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TRANSCRIPT
The 46th Annual Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Show
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Inside This Issue
2016 0fficers/Chairs .... 2
Show & Tell Themes .... 3
Brad’s Bench Tips ........ 4
Meteorites .................. 5
Puzzle ......................... 5
Upcoming Shows ........ 6
Lake Havasu ............... 7
Lake Havasu ............... 8
Lake Havasu ............... 9
Story of Gold .............. 10
Story of Gold .............. 11
Editor: Gina Acosta
Articles not
bylined are by
the editor.
Rock-A-Teer Newsletter of the Puyallup Valley Gem & Mineral Club
P.O. Box 134
Puyallup, WA 98371
[email protected] puyallupgemclub.org/blog
Author: Gary Burgess Photos by Gary H. Burgess
Continued on Page 7
This was my first time attending the Annual Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Show.
Shortly after joining the club in January, 2015, I was asked to help with the
upcoming show. I quickly accepted the offer. What better way to meet some of
the finest collectors, craftsmen, and lapidary artists in the area displaying some of
the most incredible treasures the earth can produce.
The 46th Annual Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Show was held at the Aquatic Center
in Lake Havasu City. The show ran Saturday and Sunday, November 14-15, 2015.
The show was presented by the Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society. This public
show is presented to share the clubs interest in gems, minerals, lapidary, jewelry
creation and earth sciences; as well as to educate the public through displays
and demonstrations.
Ticket sales volunteers
selling tickets and
handing out brochures
Gaye
Gilpin, in
charge of
greeters
and tickets,
greeting
attendees
at the
entrance to
the main
hall
My assigned duties were to provide security
and customer service for the vendors and
participants. This was the perfect job for me. It
allowed me to have “up close and personal”
interaction with the vendors and customers
while performing a needed duty.
My Saturday shift started by donning the
striking orange vest, designating me as an
“official” staff member. I was given a
description of my duties and directed to go to
work.
I entered the main hall to a cacophony of
noise, bright lights, and chatter. The hall was
set up with three main rows of vendor tables
running east to west. The east end of the hall
was dominated by display cases full of
amazing specimens of minerals and fossils. The
raffle table, manned by several energetic
ladies, was also located here. The glittering
prize baskets were sitting up on the stage,
beckoning attendees to buy the ticket to their
dreams.
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2016 Elected Officers
Title Name Phone E-mail
President: Jim Christian (253) 720-9502 [email protected]
Vice President Glen Ripper (253) 508-7545 [email protected]
Secretary: Karen Lebeter (253) 983-9093 [email protected]
Treasurer: Larry Hoffman (253) 922-9182 [email protected]
Federation Director: John Huber (253) 582-8682 [email protected]
1 year Director: Janet Nix (253) 820-1405 [email protected]
2 year Director: Alvin Wible (253) 843-0243 [email protected]
3 Year Director: vacant
1 year Trustee: Mike Siperek (253) 531-7294 [email protected]
2 year Trustee: Tony Johnson (253) 863-9238
3 year Trustee: vacant
2016 Committee Chairs Title Name Phone E-mail
Clubhouse Coordinator: Jim Christian (253) 720-9502 [email protected]
Club Show: Nancy LeMay (253) 985-5784
Editor: Gina Acosta (253) 750-4421 [email protected]
Field Trips: Tony Johnson (253) 863-9238
Library: Brett Lawrence (253) 584-1319 [email protected]
Membership: Larry Hoffman (253) 922-9182 [email protected]
Newsletter: Brett & Sherry Lawrence (253) 584-1319 [email protected]
WA State Fair: Alvin Wible (253) 843-0243 [email protected]
Federation Newsletter Links – AFMS & NFMS
The March 2016 edition of the AFMS Newsletter can be found at
http://www.amfed.org/news/n2016_03.pdf
The February 2016 edition of the NFMS Newsletter can be found at
http://www.amfed.org/nfms/documents/NorthwestNewsletter/NW0216.pdf
Page 2
The next Club Show meeting is Tuesday March 15th at Swiss Park at 6:00 PM.
