General Meeting. Please join us for our May meeting! Carl Ziglin, VP of Programs

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1 The Georgia Mineral Society *Atlanta, Georgia* Volume XXXIX/Five May 2010 General Meeting 7:30 PM Monday, May 3, 2010 Chamblee Library 4115 Clairmont Road Atlanta, GA The May Meeting: What are Crystals and Why do they Look That Way Our own Dr. Dave Babulski will show us a PowerPoint presentation (plus props!!) as he investigates the 7 crystal systems and 32 crystal classes; and more importantly, explains what does all that mean? Dave will attempt to explain some of the crystallographic terms that mineral collectors hear about but may not fully understand. Hopefully everyone will come away from the presentation with a better understanding of just what a mineral crystal is and why it looks the way it does. Please join us for our May meeting! Carl Ziglin, VP of Programs The above diagrams are from the Micromount Corner of the September 2009 Tips and Trips

2 Page 2 Tips and Trips The Georgia Mineral Society May 2010 The Georgia Mineral Society, Inc. A Non-Profit Educational Organization Seventy Years of Tradition Objective and Purpose To Educate the Youth of the State and the Members of this Society In the Field of Earth Science AFMS Education - All American Club 2003 President Bill Waggener 1909 Moores Mill Road Atlanta, Georgia president@gamineral.org Executive Vice President Lizabeth McClain 4000 Lindley Circle Powder Springs, GA membership@gamineral.org Vice President Carl Ziglin 995 Laurel Mill Dr. Roswell, GA programs@gamineral.org Secretary Mary Porter 196 High Creek Drive Roswell, GA Treasurer Richard Graveline 2223 Chaparral Drive Snellville, GA treasurer@gamineral.org Gem Section Chair Carl Ziglin 995 Laurel Mill Dr. Roswell, GA gems@gamineral.org Mineral Section Chair Anita Westlake 1253 Spencer Drive East Point, GA Fossil Section Chair Martha Brown 4837 Greenway Road Norcross, GA fossils@gamineral.org Junior Section Chair Roxanne Lopez 2550 Cumberland Blvd #504 Smyrna, GA juniors@gamineral.org Micromount Section Chair Dave Babulski 2677 Colony Circle Snellville, GA micromount@gamineral.org Immediate Past President Bill Waggener 1909 Moores Mill Road Atlanta, Georgia Trustee to 2010 Marcella Wood 3764 Briarcliff Road, NE Atlanta, GA Committee Chairs Adopt-A-Highway Ginger Peterson Assets/Equipment Jay Gorday Awards Carl Ziglin Building John Trimble Curator/Gem Box Kim Cochran Facilities Open to Volunteers Historian Roxanne Lopez Hospitality Margaret Ronan Librarian Richard Graveline Parliamentarian Frank Decaminada Refreshments Trustee to 2011 Anita Westlake 1253 Spencer Drive East Point, GA Kim Prakash & Nancy Marden Special Events Kim Cochran Sunshine Linda Batcha Telephone George Libby SFMS Rep. Frank Decaminada Trustee to 2012 Eva Ostrofsky 1402 Arbor Lake Court Hoschton, GA May Show Chair Kim Cochran 2695 Van Court Snellville, GA GENERAL MEETINGS Tips & Trips Editor Tom Batcha 2300 Oakland Chase ct Lawrenceville,GA newsletter@gamineral.org Webmaster Jim Flora P.O. Box 605 Hiawassee, GA webmaster@gamineral.org The article submittal due date for the June 2010 newsletter is May 10, General meetings are held on the first Monday of each month. In the event that the first Monday is a holiday and/or the facilities are not available, the meeting will be held on the third Monday of the month. General meetings are currently held at the Chamblee Branch of the DeKalb County Library System. Any deviations from the above schedule will be announced in Tips and Trips. The Georgia Mineral Society on the Internet: Early Notification Program: A field trip and club news update service. To join, members are requested to send in their current address to: gms@gamineral.org. Field Trip Chair George Libby 1730 Rhett Butler Dr. Lilburn, GA fieldtrips@gamineral.org Education Chair Bill Waggener 1909 Moores Mill Road Atlanta, Georgia education@gamineral.org May Show Committee Chairs Show Chair Kim Cochran Dealer Chair Anita Westlake Exhibits Tom Batcha Demonstrations John Trimble Hospitality Richard Graveline Treasurer John Trimble Advertising Jay Gorday Dealer Dinner Ginger Peterson Database Mary Porter Auction Kim Cochran Set Up/Take Down Jay Gorday Announcements for educational publications, continuing education classes, and shows or exhibits are provided in Tips and Trips as a service to GMS members. Appearance of the above in Tips and Trips does not constitute an endorsement by GMS.

