Just because the Del Airs do not have any regularly scheduled meetings during the month of August doesn't mean we have forgotten the Mineral of the Month!
This new club feature has proven to be such a hit each month that we have decided to do a double presentation at our September 4th 2008 meeting.
The featured mineral will be........'Quartz'.........in all its spectacular forms and brilliant colors and exotic crystal shapes. Amethyst, Citrine, Jasper, Agate, Chalcedony, etc, etc, etc,
There will be a double sided full color handout for all to take home. As always, we encourage all attendees to bring their most prized quartz specimens to the September 4th 2008 meeting to share with the club. Lets make this our biggest turnout yet.
So keep an eye on our blog. Coming soon.....to a PC or laptop near you.....
The August/September 2008 Mineral of the Month.....'Quartz'
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Annual Del Air Rockhounds Garage Sale and Grab Bag Stuffing Extravaganza
Attention all Del Air Members and Interested Guests:
First, the garage sale....
Just a heads up to let you all know we have tentatively scheduled our annual garage sale for Saturday September 20th 2008 starting @ 9:00 am to be held at Bob Backus's home. Should this change for any reason a new post will be sent to all.
If you have anything you'd like to donate to the sale or if you'd like to donate your time and help out during the sale please contact Bob Backus (his contact information can be found in the monthly bulletin) or you can e-mail me @ chris_ward678@yahoo.com and I will respond with the appropriate information.
All proceeds go to the Del Air Rockhounds and help to bring us closer to obtaining our own shop.
Second, the Grab Bag Stuffing Extravaganza.....
Bob and Maxine Dearborn will be hosting a grab bag stuffing at their home tentatively scheduled for Saturday November 8th 2008 at 10:00 am. Again, should this change a new post will be sent to all.
We have gone thru almost all of our inventory of grab bags. As you may or may not know, the grab bags are the number one selling item at our annual show as well as the many school fairs our club is involved with each year. Our show is quickly approaching and we need to replenish our stock. Should you care to volunteer your time, usually 2 or 3 hours, please contact Bob or Maxine (their contact information can also be found in the monthly bulletin ) or e-mail me at the above listed e-mail address and I will respond appropriately.
Thank you all in advance for your participation and support.
First, the garage sale....
Just a heads up to let you all know we have tentatively scheduled our annual garage sale for Saturday September 20th 2008 starting @ 9:00 am to be held at Bob Backus's home. Should this change for any reason a new post will be sent to all.
If you have anything you'd like to donate to the sale or if you'd like to donate your time and help out during the sale please contact Bob Backus (his contact information can be found in the monthly bulletin) or you can e-mail me @ chris_ward678@yahoo.com and I will respond with the appropriate information.
All proceeds go to the Del Air Rockhounds and help to bring us closer to obtaining our own shop.
Second, the Grab Bag Stuffing Extravaganza.....
Bob and Maxine Dearborn will be hosting a grab bag stuffing at their home tentatively scheduled for Saturday November 8th 2008 at 10:00 am. Again, should this change a new post will be sent to all.
We have gone thru almost all of our inventory of grab bags. As you may or may not know, the grab bags are the number one selling item at our annual show as well as the many school fairs our club is involved with each year. Our show is quickly approaching and we need to replenish our stock. Should you care to volunteer your time, usually 2 or 3 hours, please contact Bob or Maxine (their contact information can also be found in the monthly bulletin ) or e-mail me at the above listed e-mail address and I will respond appropriately.
Thank you all in advance for your participation and support.
Information On DEL AIR Education Team
The Del Air Rockhounds Club Presents............
"ROCKS IN YOUR CLASSROOM"
Del Air Rockhounds club members can visit your classroom with a presentation on geology and the earth sciences. Our education outreach committee offers a variety of classroom programs.
"ROCKS IN YOUR CLASSROOM"
Del Air Rockhounds club members can visit your classroom with a presentation on geology and the earth sciences. Our education outreach committee offers a variety of classroom programs.
- Introduction to Geology (4th grade curriculum) Interactive Discussion / Slide Show / Hands-on Specimens
- Introduction to Fossils (2nd grade curriculum) Interactive Discussion / Hands-on Specimens / Project Stations
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
2008 C.F.M.S. Show Report
Greetings to all Del Air members and interested guests!
It turned out to be a banner year for Del Air members at the 2008 C.F.M.S show at the Ventura County Fairgrounds this past weekend. Member Richard Haering took the Blue Ribbon First Place Award in the novice category for his exemplary display of Australian Metamorphic Rock.
Del Air's very own treasurer, Bob Knox, took First Place in the advanced fossils category and was awarded the Blue Ribbon and a plaque for his wonderful collection of Stromatolites.
