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VOL 25 NO 08 August 2003Newsletter ofThe Middle Tennessee Gemand Mineral Society, Inc.P.0. Box 1256Murfreesboro,TN 37133-1256OFFICERSPresidentSteve Henegar615 896-14721st VP &Program ChairBob King615 754-00952nd VP &Newsletter EditorIngrid Regeningrid@dimp.com615-463-2163SecretaryPaula Vance931 393-2491TreasurerWill Smith615 366-1022Past PresidentLewis Elrod615-893-8270DIRECTORS1 year: Max Grimes931 393-24912 year: Bill Buckner3 year: Ken Swann931 857-3435Inside this issue:Presidents LetterTullahoma’s SaleDonelsonPrayers neededMars - 3 articles tohelp you get upclose and personalSwap & Shopand more.The Prez Rambles On.My oldest daughter Beth and I had an enjoyablethree day trip to Washington D.C. earlier this month.She had decided about six weeks ago that she wanted tosee the Smithsonian museums, and asked me to go withher. It didn't take much arm twisting to get me to go as Ihave wanted to see the new Hall of Gems since it wasremodeled a few years ago. Beth wanted mainly to seethe modern art museums and the Holocaust Museum.With those two goals in mind we made plans to visit.Whether she would admit it or not, I think she enjoyedthe gems and minerals almost as much as I did.The Natural History museum is divided into severalsections. In addition to the gems and minerals, therewere fossils of all types, dinosaurs included, and artifacts from the different native people that have inhabitedNorth America throughout history. We concentrated onthe fossils, minerals and gems.Going thru the hall that contained mostly mineralsand meteorites, We were awed with the size and perfection of many of the specimens. In a lot of cases, therewere rough minerals along with huge gemstones cutfrom the same mineral. For example there was a footballsize gemmy, almost flawless crystal of morganite. Beside it was a faceted morganite roughly the size of adoubled fist. Another impressive specimen was a tourmaline crystal the size of a one liter coke bottle, alsovery gemmy. One case held several eye popping opalpieces both rough and cut. This case has opals from theUS, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, and Honduras.There was an crystal opal cab that was approximately 40x 50 mm. The bold, bright colors were incredible.They also had a large case of agates, mostly fromBrazil and Mexico. I was disappointed there wasn't a bigred paint rock agate in the center of the case. It reallyneeded the strong bright color to complement the otheragates. Maybe we should locate a killer piece and see ifwe could get them to add it to the permanent display.Another favorite was a pair of topaz crystals thatweighed in at 111 pounds and 70 pounds. Displayedwith the crystals was a huge faceted topaz weighing cont’d on page 2The MTG&MS, Inc. is anon-profit educational society dedicated to the studyand enjoyment of the earthsciences. We are open to thepublic for the education ofall who wish to attend. Society membership is open topersons interested in theearth sciences. Applicationsare available on request.Meeting Dates for 2003August 21stSeptember 18thOctober 16thNovember 20thDecember 18thInternet Web Page:http://www.mtgms.orgDuesDues are 12.00 for the firstperson of each householdand 2.00 for each additional family member. Duesare payable January 1st andare prorated in April, Julyand October. Check the upper right hand corner of youraddress label for the yearyou are paid through.Send dues to:Will H. Smith5304 Bellcrest DrAntioch, TN 37013
August 2003page 2Mid-Tenn Gem’ers - Newsletter of the Tennessee Gem and Mineral Society22,982.5 carats or 10.1 pounds.There is also a flawless quartzsphere that weighs 106.7 pounds.There is a pair of smoky citrinecrystals that weighs 117 pounds.These two crystals are almost flawless.The meteorites were somethingto behold. While there we lots ofsmall whole and sliced meteorites,the most impressive was the opendisplay of 8 to 10 big meteorites. Iwould guess the smallest probablyweighed in at over 300 pounds,while the largest probably tippedthe scales at over 1,500 pounds.Since they were the nickel iron theywere extremely heavy for their size.Any of them would make a nicedisplay or a base for a glass topcoffee table.The last part of the gem andmineral gallery was the gemstonesand jewelry. This area was the mostcrowded as it houses probably themost famous diamond in the world,the Hope diamond. It is a beautifulsapphire blue diamond that weighsover 45 carats. There is a specialdiamond exhibit that contains 6 diamonds, the largest being a D-flawless 306 carat diamond. I think thisis the largest