The address is: 9205 198th AVE EAST Bonney Lake, WA 98391
We will be looking at layout options for indoor and outdoor vendors and demonstrators. If anyone wants to
carpool from Tacoma, we can arrange that. My phone number is 253-985-5784.
If you have not been involved with our show in the past, this is a great opportunity for you to see the Park, see what
is involved and help make this another fantastic event.
March Club Show Meeting By Nancy LeMay
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Rock-A-Teer
Puyallup Valley Gem & Mineral Club The Rock-A-Teer, our club bulletin, along with our club activities are dedicated to
the encouragement of friendliness, good fellowship, and to inform the members of
earth sciences. Please visit our web sites for more information about our club:
http://puyallupgemclub.org/ (static for visitors), or http://puyallupgemclub.org/blog
Meetings are the second (2nd) and fourth (4th) Friday of each month except:
August (Potluck Picnic 2nd Meeting).
December (Holiday Dinner 1st Meeting, 2nd Meeting cancelled).
Time: 7:30 PM, except for Potluck nights (times to be announced)
Where: Fruitland Grange (112th & 86th Puyallup, WA) unless stated otherwise.
Board Meetings are held on the Tuesday prior to the 1st meeting of the month.
Maps to the clubhouse are available at the Business and Program Meetings.
Dues are $20.00 for a single membership and $25.00 for a family membership.
Date Show & Tell Theme Program Meeting
March 11th Quartz/Phantom Crystals & Rutilated Quartz
March 25th Thundereggs, Geodes, & Nodules Rockhounding Tools & Safety Demo
April 8th Wired-Up (anything with wire)
April 22nd
NO SHOW & TELL Potluck and Auction
Show & Tell Themes and Program Nights
H & I LapidaryH & I LapidaryH & I Lapidary
Amber, Jewelry, Beads, Findings, Gemstones, Slabs,
Rough Material, Fossils, and Aussie items.
Mike & LaVon Siperek 4203 East 99th St. Tacoma, WA 98446
(253) 531-7294 [email protected]
The Puyallup Valley Gem & Mineral Club is a member
of the Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies
and the Washington State Mineral Council and
affiliated with the American Federation of
Mineralogical Societies. http://www.amfed.org/nfms
March Birthdays
Thomas Berge (9th)
Rachel Dietz (14th)
Steve Hingley (14th)
Peryl Linville (14th)
Victoria Bower (19th)
Scott Cannaday (23rd)
Megan Hochstrasser (25th)
Rick Brooker (27th)
Teresa Stone (28th)
Rachel Stickney (29th)
Earlene Skinner (31st)
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS AND GUESTS
BE SURE TO EXPLORE JOHN HUBER'S ROCK GARDEN IN LAKEWOOD.
LAPIDARY QUALITY MATERIAL NOW FIFTY CENTS PER POUND.
YOU PICK. CALL JOHN AT 253-582-8682 FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Page 4
Rock-A-Teer
Get all 101 of
Brad's tips in
"Bench Tips for
Jewelry Making"
and his newest
publication,
“Broom Casting for
Creative Jewelry”
on Amazon.
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IDENTIFYING UNMARKED SOLDERS
it. Ideally, I would have a sample of
easy, medium and hard known
solders surrounding the unknown
solder. Then I heat the plate from
the bottom and watch the order in
which the solders melt.
There are plenty of ways to mark
your sheet or wire solders, but
suppose you forgot to mark them
and have a couple that you can't
identify. The answer is to compare
the melting temperature of the
unknowns with that of a known
solder. What I do is take a thick
scrap of copper or nickel and
arrange several solders on
You can make your own
wax pen from a small
soldering iron plugged into
a light dimmer switch for
h e a t c o n t r o l . B o t h
components are easily
found at Radio Shack, a big
hardware store, or at Harbor
Freight. As an example of
t h e c o m p o n e n t s ,
see www.harborfreight.com
items #43060 and #47887
File the tip of the soldering
iron into the shape you prefer
or even better get a
s o l d e r i n g i r o n w i t h
replaceable tips. Then you
can make several tip shapes
for different tasks. Set the
dimmer control just hot
enough to melt the wax
without producing any
smoke.
