1603 MARCH Red Rocking News - Sedona Gem and Mineral Club

Sedona Red Rocking News
March 7, 2016
Sedona Gem and Mineral Club
Volume 62, Issue 3
Member: American Federation of
Mineralogical Societies
Member: Arizona Coalition
of Rock Hound Clubs
Newsletter Editor: Mark Moorehead
Email: [email protected]
PO Box 3284, Sedona, AZ 86340
www.sedonagemandmineral.org
General SGMC meetings are held
on the third Tuesday of the month
at 7 p.m. at the Sedona Library,
3250 White Bear Road
Burro Creek campout planned for March
G
et your camping gear ready for
a trip to Burro Creek in Wickenburg March 18 through 20. Make it
a one- or two-night outing or just
come up on Saturday. The site
offers agate in plentiful quantities.
All about agate at March meeting
P
lume agate, sagenite, dendritic
and moss agates are only four
of the 15 or so inclusions to be
defined and discussed by Pat
McMahan when he presents
“Various Inclusions in Agate” at
Sedona Gem and Mineral Club’s 7
p.m. March 15 meeting at the
Sedona Public Library, 3250
White Bear Road, W. Sedona.
See March Meeting, Page 3
See President’s Message, Page 3
Our camp location is an unofficial
campsite in the desert, with no
facilities available. From there, it is
a 45-minute drive on very rough
road to the dig site. Only highclearance vehicles should attempt
the terrain. We will grab a campsite
on Friday, and some of us will stay
through Sunday.
The nearest motel is in Wikieup,
and there are only two rooms available on a first-come, first-served
basis.
W
hat a great year so far! We had fun in Tucson
and a great fieldtrip to the club’s mining claim
in February. My husband, Bill, and I found different
treasures at the claim. He found some agate to slab
and cab. I looked on the surface for chalcedony and
druzy pieces. The weather has been great for being
outdoors (no bugs yet), so I cleaned and cut some
pieces to put into jewelry.
On Friday, March 18, the group
meets at 2 p.m. at the McDonalds in
Wickenburg. On Saturday, March
19, there is a one-day dig. Meet at 9
a.m. at the town site of Nothing.
From there, we caravan 2 miles to
the campsite, pick up the campers
and proceed to the dig site.
Marge Schwartz
Be certain to bring camping gear, a
shovel and a tent (or sleep in your
vehicle). A detailed list of what to
bring will be given out after sign
up. For more details, call Field Trip
Coordinator Dave Maple at 206707-2112 or 928-862-2311.
Sedona Gem & Mineral Club Newsletter - Page 1
February Fun at Rodeo Flats
T
he SG&M Club agate hunt
to Rodeo Flats Claim in
February was most productive
and fun. There was abundant
agate material all around, so
everyone was able to find excellent specimens to take home.
We had a great turnout of 16
members for the dig. Weather
conditions were perfect during
the entire day of digging.
Because the agate field at Rodeo
is close to the parking area, we
returned to our vehicles, emptied
half of our treasures, ate lunch
Troy and Susan Deirling and Brent and Marilyn Henkle carrying their
and went back to the dig to
treasures up the hill from their dig at Rodeo Flats in February
continue our hunting.
Sedona Gem & Mineral Club Newsletter - Page 2
March Meeting from Page 1
was creating a life-long obsession
for the younger man.
McMahan recently wrote a feature
article for the March issue of Rock
and Gem Magazine about the inclusions in agate, and our club will be
the first to hear his presentation.
He presents it at the 2016 Agate
Expo in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, on
July 6. His audience there will
include agate lovers, authors and
experts from all over the world.
McMahan graduated from
University of Southern California
in 1969. He majored in business,
but loved earth sciences and
studied geology, botany and more.
Upon graduation, he worked in his
family’s office furniture business.
After 15 years opened his own
retail stores in Santa Barbara and
Ventura. McMahan sold his
business, retired at age 42 and
relocated his family to Sedona
where he joined the Sedona Gem
and Mineral Club. Through his
intensive rock hunting he has
amassed one of the most
comprehensive collections of
sagenite, plume and banded agate
in the world. Almost all of this
agate collection has been dug and
collected by McMahan. More than
8,000 awe-inspiring polished
agates and other specimens from
over 550 locations are displayed in
the “Museum of Agates” at his
Arizona home.