flawless diamond evercut. It's about the size of a walnut.The other diamonds while smaller,were no less dazzling as they werecolored diamonds - green, blue,red, orange, and pink. The orangediamond was so strong, it would bea close match to the UT orangecolor. So dazzling it would makeany orange blooded UT fan proud.This area also contained somedazzling emeralds. On gemstoneset in a necklace was an emeraldcab about the size of half a gooseegg. It is almost free of any inclusions. This one stone weighs 168carats. Other gemstones includedhuge sapphires, rubies, precious topaz, tourmaline, all types of quartzand many others. Many of the faceted stones are fist size or larger.We also walked through the hallthat contained several dinosaurs.On display was a T-Rex, a stegosaurus, a triceratops and one of theHuge dinosaurs whose name escapes me, although it may havebeen an allasaurous. Surroundingareas contained all sizes and typesof other fossils. There were even afew shell fossils from Tennessee.While going through the Hirshorn Art Museum, we came acrossa piece of art even a rockhoundcould love. In the middle of thefloor of one of the gallery's was a 6foot circle of nicely arranged flintnodules. I told my daughter I wasgoing to fix one with some colorfulagate and see if the museum woulddisplay my art. At least I wouldcome up with something more colorful than plain old gray/black withwhite rind flint.We also go a laugh from a pieceof art that consisted of a rectangleof hazelnut pollen sprinkled on thefloor of the gallery. Don't get mewrong some of the art was great.The great thing about are is youdon't have to understand or look fora deep meaning to just enjoy it nomatter how goofy it is.That's all for now, I'll see you atthe meeting.Steveshenegar@net-serv.comUpdate on Tullahomaby Will SmithI was in Tullahoma on Thursday before the big Auction andYard Sale for the Lapidary Class.Many students were working to getready for the big event. On Fridaysome were pricing, others were going out and collecting items andothers were getting the room ready.Great stuff. Ken was watching.I was not able to attend on Saturday, but Ken reported it was better than expected and most all thestudents worked hard all day. I understand all the hard work paid offwith many sales and a great auction.I was back down on Tuesdayand Dick had the base for the storage building with the floor on it.My guess is that by end of nextweek the storage building will becomplete. Then we can get startedexpanding the current LapidaryRoom.Ken and his students need to becongratulated for their work andWhat’s Next WithDonelson?by Will SmithThe dust has settled and theequipment is in place. Joe took aweek off to attend the Show atSpruce Pines; Bill and French arecompleting their vacations; and, Alshould be back in September.Bobby and Walt have been teachingthis Summer giving some of us alittle time off.
August 2003Mid-Tenn Gem’ers - Newsletter of the Tennessee Gem and Mineral SocietyWith the added space, we’vegot two new cab machines like theones used at Tullahoma, some additional area for silversmith work, afaceting area with an anticipated 4machines on loan, a kiln, an expected casting machine and supplies, along with many empty bookshelves. If you have books youwould like to give or loan, we’vegot a place for them.Our idea at this point is to try tooffer a number of new classes likeadditional night classes for lapidary, wire art, and silversmithing,maybe even something on Saturdayor Sunday. With all the new equipment, we will need more of youwith experience in these areas tovolunteer to teach. We will try toprovide you with more detail onclasses offered along with theirtimes. To help us plan, you maywant to let us know what you wouldlike to take along with the best timefor you. Even if you do not want totake any classes, go by the Donelson Senior Citizens Center onDonelson Pike and see what yourClub is doing.ers and setup. Also this year theClub area will not be the same as itwas in the past. This year, a member can rent a table, but will have togo through the same process asother dealers and sign the samecontract. This will assure that wecontinue to have a professionaldealer space throughout the building. Steve is mailing the contractsthis week. Feel free to contact himwith any questions.If your interested in helpingwith the Show, contact me at 4736081 or whsinc@comcast.net. I’malways interested in your ideas orsuggestions. We will have a meeting around the second week of September.Your PrayersOne more by Will SmithA very great person and activemember of this Club is in a real battleat this time. Max Grimes has beenvery sick for sometime, but recentlyfound new areas of concern. All of usneed to pray that Max and Paula willmake it through this challenge. I knowthat Max has the will and desire to domany more shows, but we need to letGod know that many of us want to seehim make it.