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HELL’S CANYON GEM CLUB Serving the Valley for

P.O. BOX 365 68 YEARS

LEWISTON, IDAHO 83501

PURPOSE OF HELLS CANYON GEM CLUB, INC. The purpose of this nonprofit, social club is to promote the rock hound hobby by providing opportunities for the collection, working and displaying

of gems and minerals, as well as educational programs in the field of geology.

MEETINGS: 2nd Friday of each month Business Meeting: 6:45 pm VISITORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME

Dues: Adult (per person) $15.00; Junior (under 18) Free with a responsible adult membership.

2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President Randy Squires 208-413-1806 2nd Year Trustee Ted Havens 509-780-2871

Vice President Jerry Northrup 208-743-6944 1st Year Trustee Jerry Lindstrom 208-582-2056

Secretary Lola Collinsworth 509-254-7482 1st Year Trustee Tom Blimka --

Treasurer Mary Lou Northrup 208-743-6944 Federation Director Jerry Northrup 208-743-6944 Past President Bruce Borgelt 208-935-0806 Federation Delegate Mary Lou Northrup 208-743-6944 2nd Year Trustee Barbra Jo Biggers 208-446-4184 WSMC Representative

HELLS CANYON WEBSITE: http://www.hellscanyongemclub.com WEBMASTER: Rick Westerholm: hcgemclub@yahoo.com

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--OUR MEETING PLACE--

To get to the meeting location for the Hells Canyon Club, go south on 15th Street in Clarkston. 15th turns into Scenic Way and goes up the hill. Scenic Way turns into Appleside Rd. Continue south on Appleside Rd to where it turns and becomes Reservoir Rd. The Grange Hall is located at 2220 Reservoir Rd, at the junction of Reservoir Rd, 6th Avenue and 22nd Street. Additional parking is available in the Church parking lot across 6th Avenue.

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Dec. minutes Hells Canyon Gem Club

• The Christmas party / meeting was great.

• There was an awesome show of 36 people attending.

• The food was very good as usual.

• The officers were installed for 2020

• President: Randy Squires

• Vice President: Jerry Northrup

• Treasurer: Mary Lou Northrup

• Secretary: Lola Collinsworth

• New First Year Trustee: Jerry Lindstrom

• New First Year Trustee: Tom Blimka

• A very good time had by all.

• HEADS UP +++ I STILL NEED QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMITTEE FOR THE LEASE OF THE GRANGE 1119 16TH AVE CLARKSTON WA. 99403

• Also, DUES ARE DUE THANK YOU =============================================================================

Quiz #1 What is Vesicular basalt?

Quiz #2 What is a solid solution mineral? Answers on last page

Gemstone Guide by Mineral & by County

Link to this page –gemstones

Information comes from Gemstones of Idaho written by Alice Allebaugh.

(this is apparently old and out of print, but will give you a starting place)

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Christmas in the Gold Fields by Gary Noy

Center for Sierra Nevada Studies

… it was always a day that the gold seekers remembered well.

The Holiday Season was always highly anticipated during the California Gold Rush years. The celebrations were pure mid-

19th Century Americana, but with a twist. The extraordinary nature of this worldwide event and the fact that many who

participated in the Gold Rush were young and far from home added to the intensity with which the holiday was celebrated.

In its earliest days, the Gold Rush was almost exclusively male and the sentiment was a mixture of homesickness and “boys

will be boys” revelry. Christmas in the gold fields could be a day of lonely reflection or frantic carousing, but it was always a

day that the gold seekers remembered well.

A Gold Rush Christmas was usually an unassuming, often spontaneous affair that consisted primarily of eating, drinking,

convivial companionship and entertainment. Although, in the mid-19th century, gift giving was becoming fashionable

primarily due to the popularity of the practice in the Victorian Royal Court, Christmas Gifts during the Gold Rush are rarely

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mentioned. However, if there were presents in the gold fields, they were practical in nature.