Beautiful photographs of these
various agate inclusions will also
be presented. McMahan has just
completed an informative 500-page
book on his collection, which
shows over 1,200 photos of agates
and other beautiful rocks from over
300 locations across the planet.
The book will be released at the
agate show in Cedarburg and will
be available to Sedona G&M Club
members at the Fall meeting.
McMahan was born in Los
Angeles, California, in 1947. At
age 8, he met Professor Ade, a
neighbor and well-known rock
hound, who collected in the 1930s.
Ade had fabulous material and
took McMahan under his wing,
teaching him how to cut, polish,
distinguish the various rocks,
document his collection and
prepare displays for shows.
McMahan focused on rocks until
he was 12, and then set his hobby
aside until he was about 35 and had
children of his own. He got a
guidebook and took his wife and
two boys to the desert for camping
and rock collecting. With Professor
Ade’s influence, McMahan came
to love sagenite and plume agate.
Little did Professor Ade know he
The March meeting will also
feature member displays, closing
with the monthly raffle of fine rock
and mineral specimens. Visitors
are welcome.
President’s Message from Page 1
Now March is sure to be fun, too. Dave Maple, our
fearless fieldtrip leader, is planning more adventures
for you. Our next meeting is just before St Patrick’s
Day, so please bring a green rock from your
collection. I will have a display for you to put your
rock with others and prizes will be awarded. Stick a
return address label on the bottom of the rock you put
into the display so you can be sure to get it back.
Pam Koch reminds me, “If you are not having fun,
you are not doing it right.” Let’s have some fun in
March! I look forward to seeing you then.
Submissions
Wanted!
T
he SGMC Red Rocking News is only as
good as your submissions!
So, be sure to send your gem- and mineralrelated events, news and photos to Editor Mark
Moorehead at [email protected] by April
1 for the May 7 issue.
Sedona Gem & Mineral Club Newsletter - Page 3
Meet Members: Barb & Ted Schultz
by Marge Schwartz
I
had a chance to sit down with Barb Schultz to talk
about our Club. Barb and Ted Schultz have lived full
time in Sedona for about four years. Before that, they
were living part-time between Minnesota and Arizona.
The couple discovered Sedona in an unusual way. They
had been on a driving vacation and planned for a Holiday Inn stay in Flagstaff, only to find out there was a
conflict and they were directed to another hotel down at
the Village of Oak Creek. The weary travelers arrived at
the hotel in the middle of the night and went right to
sleep. When they awoke and looked out the window, the
wonder of the red rocks knocked their socks off. They
hadn’t even heard anything about Sedona until this. It
wasn’t long before they were visiting regularly and
purchased a home in Sedona to escape the Minnesota
winters.
The Sedona Red Rock News announces the presentations
for monthly club meetings. After reading up on the
speaker, they decided to attend the meeting and soon
after became members. Even now, they agree rock
hounding is something they can do together. Barb
collected Lake Superior agates as a kid and still takes
her grandchildren to the North Shore to collect the
amazing agates. She also admits anything that sparkles
is also a treasure.
Barb can identify a variety of minerals, but admits there
are more that escape classification. Both Barb and Ted
See Meet Members, Page 6
Sedona Gem & Mineral Club Newsletter - Page 4
Tucson Gem & Mineral Show Photo Gallery
Photos by Mark Moorehead
Sedona Gem & Mineral Club Newsletter - Page 5
Celebrate archaeology at V Bar V
M
arch is Archaeology and
Heritage Awareness Month in
Arizona, and the Red Rock Ranger
District of the Coconino National
Forest celebrates the month with
activities to teach visitors how native
people thrived in the Southwest for
thousands of years.
The following activities are at V Bar
V Heritage Site, located 2.8 miles
southeast of I-17 at Sedona Exit 298,
just beyond the Beaver Creek Day
Use area. Entrance fee is by Red
Rock Pass or equivalent.
March 12-13, Mountain Man Camp:
from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days.
Visit a Mountain Man camp with
demonstrations about the tools and
skills of early explorers of the West.
Above photo courtesy of Coconino National Forest
March 25-26, Archaeology Discovery Days: from 9:30
a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. Gain a new appreciation of how
native people survived and thrived as you see
The SGMC 2016
demonstrations of fire by friction, flint-knapping, making
Board of Directors &
and firing pottery, ancient tool technology, spinning and
Committee members
weaving cotton and making shell and stone beads.