3 Tips and Trips Page 3 May 2010 The Georgia Mineral Society April 5, 2010 GMS General Meeting Minutes The meeting was called to order at 7:36 PM by President Bill Waggener at the Chamblee Library. Approximately 34 people were present. SPEAKER With Carl absent, Bill introduced Anita Westlake as the speaker of the evening. Anita talked about meteorite stories and showed off some of her specimens. Kim Cochran presented Anita with sapphires from Montana in appreciation of her talk. COMMITTEE REPORTS (8:25) Lizabeth McClain VP Membership we have members. She will take renewals if you have them. Programs Dave Babulski will speak next month and we will talk about the show. Mary Porter - Secretary minutes from the March meeting were available. Martha Brown motioned to dispense with reading of minutes, seconded by Roxanne Lopez; the motion was passed. Richard Graveline Treasurer provided month end balances. He also announced the there is a signup sheet available for the show hospitality table. Gem Section the next meeting is April 27th at Richard Graveline s house; the topic will be man-made gems. Please RSVP for dinner. Anita Westlake Mineral Section the next meeting will be on May 19th at Anita s house; Julian Gray will speak about sulfides and sulfosalts. Dinner will be at 6:30, be sure to RSVP. Library Bill thanked both Richard Graveline for taking over the GMS library, and Julian Gray for having kept it. Martha Brown Fossil Section next meeting is April 19 th at Martha s home. They will have a review of insects. Roxanne Lopez Jr. Section one junior with a parent showed up at Sweetwater Creek State Park this past Saturday. The next trip will be May 9 th at Panola Mountain State Park. She also announced that Carolyn Daniels is looking for volunteers to help with the State Science Olympiad. Micro-Mount Section the next meeting is April 22 nd at Brookwood High School. Tom Batcha Tips & Trips Tom had nothing new regarding the newsletter. He thanked those who have contributed articles and provided information regarding the rules of the SFMS article contest. Sunshine John Trimble has had some blood vessels rupture; he is okay but needs to take it easy for a while. Let Linda know of any news. George Libby Field Trips there is a DMC trip to Hogg Mine on April 17 th, and a GMS trip to the Vulcan mine on April 24 th. On May 8 th there is a trip to the Thermal City Gold Mine. Bill Waggener asked that if you know of new sites to collect, please let George know. Kim Cochran Show there are currently 4 dealer vacancies to fill, 2 of them are 7 table booths; please tell Anita if you know a dealer that wishes to participate. Tom Batcha announced that exhibits are almost full; let him know if you wish to have a display case. Kim announced that more demos are needed and gave suggestions. Richard Graveline has a sign-up sheet for hospitality. Roxanne Lopez will be handling the dealer dinner since Ginger will be in Africa; Roxanne has a sign-up sheet. Kim said that the newsletter mentioned that postcards have been mailed, but that was incorrect; they will be going out soon. Jay Gorday is working on advertising. The grab bag stuffing will be at Kim s on April 25 th ; please bring a table it you have one. We should have close to 1000 bags to stuff; Eva has 700 sewn and there should be another 100 from the sewing party. Kim has turned in the floor plan and applied for the business license; we should have the certificate of insurance from SFMS in the next week or two. The trailer will be loaded at Kim s house Wednesday at 7:00 and unloaded for setup on Thursday at 10:00; volunteers will be needed load the trailer Sunday after the show, and to unload at Kim s house on Monday. Show fliers are available and Bill suggested taking them to stores or restaurants that you go to and ask the manager if you can leave some there. Web Master Bill asked that if you see any incorrect information or links on our website, to please let Jim Flora know. Bill Waggener Education mini grant applications for the next school year will