Knitted socks were always prized, as were scarves or mittens. In the towns where there were

children, little girls might receive homemade rag dolls and miniature quilts, while little boys

received tops or other wooden toys lovingly carved by their friends and family.

Presents and Parties

Often Christmas represented the only time when some people, both adults and children, received presents or had parties.

As a result, the holiday held an important place in the hearts, minds, and memories of 19th century folk.

There are many accounts of Christmas festivities in the gold fields - most modest, some complicated, but all heartfelt.

Andrew Hall Gilmore penned an example of a humble, hardworking holiday on Christmas Day 1851 in a letter to his

brother in Indiana:

Thursday night - 25th

Dear Brother,

"Christmas Gift to You." Oh, I wish that I could be at home today. I think we would have a Christmas party. We would

have the old gobbler roasted with a score of fat hens, pound cakes, pies, and lots of other good things. But the best of all

would be the pleasure of seeing you all. Probably if we live, we may be with you next Christmas.

I will tell you what kind of a day it has been and what we have been doing. It has been the most rainy day I believe that I

have ever seen in this country. As we had no invitations to any Christmas parties: and feeling no inclination to go on a

"bust", we thought we might spend the day as profitably by going down to our diggings and working like fine fellows, even if

it was Christmas and awful rainy at that. So Aaron and I encased ourselves in our waterproof suits and went to work. We

made $11.25 each, which was a tolerably good rainy day's work …

Christmas in Rich Bar

An elaborate Christmas (that was more a reward for perseverance than anything) was described by Louise Amelia Knapp

Smith Clappe in 1851. Better known as Dame Shirley, Clappe wrote a series of letters describing her life in the Gold Rush

community of Rich Bar, which was located in the Feather River Gorge. These letters are considered one of the best

eyewitness accounts of the California Gold Rush. Here, Dame Shirley recalls the “Saturnalia” of Christmas 1851:

The saturnalia commenced on Christmas evening, at the Humboldt [Saloon], which, on that very day, had passed into the

hands of new proprietors. The most gorgeous preparations were made for celebrating the two events. The bar was

retrimmed with red calico, the bowling-alley had a new lining of the coarsest and whitest cotton cloth, and the broken lamp-

shades were replaced by whole ones. All day long, patient mules could be seen descending the hill, bending beneath casks

of brandy and baskets of champagne, and, for the first time in the history of that celebrated building, the floor (wonderful to

relate, it has a floor) was washed. At nine o'clock in the evening they had an oyster-and-champagne supper in the

Humboldt, which was very gay with toasts, songs, speeches, etc. I believe that the company danced all night. At any rate,

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they were dancing when I went to sleep, and they were dancing when I woke the next morning. The revel was kept up in

this mad way for three days, growing wilder every hour.

Christmas Spree and the Christmas Nugget

Alfred Doten, well known chronicler of the Gold Rush, friend of Mark Twain, and widely renowned as a leading “reveler,”

described Christmas of 1853. In this account Doten found himself in Amador County, where he threw a “Christmas Spree”

which featured “a glorious game supper of fried deer tongue, liver, quails, and hares” washed downed with barrels of cognac

and accompanied by violin, flute, banjo, clarinet and accordion music.

But the most delightful Gold Rush Christmas story is that of the “Christmas Nugget” recounted in William P. Bennett’s 1893

memoir of the California Gold Rush entitled The First Baby in Camp.

On Christmas Day, 1849, Mrs. William George Wilson delivered a healthy, 12-pound boy at Canyon Creek, near

Georgetown. Soon a neighboring claim and the gold field grapevine had spread the tongue-in-cheek news that Bill Wilson

had struck it rich and found a twelve-pound nugget. Most took the news literally, however. “News of the big find spread

like wildfire up and down the canyon where hundreds of men were at work," wrote Bennett, "At once, there was a grand

rush to Bill Wilson's cabin. Every miner was anxious to see the 12-pound lump."