“Field Trip!”Show Time is on it’s way.by Will SmithGuess your wondering if we’regoing to have a show this year.Well we are and it is getting time tostart working on it. We’ve beentrying to make a few changes tomake it easier on everyone and amore successful show. We’re usinga booth layout based on availablespace. We are working to keep eachdealer in their old space, but makingit easier to deal with securing deal-The Southeast Federation ofMineralogical Societies, IncThe Friendly Federation Founded in 1976 to serveSFMS Field Trip CommitteeDMC Field Trip Sharing ProgramAn Official Field Trip of the AikenGem, Mineral and Fossil SocietyAn Official Field Trip of the MiddleTennessee Gem & Mineral Society8:30 am ESTSaturdaySeptember 20, 2003page 3Graves MountainLincoln County, Georgia(FEE AREA)What: Mineral Collecting Field TripWhere: Graves Mountain, LincolnCounty, GeorgiaWhen: Saturday, September 20, 2003Minerals: Rutile, Lazulite, Kyanite,Quartz,Pyrophyllite,Goethite/Hematite (iridescent), Pyrite, Muscovite (clear to green) and Ilmenite aresome of the best known and most frequently found. Forty plus species areknown from Graves Mountain, mostbeing in micro size. Some of these thatare found in crystal form are Barite,Cacoxenite, Crandallite, Gypsum,Phosphosiderite, Strengite, Sulfur, Variscite, Wavellite and Woodhouseite.Assembly Point: At 08:30 along westside of C.E.Norman Road at junctionwith Hwy 378.From Washington, Georgia traveleast on Hwy 378. From junction ofHwy 378/47/78/10/17 in Washington(at Lin's Wok Restaurant) it is approximately 10.5 miles to the LincolnCounty line. C.E. Norman Road isabout 100 yards ahead to the left.From Lincolnton, GA (HardeesRestaurant) travel west on Hwy 378approx. 5.5 miles to C.E.Norman Roadto the right.Lodging: The Cullars Inn adjacent toHardees in Lincolnton. Rate 44plus tax for two persons. - Tel #(706) 359-6161Jameson Inn (near the Hwy 378/47/78/10/17 junction) in Washington.Rate 63.27 includes tax for two persons. - Tel # (706) 678-7925. Reservation can be made toll free thru1-800-JAMESON.Other lodging can be found in Thomson (20 miles) and off Bel Air Roadand I-20 junction west of Augusta (35miles).Camping: Elijah Clark State Park approximately 6 miles east of Lincolnton on Hwy 378. Reservationscont’d on page 5
August 2003Mid-Tenn Gem’ers - Newsletter of the Tennessee Gem and Mineral SocietyMARS by Mike BaldwinIt’s finally here--the best appearance of the Red Planet any of uswill ever see. On August 27, 2003Mars comes closer to Earth than atany time in the past 50,000 years ormore. It will appear as the brightestobject in the southern sky [otherthan the moon]. Clear viewing ofMartian planetary features requiresstable air. Get away from the builtup daytime heat of houses, paveddriveways, and stone patios. Wehave a perfect surface for setting upa telescope, barely radiates heat atall– grass. Try to get away from thecity and enjoy Mars this month.The Red PlanetMars is the fourth planet fromthe Sun and is commonly referredto as the Red Planet. The rocks, soiland sky have a red or pink hue. Thedistinct red color was observed bystargazers throughout history. Itwas given its name by the Romansin honor of their god of war. Othercivilizations have had similarnames. The ancient Egyptiansnamed the planet Her Deschermeaning the red one.Before space exploration, Marswas considered the best candidatefor harboring extraterrestrial life.Astronomers thought they sawstraight lines crisscrossing its surface. This led to the popular beliefthat irrigation canals on the planethad been constructed by intelligentbeings. In 1938, when OrsonWelles broadcast a radio dramabased on the science fiction classicWar of the Worlds by H.G. Wells,enough people believed in the taleof invading Martians to cause a nearpanic.Another reason for scientists toexpect life on Mars had to do withthe apparent seasonal color changeson the planet's surface. This phenomenon led to speculation thatconditions might support a bloomof Martian vegetation during thewarmer months and cause plant lifeto become dormant during colderperiods.In July of 1965, Mariner 4,transmitted 22 close-up pictures ofMars. All that was revealed was asurface containing many craters andnaturally occurring channels but noevidence of artificial canals orflowing water. Finally, in July andSeptember 