be available in June. Anita Westlake, John Iacullo, and Kim Cochran have recently spoken to groups. Adopt A Highway the next event will be on April 17 th at 10:00 AM; Pam Martin will be taking over since Ginger will be in Africa. Building Committee Bill said that someone told him that we should just make an offer on any commercial real estate that we investigate; with the way the economy is, we may be able to get a great deal. Please be on the lookout for property; details of what we are looking for have been published in the newsletter. Pass any information on to John Trimble and he will contact the broker. Refreshments Nancy brought the drinks and paper product but could not stay for the meeting. Margaret Ronan announced that refreshments were provided by Lizabeth and Mickey McClain. Lizabeth stated that her husband had nothing to do with it since he is on vacation at that river and she is stuck at home working. Richard Graveline, Roxanne Lopez, and Marcella Wood also contributed. Kim Cochran Special Events the picnic will be held on June 19 th. The pavilion will be taped off to prevent any non-members from walking through since we are liable. Frank Decaminada SFMS the next meeting is in Charleston, SC on April 30 th and May 1 st. (Continued on Page 4)

4 Page 4 Tips and Trips The Georgia Mineral Society May 2010 Meeting Minutes (continued) ANNOUNCEMENTS Anita Westlake is taking stamps if anyone has them. Julian Gray Tellus will host Rockfest June 12-13; he has fliers here and needs volunteers for the event. There will be a Family Science Night on April 22 nd, Astronomy Night on April 23 rd, and April 24 th is National Astronomy Day. Tellus may be acquiring an x-ray refraction machine for mineral identification. The GA Capital Museum collection that was donated to Tellus is being sorted through for new display pieces. Anita Westlake Tom Bopp will be speaking on April 11 th at an event co-sponsored by the Fernbank Museum and the Georgia Meteorite Association. Frank Decaminada announced that an article by Julian Gray is featured in The Loadstar. NEW BUSINESS Bill Waggener the nominating committee for the June elections is announced in April and consists of two board members and three general members. This year s committee is as follows: Eva Ostrofsky (chairperson), Richard Graveline, Lawrence Parker, Elizabeth Lamb, and Bob Jarrett. They will announce the selected slate of nominees in May for the executive board, and nominations will also be taken from the floor at the picnic. Bill asked that you please say yes if asked to be nominated. DOOR PRIZES Margaret Ronan thanked everyone who brought door prizes and called numbers. President Message My children s mother was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday for stage 2 cirrhosis of the liver. She has on file a living will that forbids life support systems including feeding tubes. After 9 days of fluid IVs only and no eating or drinking, she can t move her hands, arms or legs. Plans for home care hospice have been cancelled due to lack of strength. The children went to see her (in another state), came home and have returned to be with her. Chronic alcoholism has finally destroyed her future. It makes me mad to think of the wasted years and heartaches resulting from denial, alcoholism and codependency. I am not mad at her but rather at her illness. Our children have watched and understood much more than she ever admitted. Our grandchild never really had the opportunity to know her well (pun intended). And I have not been part of her life for almost 18 years. I do not mourn for lost time or opportunities. I have been married again and enjoy my children and grandchild at every opportunity. I feel sadness for the hurts and adjustments necessary to continue a full life. I feel sorry for all those other families who have gone through this nightmare and will go through this nightmare. As I finish this therapeutic missive, I hope that you do not have to deal with diseases and more. If you do, may you be blessed with strength to