The Wilsons thoroughly enjoyed the moment and lined up the men at the cabin door. A few were let in at a time to view

the “nugget.”

"Each of the miners loved being had," Bennett recalled, "As each squad came out of the cabin, the men solemnly

asserted that the Wilson nugget was the finest ever seen."

For three more days, the joke continued throughout the area. Bennett wrote of miners who came from more than ten

miles away to see the giant “Christmas Nugget.”

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General types of fossil corals

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Yooperlites from Pebble beach, Marathon, Ontario

Yooperlites are an uncommon fine to coarse-grained gray igneous rock named syenite. It is composed mainly of alkali feldspar and ferromagnesian minerals such as hornblende. Yooperlites are very ordinary looking igneous but when exposed to long wave ultraviolet light they have a fluorescent mineral, a variety of sodalite, which glows orange.

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Mineral Resource of the Month: Gemstones

U.S. Geological Survey mineral commodity specialist Donald W. Olson

Gemstones have been treasured objects throughout history, often serving as symbols of power and status for rulers and the wealthy. Stones used in early jewelry-making include amber, amethyst, coral, diamond, emerald, garnet, jade, jasper, lapis lazuli, pearl, rock crystal, ruby, serpentine and turquoise. The term gemstone is used for any natural mineral (or synthetic substitute) used for personal adornment, display, or as an object of art because it possesses beauty, durability and rarity. Out of more than 4,000 known mineral species, only about 100 possess such attributes. Gemstones also include some materials not technically considered to be minerals, such as organic materials like amber, or materials derived from organic processes like pearl. Diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire are “precious” gemstones; the remaining gemstones are “semi-precious.” Silicates, including quartz, make up the largest group of gemstone minerals.

More than 60 varieties of gemstones have been produced from U.S. mines, but commercial gemstone mining has never been extensively undertaken. Most U.S. gemstone production has come from relatively small mining operations, or as a byproduct of mining other mineral commodities. In the United States, much of the current gemstone mining is conducted by collectors and hobbyists, rather than commercial outfits. Cultured, laboratory-created or synthetic gemstones have the same chemical, optical and physical properties as their natural counterparts. Overall, demand for gem-quality diamonds and precious colored gemstones is expected to rise. The United States is expected to continue dominating world gemstone consumption. For more information on gemstones and other mineral resources, visit minerals.usgs.gov/minerals.

GEMSTONE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION

• In 2014, the combined value of U.S. natural and synthetic gemstone production was $66.6 million.

• The estimated world production of gemstone-grade diamond was 74.1 million carats in 2014.

• In 2014, estimates suggested the U.S. market accounted for more than 35 percent of world diamond consumption.

Red beryl, also known as scarlet or red emerald, is one of the rarest gemstones in the world, selling for as much as $10,000 per carat.

Credit: ©Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0.

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FUN FACTS

• Diamond is the hardest gemstone; amber is the softest.

• Between 1972, when Crater of Diamonds opened as a dig-for-fee state park, and the end of 2014, a total of 6,294.20 carats of diamonds had been found by park visitors.

• Fossilized tree sap must be at least 30 million years old to be considered amber.

• Garnet necklaces dating from the Bronze Age have been found in graves, and garnet is found among the ornaments adorning the oldest Egyptian mummies.

• Although sapphire is commonly thought of as a blue gemstone, it can occur in many colors. In fact, sapphire and ruby are both gem-quality versions of the same mineral, corundum.

• There is no mineral called “jade.” Jade is either one of two different minerals, jadeite or nephrite. Jadeite is the more valuable of the two.

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Minerals and Their Corresponding Gemstone Names by Andrew Alden -- Updated May 26, 2019

When certain minerals compress under specific conditions, most often below the surface of the earth, a process occurs which forms a new compound known as a gemstone. Gemstones can be made of one or more minerals, and as a result, some minerals refer to more than one gemstone name.