Practice your skills of using an atlatl, making pinch pots
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
and grinding corn on a metate. Learn how native people
President - Marge Schwartz: 928-203-0356
used some of the area’s plants for food and medicine,
Past President - Pat McMahan, 928-300-8333
and see over 1,000 petroglyphs.
1st V.P. (Presentations) - Evelina Dunton
2nd V.P. (Field Trips) - Dave Maple, 206-707-2112
For more information, contact the Red Rock Visitor
Treasurer - Ted Schultz
Center at 928-203-2900.
Secretary - Peggy Rivera
Director - Bill Schwartz
Director - Tom Helgesen
Meet Members from Page 4
like to attend Gem and Mineral shows and currently
belong to two different rock clubs. They also sell at a
couple of shows including Black Canyon City and our
Sedona show. In addition to minerals, Barb also has
done silver work. She has now fallen in love with
beading and would like to find a member interested in
silver work to purchase her equipment.
Barb and Ted are currently the club historians and have
documented our activities throughout the years. This
year, Ted is our Treasurer and Barb is involved in
nominations for our club positions. They have both
been involved in helping our club show be as successful
as possible.
COMMITTEES
Education - Mark Moorehead
Historians - Ted and Barb Schultz
Membership - Nadine Cummins: 480-375-0982
Newsletter Editor - Mark Moorehead
Refreshments - Amy Koba
Raffle - Tom Helgensen
Social Chair (picnic, Xmas party) - Open (volunteers welcome)
Sunshine & Birthstones - Judy Feldman
Club Photographer - Pam Koch
Webmaster - Patti Polk
THE SUNSHINE LADY
Judy Feldman is our Sunshine Lady,
and if you know of anyone who needs
some sunshine in our club, please
contact her at 928-284-3534.
Sedona Gem & Mineral Club Newsletter - Page 6
B
e certain to confirm meeting details before
leaving home, as locations, dates or times may
change after the newsletter has gone to print.
March 6: 2 p.m. Geological
History of Florence with Ray
Grant at Pinal County Historical
Museum, 715 S. Main Street,
Florence. Two billion years ago
Arizona and Florence did not
exist. Over time there were
mountains, canyons, oceans,
volcanoes, landslides and
earthquakes in the Florence area.
The climate was hot, cold, wet
and dry, and there were at
different times many different creatures including
dinosaurs, mammoths and saber tooth tigers. Info:
520-868-4382, [email protected].
March 12-13: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Mountain Man Camp at V Bar V
Heritage Site, located 2.8 miles
southeast of I-17 at Sedona Exit 298.
Visit a Mountain Man camp with
demonstrations about the tools and skills
of these early explorers of the West.
Entrance fee is by Red Rock Pass or
equivalent. Info: 928-203-2900.
March 12: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Touch
Outer Space/Gem and Mineral Show at Pinal
Geology Museum, 351 N. Arizona Blvd. Coolidge.
Visitors will be able to touch Mars, the Moon and the
asteroid Vesta. Dr. Carleton Moore is bringing
samples to the Museum. Astronauts collected the
Moon sample, and the Mars and Vesta samples
arrived as meteorites. This is also the
first annual Pinal Gem and Mineral
Show. There will be dealers set up
selling minerals, fossils and lapidary
material. There is a dinosaur-naming
contest for the new allosaurus. See
the dinosaur, and enter the
naming contest to win a
prize. Contact: Ray
Grant, 520-2515419.
March 12-13: Daisy Mountain Rock and Mineral
Club 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 9
a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. at Boulder
Creek High School, 40404
N. Gavilan Peak Parkway,
Anthem, AZ. Over 30
exhibitors of rocks, gems,
jewelry, beads and geodes.
Includes silent auction,
children’s events and raffle
on the half hour. $4 general
admission, $3 students/seniors. Contact Ed
Winbourne, 1717 W. Medinah Court, Anthem, AZ
85086; 623-444 4634; [email protected].
March 16: 7 p.m. Sedona Gem and Mineral Club
monthly meeting 7 p.m. at the Sedona Library, 3250
White Bear Road, W. Sedona. Pat McMahon
discusses and displays agate inclusions.
www.sedonagemandmineral.org.