1976, Viking Landers 1and 2 touched down on the surfaceof Mars. The three biology experiments aboard the landers discovered unexpected and enigmaticchemical activity in the Martiansoil, but provided no clear evidencefor the presence of living microorganisms in the soil near the landingsites. According to mission biologists, Mars is self-sterilizing. Theybelieve the combination of solarultraviolet radiation that saturatesthe surface, the extreme dryness ofthe soil and the oxidizing nature ofthe soil chemistry prevent the formation of living organisms in theMartian soil. The question of life onMars at some time in the distantpast remains open.Other instruments found nosign of organic chemistry at eitherlanding site, but they did provide aprecise and definitive analysis ofthe composition of the Martian atmosphere and found previously undetected trace elements.The Atmosphere of MarsThe atmosphere of Mars is quitedifferent from that of Earth. It iscomposed primarily of carbon dioxide with small amounts of othergases. The six most common components of the atmosphere are:page 4Carbon Dioxide (CO2)95.32%Nitrogen (N2)2.7%Argon (Ar)1.6%Oxygen (O2)0.13%Water (H2O)0.03%Neon (Ne)0.00025 %Martian air contains only about1/1,000 as much water as our air,but even this small amount can condense out, forming clouds that ridehigh in the atmosphere or swirlaround the slopes of towering volcanoes. Local patches of earlymorning fog can form in valleys. Atthe Viking Lander 2 site, a thinlayer of water frost covered theground each winter.There is evidence that in thepast a denser martian atmospheremay have allowed water to flow onthe planet. Physical features closelyresembling shorelines, gorges, riverbeds and islands suggest thatgreat rivers once marked the planet.Temperature and PressureThe average recorded temperature on Mars is -63 C (-81 F) witha maximum temperature of 20 C(68 F) and a minimum of -140 C(-220 F). Barometric pressure varies at each landing site on a semiannual basis. Carbon dioxide, themajor constituent of the atmosphere, freezes out to form an immense polar cap, alternately at eachpole. The carbon dioxide forms agreat cover of snow and then evaporates again with the coming ofspring in each hemisphere. Whenthe southern cap was largest, themean daily pressure observed byViking Lander 1 was as low as 6.8millibars; at other times of the yearit was as high as 9.0 millibars. Thepressures at the Viking Lander 2site were 7.3 and 10.8 millibars. Incomparison, the average pressure ofthe Earth is 1000 millibars.
August 2003Mid-Tenn Gem’ers - Newsletter of the Tennessee Gem and Mineral SocietyReference: Mars; PlanetScapes;Solarviews.com; http://solarviews.com/eng/mars.htm; 08August 2003. Reprinted for educational purposes under the “fair use” provisionof the U.S. Copyright Act.page 5green (554 nm), and red (763 nm)colored filters.Hubble's View of MarsCredit: David Crisp and the WFPC2 Science Team (Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology), andNASAThe sharpest view of Mars evertaken from Earth was obtained by therecently refurbished NASA HubbleSpace Telescope (HST). This stunning portrait was taken with the HSTWide Field Planetary Camera-2(WFPC2) on March 10, 1997, justbefore Mars opposition, when the redplanet made one of its closest passesto the Earth (about 60 million milesor 100 million km).At this distance, a single pictureelement (pixel) in WFPC2's Planetary Camera spans 13 miles (22 km)on the Martian surface.The Martian north pole is at thetop (near the center of the bright polarcap) and East is to the right. Thecenter of the disk is at about 23 degrees north latitude, and the centrallongitude is near 305 degrees.This view of Mars was taken onthe last day of Martian spring in thenorthern hemisphere (just beforesummer solstice). It clearly showsfamiliar bright and dark markingsknown to astronomers for more thana century. The annual north polarcarbon dioxide frost (dry ice) cap israpidly sublimating (evaporatingfrom solid to gas), revealing themuch smaller permanent water icecap, along with a few nearby detached regions of surface frost. Thereceding polar cap also reveals thedark, circular sea' of sand dunes thatsurrounds the north pole (OlympiaPlanitia).Other prominent features in thishemisphere include Syrtis MajorField Trip - cont’d from page 3(770) 389-7275 or 1-800-864-7275.Park Office - (706) 359-3458Planitia, the large dark feature seenjust below the center of the disk. Thegiant impact basin Hellas (near thebottom of the disk) is shrouded inbright water ice clouds. Water iceclouds also cover several great volcanoes in the