In order to better understand the interaction between the two, reference the two charts below — the first details each gemstone and the minerals that combined to form it and the second lists each mineral and the gemstones it can produce.

For instance, Quartz can form Amethyst, Ametrine, Citrine, and Morion (and a few more) gemstones depending on which other minerals and elements compress together and at what depth in the earth's crust and temperature the compression occurs at.

How Gemstones Are Formed

Most gemstones are formed in either the crust or the very top layer of the earth's mantle in the molten magma bubbling in the depths of the world, but only peridot and diamonds are formed deep in the mantle. All gems, however, are mined in the crust, where they can cool to solidify in the crust, which is made up of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock.

Like the minerals that make up gemstones, some are associated with one kind of rock in particular while others have several types of rock that go into the creation of that stone. Igneous gemstones are formed when magma solidifies in the crust and crystallizes to form minerals then an increase in pressure starts a series of chemical exchanges which eventually cause the mineral to compress into a gemstone.

Igneous rock gemstones include amethyst, citrine, ametrine, emeralds, morganite, and aquamarine as well as garnet, moonstone, apatite, and even diamond and zircon.

Gemstones to Minerals

The following links to charts that serve as a translation guide between gemstones and minerals with each link going to photos of the gems and minerals: Gemstones and Minerals

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Scapolite

A name used for the solid-solution mineral pair of marialite and meionite.

Article by: Hobart M. King, Ph.D., RPG

Cat's-eye scapolite: Some scapolite has an internal silk that causes it to form a cat's-eye or a chatoyance. The stone on the left is a 10 x 7 millimeter oval with a very coarse silk. The silk can be seen in the stone as linear bands of black inclusions that cross the stone from left to right. The cat's-eye forms at right angles to the silk. In the stone on the right, the silk has just the right spacing to serve as a diffraction grating and produce a beautiful display of iridescent color. Both gems were cut from material produced in India.

What is Scapolite?

Scapolite is a name used for a group of aluminosilicate minerals that includes meionite, marialite, and silvialite. Meionite and marialite are end members of a solid solution series.

These minerals have very similar compositions, crystal structures, and physical properties. They cannot be easily distinguished from one another in the field or during hand specimen examination in a laboratory. The name "scapolite" is an accepted term that encompasses both minerals, and further classification into Marialite or Meionite is often not done unless the species determination is absolute. These minerals are found in small quantities in some metamorphic and igneous rocks.

Physical Properties of Scapolite

Scapolite has an appearance that is very similar to many feldspars. As a result, it can easily be overlooked in the field and during hand specimen examination in a laboratory.

Massive scapolite is found in regionally metamorphosed rocks such as marble, gneiss, and schist. These massive specimens often exhibit a wood-grain or fibrous texture which facilitates their identification. Well-formed, gem-quality, prismatic crystals with a square cross-section are sometimes found in marbles.

In metamorphosed igneous rocks, especially gabbro and basalt, scapolite often occurs as complete or partial replacements of the feldspar grains. Crystals of scapolite are sometimes found

Scapolite crystals of about 1 inch in length on matrix. Scapolite is one of a small number of minerals that have crystals with a square cross-section. These light

purple crystals were found in Pakistan.

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in pegmatites and rocks altered by contact metamorphism.

Scapolite minerals are easily attacked by weathering. They are some of the first minerals attacked in their host rocks and easily alter to micas and clay minerals. As weathering begins, the mineral grains lose their transparency, become opaque, and have a reduced hardness.

Faceted scapolite: Transparent scapolite can be cut into beautiful faceted gems that are often clear, yellow, pink, or purple in color. It is rarely seen in jewelry because it is not commonly available, and the public is unfamiliar with the gem. It has a hardness of only 5 to 6, which is soft for a ring stone.

Uses of Scapolite

Scapolite does not have a role as an industrial mineral. It is rarely found in mineable quantities and does not have a composition or physical properties that make it of industrial use.

