THE BADGER DIGGIN’S

The Badger Lapidary and Geological Society, Inc.

Monroe, Wisconsin

Devoted to the Earth Sciences

Vol. 53, No. 6 June, 2018

From the Pres ident – Laurie Trocke

Hi Badgers, Hope you are having a wonderful early summer! We had a really nice time on the Indiana trip. Those that joined us found some fantastic treasures!! We have some great events coming up in June, including the picnic on the 9th and the fieldtrip to Bellevue, IA on the 23rd. On a sad note, we will bid farewell to one of our own this weekend as we join together to celebrate the life of Donna Reese. Donna’s kindness, wisdom and great sense of fun will be dearly missed. Take care and I hope to see you all soon.

Also, from our Vice-President – Cliff Thomas  

The  last  week  of  July  I  will  be  at  the  Blue  Points  mine  from  the  22nd  to  the  27th.  If  there  are  any  club  members  planning  to  join  this  trip,  there  is  a  camp  about  5  kilometers  from  the  mine  called  Mirror  Lake  Camp  ground.  Or  there  are  hotels  and  a  Walmart  about  35  Kilometers  the  opposite  direction  in  Shuniah.  Anyone  interested  in  joining  can  contact  me  for  more  details,  if  interested.  414-982-8619, cliftc06@hotmail.com Also,  some  information  is  available  about  July’s  Gem  Shop  Warehouse  Sale  at: https://thegemshop.com/collections/special-­‐events/products/warehouse-­‐clearance-­‐sale  

 

 

 

 

From the Editor – Teri Marché

It seems that Memorial Day caught some folks off guard, what with travel and vacationing. That is why there are no minutes published here. Look for an email to follow this weekend. Also note information on the next page about the summer picnic this Saturday. The Mining Museum is easy to find. Head west from Monroe on Rte. 11 until you get to Shullsburg and look for the billboard on the left, saying “turn here”! Again, thanks to all who sent in articles for this month.

Next Due Date, August 31.

   

Our Next Meeting June 9, 2018 10:30 a.m.

Shullsburg Mining Museum

500 W. Milwaukee St. Shullsbug, WI

Program:

Summer Picnic

 

Officer Roster:

President Laurie Trocke 4771 CTH II Highland, WI 53543 608-935-0597 laurie.trocke@landsend.com Vice-President Cliff Thomas 3321 W. Loomis Rd., Apt. 5 Milwaukee, WI 53221 414-982-8619 cliftc06@hotmail.com Secretary Tamara Unger-Peterson 3626 Falcon Ridge Dr. Janesville, WI 53548 tungerpete@gmail.com Treasurer Jack Hoxie 500 W. Milwaukee St. Janesville, WI 53548 608-563-0223 jhoxie@hotmail.com Newsletter Editor Teri Marché 5415 Lost Woods Court Oregon, WI 53575 608-835-2653 tmarche555@gmail.com Field Trip Chair Dan Trocke 4771 CTH II Highland, WI 53543 608-935-0597 Dan.trocke@gmail.com Show Chairperson Debbie Wehinger 708 W 2nd Avenue Brodhead, WI 53520 608-897-2608 jdrules3@gmail.com   Officer at Large Clay Schroll 1795 S. Demeter Drive Freeport, IL 61032 815-233-2136 mrclay71@me.com          

Calendar, 2018 June 9 Picnic – Shullsburg June 23 Fieldtrip - Bellevue, IA & Crystal Lake Cave

July 14 Fieldtrip - South Dakota July 28 Fieldtrip - Mazon Creek Area Aug. 11 Fieldtrip - U. P. Michigan Aug. 25 Fieldtrip - Dodgeville Roadcut HWY 23 Quarry Sept. 8 Meeting – Show & Tell Sept. 22 Lapidary Day Oct. 13 Meeting – Soapstone Carving Oct. 27 Fieldtrip - Prairie du Chien Nov. 10 Meeting – Video/Freeport Show

Thanksgiving

Dec. 8 Annual Party

Saturday is the Summer Picnic!!!! The annual picnic will be held in Shullsburg, WI this year. We have the East Shelter (between the play structures) reserved at the Badger Park, 4 Gratiot St, Shullsburg, WI. The swimming pool is open from 1:00 – 7:00 (a day pass is $3.50) and the Badger Mine & Museum is open from 11:30 – 4:00 (Adults $7.00, children under 5 are free). The picnic will start at 11:30 and plan to eat around noon. Please bring a dish to share, rocks and minerals for show and tell and plan to have a great time!!!

