` Island Rock Hounds, Inc.

ROCK BOTTOM FACTS April 2012

Website: www.islandrockhounds.org email: islandrockhounds@hotmail.com

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT

Cheryl Neary (516) 449-5341

VICE-PRESIDENT

Nancy Colburn (516) 334-4398

RECORDING SECRETARY

Peg Stein (516) 796-2876

TREASURER

Nancy Walordy (516) 334-8365

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

Pat O’Rourke (516) 414-2891

MEMBER AT LARGE

Karen Ottendorfer (718) 229 -2189

FIELD TRIPS

Janice Kowalski (516) 319-8883

BULLETIN EDITOR

Cheryl Neary (516) 449-5341

ciervo.neary@gmail.com

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SHOW CHAIRPERSON(S)

Cheryl Neary (516) 449-5341

Janice Kowalski (516) 319-8883

DEALER CHAIRPERSON

Nancy Colburn (516) 334-4398

MEMBERSHIP

Janet Zenk (631) 669-1728

EDUCATION

Jonathan Schaffer (516) 721-7448

HISTORIAN

Nancy Colburn (516) 334-4398

LIBRARIANS

Isabel & Howie Katz (516) 378-4809

PROPERTY

Dave Cascio (516) 221-5335

HOSPITALITY (Monthly)

Mary Haugh

Bellmore Memorial Library

2288 Bedford Avenue

Bellmore, NY 11710

(516) 785—2990

President’s Message

Hello Rockhounds,

Aah! The show is over! Now we need to start thinking about

our show next year….. before we know it June 2013 will be

here! (Nothing like rushing things!).

I’m sure you are interested in finding out the results of the

show, which is…. we made a profit- not a large profit but

comparable to other years. I received several phone calls

from people interested in joining our club, and complimenting

our scavenger hunt! So, our mission has been accomplished-

encouraging interest in the earth sciences.

So it is that time of year, actually a little late, when we need to

publish the nominations for the year 2013 Board of Directors.

Please see page 4 for the nomination listing. If you are

interested in any position on the Board, please let the

nominating committee know this month because the elections

are next month. (They say time flies when you’re having

fun!)

Just as a reminder, I will not be at the meeting this month

because I will be in North Carolina at Wildacres. I will

definitely be thinking of you though! So, Janice & I would

like to invite you to a post-show meeting prior to our May

meeting at 7:00pm. Again thanks to all who worked the

show- it could not have happened without you!

Cheryl Neary, President

Would

Inside This Issue

Upcoming Events……………………………….. Page 2

Birthday Wishes/Picnic………. ………………….Page 2

Between a Rock & a Hard Place……………….. Page 3

Tidbits………………………………………………Page 4

On the Road Again……………………………….. Page 5

2012 UPCOMING EVENTS

June 9-10- 10:00-5:00 Celinka Show @Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,

Patchogue¸NY

July 21 Picnic – Hecksher State Park

July 28-29 10:00-5:00 31st Annual Gem, Mineral Jewelry & Fossil Show

Mattituck –Cutchogue High School

August 11 Springfield Bus Trip $39.00/person- Need 50% non-

refundable deposit- See Janice (Host: LIMAGS)

September 8 9-4:00 Toveco-Tripp Quarry

Pegmatite Minerals

(Plan on staying over at least Friday night)

New Hampshire Mineral Collecting

Limit to 1st 22 people – (Host- LIMAGS

September 15-16 EFMLS Convention @ Harrisburg, Pa

S

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Happy

Birthday

To Our April

Babes! Johanna Kramer Karen Ottendorfer

Picnic Time @

Hecksher State Park!

Saturday, July 21st (Rain date:

Sunday, July 22nd

)

Field 1@ 11:00am

Please note the change in

month!

Plan on bringing chairs and a

dish to share.

Notify Roberta Besso with your

choice of dish @ 631.666.8023!

BETWEEN A ROCK & A HARD PLACE:

A SYNOPSIS OF MARCH’S MEETING:

Tom Gangi lectured us on the process of annealing, the heating of metals to a specific

temperature (till it glows) and then allowing the metal to slowly cool. (See page 4-

Tidbits for more information). NEW BUSINESS:

AS A REMINDER: Please wear your IRH badge at the meetings! We have new members and it would help everyone with matching the names with the faces! Also, as an incentive, if you wear our badge you will be eligible for an additional chance to win the monthly raffle. If you misplaced your badge, the cost of the replacement badge is $1.00. Please speak to Janet Zenk (Membership).

AUCTION:

Please start donating specimens, jewelry, etc. for this years’ auction to be held in the month of June.

Cheryl Neary

Editor, Island Rockhounds Newsletter ciervo.neary@gmail.com

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APRIL MEETING: 04/11/12

Member, Marty Besso will demonstrate!