The only use of scapolite is as a minor gemstone; however, in that use it can be beautiful and interesting. Yellow and pink transparent scapolite can be cut into very attractive gems like the yellow scapolite shown on this page. Some specimens contain tiny fibrous inclusions that produce a "silk" within the stone that reflects light to form a cat's-eye. A specimen with a coarse silk that forms both a cat's-eye and a diffraction grating is shown in the photo at the top of this page.

Most of the gem quality locations are found in the northeastern states or elsewhere in the world. However, Idaho has several areas that have fluorescent scapolite, among those are:

• mica mines near Avon

• outcrops and road cuts along the St Joe River as described in Reams Minerals of Idaho book

• near the Forest Service star garnet dig

• the Silver Valley should have lead carbonates and other things that glow LW

This stone is a 13 x 10 millimeter oval cut from material produced in India.

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2020 GEM SHOWS(Partial list, see--- http://northwestfederation.org

February 8 & 9

Sat. 9-5 Sun. 9-4

Whidbey Island Gem Club 55th

Annual “Sweetheart of Gem’s” Show

Oak Harbor Senior Center

51 SE Jerome Street Oak Harbor WA

Keith Ludemann 360 675 1837

rock9(at) whidbey.net

April 18 & 19 Sat. 10-5 Sun. 10-4

Lakeside Gem and Mineral

Annual Rock, Gem & Mineral

Show

Benton County

Fairgrounds 1500 South Oak Kennewick WA

Larry Hultrom

rockhound132@charter.net 509 308 8312

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Quiz #1 What is Vesicular basalt? Vesicular basalt is a dark-colored volcanic rock that

contains many small holes, more properly known as

vesicles. A vesicle is a small cavity in a volcanic rock that

was formed by the expansion of a bubble of gas that was

trapped inside the lava.

Quiz #2 What is a solid solution mineral?

Many mineral series form solid solutions. Many minerals are not restricted to a single chemical

composition, but instead can have a range of compositions. One way to think about this is to imagine a

line representing a range of paint colors, with black at one end, white at the other, and shades of gray in

between. If black is 100% and white is 0%, 90% would look nearly black, but 30% would be a pale grey.

Individual intermediary members may be given names, while others may not. An example is the Olivine

group. It contains Forsterite and Fayalite as the two end members. Very rarely are the Olivine members

pure; most are somewhere along the intermediary scale within the solid solution series, with a varying

percentage of Mg and Fe.

These variations in composition can be represented by a ternary diagram, which is commonly used by

geologists to graphically represent the compositions possible in minerals and rocks. Below is the ternary

diagram for Mg-Fe-Ca pyroxenes:

At the apex of the triangle is Ca -- the composition of that point on the

diagram is 100% Ca. At the lower left is Mg -- that point has a

composition of 100% Mg (enstatite). The same follows for the lower

right corner, with 100% Fe (ferrosilite). A point on the line between

Mg and Fe has a composition that includes Mg and Fe and has 0%

Ca; if the point is closer to Mg, then there is more Mg than Fe.

(Similarly, points along the other sides of the triangle are lacking in

either Mg or Fe.) If the point on the Mg-Fe join moves straight up

from the line towards Ca, then Ca is being added to the composition.

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The star in the middle of the diagram represents a composition that is 33.3%Mg, 33.3%Fe, and 33.3%Ca.

The diamond at lower left represents a composition that is 80%Mg, 18%Fe, and 2%Ca.

The compositions that would be in the upper half of the triangle are compositions that are not generally

found in nature, although the apex of the triangle represents a real, “pyroxenoid” mineral called

wollastonite.

Numerous silicate and non-silicate mineral series (e.g., olivine, amphibole, carbonate) exhibit solid

solution, and the cations they contain are not limited to Mg, Fe, and Ca. Cations such as Na, K, Mn, and

others also are common.