Flowers and Fond Memories Teri Marché

The calendar says it is spring, and I am housecleaning, so it must be Spring Housecleaning. While dusting I came across a bundle of “flowers” wrapped up in an orange ribbon. I was told by their creator that they are called “hedge roses” and they always remind me of her. That creator was Donna Reese. It is hard to believe that we have lost her good sense and even better humor. What an understated, funny lady! As Club Treasurer, she certainly helped steer me through my learning years as Showchair. Donna would hang out with me at the club table, and all through the usual craziness of Saturday morning at the show, she was

there, with a good laugh, a ready shoulder and a calm word. She really got me through it every time! However my fondest memories of Donna come from club field trips. Dutifully accompanying Dave, she would dig a while, socialize a lot, and then retire to Dave’s pride and joy Jeep with her book to read for a while. And repeat until it was time to leave. Those hedge roses are darkening, but not my fond memories of Donna. I’ll keep them all.  

CODE  OF  ETHICS    from  Deb  Wehinger  

Those  who  missed  the  May  meeting  didn’t  hear  about  the  recent  cancellation  of  the  Moonstone  trip.  It  was  cancelled  by  the  landowner  because  someone  went  onto  the  property  without  permission  and  dug  several  large  holes  at  least  2  feet  deep  and  over  5  feet  across.  As  you  can  imagine,  the  landowner  was  furious.  While  the  trip  leader  has  an  idea  of  the  perpetrator’s  identity,  it  doesn’t  diminish  the  fact  that  because  of  someone’s  selfish  stupidity  and  blatant  disregard  on  many  levels,  we  have  now  lost  a  collecting  site.  Please,  please  remember  that  many  of  the  club  trips  have  special  permission  to  collect  –  AS  A  CLUB  –  on  private  property.  This  does  NOT  extend  to  individuals  outside  of  the  scheduled  field  trips!  We  are  charged  as  a  club  with  a  “Code  of  Ethics”  and  we  need  to  hold  ourselves  accountable.  Below  is  the  code  of  ethics  as  published  in  the  Midwest  Federation.  

1. I  will  respect  both  private  and  public  property  and  will  do  no  collecting  on  privately  owned  land  without  permission  from  the  owner.  

2. I  will  keep  informed  on  all  laws,  regulations  or  rules  governing  collecting  on  public  lands  and  will  observe  them.  

3. I  will,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  ascertain  the  boundary  lines  of  property  on  which  I  plan  to  collect.  

4. I  will  use  no  firearms  or  blasting  material  in  collecting  areas.  

5. I  will  cause  no  willful  damage  to  property  of  any  kind  such  as  fences,  signs,  buildings,  etc.  

6. I  will  leave  all  gates  as  found.  7. I  will  build  fires  only  in  designated  or  safe  places  

and  will  be  certain  they  are  completely  extinguished  before  leaving  the  area.  

8. I  will  discard  no  burning  material  –  matches,  cigarettes,  etc.  

9. I  will  fill  all  excavation  holes  which  may  be  dangerous  to  livestock.  

10. I  will  not  contaminate  wells,  creeks,  or  other  water  supplies.  

11. I  will  cause  no  willful  damage  to  collecting  material  and  will  take  home  only  what  I  can  reasonably  use.  

12. I  will  practice  conservation  and  undertake  to  utilize  fully  and  well  the  materials  I  have  collected  and  will  recycle  my  surplus  for  the  pleasure  and  benefit  of  others.  

13. I  will  support  the  rockhound  project  H.E.L.P.  (Help  Eliminate  Litter  Please)  and  will  leave  all  collecting  areas  devoid  of  litter,  regardless  of  how  found.  