This month’s meeting will be a Hands-on Meeting!

This month we will be making beautiful agate clocks. The cost of the clocks including the stand is

$7.00/ kit. The cost for each member participating is $4.00. Any additional kits will be sold at $7.00

per kit. You do not need any tools to complete this project.

We need volunteers for the Hospitality for the months of May and June. You would be required to

bring to the meeting a cold drink, milk, either vegetable or fruit platters. You have a $25.00 budget.

If we do not get any volunteers we can pick from the hat!

Thanks again to Izzy & Howard Katz for donating the bagels/ rolls /donuts/ and other goodies!!!

At our last meeting we spoke about finding a new home for the library, which the Katz’s have housed

for several years. Due to technology changes over the years, it is now possible to retrieve

information over the internet. Dueto the lack of members utilizing the library, it has been decided that

we will auction the books to members. Beth has volunteered to research the value of the books

(thanks to the internet!) At our June auction, we will be auctioning the books separately- for those

still interested in reading a “real” book. I’m sure many of the books will not be available for the “on-

line” books.

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Tidbits! FffFFF

Schedule 2011-2012: May 9- Lecture- Tom Caggiano “Trip to Tuscon”

June 13- Annual Auction – Bring your money!!!!!

“April Fools”

The exact origin of April Fools is unknown, however,

many believe it dates back to 1582 in France, with the

reform of the calendar and the introduction of the

Gregorian calendar. If you remember last month I

stated that under the old Roman and Julian calendars

the New Year was celebrated with the onset of spring,

from March 25 - April 1st. The Gregorian calendar set

the New Year to January 1st. In the 1500’s,

communication traveled slowly, with travel by foot.

Many people did not know that the change occurred,

while others refused to acknowledge the change and

continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1st.

The general population labeled those celebrating the

New Year in April as “fools” and began playing

practical jokes upon them, such as sending invitations

to non-existent parties. Over time the playing of

harmless pranks continued on the first of April and the

tradition eventually spread to Great Britain and later to

America.

Today, practical jokes are a common practice on April

Fool's Day, where we amuse ourselves, at the expense

of family and friends, and terminate the prank with

“April Fools!”. Such pranks can be as simple as telling

someone their shoe is untied or their zipper open, a

spot on your face or setting clocks behind or ahead.

April 1st is a "for-fun-only" observance, throughout the

world. Just remember to keep your guard up- you

never know when your are the April Fool!

Annealing- Hot-Hot-Hot Metals comprise approximately ¾ of all

the elements known to man. At room

temperature, a metal is in a solid state.

According to Webster’s dictionary, a metal

is defined as an opaque, crystalline solid

that shows luster. Metals usually are good

conductors of heat and electricity and

generally are fusible, malleable and

ductile. There are many metals used by

jewelers including, copper, tin, lead, zinc,

nickel, iron, silver, gold platinum and

alloys, such as bronze, brass, pewter and

pot metal. To make the metal workable, the

metals are heated to a glowing condition

and then allowed to cool to a working

temperature. This process can be repeated

as often as necessary to complete the

project.

Tom performed a demonstration where he

took a piece of copper wire and set it into a

demo rig. He had Marty add weights to the

bag tied to the end of the wire. The wire

held 4 lbs. Then he had Charlie and Marty

use vice grips to twist and pull on the wire

to harden the metal. The metal snapped at

one end. He reset the wire in the demo rig

and again added weights to the bag. This

time the weight added was 8 lbs. The

demonstration proved that stressing metal

hardens the metal. To work the metal for

jewelry making, the metal needs to be

annealed to return the wire to a more

workable condition.

Nominations:

Board of Directors is the same Slate as this year with the exception of: Corresponding Secretary:

Nomination: Joan Murray

Please speak to one of the Nominating Committee Members if interested in a position on the Board:

Janet Zenk (631.669.1728) ; Janice Kowalski (516-319-8883) or Susan Ciervo-Boyle: (631-724-7476) ein

On The Road Again…… Lewis & Clark Trail

Did you get a chance to do the scavenger hunt? Well if not, I offer the hunt for you on this page!

The rocks are typical of those found along the territories explored by Lewis & Clark. Have Fun!

Crysotile Serpentine – A greenish mineral made of curly and flexible fibers. It is the most

commonly used form of asbestos and has been employed since Roman times. It has been used in

the USA for industrial applications as it is resistant to fire, electric current and caustic

chemicals. It has now been proven that exposure to asbestos has been linked to mesothelioma

cancer, especially inMontana.

Pyrite – Pyrite is often mistaken for gold and, as a result, has been referred to as ―Fool’s Gold‖.

It is a favorite among rock collectors and is abundant in the earth’s crust. Pyrite can easily be

found in many states especially in the northwest states and in California. Its chemistry consists

of iron and sulphur (FeS2) and is primarily used in jewelry under the trade name of

―marcasite‖ and as a mineral specimen.