support those in need and the wisdom to make the best possible decisions. A motion was made to adjourn meeting at 9:11 PM. It was seconded, and unanimously approved. Graciously submitted, Mary Porter, Secretary Membership Georgia Mineral Society would like to welcome the following new members: Margi Johnson and Ryan Patneaude of Atlanta, GA; Mike and Kathy Nagel of Snellville, GA; Dawn and Bill Shearin of Travelers Rest, SC; and Jay and Maxine Troxel of Austell, GA. Please introduce yourselves to them when you meet them. Respectfully submitted, Bill Fossil Section News Thank you to the members who take the time to join us. We will not have a meeting in May. The next meeting will be June 21, Kim Cochran is going to talk about the periods, epochs and divisions of the Geological Time Scale. Our current members are renewing at a steady pace. I appreciate your promptly letting me know of any changes to information. Let s keep it up! You may me at mgm5258@netzero.net or call me at Happy rockhounding! Lizabeth McClain Executive Vice President Thank you. Martha S. Brown - 770/

5 Tips and Trips Page 5 May 2010 The Georgia Mineral Society Even though we have paid security, we need people to walk around and observe as extra security. Our members have identified shoplifters in the past. If you are certain that you have observed a theft, contact the show chair or security. Do not confront this person. It takes a great deal of work preparing for our show. It takes even more work in seeing that the show operates smoothly and is successful. Funds from the show go towards our operating expenses, they go toward our mini-grant program, and they go toward our building fund. When we finally get our own building funds invested from our shows will purchase the building and provide additional funds to operate. It s Showtime We have over 35 dealers lined up with a good mixture of fossils, beads, and jewelry. We had a great response from members wishing to exhibit. There is a variety of demonstrations lined up. We have stuffed closed to 1000 grab bags. Our show dates have been published in rock and mineral magazines as well as local newspapers. Our postcards have arrived at over 7000 addresses. It sounds as if we are now ready for the show. Not so fast, there is still much to be done. Wednesday May 5 th 7:00 PM Kim s House loading material from the sheds into the trailer Thursday May 6 th 10:00 AM Show setup at the Cobb Civic Center Sunday May 9 th 5:00 PM Takedown at the Cobb Civic Center We have several people lined up for this but the more the merrier. We need people to work at the hospitality table. These folks will welcome visitors, get them to fill out door prize slips, answer questions and sell grab bags. We will need people to bring food for the dealer dinner. The food needs to be at the Civic Center by 5:00 PM. We need people to prepare for the dinner as well as for cleanup afterward. I will need a few people at 11:00 AM on Saturday May 8 th to assist in setting up for the auction which will take place at 1:00 PM. You are a member of GMS. This is your show. By helping out you will become closer to fellow members and much of the work is actually fun. Please support our show. Thank You, Kim GMS May Show Hospitality Table Looking for some smiling faces to greet the visitors, have them fill out the door prize slips and answer any questions about GMS Membership. Two to three names are needed for each hour. Friday Saturday 10-6 and Sunday Contact Richard Graveline at abcg@bellsouth.net or (770) Mineral Section MAY 19: SULFIDES & SULFOSALTS Host and Speaker: Julian Gray 524 Robin Lane; Marietta, GA Please RSVP if you are plan to attend Mineral Section Schedule: JULY 21: CAVE MINERALS Host needed. Speaker: Anita Sep 15: Igneous, Metamorphic, Sedimentary, OH MY! Host and speaker needed NOV 17: CARBONATES AND SILICATES Host and speaker needed Thanks for your interest and support. Please call or me if you can host or wish to speak on one of these topics. Anita Westlake

