August 2010 NEWSLETTER
GENERAL MEETING
JULY 17, 2010
CAL-HAWAIIAN MOBIL HOME PARK
Officers: Gary, Karin, Betty Jef, Ken, Gail
Gary was hero of the Rodeo Parade on Sunday, he caught a hold of a spooked horse with an inexperienced rider !
Minutes of last meeting M/S/P by Ernie and Pat.
GUEST: John Clark
TREASURER’S REPORT: Gary read Teri’s report - income from 4th of July ($196), rock raffle ($51), shirt sale, dues. pay outs - Shirt invoice $408, M/S/P Ed and Tim
FIELD TRIPS: Mariposa and Mariposite - Gary has not had luck with contact. Karin with check with local friends regarding contact with the quarry.WORKSHOP: July 24th - slab, cab and fun, and Monterey County Fair Projects.
Ed has volunteered to teach a chain workshop with max of 7 students. Sign-up sheet was passed and filled. He will teach two bracelet patterns. August 14th and September 11 as alternate date.
PICNIC: August lst. Beck’s Ranch - Ernie will run the auction, Karin will help. We were advised to bring our own plates, silverware, side dishes. Signup passed for meat choices - Tri-tip or chicken. Becks will donate meat and breads. There will be a sale/swap also. Yoko will be there.
SHOW: Gary, Ernie and Charles will meet on 7/28, 10 am, at Vet’s Hall in Salinas to configure new vendor spaces. Gary will call Charles. Snack bar?
PEBBLE PUPS: Haven’t heard from Donna.
August Program: Show and Tell
Evening Program: Kirk Brock, Rock Solid Jade
Jade gave a very interesting talk/slide show explaining difference between Jadeite and Nephrite. Jadeite has lines going every which way and Nephrite the lines go in one direction. Jadeite is found in Burma, Guatemala, Clear Creek , Japan and Indonesia. Nephrite can be found in many locations, especially British Columbia, Wyoming. He recommended going to FriendsofJade.org and TimelessJade.com. He advised to be very careful when purchasing jade, be sure of what you are purchasing. Submitted by Karin S.
GEM OF THE COAST – BIG SUR JADE
Reprinted from the July-August 2010 Petrograph
Many of the locals are serious jade miners and have found beautiful material up in the hills, but most of the large pieces were found by scuba divers. There is some awesome deep blue jade, and the “Vulcan” jade which has absorbed soil minerals from burial in the cliffs turning it a rich golden to reddish brown. It is unique to the Big Sur area.
The Big Sur Festival runs every year from Friday to Sunday in October, around Columbus Day (8th, 9th & 10th, 2010). It is an easy drive of a little over 4 hours from the Bay area down Hwy 1. There are plenty of campsites, but reserve early. There are plenty of motels near the Hearst Castle about a 30 minute drive south of the festival.
There is plenty of food and entertainment all during the free event. There are local bands, belly dancers, a drum circle, folk singers and various other forms of entertainment, it benefits the local school and a land trust so any money spent there goes to a good cause
Did you know that the California State Senate recently passed a bill to remove serpentine as the official state rock of California? Senator Gloria Romero and other state lawmakers say that this olive green rock found all over the state is a grim symbol of asbestos related deadly cancers. This issue is now awaiting a vote in the California State Assembly. And, according to recent articles in the news the bill has strong support from the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.
CFMS Endowment Fund Camp Paradise Raffle Tickets
By Ray & CJ Quitoriano
Hi Everybody! It’s that time again!
The CFMS Endowment Fund is once again raffling off two spots to Camp Paradise for next year!
Each ticket is $5 or 5 for $20. Any club that sells $200 worth of tickets will be entered into a separate drawing for the second spot. Last year we didn’t have very many clubs entered in the second drawing, so the odds were very good to win!
To get tickets for your club, just call or e-mail us and we will send you the tickets, no money up front. When you have sold all of your tickets, just send the stubs and money back! It’s that
simple, no money up front!
To get tickets for yourself, just let us know how many you want and we will send them to you
and you can send the money, or give it to us when you turn in the tickets.
The deadline to turn in the tickets and money is November 1st, or you can give them to us at
the Director’s meeting in Visalia.
