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.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Daily News Press Release on Del Air Education Team
Attn: Del Airs and Interested Guests,
Please scroll down for a press release that appeared in the Daily News on April 12, and was contributed by our very own Julie Marin. It's things like this that keeps our club in the community spotlight. (Great job Julie, you're the BOMB!!!!)
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This team is certainly not nearly as well known as the Dodgers, the Lakers or even the local high school teams. This team is the Del Air Rockhounds Education Team and it's all about education.
The six-member team, led by Maxine Dearborn, is fast becoming quite well known among teachers and students of second and fourth-grade classes in the Valley.
The Del Air Rockhounds Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Education Team members are volunteers who donate their time to introduce students to the beauty and wonder of rocks and their formation, as well as many types of fossils.
The students get to view up-close the many exhibits such as a tooth from a mammoth, a replica of a sabre-tooth cat and petrified dinosaur dung. They get to ask questions and have hands-on experiences they might not otherwise have.
In just three months (February-April), the team will have visited 15 public and private schools in the Valley, teaching the students about the earth sciences. By the end of April, team members will have spoken to more than 2,000 students.
Capistrano Street School PTA invited the team to present its program to the entire school. The team spoke to more than 400 students in two days and scored big with the grade-school audience.
The Del Air Rockhounds Club does not charge for the school presentations, however, donations are gratefully accepted. A recent donation enabled the team to purchase several magnifying glasses for the students to use, making the exhibit an even more hands-on experience for future classes.
Anyone interested in learning more about the club is invited to attend a meeting at 7:30 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the United Methodist Church of Northridge, 9650 Reseda Blvd, Northridge CA.
Please visit www.delairrockhounds.blogspot.com or e-mail DelAirRockhounds@gmail.com.
Please scroll down for a press release that appeared in the Daily News on April 12, and was contributed by our very own Julie Marin. It's things like this that keeps our club in the community spotlight. (Great job Julie, you're the BOMB!!!!)
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"Jim Van Winkle and Dick Flaharty give hands-on instruction to students at Capistrano Street Elementary School."
Provided by: Julia Marin
Provided by: Julia Marin
This team is certainly not nearly as well known as the Dodgers, the Lakers or even the local high school teams. This team is the Del Air Rockhounds Education Team and it's all about education.
The six-member team, led by Maxine Dearborn, is fast becoming quite well known among teachers and students of second and fourth-grade classes in the Valley.
The Del Air Rockhounds Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Education Team members are volunteers who donate their time to introduce students to the beauty and wonder of rocks and their formation, as well as many types of fossils.
The students get to view up-close the many exhibits such as a tooth from a mammoth, a replica of a sabre-tooth cat and petrified dinosaur dung. They get to ask questions and have hands-on experiences they might not otherwise have.
In just three months (February-April), the team will have visited 15 public and private schools in the Valley, teaching the students about the earth sciences. By the end of April, team members will have spoken to more than 2,000 students.
Capistrano Street School PTA invited the team to present its program to the entire school. The team spoke to more than 400 students in two days and scored big with the grade-school audience.
The Del Air Rockhounds Club does not charge for the school presentations, however, donations are gratefully accepted. A recent donation enabled the team to purchase several magnifying glasses for the students to use, making the exhibit an even more hands-on experience for future classes.
Anyone interested in learning more about the club is invited to attend a meeting at 7:30 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the United Methodist Church of Northridge, 9650 Reseda Blvd, Northridge CA.
Please visit www.delairrockhounds.blogspot.com or e-mail DelAirRockhounds@gmail.com.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Del Air Rockhounds Spring School Fair Booth
Hello Again All Del Airs & Interested Guests,
Announcing: The Del Air Rockhounds Booth at the Our Community Charter School Spring Fair.
Date: April 26th 2008
Time: 9:30 am to 2:00 pm (set-up starts @ 9:00am)
Where: Our Community Charter School
16514 Nordhoff St.
North Hills, CA 91343
This is a school fair our club has been attending for the past 5 to 6 years now and they want us back again this year! We set up our booth and talk to kids and their parents about our hobby. We set up an educational table with touch and feel exhibits. We run our ever popular Spin-a-Wheel game, sell grab bags and cut geodes.
We will need a minmum of 6 members at all times to run this booth. This event proves to be very good for our treasury. It is also a lot of fun and as an added extra bonus it allows us to spread the word and spark an interest in rocks and minerals to the many people who will be visiting our booth. We are by far the most popular booth at this event each and every year.
As a special note to potential new members, this would be the perfect event to volunteer for as your participation is taken into account when the club members vote on new member acceptance. If you can spare the time just show up at the school at 9:00 am on Saturday April 26th and we'll find something for you to do.
Announcing: The Del Air Rockhounds Booth at the Our Community Charter School Spring Fair.