6 Page 6 Tips and Trips The Georgia Mineral Society May 2010 May 2010 Birthdays 5/01 Joe Chunn 5/01 Cheryl Cornell 5/01 Samuel Heetderks 5/02 Aidan Lamb 5/02 Theresa Pfiel 5/03 Sean Borders 5/03 Richard Tripp 5/05 Rick Nehrling 5/06 Jose Munoz 5/08 Mickey McClain 5/08 Russell Plunkett 5/09 Chris Wisnieski 5/20 Jo Heetderks 5/10 Danny Bholat 5/20 Robin Jones 5/10 Taylor Cecil 5/21 Mike Nagel 5/10 Morgan Mallory 5/22 Tina Alexander 5/10 Sandy Williamson 5/22 John Erler 5/11 George Eia 5/22 Reagan Hottenstein 5/13 Johnny Herbert 5/23 Keith Wilson 5/14 Jordan Cumbey 5/24 Janet Horton 5/14 Nancy Fritz 5/25 Caroline Poole 5/15 John Gruber 5/26 Thomas Folger 5/16 Larry Davis 5/27 Susan Parry 5/17 Alex Burton 5/28 Jay Batcha 5/17 Robin Crawford 5/28 Thomas Gore 5/18 Shar Mallory 5/28 Ron Holt 5/18 Vicki Wisnieski 5/28 Ryan Patneaude 5/19 George Applewhite 5/29 Matthew Jordan 5/19 Mechelle Armour 5/30 Jeff Loman 5/19 Philip Lind 5/31 Cody Summerlin Sunshine News Karen Babulski was hospitalized earlier this month and later released but continues to have medical problems. Please remember to keep her in your prayers. Life time member Dot Durden has passed away and funeral services were held on Wednesday April 28th in Powder Springs. Remember her family in your prayers. As always let me know when you have any news for the Sunshine. Linda Batcha, Sunshine Chair Gem Section Join me on a guided hike departing from Panola's nature center and are for people in good physical condition. This hike allows visitors to see Panola Mountain up close, as a ranger explains why the mountain is protected and what we can do to preserve granite outcrops. Bring sturdy shoes, water, bug spray and your camera. Rain or shine. Meeting at the nature center. We recommend arriving 30 minutes before each program. Junior Section May 9 th Sunday, 2 p.m. No Meeting in June Register in advance. $7 plus $5 parking Panola Mountain State Park 2600 Ga. Hwy. 155, SW Stockbridge, GA Directions: Located 18 miles southeast of Atlanta on Ga. Hwy. 155 via 120 exit #68. For any questions and let me know you are coming, call Last month s trip to Sweetwater Creek was very interesting. John Johnston lead about 40 kids and adults on a geology walk throughout the park. Ian Sisk and his father were able to meet up with me and take the hike. Due to Memorial Day, there will not be a Gem Section meeting in May. Carl Ziglin, Gem Section Chair Roxanne Lopez Junior Chair

7 Tips and Trips Page 7 May 2010 The Georgia Mineral Society THE MICROMOUNT CORNER Gillardite Dr. David Babulski Greetings everyone; this month we will examine one of the rare minerals from Western Australia. The mineral species is Gillardite; which is a copper nickel chloride hexahydrate with the chemical formula of: Cu 3 NiCl 2 (OH) 6. The type locality for this rare mineral is the 132 North Mine, Widgiemooltha, Western Auastralia. The 132 North Mine is an open pit nickel mine located 4 km south-west of Widigiemoothla and 80 km south of Kalgoorlie. Gillardite is a relatively new mineral species having been approved in The mineral is named for Professor D. Gillard in recognition of his contributions to the field of inorganic chemistry. I obtained some specimens form a micromounter friend who lives in Western Australia. In terms of physical properties, Gillardite is dark green in color and is transparent (Very pretty crystals in the microscope). The mineral crystallizes as numerous individual crystals or clusters of crystals. Some of the crystal clusters I have observed are in the form of rosettes. Gillardite crystallizes in the Trigonal system, Rhombohedral class and manifests as triangular shaped crystals. The mineral is relatively soft with a hardness of only 3 so care must be exercised when handling the specimens. The specimens I have also feature another rare mineral, Hydrohonessite which is a nickel, iron sulfate hydroxide septa hydrate with the chemical formula of Ni 6 Fe 2 (SO 4 )(OH) 16 7(H 2 O). This mineral is named for Arthur P. Honess ( ), Pennsylvania State University. Individual crystals are indistinguishable