Brad’s Bench Tips By Brad Smith
INEXPENSIVE ELECTRIC WAX PEN
A tip design that I find ideal for
some work is a length of small
gauge wire that lets me reach
in around the model to melt
some wax. The wire is about
15mm long and 18 or 20
gauge. To conduct heat all the
way to the tip, I use Sterling wire
and silver solder it into a hole on
the end of a copper or brass
rod that will fit into the soldering
iron.
Identifying Solders
My father recently retired from his 37 year old job. With all his newfound free time and because he absolutely loves
metal detecting, I could not help but suggest that he also be on the lookout for meteorites, most of which can be
found with the basic metal detector. The most successful meteorite hunters travel around the world in search of their
treasures, making it a somewhat impractical hobby for most people. But if one is out treasure hunting anyway, AND
meteorites fall on every part of Earth’s surface, what is the harm in being able to identify the rare meteorite?
Space debris that has yet to enter Earth’s upper atmosphere is known as a meteoroid, becoming a meteor only
when it crosses over the atmospheric threshold. A meteorite does not become a meteorite until it survives the
collision with Earth’s atmosphere and comes to rest on Earth’s surface. Meteoroid Meteor Meteorite
Up to 36,500 tons of meteoroids cross paths with Earth’s atmosphere every year. An estimated one per square
kilometer survive and reach Earth’s surface, yet only about ten are recovered each year. That leaves countless just
waiting to be found!
There are three main categories used to classify meteorites: stone, stony-iron, and iron. 99% of all meteorites
contain enough iron and nickel to attract a powerful magnet, and in the case of my topic, should have no
problem being picked up by a metal detector. They can even be found by rockhounds
without a metal detector just so long as they can be visually recognized.
Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteorites
Continued on Page 5
Rock-A-Teer
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Stone meteorites are thought to be fragmented crustal rock once belonging to extraterrestrial bodies. They
acquire a charred black outer layer during their entry into Earth’s atmosphere, but can appear similar to
terrestrial rocks if exposed to weathering and erosion on Earth’s surface for an extended period of time.
Stony-iron meteorites are a half and half mix of stone and nickel-iron and are thought to come from the
mantle-core boundary of an extraterrestrial body. They account for less than 2% of all known meteorites.
Iron meteorites are thought to come from the core of their parent body. They consist mostly of iron, with small
percentages of nickel and trace elements. Most iron meteorites are covered in thumbprint-type impressions
called regmaglypts. Although all meteorites are noticeably heavier than Earth rocks, iron are especially
heavy and dense, not to mention magnetic. They are the most likely to survive the impact with Earth.
Dry, geologically stable desert regions are the easiest places to find meteorites. Antarctica is a meteorite
hunter’s dream due to the glacial movements concentrating them in particular areas. Hot North American
deserts are a more practical place for most of us to look, Arizona being a particular hot spot. Meteorites can
be found absolutely anywhere; do not discount the random dry creek bed in your own backyard.
Of the many home tests used to identify a meteorite, the magnet test is one of the most useful. Meteorites that
contain no magnetic iron are so rare that if one is not magnetic, it is probably not a meteorite. Because Earth
has its own magnetic rocks, sometimes a streak test is needed. Magnetite will leave a black/gray streak on a
white ceramic tile, while hematite will leave a red-brown streak. A stone meteorite generally does not leave a
streak unless it is heavily weathered. Since most meteorites contain at least 4% nickel and Earth rocks/
manmade metals contain very little, a chemical test for Nickel can be definitive. These are just a few of the
common home tests. Professional classification is ultimately the way to go if one has a serious candidate.
Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteorites Continued from Page 4
M R P E P R A L L O C O S Y R H C
O T Y T H T C S S M L E L E I W R
N M R I L M T E R T I T A T C A I
T C O L O M I P E Z N I U I H E S
M S P L G E N I T E O D M S T T T
O S H Y O T O O I T C N O P E I O
R E Y H P I L L N I H A N I R L B
I T L P I L I I I H L R T L I U A
L I L O T O T T L T O T I L T C L
L N I R E T E E O R R R T I E I I
O U T T E C L A A E E E E H L M T
N T E S T E K M K P I B A P A R E
I P L A S P C H R Y S O T I T E A
T E T H O M P S O N I T E E H V N
E N S T A T I T E T I R A G R A M
I M L A N T H R O P H Y L L I T E
A U G I T E T I N O T S A L L O W
Minerals Around the Globe VI By Brett Lawrence
ACTINOLITE
ANTHROPHYLLITE
ASTROPHYLLITE
AUGITE
BERTRANDITE
CLINOCHLORE
CRISTOBALITE
CHRYSOTITE
CHRYSOCOLLA
ENSTATITE
KAOLINITE
LAUMONTITE
MARGARITE
MONTMORILLONITE
NEPTUNITE
PECTOLITE
PERTHITE
PHILLIPSITE
PHLOGOPITE
PYROPHYLLITE
RICHTERITE
SEPIOLITE
THOMPSONITE
VERMICULITE
WOLLASTONITE
Stony-Iron Meteorite
Iron Meteorite
Stone Meteorite
Rock-A-Teer Page 6
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March 4 & 5
Fri: 8:30-6
Sat: 9-5
Panorama Gem and
Mineral Club
Stevens County Fairgrounds
Columbia Avenue
Colville, WA
Bill Allen (509) 935-8779
(509) 936-2446
March 5 & 6
Sat: 10-6
Sun: 10-5
East KingCo Rock
Club
Pickering Barn
1730 10th Avenue NW
Issaquah, WA
Cindy Smith
March 11, 12, 13
Fri, Sat, Sun: 10-5
Tualatin Valley Rock
and Gem Club
Washington County Fair Complex
873 NE 34th Avenue
Hillsboro, OR
Rose Jackson
March 12 & 13
Sat: 9-5
Sun: 10-4
Rock and Arrowhead
Club
Klamath County Fairgrounds
3531 South 6th Street
Klamath Falls, OR
Marv Stump (541) 882-8341
Garwin Carlson (541) 882-8276
March 25, 26, 27
Fri & Sat: 10-6
Sun: 10-4
Rock Rollers Club of
Spokane WA
Spokane County Fair/Expo Center
N 604 Havana & Broadway
Spokane, WA
Vonnie Dillon (509) 951-8173
March 26 & 27
Sat: 10-6
Sun: 10-5
Mt. Baker Rock and
Gem Club
Bloedel Donovan Comm. Center
2214 Electric Avenue
Bellingham, WA
Lori Nettles (360) 961-7873
www.mtbakerrockclub.org
March 26 & 27
Sat: 10-6
Sun: 10-5
Sweet Home Rock
and Mineral Club
Sweet Home High School Gym
1641 Long Street
Sweet Home, OR
Joe Cota (541) 451-2740
Ed Anderson (541) 944-2124
Upcoming Shows As Coped from the NFMS Newsletter
WA State Mineral Council Field trips As Copied from The Council Reporter
Thurston County Gold, Gem, & Treasure Show April 2nd and 3rd, 2016
This is a Bedrock Prospectors Club sponsored event with Toys for Tots, Resource Coalition, and
local clubs (rock hound, metal detectors, prospecting clubs).
It will be at the Thurston County fairgrounds from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Camping will be available.
Date Host Site Meeting Place & Time Material Tools
March 19 Marysville Cherry Creek Duval Safeway @9 AM Jasper Dig & Hard Rock
April 16 & 17 POW Saddle Mt. Boat Launch @ 8 AM Petrified Wood Dig & Hard Rock
Washington State Mineral Council guided field trips are open to member clubs and the general public.
Most trips are free. For updated information, go to: mineralcouncil.wordpress.com or contact Ed
Lehman at [email protected]. Home: (425) 334-6282, Cell: (425) 760-2786.
Page 7
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The 46th Annual Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Show Continued From Page 1
Continued on Page 8
After completing my tour, I was able to
settle down and concentrate on the
task at hand. I introduced myself to
some of the vendors, letting them know
if they needed anything to let me
know. Several of them took me up on
the offer and had me watch their
displays while taking a break. Of
course, this gave me the opportunity to
closely check out their wares, which I
was only too happy to do.
