Del Air Rockhounds Present............

June 2008 Mineral of the Month

Calcite

Found in most geologic settings and, in one form or another, as a later forming replacement mineral in many other environments . It is most common as a massive material in limestones and marbles. It forms as chemical sedimentary deposits in limestone and can be regionally metamorphosed into marbles. Calcite is also a common gangue mineral in hydrothermal deposits. Its crystals are rhombohedral and scalenohedral with combinations producing “nailhead” and “dogtooth” forms. Iceland Spar variety shows double refraction. Twinning is very common.

Its chemical properties are as follows:

Mineral Group......................Carbonates
Chemical formula................CaCO3
Specific Gravity...................2.71
Tenacity…………………….Brittle
Color......................................White, Yellow, Red, Orange, Blue, Green, Brown, and Grey
Hardness..............................3
Luster....................................Vitreous, Pearly
Transparency.....................Transparent to Translucent
Streak....................................White to Greyish
Cleavage..............................Perfect
Fracture...............................Subconchoidal

Del Airs Prove To Be Most Popular Once Again!!

The Del Air Rockhounds booth once again proved to be the most popular attraction at the Our Community Charter School's Spring Fair. The day was sunny and bright and not too hot with a nice cool breeze blowing all day long. Del Air members showed up in force to help man the booth. A big and hearty THANK YOU goes out to Bob & Maxine Dearborn, Julie & Oscar Marin, Hiro Matsuo, Len & Ethel Hellenthal, Jeff Dengrove, Bob Knox and Chris Ward. A very special THANK YOU goes out to Ben Fullon and Richard Quezada, two potential new Del Air members, who sacrificed their time to help us out on this event. Ben spent the entire day manning the "What Is It" table helping youngsters and grown-ups alike identify the many amazing rocks we had on display. Richard wasted no time getting down and dirty with the tile saw and in no time was quickly slicing open geodes like a pro. Their participation is greatly appreciated.


















As always, the "Spin-a-Wheel", manned by Ethel, Len and Hiro attracted quite a few people as well as the "Paint Your Own Dinosaur Claw" table expertly handled by Julie, Oscar and Maxine. Bob Knox lent a hand wherever and whenever it was needed. Myself, Jeff, Bob Dearborn and Richard worked the geode cutting table. We all had a blast and ended up raising a goodly amount of money for both the school and our club as well.

Del Airs to Appear at Woodland Hills Library

Hello to all Del Airs and Interested Guests!

It has been brought to my attention that the Del Air Education Team will be making a special presentation at the Woodland Hills Branch Library located at:

22200 Ventura Blvd
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
(818) 226-0017

The presentation is entitled: "REALLY? IT'S A DINOSAUR!"
Saturday May 17th, 2008 at 11:00 am

It it or isn't it a dinosaur? There are all kinds of fossils; only some are from dinosaurs.

Join the members of the Del Air Rockhounds as we teach how to identify dinosaur fossils. We will also offer aid in identifying rocks and fossils for those who choose to bring them along.

Please pass this information along to all your friends and family members and encourage them to show up and witness our outstanding education team in action. They truly are the best.