usually forming large masses of rounded nodules. This mineral crystallizes in the hexagonal system with the crystal class undetermined at this time. In terms of physical properties hydrohonessite is yellow to yellow-green in color, opaque and very soft with a harness of only Shown below are some photomicrographs of Gillardite on Hydrohonessite from the 132 North Mine in Western Australia. These photomicrographs are all at a magnification of 60X. Figure 1 A gemmy single crystal of Gillardite on Hydrohonessite. Figure 2 This is a drawing of the crystal in Figure 1 Note that these are very rare minerals. I have found only a couple of mineral dealers with these minerals for sale and then at a princely price. They are very attractive specimens and will make a valuable addition to any micromount collection. Until next time may all your skies be blue and all your vugs crystal filled. Figure 3 Dark green Gillardite on yellow Hydrohonessite Micromount Section News There will not be a meeting scheduled for May.

8 Page 8 Tips and Trips The Georgia Mineral Society May 2010 The Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc DMC Program of the SFMS Field Trip Committee An Official Field Trip Hosted by the Columbia Gem and Mineral Society, Inc. An Official Field Trip of the GEORGIA MINERAL SOCIETY 9:00 AM, Saturday May 8, 2010 Thermal City Gold Mine Union Mills, North Carolina FEE AREA The Columbia Gem and Mineral Society, Inc. would like to extend an invitation to fellow DMC clubs to join us panning for gold at a genuine placer mining site in Rutherford County, NC. Thermal City Gold Mine consists of a one mile section of the Second Broad River and about 80 acres of Placer Gravel Deposits, having one of seven veins from the mountain supplying it. Panning material is brought from the river by backhoe for you to pan. The gravel is not enhanced or enriched. The gold found in the natural state; right where nature deposited it. Gold is found as flakes and maybe small nuggets. Ample shade, parking and instruction in panning are always available when needed. FEE AREA: The fee is $5.00 to pan all day. The fee is $40.00 for a front-end load. CHILDREN: Children under adult supervision are welcome. PETS: Pets are allowed on a leash. COLLECTING: We will be collecting gold. DIRECTIONS FROM ASHVILLE, NC: From Ashville take I- 40 east to exit # 85 (Marion/Rutherford); proceed south on US-221 for 8.5 miles to the Rutherford County line; the entrance to the mine is on the left (look for signs along the way). The mine address is: 5240 US-221 N Hwy, Union Mills, NC Travel Time should be about one hour from Ashville. DIRECTIONS FROM COLUMBIA, SC: Take I-26 West into North Carolina; Take exit 67 towards US-74 E/Columbus/ Tryon; merge onto US-74 E; take the NC-108 exit, EXIT 163 towards Columbus/Mill Spring; turn left onto NC-108; Turn right onto NC-108/S Ridgecrest Ave. continue to NC- 108; Turn right onto US-74 BR/NC-108/N Washington Street; Turn left onto US-221/N Main Street continue to follow US-221. Look for signs. If you go into McDowell County you have gone too far. The mine address is: 5240 US-221 N Hwy, Union Mills, NC Travel time from Columbia should be about 2.5 hours. WHERE TO MEET: We will meet at the mine at 9:00 AM. CONTACT: Allen Gibbs at allenisgibbs@pbtcomm.net or "Field trips are open to all members of associated clubs of the DMC program of the SFMS Field Trip Committee and to all members of SFMS member clubs who have provided their membership with SFMS liability insurance. Because of insurance requirements, members of the GENERAL PUBLIC are NOT invited on this or any DMC program field trips!" DMC Program / SFMS Field Trip committee's purpose: To collect field trip information from it's member societies; schedule and coordinate field trip dates; disseminate field trip information to all member clubs so that each member society may publish this information as one of their "official" scheduled field trips. WHAT TO BRING: Shovels and pans are furnished or you can bring your own. Other equipment