I continued with my patrols throughout
the day. I occasionally stopped and
chatted with the vendors, thereby
giving me another chance to indulge
in looking at their items for sale and
picking up tidbits of information. The
vendors were all very cooperative in
giving information about their products.
The west end had tables of vendors, demonstrations, and more displays. In the northwest corner was the
entrance to the magical Kid’s Cave. Across the hall from the show entrance was a room filled with the
spectacular lava cap thunder eggs from Lori Coleman’s Spanish Stirrup Rock Shop in Deming, New Mexico.
The first thing I checked out was the display cases. There were 11 in total. They were filled with the “best of
the best” specimens belonging to the club members and vendors participating in the show. Being a marine
invertebrate fossil collector, my eye was immediately drawn to the display case presented by club members
Pat Bell and Megan Habelitz (see photo below). It was chock full of marine fossil specimens that any natural
history museum would love to have.
After picking my jaw up off the
floor, I realized I was supposed
to be working, not gawking. I
pulled myself away, but quickly
found myself staring at the
magnificent mineral display
case by club member Barry
Bandaruk. By then I then
realized the only way I was
going to be able to do my job
was to first do a quick walk-
about through the show to get
over the visual shock of seeing
so many incredible specimens
on display.
Club members Pat Bell and Megan Habelitz of Desert Minerals and
Fossils display case
Mineral display case by club member Barry Bandaruk
Buyers taking advantage of the products for sale
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Continued on Page 9
The 46th Annual Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Show Continued From Page 7
There was a kitchen manned by club volunteers selling breakfast and lunch items, as well as beverages. The
hot seller seemed to be the chili dogs. I frequently saw them coming out of the kitchen only to be quickly
devoured by hungry rock hounds.
Some of the many kitchen
volunteers hard at work
Sunday had me working the mid-morning shift. While Saturday
was busy, Sunday was rather subdued. I heard several
theories as to why. They ranged from “the weather is crappy”
to “everyone came yesterday”. Whatever the reason was, the
attendance picked up in the afternoon beating last year’s
Sunday attendance.
I had an enlightening conversation with Dave and Linda Leidy
from Lake George, Colorado. They explained what is involved in
mining and prepping specimens of Amazonite and smoky quartz
crystals from their claim at Lake George. They said only two
holes out of 100 produce good crystals. Then many hours of
tedious prep work are required to clean up their specimens to
meet “show” quality. Considering all the work involved and the
rarity of their minerals, I felt their prices were quite reasonable.
Dave and Linda Leidy of Blue Owl
Rocks from Lake George CO
Wayne Scott of NSGS Rocks from the Coconino Lapidary Club
displaying and selling beautiful pieces of multicolored
petrified wood, exquisite slabs of banded (fortified) agate,
and Botryoidal Malachite from the Republic of Congo, Africa,
as well as other stunning minerals.
Kid’s Cave Entrance
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The kids cave was a hit with the youngsters. There were tables set up with demonstrations of lapidary work
the kids could try their hand at. There were also several treasure hunt areas where the kids could hunt for
(and keep) fossils and minerals hidden in different matrixes.
I entered the room and walked up to the table across from the door. There was an energetic girl staring at
the items on the table. She quickly spun around, flung out her arms, and came straight at me. Startled, I
took a step back and quickly looked around. Her mother, standing on my right, said ”She likes to give hugs”
I said “oh, ok.” The girl, sensing she had permission, stepped up and gave me a sweet hug. I thanked her
for the wonderful hug. She then returned to her mother jumping up and down like a jack-in-the-box. Her
mother patiently asked her to calm down, having her do a “countdown”. After she calmed down, her
mother then told her she could go on. She spun around, and dove her hands into the sand filled box on the
table. She quickly found her prize and pulled it out, giggling with glee. I then returned to my duties, leaving
the excited kids to enjoy the anticipation of completing their treasure hunts.
There was a scavenger hunt on both Saturday and Sunday that required participants to find items cleverly
placed within the wares on the vendor’s tables. Once they found all the items, they could claim a prize at
the raffle desk. Surprisingly, I saw almost as many adults participating as the children. They all seemed to
enjoy the excitement of the challenge.