March 18-20: SG&M Fieldtrip to Burro Creek in
Wickenburg. On Friday meet at 2 p.m. at the
McDonalds in Wickenburg. On Saturday, there is a
one-day dig. Meet at 9 a.m. at the town site of
Nothing. Bring camping gear, a shovel and a tent or
sleep in your vehicle. Info: Dave Maple, 206-7072112 or 928-862-2311.
March 19-20: Annual Cottonwood Gem, Jewelry
and Mineral Show and Sale 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 10
a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. at
Mingus Union High
School, 1801 E. Fir St.,
Cottonwood, AZ.
Vendors from across the
region offer unique
mineral specimens,
crystals, gemstones,
jewelry, beads, fossils
and cutting material at
competitive prices.
Many of the artisans
created original jewelry designs, and gem and mineral
vendors will have specimens on display in both the
rough and cut-and-polished states. Food is provided
throughout the show by the Mingus Union High
Sedona Gem & Mineral Club Newsletter - Page 7
See Events & Shows, Page 8
School Theatre Club. This is a fun, educational family
event. $3, ages 11 and younger free. Contact Greg
Capatch, 106 Vista Bonita Drive, Sedona, AZ 86336;
928-554-4615; [email protected]. Info:
www.facebook.com/CKMProductionsLLC.
March 25-26: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Archaeology
Discovery Days at V Bar V Heritage Site, located 2.8
miles southeast of I-17 at
Sedona Exit 298. Gain a new
appreciation of how native
people survived and thrived as
you see demonstrations of fire
by friction, flint-knapping,
making and firing pottery,
ancient tool technology,
spinning and weaving cotton
and making shell and stone
beads. Practice your skills of
using an atlatl, making pinch
pots and grinding corn on a metate. Entrance fee is by
Red Rock Pass or equivalent. Info: 928-203-2900.
April 15-17: Minerals of Arizona Symposium, 2-5
p.m. Fri., 8:45 a.m.-4:20 p.m.
Sat., 9-11 a.m. Sun. at
Quality Hotel, 5121 E. La
Puente Ave., Phoenix. This
year’s symposium marks
the 24th anniversary of this
event with a three-day format that includes a mineral
sale by local dealers and a
variety of other mineral
related events. $40-$45
registration, $20 dinner.
Register: http://flaggmineralfoundation.org/
home/minerals-of-az-symposium.
May 7-8: Kingman Annual show Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.,
Sun. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the
Kingman Academy of
Learning, 3420 N. Burbank,
Kingman. Hosted by the
Mohave County Gemstoners
Club, this event promises
beautiful rock specimens and
a children's play area with
diggings for rocks and
fossils. Contact Robert Pedersen, 3760 N. Steel Ave.,
Kingman, AZ 86409 or 928-692-8910. Info:
www.gemstoners.org.
May 21-22: White Mountain Gem & Mineral Club
Annual Show. Noon-7 p.m. Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. at
Elks Club, 805 E. Whipple,
Show Low, AZ. Door Prizes
hourly, raffle, silent auction,
egg carton collection for
children, field trip on Saturday, local and professional
vendors, daily demonstrations,
display cases, fossils, gems,
minerals and fluorescents. $2
Adults, free ages 70 and older
and ages 18 and younger. Contact Rick Olson, 928251-0949, [email protected]. Info:
http://whitemountain-azrockclub.org.
June 3-5: Coconino Lapidary Club Outdoor
Market. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sun. at Silver Saddle Outdoor Market, Highway 89N
and Silver Saddle Road, Flagstaff, AZ. Gem, Mineral
and Jewelry Show with an education zone for kids and
raffle drawings. Free admission. Contact Wayne Scott
928-607-3185, [email protected].
Gem & Mineral Trivia
What are the oldest rocks on earth?
The oldest rocks on Earth found so far are the
Acasta Gneisses in northwestern Canada near
Great Slave Lake (4.03 Ga) and the Isua
Supracrustal rocks in West Greenland (3.7 to
3.8 Ga). Note: Ga means one billion years.
Rocks nearly as old are also found in the
Minnesota River Valley and northern
Michigan (3.5-3.7
billion years), in
Swaziland (3.4-3.5
billion years), and in
Western Australia
(3.4-3.6 billion
years).
Sedona Gem & Mineral Club Newsletter - Page 8