Date: April 26th 2008
Time: 9:30 am to 2:00 pm (set-up starts @ 9:00am)
Where: Our Community Charter School
16514 Nordhoff St.
North Hills, CA 91343
This is a school fair our club has been attending for the past 5 to 6 years now and they want us back again this year! We set up our booth and talk to kids and their parents about our hobby. We set up an educational table with touch and feel exhibits. We run our ever popular Spin-a-Wheel game, sell grab bags and cut geodes.
We will need a minmum of 6 members at all times to run this booth. This event proves to be very good for our treasury. It is also a lot of fun and as an added extra bonus it allows us to spread the word and spark an interest in rocks and minerals to the many people who will be visiting our booth. We are by far the most popular booth at this event each and every year.
As a special note to potential new members, this would be the perfect event to volunteer for as your participation is taken into account when the club members vote on new member acceptance. If you can spare the time just show up at the school at 9:00 am on Saturday April 26th and we'll find something for you to do.
May 2008 Mineral of the Month 'Fluorite'
May 2008 Mineral of the Month 
Fluorite
From the Latin word ‘fluere” meaning ‘to flow’. The crystals formed by this mineral are cubic and octahedral in shape and are often twinned. Fluorite may also form in massive, granular and compact habits. It occurs in a great variety of colors, ranging from purple, green, colorless, white and yellow to pink, red, blue and even black. Fluorite forms in hydrothermal veins, especially those containing lead and zinc and also around
Its chemical properties are as follows:
Mineral Group.....................Halides
Chemical formula..............CaF2
Specific Gravity..................3.1 to 3.3
Tenacity…………………...Brittle
Color.....................................Multiple
Hardness.............................4
Luster...................................Vitreous
Transparency....................Transparent to Translucent
Streak..................................White
Cleavage.............................Perfect Octahedral
Fracture...............................Conchoidal
Friday, March 28, 2008
Del Air's new "Mineral of the Month" feature.
The Del Air Rockhounds Club is proud to present to it's members and all interested guests, a brand new feature of the club.....Drum roll please........."The Del Air Mineral of the Month". Beginning in April of this year, we will be presenting a different featured mineral each month. A detailed description along with photos will be presented here on your blog as well as in the bulletin each month. There will also be a brief educational presentation at each months general meeting along with a color handout detailing the featured mineral. All members and guests are encouraged to bring specimens of the featured mineral from their own collections in order to help demonstrate visual differences such as shape, color, crystal structure and so on. (Don't worry....you won't have to speak in front of the crowd if you bring in a specimen....unless, of course you want to.) So make sure you read your bulletins and check out the blog each month so you will be able to bring in your versions of the featured mineral. The write up was not completed in time to make it into the April bulletin so I will e-mail the blog to all members. Bob Dearborn has already given you all a brief heads-up via e-mail.
So without further ado.....Del Air Rockhounds Club proudly presents our very first "Mineral of the Month" for April 2008
"P Y R I T E"
Named in antiquity from the Greek word "pyros" meaning "fire" because of the sparks coming from it when struck with another mineral or metal object. Pyrite is a very common mineral, found in a wide variety of geologic formations, from sedimentary deposits to hydrothermal veins and as a constituent of many metamorphic rocks. Commonly called "fool's gold" due its brassy-yellow color but it is much less dense (lighter) but harder than gold and cannot be scratched by a fingernail or knife. This mineral forms as cubic, pyritohedral, or octahedral crystals. Twinning is common. The crystal faces are striated. Pyrite can be massive, granular, reniform, stalactitic, botryoidal and modular. Fine crystals often occur with sphalerite and other sulfides.
Its chemical properties are as follows:
Mineral Group......................Sulfides
Chemical formula................FeS2
Crystal system.....................Isometric
Color....................................Brassy-yellow
Hardness.............................6 to 6 &1/2
Luster...................................Metallic
Transparency......................Opaque
Streak..................................Greenish-black
Tenacity...............................Brittle
Cleavage.............................Poor/indistinct
Fracture...............................Irregular/uneven, conchoidal
So without further ado.....Del Air Rockhounds Club proudly presents our very first "Mineral of the Month" for April 2008
Named in antiquity from the Greek word "pyros" meaning "fire" because of the sparks coming from it when struck with another mineral or metal object. Pyrite is a very common mineral, found in a wide variety of geologic formations, from sedimentary deposits to hydrothermal veins and as a constituent of many metamorphic rocks. Commonly called "fool's gold" due its brassy-yellow color but it is much less dense (lighter) but harder than gold and cannot be scratched by a fingernail or knife. This mineral forms as cubic, pyritohedral, or octahedral crystals. Twinning is common. The crystal faces are striated. Pyrite can be massive, granular, reniform, stalactitic, botryoidal and modular. Fine crystals often occur with sphalerite and other sulfides.Its chemical properties are as follows:
Mineral Group......................Sulfides
Crystal system.....................Isometric
Color....................................Brassy-yellow
Hardness.............................6 to 6 &1/2
Luster...................................Metallic
Transparency......................Opaque
Streak..................................Greenish-black
Tenacity...............................Brittle
Cleavage.............................Poor/indistinct
Fracture...............................Irregular/uneven, conchoidal
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