14. I  will  cooperate  with  field-­‐trip  leaders  and  those  in  designated  authority  in  all  collecting  areas.  

15. I  will  report  to  my  club  or  federation  officers,  Bureau  of  Land  Management  or  other  authorities,  any  deposit  of  petrified  wood  or  other  materials  on  public  lands  which  should  be  protected  for  the  enjoyment  of  future  generations  for  public  educational  and  scientific  purposes.  

16. I  will  appreciate  and  protect  our  heritage  of  natural  resources.  

17. I  will  observe  the  “Golden  Rule”,  will  use  Good  Outdoor  Manners  and  will  at  all  times  conduct  myself  in  a  manner  which  will  add  to  the  stature  and  Public  Image  of  Rockhounds  everywhere.  

South Dakota Fieldtrip, July 12 -16

For specific details about meeting times and places in SD, and to let us know when you are coming, contact Teri Marché at 608 835-2653, (do leave a message on the answering machine!) or tmarche555@gmail.com. Please note that you can come for all or any portion of this trip; however, we need to know what you are planning!

On the Shape of Fluorite Teri Marché Fortune struck at the May meeting, and I brought home a sparkly piece of rainbow colored chalcopyrite from Zacatecas, Mexico. So, here’s my doorprize article.

The idea for a topic came that same day, when the May/June issue of Rock and Minerals magazine arrived, and Jordan pointed out a report of a symposium paper on tetrahexahedral fluorite found up near Wausau (p. 259). Tetrahexahedral??!!! Ok, I gotta look that up.

Everybody knows that fluorite comes in cubes, or maybe octohedrons, and most of the time, over 80% actually (Pasto, 2009, p. 14), that is true. However, from there the whole issue gets real complicated real fast!

Cube                  Octahedron  

Those two forms can combine to create dodecahedra, tetrahexahedra, trapezahedra,, trisoctohedra, and hexoctrahedra (Pasto, 2009, p. 13). How’s that for fun? What’s more, there are variations on almost all of them.

                                                         Hexoctrahedron              Tetrahexahedron  

                                     Trapezoctrahedron            Trisoctrahedron  

Then, just to make things even more interesting, all of the above can recombine to form even more complex shapes (Pasto, 2009, p. 15). And this is not even getting into issues of twinning and crystal interpenetration!

Just a sample…

Then there are the round and rounded fluorites. I once called all of them botryoidal; however, Pasto (2009) seems to reserve that designation for complete, round, balls such as those now coming out of the Poona and Nasik areas of India. Masses of rounded forms he designates as “mammillary” (Pasto, 2009, p. 74), However, Staebler et al. (2006) seem not to make such a distinction.

On the other hand, Pete Richards (2006) goes to great lengths describing unique fluorite balls from Teufelsgrund im Muldental (Devil’s Ground in Mulden Valley) near Freiburg, Germany. Unlike botryoidal forms, which have a granular surface, those from Germany have an unbelievable complex faceted surface. Richards goes on to analyze the crystal structure and comes up with a combination of the cube, hexoctahedron, tetrahexahedron and trapezohedron!

Incredible shapes and gorgeous color, too! No wonder I so love fluorite! Now I really have to go back and carefully check out all of my fluorite. I’ll save that for some cold, dark winter’s day; with all of my fluorite, it will take some time.

References Falster, A. U., Buchholtz, T. W., & Simmons, W. B. (2017) Tetrahexahedral Fluorite from the Nine-Mile Pluton, Wausau Complex, Marathon County Wisconsin, in Rocks and Minerals, 95, 3. May/June 2018, p. 259.

Pasto, A. E. (2009). Collecter’s Guide to Fluorite. Atglen, PA: Schiffler Publications.

Richards, Pete. (2006). Fluorite Balls from Hell. In Fisher et al., (Eds.). Fluorite: The Collector’s Choice. Connecticut: Lithigraphie, LLC. pps. 20-26.