And finally, your humble blogger himself, Chris Ward, took the First Place Blue Ribbon and a plaque for my dispaly of Fortification Agates.
We also displayed a Del Air Club Case at the show. The club cases were for display only and not in a judging category, but if they were, I bet we would have taken a First Place Blue Ribbon for this case as well.
The three of us attended the awards banquet on Saturday night after the show closed for the day. We had a delicious prime rib dinner with garden vegetables and roasted baby red potatoes with rosemary. Cheesecake and coffee was served for dessert and good time was had by all those in attendance. We made many new friends and got reaquainted with some old ones.
The weather was incredible with highs in the upper 70's and a cool and refreshing ocean breeze. Foot traffic was much improved over last years show in Lancaster. We volunteered to work in the kids booth on Sunday manning the Spin-a-Wheel, sand sifting for treasure, paint a fossil dinosaur bone and other fun games for the kids. We ran into Del Air members Bob and Maxine Dearborn who showed up on Saturday and also volunteered to work in the kids booth. We saw Jason Badgely, Oscar and Julie Marin and Bob, Leilani, and Jamie Backus as well.
Our heartfelt thanks to those who were able to come out and support the Del-Air's in their quest for victory. And a very special thank you to Bob Backus for his amazing carpentry work on the cases. It took a lot of planning and some good old fashioned knuckle busting to pull off four cases for this show but it was worth every effort and speaking on behalf of all three of us, we are already planning for next years C.F.M.S. show in San Jose. Del Air's ROCK!!
See you all at the July 10th meeting.
Chris, Richard and Bob
It turned out to be a banner year for Del Air members at the 2008 C.F.M.S show at the Ventura County Fairgrounds this past weekend. Member Richard Haering took the Blue Ribbon First Place Award in the novice category for his exemplary display of Australian Metamorphic Rock.
Del Air's very own treasurer, Bob Knox, took First Place in the advanced fossils category and was awarded the Blue Ribbon and a plaque for his wonderful collection of Stromatolites.
And finally, your humble blogger himself, Chris Ward, took the First Place Blue Ribbon and a plaque for my dispaly of Fortification Agates.
We also displayed a Del Air Club Case at the show. The club cases were for display only and not in a judging category, but if they were, I bet we would have taken a First Place Blue Ribbon for this case as well.
The three of us attended the awards banquet on Saturday night after the show closed for the day. We had a delicious prime rib dinner with garden vegetables and roasted baby red potatoes with rosemary. Cheesecake and coffee was served for dessert and good time was had by all those in attendance. We made many new friends and got reaquainted with some old ones.
The weather was incredible with highs in the upper 70's and a cool and refreshing ocean breeze. Foot traffic was much improved over last years show in Lancaster. We volunteered to work in the kids booth on Sunday manning the Spin-a-Wheel, sand sifting for treasure, paint a fossil dinosaur bone and other fun games for the kids. We ran into Del Air members Bob and Maxine Dearborn who showed up on Saturday and also volunteered to work in the kids booth. We saw Jason Badgely, Oscar and Julie Marin and Bob, Leilani, and Jamie Backus as well.
Our heartfelt thanks to those who were able to come out and support the Del-Air's in their quest for victory. And a very special thank you to Bob Backus for his amazing carpentry work on the cases. It took a lot of planning and some good old fashioned knuckle busting to pull off four cases for this show but it was worth every effort and speaking on behalf of all three of us, we are already planning for next years C.F.M.S. show in San Jose. Del Air's ROCK!!
See you all at the July 10th meeting.
Chris, Richard and Bob
July 2008 Mineral of the Month: Gypsum
July 2008 Mineral of the Month
Gypsum
Named in antiquity from the Greek word "gypsos," meaning plaster. It can be found as a massive material including the Alabaster variety and also as clear crystals in the Selenite variety. It can also form as a parallel fibrous growth known as the Satin Spar variety. Commonest of the sulphate minerals, gypsum is found in marine evaporates, in caves where the air is dry enough to allow it to be deposited and remain, at fumaroles, and, on occasion, in the oxidized zones of sulfide deposits.
Its chemical properties are as follows:
Crystal Structure…Monoclinic
Mineral Group...Sulfates
Chemical formula...Ca(SO4) . 2H2O
Specific Gravity...2.32
Tenacity…Brittle
Color...Colorless, White, Gray, Reddish, Greenish, Brownish, Yellowish
Hardness...2
Luster...Vitreous (Pearly on cleavage)
Transparency...Transparent to Opaque
Streak...White
Cleavage...Perfect
Fracture...Splintery
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