Ray & CJ: (661)209-9092 or (661)209-9093 rquito@yahoo.com or cjq_62@yahoo.com
The drawing will take place at the 2010 November Director’s meeting, and you don’t
have to be present to win. The club ticket will be given to the club to do with whatever the club wants, hold your own raffle and earn your club a few extra bucks, or use it as a scholarship/camper ship to a deserving member! It’s up to you!
So, support your CFMS Endowment Fund, and get a chance to go to Paradise for free!!
Thanks!
-Ray & CJ
MEMBERS NEWS
August 1st was the date for our annual picnic at Beck’s Ranch. Ernie suggested we try a different approach for the auction - it was LIVE and much= involvement and excitement. WOW!
Donations were the cause of stirring rock hounds bidding. Thanks to all for your support.
Tri-tip and chicken were BBQ’d by Teri’s dad, Tom, and many side dishes and desserts rounded out the lunch. I think all agreed this was the best picnic ever. Some pictures are posted on the web site.
POCKET OF ROCK SURVIVED 4.5 BILLION YEARS WITHOUT BEING MIXED BY PLATE TECTONICS
By Larry O'Hanlon, Discovery News
Imagine you suddenly discovered part of your umbilical cord was still attached. Scientists just did that for the planet Earth. What's been found is a clear sign that beneath the crust in northern Canada there is a chunk of pristine, undisturbed rock from the time when Earth was nothing but molten rock.
The evidence comes in the form of lava rocks that, themselves, are a mere 60 million years old. But these rocks contain an early Earth mixture of helium, lead and neodymium isotopes which suggest the mantle rock beneath the crust that yielded them is a virgin pocket of Earth's original material.
That pocket had survived for 4.5 billion years under Baffin Island without being mixed by plate tectonics or erupted onto the surface.
"I was surprised that any of the (original) mantle survived," said geoscientist Matthew Jackson of Boston University. He is the lead author on a paper announcing the discovery in this week's issue of the journal Nature. "Finding a piece of the original mantle has been a holy grail. The original Earth was a big ball of magma. That's our (planet's) original composition."
The discovery has surprised other researchers as well.
"Even if a vestige of such material remained, it seems unlikely that it would be found in any samples from Earth's surface or the shallow subsurface that are available to geologists," observed David Graham of Oregon State University in Corvallis, who wrote a commentary in the same issue of Nature. "Yet that is what (this) new evidence suggests."
One of the obstacles in finding rocks from such ancient mantle, up to now, has been that researchers had assumed an early Earth was composed of rocks with helium and lead isotope matching those of a type of ancient meteorite called a chondrite.
That may be true up to a point, said Jackson. Some recent research by scientists at the Carnegie Institution of Washington has suggested that the Earth's early mantle would also have tell-tale neodymium isotopes that are unlike chondrites.
"That turns out to be the same as we find in these lavas (from Baffin Island)," said Jackson.
The other signs of untouched ancient mantle material -- which has not before lost any of its material to Earth's surface or been otherwise tainted -- is large amount of the isotopes helium-3 relative to helium-4. There is also an very old lead-isotope signature. It was these three criteria -- the helium, lead and neodymium -- that led Jackson and his team to the conclusion Baffin Islands massive volcanic cliffs are made of the oldest material on the planet.
As for how much of this original mantle might be around, the only way to tell is to look at lava rocks and see if they came from such stuff, said Jackson.
"We have no idea how common it might be," Jackson told Discovery News. Models suggest that up to 10 percent of the early mantle might still be around. But the new discovery could change those models and their predictions. "It turns everything on its head."
DATES TO REMEMBER:
General Meetings - September 20th, October 18th, November 15th
7pm, Cal Hawaiian Mobile Home Pk, 20 Russell Road, Salinas
Board Meetings - September 13th, October 4th, November 1st
PASO ROBLES - SANTA LUCIA ROCKHOUNDS - annual show September 18 & 19
CARMEL VALLEY G & M CLUB annual show, Monterey Fairgrounds September 25 & 26
BIG SUR JADE FEST October 8,9,10 Pacific Valley School, Big Sur
Bakersfield Field Office
GEOLOGY AND MINING HISTORY FIELD TRIPS
Sponsored by
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
and
BUENA VISTA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
The Bureau of Land Management and Buena Vista Museum of Natural History have initiated a program of earth science field trips to points of mineralogic, geologic, paleontologic and historic interest throughout central California. These trips are designed for persons of high school age and older. It is not necessary to have a technical background to attend or benefit from the trips. These field trips are recommended for teachers and many of them can be taken for in service continuing education credit through California State University Bakersfield. Each trip includes a full spectrum of environmental and land management topics. A field guide is prepared for some of the field trips which include maps and directions which can be used by anyone for self guided investigation of the geology along the field trip route.
