the melted down gold would
be worth.”
From Mineweb.com
October 2012
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Sharon Smith-Editor
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October 2012
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