Continued On Page 10
The 46th Annual Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Show Continued From Page 8
Two winners of the scavenger
hunt getting their prizes
Lori Coleman's Sunday afternoon
presentation on mining thunder eggs
The raffle contest was a major success. There were 1271 tickets sold. The 10 prize baskets had different items in
each basket. The participants could buy tickets and then put their tickets in different jars for each basket. Then a
separate drawing for each basket was held. All but three of the winners were still present at the drawing Sunday
afternoon. The winners all shrieked in the excitement of winning as their names were read. They were each given
a round of applause in return.
Sunday afternoon Lori
Coleman gave an informative
and entertaining presentation
about her passion; mining,
prepping, and selling lava
cap thunder eggs from her
rock shop Spanish Stirrup in
Deming, New Mexico.
Show Chair
Michelle
Smedely
reading out
the names of
the raffle
winners
One of the
winners of the
raffle contest
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The 46th Annual Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Show Continued From Page 9
Continued on Page 11
This successful show exceeded last year’s results. The show drew 30 vendors from around the southwest area.
They sold rocks, minerals, fossils, shells, hand crafted jewelry, tools, books and more. There were 38 donors
who helped provide funding for the show. Attendance was up 208 from last year for a total of 1069 paid
adults. Children under 12 were admitted free. There were 41 attendees from Saturday that came back on
Sunday. The results of the People’s Choice Awards are: 1st - Patrick Bell; 2nd (tie) - Jack Hodges & The Leidy's;
Honorable Mention - Peggy Claeys/Carol Jose and Barry Bandaruk.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the work of the 27 volunteers from the Lake Havasu
Gem & Mineral Society putting in 190 man-hours, just at the show. Then the tear down crew jumped in and
cleared out the hall and cleaned up by 7:00 P.M. There were also many additional hours of work done over
the last year preparing for and marketing the show.
Soon it will be time to start getting ready for next year’s show, and the work will start all over again. Next
November you will once again be able to experience meeting some of the finest collectors, craftsmen, and
lapidary artists in the area displaying and selling even more of the most incredible treasures the earth can
produce.
© 2015 Gary H. Burgess
The Incredible Story of Gold
Have you ever wondered where gold comes from? And I do not mean from California’s gold veins, Fort Knox or
sunken pirate ships, but where it really comes from? Yeah, me either. At least not until my mom asked me. We
were talking about supernovae and what happens when a massive star runs out of fuel in its core.
It is commonly known that hydrogen fusion is what creates the photons that
allow us to see the few thousand stars that are visible on any given night.
Under extreme pressure and heat, two positively charged hydrogen atoms
slam together with enough force to overcome their repulsion of each other
and fuse to become helium. It is this nuclear fusion process that creates the
energy, the photons and heat that allows a star to hold itself up against the
force of gravity. When the hydrogen fuel is exhausted in a star’s core, the
next stage of its life depends largely on its mass. Stars like our Sun swell up
into Red Giants before ending their lives without a bang as White Dwarfs
that will cool and fade over several billions years. The extreme opposite of
this are the more massive stars that end their lives in fantastic explosions
that can momentarily outshine whole galaxies and create more energy in a
few seconds than our star will in its entire lifetime.
Stars several times more massive than our Sun begin their lives fusing hydrogen into helium atoms, then carbon,
oxygen, neon, magnesium, silicon, and iron. In general, the heavier the element being fused, the least amount of
energy there is being produced. A star can only hold up its own mass against gravity if there is sufficient energy
radiating out from the core. It is within a blink of an eye of the first iron fusion that the core of a massive star will
collapse, bringing with it the entire star’s outer layers. The now-iron core is crushed so compactly that when the
outer layers “fall” into the void, they are essentially bounced off and shot out into space at nearly the speed of
light. This is when the Hubble Space Telescope will be focused on the newly formed supernova and beam back to
Earth the remarkable photos of a star that has shredded itself apart and is now seeding the universe with the newly
created elements the next generation of stars will use to form.