 

Door  Prize  Article:                                                                              Beta  Quartz    -­‐  Jordan  Marché  

  I  recently  acquired  a  small,  thumbnail-­‐sized  specimen  of  this  unusual  form  of  quartz.  Beta  quartz,  also  known  as  high  quartz,  still  has  the  usual  chemical  formula,  SiO2,  but  a  more  advanced  crystallographic  structure  than  ordinary  quartz,  which  is  known  as  alpha  quartz  or  low  quartz.  

  While  low  quartz  is  only  stable  up  to  573°  F  (at  one  atmosphere  pressure),  beta  quartz  is  stable  at  the  same  pressure  from  573°  F  to  870°  F.  Ordinary  quartz  belongs  to  the  rhombohedral  division  of  the  hexagonal  crystal  system,  and  has  a  vertical  axis  of  only  three-­‐fold  rotational  symmetry.  Beta  quartz,  by  contrast,  possesses  a  vertical  axis  with  six-­‐fold  rotational  symmetry  and  belongs  to  the  hexagonal  trapezohedral  class.  Both  alpha  and  beta  quartz  have  a  three-­‐dimensional  atomic  arrangement  whereby  their  silicon  tetrahedra  are  bonded  by  the  sharing  of  oxygen  atoms.  In  addition,  both  alpha  and  beta  quartz  exhibit  a  ‘handedness’  (displaying  either  right-­‐handed  or  left-­‐handed  forms),  a  property  known  as  enantiomorphism.  Yet,  a  third  form  of  quartz,  termed  tridymite,  is  stable  at  temperatures  between  870°  F  and  1470°  F.  At  still  higher  temperatures,  quartz  transforms  into  a  fourth  state,  known  as  cristobalite.  

  The  specimen  that  I  acquired  is  about  five-­‐eighths  of  an  inch  long,  and  about  one-­‐half  inch  wide.  It  is  a  double-­‐terminated  crystal  that  approximates  a  bipyramid,  with  very  short  m-­‐faces  (prismatic  sides)  that  slightly  alternate  in  length.  The  crystal  may  have  a  reentrant  angle  on  one  side  along  the  center,  and  that  might  indicate  the  beginnings  of  a  twinning  process.  Twins  are  reportedly  quite  common  in  beta  quartz,  and  at  least  nine  twin  laws  have  been  recognized.  The  crystal  is  somewhat  cloudy-­‐grayish  in  color,  with  rough  surfaces  on  the  faces.  It  also  contains  small  grains  of  brownish  magnetite.  This  specimen  came  from  the  Chubb  Lake,  New  York  area,  and  was  from  an  old  collection.  

  One  of  the  most  complete  accounts  of  beta  quartz  is  contained  in  the  third  volume  of  Dana’s  System  of  Mineralogy  (given  below).  

Reference:                                                                                                                                      Frondel,  Clifford  (1962).  The  System  of  Mineralogy  of  James  Dwight  Dana  and  Edward  Salisbury  Dana,  Yale  University  1837-­‐1892,  7th  ed.,  vol.  III:  Silica  Minerals.  New  York:  John  Wiley  &  Sons,  pp.  251-­‐258.  

 

Collecting  Equipment  for  Trips                            Deb  Wehinger  

For  those  new  to  the  club  and/or  collecting,  here  are  a  few  helpful  hints  on  what  to  bring  when  collecting.  

1. A  bucket  or  backpack  to  carry  your  “goodies.”  If  the  terrain  is  rough  or  steep,  it’s  extremely  hard  to  keep  your  balance  while  carrying  a  bucket.  On  this  type  of  terrain,  you  are  best  carrying  a  backpack.  On  level  terrain,  a  bucket  works  well.  

2. There  are  bucket  carriers  out  there  –  I  have  a  “muck  cart”  that  is  available  at  Farm  and  Fleet  in  the  animal  feed  section.  You  can  use  a  big  bucket  or  it  will  hold  two  5-­‐gallon  buckets  side  by  side.  I  did  just  recently  purchase  a  bucket  carrier  like  Teri’s,  if  any  of  you  have  seen  it.  It  used  to  be  advertised  in  the  Rock  and  Gem  magazine  but  is  now  only  available  online.  Here  is  the  link  if  you  are  interested  -­‐  http://brolltools.com/store/  I’ve  decided  after  having  wrist  reconstruction  that  I  need  something  easy  to  pull.  