is available for rent or purchase. For additional information on the site, including details about a front-end Road or overnight stay contact the mine at or visit the website at HISTORY: This is an unsalted site and many people have had success finding gold here. The mine s aim is to provide an authentic experience. This mine is located on the actual site of the earliest placers of Rutherford County. It opened in 1839 and has produced gold ever since then. SPECIAL CONDITIONS: Camping facilities with full hookups to primitive are available on a first come first serve basis. Call No drugs, alcohol or fire arms are allowed. The grounds are almost level and a short distance from panning to camping to restrooms. Georgia Mineral Society 10 am, Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 Savannah River Agate Girard, Burke County, Georgia Free site There is no charge to join us in Girard or for any material that you collect at the site. Children are welcome but need to be supervised as we will be hunting on a dirt road and there is always a possibility for vehicles driving along the road. Pets: Same as above.

9 Tips and Trips Page 9 May 2010 Rock Clubs have been collecting here for years but this may not last. I had heard that the land was being cleared so I took a trip here to be sure we could still collect. Both sides of the road have had the trees felled and I was unable to recognize any of the places we collected in the past. Also the road bed, where we used to collect, has been graded and filled in to make it higher and wider so there is nothing familiar about the site. The good news is that there are a couple of places that the road does cut through some elevation leaving a bank on the side. When I was there I saw several places where large pieces were dug out and the edge of the road was covered with numerous pieces of agate. This was a weekday but I still saw a couple of pickups and rock hounds filling them up. Because this is a great site to bring you kids, I want to caravan to the site and am asking those that know where it is, to not go early, but that we all go together that no one would feel someone took the best pieces. The Georgia Mineral Society Field Trip Review Vulcan Mine Bartow Quarry Saturday April 24th The weather did not look as if it would be very cooperative that morning but there was a good turnout of diehard rockhounds to brave the elements. We assembled at the quarry office where we met our guides for the trip. Collecting: We will be collecting Savannah River Agate which is actually a combination of agate, jasper, chert and opalite. The agate is great for cabbing and tumbling. The agate sometimes has vugs in them which other minerals can be found such as druse quartz, wavellite, variscite, selenite, etc The agate comes in many colors; mottled brown to greenish reds and purples. Occasionally you may find Indian artifacts as well. Special conditions: We will be hunting in the roadway and road cuts only. No one will be allowed to hunt off of the roadway and road cuts! From there we made our way down to the bottom of the pit which measures 1200 feet wide and 250 feet deep. There we found blue quartz and it was plentiful. Everyone Bring: You can pick up agate off the road but you should at least bring scratching tools. You may also want to bring digging tools, buckets, wrapping paper or aluminum foil to wrap your specimens in. Bring plenty of water and food as there are no stores nearby. Directions and where to meet: Where we will meet: We will meet at the Girard city Post Office (on hwy. 23) When: 10 am, Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 If you have a Garmin you can punch in the intersection of Brigham Ave. and Main Street and that will bring you to the cornor of the post office. Directions to our meeting place: From I-20 take Hwy. 520 west of Augusta south to Hwy. 56 south. Go through McBean and stay on Hwy. 56; do not take Hwy. 56 Spur! Turn left on Hwy. 23; meet at the Post Office in Girard. Drive Time: From the Atlanta area it is a 3 to 3 & 1/2 hour drive. Contact: George Libby Cell OnsiteinAtlanta@yahoo.com found as much as they wanted to carry. And as usual some a little more then others. A big thanks to the hosts at Vulcan Minerals for the hospitality and for providing us with an excellent collecting trip. Tom Batcha, Editor