Elysium region near theeastern edge of the planet (right). Adiffuse water ice haze covers much ofthe Martian equatorial region as well.The WFPC2 was used to monitordust storm activity to support theMars Pathfinder and Mars GlobalSurveyor Orbiter Missions, which arecurrently en route to Mars. Airbornedust is most easily seen in WFPC2'sred and near-infrared images. Hubble's "weather report" from these images in invaluable for MarsPathfinder, which is scheduled for aJuly 4 landing. Fortunately, these images show no evidence for largescale dust storm activity, whichplagued a previous Mars mission inthe early 1970s.The WFPC2 was used to observe Mars in nine different colorsspanning the ultraviolet to the nearinfrared. The specific colors werechosen to clearly discriminate between airborne dust, ice clouds, andprominent Martian surface features.This picture was created by combining images taken in blue (433 nm),Equipment: Any or all of the following. Some sort of transportvehicle(cart), buckets, 8lb sledge, 2-4lb crack hammer, rock hammer, prybar, shovel, chisels, SAFETY EYEWEAR, magnifier, back pack w/eggcartons and/or wrapping material.Hard hat required if you plan to workadjacent to the high wall areas.Entry Fee: 5.00 per person(bringcorrect amount).Will be collected as Letter Agreementand Release form is filled out.Weather: All day rain and/or thunderstorms will cause cancellation ofthis event.Local weather data for Lincolnton canbe obtained at:www.weather.com/weather/local/30817Food and Drinks: None available atGraves Mountain. Bring what youneed for the day.Age Limit: Children 12 years andolder can participate but must be supervised by their parent or guardian.Pets: Allowed but must be kept under control by owner.Contact: Don Reems if you havequestions pertaining to the field trip.Tel: (706) 860-6406 E-Mail: DonReems@aol.comMail Address: 714 Faircloth Ct., Evans, GA, 30809Safety: Follow guidelines set downby DMC and your individual club.Don't endanger yourself or othersaround you.
by Bob King6500 milesfrom Petoskeystones toDinosaur BonesAugust 21stTo:Next Meeting:Forwarding and Address Correction RequestedFirst ClassPostageMiddle Tennessee Gem and Mineral Society, Inc.c/o 2510 Essex PlNashville, Tennessee 37212The Interior of Marsby Mike BaldwinWhat we currently know about the interiorof Mars suggests that it can be modeled with a thincrust, similar to Earth's, a mantle and a core. Usingfour parameters, the Martian core size and mass canbe determined. However, only three out of the fourare known and include the total mass, size of Mars,and the moment of inertia. Mass and size was determined accurately from early missions. The momentof inertia was determined from Viking lander andPathfinder Doppler data, by measuring the precession rate of Mars. The fourth parameter, needed tocomplete the interior model, will be obtained fromfuture spacecraft missions. With the three knownparameters, our model of Mars is limited. If theMartian core is dense (composed of iron) similar toEarth's or meteorites thought to originate from Mars,then the minimum core radius would be about 1300kilometers. If the core is made out of less-densematerial such as a mixture of sulfur and iron, themaximum radius would probably be less than 2000kilometers.Swap and ShopFor Sale: Now available for sale! Large garage stuffedfull of 35 yrs of rock collecting. Rocks of all types fromfossils, specimens, to slabs are priced individually. Largeselection of yard rocks still available priced by the pound.Petrified wood and quartz 1/lb, other rocks .50/lb. CallFrancis Mangrum to setup a time to visit (615) 228-8577.For Sale: Rough Rock 1.00/lb - 100 lbs. for 85.00.Your pick, Jasper, Agates, Tampa Bay Coral, etc. JuneMiller (931) 598-9740.For Sale: Cab makers. Cab Mate, sanding belts & disk,tumbling grit & polish, sphere machines, grindingwheels, flat lap machines, and a whole lot more at lowprices. Call for info. George Jones (615) 333-3781) 5025Franklin Rd, email georgejones@comcast.netFor Sale: Rock for sale - Outside rock except petrifiedwood and quartz .50/lb. Petrified wood and quartz- 1/lb. Call Frances Mangrum to set up a time to visit. (615)228-8577.Swap and Shop is for members and friends to advertise goods and services for sale or swap & want ads.
ety dedicated to the study and enjoyment of the earth sciences. We are open to the public for the education of all who wish to attend. Soci-ety membership is open to persons interested in the earth sciences. Applications are available on request. Meeting Dates for 2003 August 21st September 18th October 16th November 20th December 18th