3. A  good  hammer  by  Estwing.  If  you  watch  Farm  and  Fleet  ads,  they  have  them  on  sale  every  so  often.  Rock  hammers  have  a  pointed  end  and  mason’s  hammers  have  a  chisel-­‐shaped  end.  

 

You  do  not  want  a  wood-­‐handled  hammer  where  the  head  can  come  flying  off  as  you  are  bashing  rocks!  You  want  a  solid  hammer.  No  claw  hammers!  

4. Next,  a  small  hand  maul.  

 These  come  in  handy  when  you  are  using  them  with  chisels,  or  for  just  bashing  rocks  to  bits.  

5. Chisels!  You  can  never  have  too  many!!  You  can  pick  up  the  old  heavy  duty  ones  at  garage  sales  and  farm  auctions  for  a  little  bit  of  nothing.  You  don’t  have  to  spend  a  fortune  –  as  long  as  they’re  sharp,  sturdy  and  long  enough  that  you  don’t  mash  your  fingers.  That  hurts!  There  are  chisels  that  have  a  rubber,  round  guards  on  them,  that  you  can  pick  up  at  various  places  too.  Watch  the  quality  of  steel.  It  really  makes  a  difference.  

6. A  geo-­‐pick!  Ah,  what  a  grand  piece  of  equipment!  Mine  has  served  me  well.  Let’s  just  say  that  with  my  geo  pick,  I  have  dug  many  a  hole  deep  enough  and  long  enough  that  I  could  easily  lay  in  it!  LOL.  They  are  light  enough  and  portable  enough  that  you  can  carry  them  long  distances  and  yet  they  can  dig  or  pick  some  serious  holes!  Again,  these  are  made  by  Estwing.      

 

I  found  the  best  deal  on  these  through  this  website  -­‐  https://www.wylaco.com/  -­‐  Received  them  very  quickly  and  they  were  the  cheapest.  Watch  for  them  to  go  on  sale!    

7. If  you  are  going  to  be  in  areas  where  debris  can  come  down  on  you,  buy  a  hardhat.  They  are  not  that  expensive,  around  $10  or  so.    

8. High  visibility  clothing  if  you  are  working  a  road  cut.  Make  yourself  visible  to  others.    T-­‐shirt/vest  –  also  needed  if  you’re  in  a  quarry.  

9. SAFETY  GLASSES!  10. Sturdy  steel-­‐toed  boots.  Your  toes  will  thank  

you.  Again,  many  quarries  require  them  along  with  safety  glasses  and  a  hardhat  and  safety  vest.  

11. Pry  bar  –  I’ve  nicknamed  mine,  Big  Bertha.  I  bought  her  at  Farrell’s  in  Madison.  She’s  about  5  feet  tall,  made  of  American  steel  and  has  a  stabbing  point  on  one  end  and  a  flat  end  on  the  other  to  pry  up  things.  She’s  been  used  by  many  on  various  rock  trips  and  was  well  worth  the  $25  I  spent.  Beware  of  foreign  steel,  it  tends  to  snap  under  pressure  and  duress,  not  a  good  thing  when  you’re  in  the  “line  of  fire”.  This  particular  prybar  is  not  as  heavy  as  most  I’ve  found  but  can  handle  the  work.  

12. Hand  digging  tools  such  as  your  gardening  tools:  trowel,  3  pronged  digger  tool,  small  D-­‐handle  shovel.  

13. An  old  screwdriver  that  you  can  use  to  get  into  small  crevices  to  pry  out  those  pretty  crystals.  

14. Wrapping  –  newspaper,  paper  towels,  bubble  wrap,  etc.  Something  to  wrap  those  precious  goodies  in  to  protect  them  until  you  get  them  home.  