Fusion Layers in a Massive Star
(University of Oregon)
The Incredible Story of Gold Continued From Page 10
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Rock-A-Teer
“But what about gold; is that how gold is created too?” My mom asks me. For the first time in a
while, I am stumped. Although I generally know enough of geology- and astonomy-101 to
hold myself up in a conversation with folks who actually have a life and do not squander it on
scientific readings, I just could not think of anytime I had read about how gold atoms are formed, or any
neutron-rich atoms heavier than iron for that matter. Rare made-entirely-of-diamond or -gold extraterrestrial
bodies yes, but not gold nuclei formation. After feeling foolish for my stammered non-answer, I needed to
know what the current accepted theory is. I was taken down a path that I never would have guessed.
Many of my wonders about Earth, its processes, and the source of its resources lead me back to astronomy. If
it were not for all the dreaded physics and sitting indoors day after day staring at the even more dreaded
instruments of technology, I might have chosen to focus my academic studies on that subject. Everything on
Earth is, after all, “stardust.” The formation of gold is no exception and yet the process is very exceptional.
It was long assumed that gold, as well as other heavy atoms, were formed in the actual supernova explosion
of a massive star, but not before the star’s last iron-forming breaths and core collapse. Some scientists
questioned whether supernovae were powerful and efficient enough to be accountable for all known heavy
atoms. Supernova are said to be the most powerful explosions in the universe. If not they, then what could
possibly be responsible for the heavy elements that are at the very heart of so many modern electronics? The
most recent radical theory points to neutron stars, any two of them to be exact.
A neutron star is the core of a dead star that remains after a supernova explosion
shreds off all the star’s outer layers, one that has not gone so far as to create a black
hole. They are the smallest, most dense stars known to exist anywhere in the universe,
packing the Sun’s mass into a space the size of a small city. Under this density and
extreme pressure, protons and electrons are crushed together to form neutrons. The
residual energy from the supernova gives neutron stars an extremely rapid rotation,
up to 700 spins per second. Some young neutron stars survive their first several
million years as Pulsars, stars that rotate so rapidly and are so highly magnetized that they emit beams of radiation
from their poles. When an observer is in the path of the beams, they appear to blink - or pulse - on and off like a
lighthouse. Neutron stars could not be more alluring, at least not until two of them get much too close to each other.
An estimated 80% of stars are in binary or multiple star systems. When two stars
orbiting each other both end their lives as neutron stars, get your gold pan ready. In
less than a billion years their collision will create so much gold that it can outweigh
the Earth itself. At least this is what new evidence is revealing.
Understanding exactly what happens when two neutron stars merge gets quite
complicated. It was theorized that rare short-duration Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB) were
the result of neutron star collisions, but they occur so infrequently, so far away, and
are so short-lived (lasting only milliseconds) that the only thing scientists could tell
from their aftermath was that they did not appear to originate from star nurseries like the more common long-
duration (lasting 2 seconds or more) supernovae-related GRB. It was not until June of 2013 that scientists were able
to observe the immediate aftermath of a short-duration GRB that enough evidence was provided to make a
probable link to not only neutron star collisions, but heavy neutron-rich atom formation.
After comparing their June 2013 GRB observations to computer models, scientists think that what they detected is the
afterglow radiation of newly formed heavy metallic elements. Although the explosions involved in neutron star
collisions best explain the origin of elements like gold, only further research can provide the proof needed for the
scientific consensus to update the text books.
Neutron Star (NASA: Dana Berry)
Neutron Star Collison Simulation Dana Berry, SkyWorks Digitial, Inc
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Rock-A-Teer Newsletter of the Puyallup
Valley Gem & Mineral Club
P.O. Box 134
Puyallup, WA 98371
March 2016
March 2016
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
6PM Cabbing Class
2 3
6PM Cabbing Class
4 5
9AM Hands-On
6 7 8
6PM Cabbing Class
7PM Board Meeting
9 10
6PM Cabbing Class
11
7:30 Business Meeting
12
13 14 15
6PM Cabbing Class
6PM Show Meeting
@Swiss Park
16 17
6PM Cabbing Class
18 19
9AM Hand-On
20 21 22
6PM Cabbing Class
23 24
6PM Cabbing Class
25
7:30 Program Meeting
26
27 28 29
6PM Cabbing Class
30 31
6PM Cabbing Class