California is ever-changing. The Geology Field Trip Program explores the changes that have occurred throughout California's complex and fascinating geologic history and focuses on the human interaction with this geology over the past 150 years. Since the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848, the landscape of California has never been the same. We live in an environment today with a range of social issues that are directly linked to our geologic past. Symposia and field trips of this interpretive outdoor program are designed to bring this message to residents of all parts of California.
High-clearance vehicles are required for this trip.
Oct. 2, 2010 Panoche and Tumey Hills
This is a 2-day field conference. Leaving early Saturday morning, we set up a base camp at the edge of the Tumey-Panoche Hills Wilderness Study Area. Saturday afternoon will be spent in reconnaissance for plesiosaur and mosasaur sites within a radius of 3 miles of base camp. Reconnaissance work will continue on Sunday afternoon.
Nov. 6-7, 2010 Tecopa-Amargosa Valley
The silver-lead-zinc mines of Tecopa and the clay deposits of the Amargosa Valley will be investigated. The Tecopa district was the only long-runing, profitable metal mining district in the Death Valley Region. The Amargosa Opera House and Amargosa Valley Pup Fish localities will also be visited.
Feb. 5, 2011 Mineral King and Case Mountain Sequoia Grove
The seldom-visited giant sequoia groves on BLM land at Case Mountain are inspected by a 1 mile hike cross-country (no trails). This unique experience is followed by a tour of historic Mineral King in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park. The silver-lead-zinc (gold) mineralization there is associated with an ancient sub-sea volcano. High clearance vehicles are required.
March 5, 2011 San Andreas Fault: Soda Lake (Carrizo Plains) to Parkfield;
Parkfield, the "earthquake capital of the world" is the final stop in this trip along the San Andreas. We learn about the complex and fascinating ecology at Soda Lake and Carrizo Plains Natural Area. We see examples of off set fences and bridges in the fault zone. We investigate oil seeps at McKittrick. The stratigraphy and ecology of the La Panza and Gablin ranges are studied including Syncline Hill in the Carrizo Plains.
April 2, 2011 Bakersfield to Mojave and Red Rock Canyon
Mercury mines near Keeler and the Cactus, Golden Queen and Solidad Mountain gold mines near Mojave are visited. Then we go to Red Rock Canyon by way of the old salt mines at Saltdale. On the way we examine the Garlock Fault. The day ends with a tour down the Kern Canyon on our way back to Bakersfield. Management practices for the Mojave ground squirrel, Desert tortoise and Tehachapi salamander are discussed.
PAYING FOR YOUR RESERVATIONS
If you have any questions about registering for a field trip, contact Gregg Wilkerson at 661-391-6081. Prices vary for each trip depending on stops at museums or other locations that charge admission.
For BMNH records, insurance coverage and coordination, please fill out the BVMNH registration form below and return to, BVMNH, 2018 Chester Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93301. You will be asked to sign a "Hold Harmless" agreement before the field trip begins.
(there is more information on Custom Tours on the web site listed above, Editor)
CALL FOR MOST RECENT DATES AND SCHEDULE. SOMETIMES WE NEED TO CHANGE FIELD TRIP DATES.
_________________________________________
Name
_________________________________________
Address
____________________________ ___________ ________________
City State ZIP
_______________________________________________________
(Area Code) Phone
__________________________________________ ____________
Field Trip Name Dates bring a sack lunch and plenty of water
E-mail: _________________________________________________
NOTE: WE NO LONGER OFFER MUSEUM VANS FOR THESE TRIPS DUE TO THEIR HIGH COST AND LIBILITY ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH USING THE VANS.
BLM CLOSES OFF 29K ACRES TO MINING CLAIMS