15. A  spray  bottle  carrying  water  to  spritz  those  rocks  off,  and  make  colors  show  up  well.  

16. Paper  and  pen/pencil  so  you  can  write  down  your  data  on  the  rocks/minerals  you’ve  just  found.  

17. Denim  leg  bags!  This  is  the  best  secret  weapon  you  can  have!  Take  those  blue  jeans  you  have  with  holes  in  the  knees  and  cut  those  legs  off.  Adult  jeans  work  best.  You  can  make  short  ones,  long  ones,  whatever  size  you  can  make.  Once  you  have  the  legs  cut  off,  turn  them  inside  

out  and  sew  the  cut  end  shut.  A  double  seam  is  probably  best.  Turn  them  right  side  out  and  VOILA!  You  now  have  a  leg  bag.  You  can  never  have  too  many!  Next,  don’t  forget  to  cut  the  back  pockets  off  and  even  the  front  ones.  These  work  great  to  slide  your  small  delicate  goodies  in,  to  protect  them.  These  work  great  when  you  don’t  want  to  carry  around  a  big  heavy  backpack  when  you’re  collecting.  Leave  the  backpack,  grab  a  leg  and  go  collect.  Once  your  “leg”  is  full,  bring  it  back  to  your  backpack  and  empty  it  and  off  you  go  again  to  collect  with  your  “leg”.    

18. A  hat  to  protect  you  from  the  heat,  along  with  sunscreen,  bug  spray,  rain  jacket,  and  I’ve  found  out  that  those  rotten  black  flies  do  not  like  Noxema!  Those  buggers  will  literally  take  chunks  out  of  your  skin  and  leave  you  bleeding!  

19. Knee  pads  –  I  decided  to  splurge  and  get  a  high  quality  gel  set  that  ran  about  $40  but  Oh  My  Goodness!  What  a  difference  they  made!  Worth  every  penny  for  those  old  joints!    

20. Just  a  note  –  in  many  locations  we’ve  collected  –  THERE  IS  NO  CELL  SERVICE!  Bring  a  whistle  or  something  to  attract  attention  if  you  get  yourself  in  a  pickle.  

21. Some  have  purchased  snake  guards  to  cover  your  lower  legs  when  walking  through  rattlesnake  territory  in  tall  grasses.  

22. A  walking  stick  can  come  in  handy  sometimes  –  especially  when  you’re  walking  in  tall  grasses  and  have  no  idea  where  those  rotten  snakes  are  laying  in  wait,  until  you  hear  them!  

23. Stay  hydrated  in  the  heat  –  bring  plenty  of  water!  You’ll  go  through  more  than  you  think.  

24. A  sieve  or  gold  pan  to  wash/screen  those  “littles”  such  as  gold,  garnets  etc.  

25. A  container  of  “Wet  Ones”  so  you  can  wash  your  grubby  hands  after  collecting,  so  you  have  clean  hands  to  grab  a  bite  to  eat  as  you’re  sitting  on  your  tailgate  

26. Last,  but  not  least!  Bring  a  first  aid  kit!  There  are  some  of  us  who  are  “gravity  challenged”!  LOL.  Band  Aid’s  of  various  sizes,  gauze,  medical  tape,  tweezers,  needle/thread,  hydrogen  peroxide,  salve,  scissors,  Kleenex,  ibuprofen,  anything  you  can  think  of  that  you  may  need  if  someone  gets  hurt.  Pack  it  into  a  portable,  plastic  carrying  case  and  throw  it  in  your  vehicle  on  every  trip.  It’s  well  worth  it.    Hopefully  I’ve  answered  and  covered  questions  on  what  to  bring  on  trips.  I’ve  created  a  spreadsheet  for  myself  that  I  save  and  print  it  off,  for  every  trip,  as  it  reminds  me  of  everything  to  bring  when  I  travel.  As  things  come  up  that  I’ve  not  had  on  my  list,  they  get  added  and  updated,  and  now,  packing  for  a  trip,  I  don’t  worry  about  forgetting  anything,  I  just  check  it  off  my  trip  checklist.  It’s  a  great  time  saver!    

 

     

 

Badger Lapidary & Geological Society, Inc.

Teri Marché, Editor

5415 Lost Woods Court

Oregon, WI 53575