Rose Quartz – Rose quartz is a pink translucent form of silicon dioxide (SiO2) and is found in

abundance in South Dakota. It is used for making jewelry in the form of cabochons and beads.

It is also widely used in ornamental carvings such as pyramids, spheres, and obelisks. Some

people believe that rose quartz is a symbol of universal love.

Obsidian – Obsidian is the result of volcanic lava coming into contact with water. This process

produces a glassy texture. The iron and magnesium give obsidian a dark green to black color.

This common form of obsidian is found in western states such as Oregon and Nevada. Other

forms of obsidian include Rainbow obsidian, Snowflake obsidian, and small, smooth black

nuggets of obsidian called ―Apache Tears‖. Ancient people used obsidian as a tool and for

weapon making. Today it is primarily used as a semi-precious stone for jewelry.

Jasper – Jasper is an opaque impure variety of quartz usually red, yellow or brown in color. It

is found in abundance in the Northwestern US, as well as other parts of the world. There are

many varieties of jasper such as landscape jasper, picture jasper, poppy jasper and leopard

jasper. This stone was considered to have mystical properties by Native American Shamans who

used it for protection. Today, it is widely used as an ornamental stone and is often cut as a

gemstone to be used as jewelry.

Moss Agate – Moss agate, also known as Mocha Stone, is a semi-precious form of silicon dioxide

(SO2). It is a form of agate which includes minerals of a greenish color embedded in chalcedony.

Despite its name, moss agate does not contain organic matter and is usually formed from

weathered volcanic rocks. It is prevalent in Wyoming and Montana. It is used in jewelry

making often as a pendant. It is also widely used in carving. It is considered by some to be the

most powerful agate and helps to balance emotional energy.

Thunderegg - A thunderegg is not actually a rock. It is a structure, sometimes a nodule,

sometimes a geode. It is prevalent in Oregon and very popular for jewelry making, book ends

and decorator pieces. Unique internal patterns are often banded and filled with opal or

chalcedony and come in a variety of colors. According to Native American Legend, they are

stolen by thunder spirits from thunderbirds’ nests and used to hurl at enemy gods when angry.

This is evident during thunder and lightning storms.

Dendrite – A crystal dendrite develops with a typical multi-branching tree-like formation.

Dendritic crystal growth is illustrated by snowflake formation and frost patterns on a window.

It forms a natural fractal pattern. Dendritic crystals are often mistaken for fossils. They occur

in fissures in rocks and are filled by mineral solutions. They are prevalent in Montana.

Fluorite – Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is a halide mineral composed of calcium fluoride

(CaF2). It is an isometric mineral with a cubic habit. It is found in abundance in the Midwest

(Ill., Ky., Ok.) and is the state mineral of Illinois. The word fluorite is derived from the Latin

word ―fluere‖ which means ―to flow‖ because it is used in iron smelting. It is a colorful mineral

visible in daylight and in ultraviolet light. It is used for smelting, optics (eyeglasses, microscopes,

telescopes) and in toothpaste. Spiritual teachers believe it can be used as a meditative stone to

energize powers of concentration.

Covellite – (CuS) is not a well-known mineral. It is found in Montana. Its iridescent charms can

be captivating when looking at its lovely indigo blue crystals. Its luster is metallic. Its crystals

are opaque to translucent in very thin sheets. It is used as a minor ore of copper and as mineral

specimens.

1. A green metamorphic mineral from the United States (Ca., Co., Az., Pa., &N.J.) and Canada. It has a waxy feel and is a type of asbestos. _________________________

2. A shiny metallic stone often confused with gold. The mineral is nicknamed “Fool’s Gold” and is found in California and Europe________________________

3. A black-gray mineral formed from volcanic eruptions. It is a natural glass and is found in Nevada. Stone age cultures used it to make arrowheads. _________

4. This stone is native to Arizona as well as other parts of the world such as Australia. It is a variety of quartz and is reddish in color. It is often used as a decorative stone. Native American shamans used this stone for protection. ____________

5. This mineral, found in Illinois and Kentucky as well as in the Far East, is generally green but can appear in a variety of colors. It is used in steel-making and in toothpaste.___________

6. A pink mineral from South Dakota which is a popular semi-precious gemstone used in jewelry-making and carving._______________________________

7. A greenish mineral found in Montana and Wyoming that is primarily used in jewelry making and carving._______________________________________________

8. A “tree-like” crystal often mistaken for a fossil.___________________ 9. A “structure” found in Oregon which occurs in the form of a nodule or a geode and

is used in the making of jewelry and book ends. Native Americans believe that it was used by the gods._________________________________________________

10. A little known mineral from Montana prized for its beautiful indigo blue color.__________