10 Page 10 Tips and Trips The Georgia Mineral Society May 2010

11 Tips and Trips Page 11 May 2010 The Georgia Mineral Society May 2010 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat General Meeting 9 May Show Junior Field Trip GMS May Show Mineral Section May Show DMC Field Trip GMS Field Trip Southeastern Rock & Gem Shows 1-2--NORTH CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: Show; Lowcountry Gem & Mineral Society; Charleston Area Convention Center Complex, 5001 Coliseum Dr., Exhibit Hall A; Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-5; free admission; dealers, lapidary demonstrations, door prizes, fossil dig, geode cracking; contact Karen Havenstein, 518 Woodland Shores Rd., Charleston, SC 29412, (843) ; fossils@comcast.net; Web site: FRANKLIN, NORTH CAROLINA: 9th annual show, "Mother's Day Gemboree"; Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce; Macon County Community Bldg., 1288 Georgia Rd.; Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-4; adults $3, under age 16 free; fine gold and silver jewelry, rough and cut gemstones, beads, minerals, lapidary, wire wrapping, custom-made jewelry, jewelry repairs, tools, demonstrations, door prizes; contact Linda Harbuck, 425 Porter St., Franklin, NC 28734, (888) ; lindah@franklin-chamber.com; Web site: Georgia State Park Events Geology Hike Sunday, May 2, PM to 3 PM Sweetwater Creek State Park - Lithia Springs, GA Geologist and "Friends of Sweetwater Creek State Park" member John Johnston will lead a moderate 2-mile hike identifying rock types and explaining how they formed. There will also be a visit inside the ruins of the Civil War era New Manchester Mill alongside the beautiful rapids of Sweetwater Creek. $5 plus $5 parking Saturday Mountain Hike 3rd Saturday of Month 10 AM from May 15 until Dec 18 Panola Mountain State Park- Stockbridge, GA These guided hikes depart from Panola's nature center and are for people in good physical condition. This hike allows park visitors to see Panola Mountain up close, as the Ranger explains the reasons Panola Mountain is protected, and what we can all do to preserve the natural beauty of granite outcrops. Bring sturdy shoes, water, bug spray, and your camera! The Panola Mountain hike starts at 10am and generally lasts 2-3 hours. Rain or shine. Meeting at the nature center. $7 plus $5 parking

12 THE GEORGIA MINERAL SOCIETY, INC. P.O. Box Atlanta, Georgia MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name: Birthday: month/day Spouse: Birthday: month/day Spouse s Children s Names & Birthdays: mo/day/yr (residing at home): Address: City: State: Zip+4: Home Phone(s): Cell Phone(s): Office Phone(s): Occupations: Hobbies, Interests: SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS AT GMS: (Check all that apply) Mineral Section Micromount Section Fossil Section Junior Section Gem Section Electronic Newsletter Dues for New Members (Single, Couple, Family) are $25.00 per Society year. ($ $5.00 Initial Processing Fee) Renewal Dues are $20.00 per Society year. (due 12 months from the date of joining and every 12 months thereafter) Reinstatement Dues (For Expired Membership) are $25.00 ($ $5.00 Reinstatement Fee). FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS ARE FOR THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY INCLUDING CHILDREN RESIDING WITH PARENTS. CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE ARE CONSIDERED JUNIOR MEMBERS. PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO THE GEORGIA MINERAL SOCIETY, INC. THE GEORGIA MINERAL SOCIETY, INC. P.O. BOX ATLANTA, GEORGIA ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED PLEASE FORWARD FIRST CLASS IN THE NEWS GMS 2010 MOTHERS DAY WEEKEND GEM AND MINERAL SHOW MAY 7, 8, 9