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Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club Founded 1886 Ë New York City, New York Ë Incorporated 1937 Volume 129, No. 5 Celebrating the International Year of Light May 2015 May 13th Meeting: Renée Newman: “Exotic Gems If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Today” Get Out of the Universe By Steven Newton civilization would inevitably discover the The New York Times ran an interesting basics of fission and learn how to create an article back in January by Adam Frank atomic bomb. So perhaps the solution to titled “Is Climate Disaster Inevitable?” This Fermi’s paradox is that advanced piece posed an intriguing civilizations inevitably answer to this puzzling annihilate themselves question: Where are all with nuclear war, as we the extraterrestrials? came so close to doing (If you think the (and still have the answer is “Roswell, New potential to achieve). We Mexico,” go sit with don’t see UFOs buzzing While working as an international tour Bigfoot and be quiet – around because given director, Renée was exposed to beautiful adults are talking.) enough time, each gems in Asia, South America, and the The Drake equation gives us an order nascent civilization enters a nuclear age – South Pacific. She saw gems of magnitude feel for how many advanced and they don’t make it out. everywhere—in hotels, airports, tourist civilizations there could be in the universe That seems unlikely. Sure, it’s attractions and, naturally, in shopping areas. by looking at parameters such as the reasonable to assume that warfare and Her passengers wanted to know how to get percentage of stars that have planets, the conflict are not unique to humans, but good buys on them and spot quality, so she percentage of those planets which have the would that be universally true for all searched libraries and bookstores for help. right conditions to support life, etc. There possible civilizations? Millions of them? Although there was information on gem are a lot of unknowns in these parameters, Surely one would develop along the lines of identification, history, mining and lore, but the upshot is that even if one assumes The Big Lebowski, a civilization populated there was little about judging the quality of conservative conditions, there should be with alien versions of The Dude, aspiring pearls and colored gems. millions of advanced civilizations out there not to warfare, but only to abide on a When she heard about a colored gem right now. comfortable couch, pontificating about how grading class at the Gemological Institute of Enrico Fermi famously phrased the well the rug tied the room together, while America (GIA), she decided to enroll. The question: “So where are they?” thus sending radio waves into space proclaiming enthusiasm of the instructors inspired her to spawning the eponymous Fermi paradox. this slacker anthem. sign up for the gemology program there. With so many potential civilizations, why is (Continues on page 8) Two years later, she obtained a GIA the cosmos not saturated with radio signals, Issue Highlights Graduate Gemologist diploma and began with extraterrestrial equivalents of Keeping work as a gemologist at a wholesale firm in Up With the Kardashians streaming into President’s Message. 2 Los Angeles. It was a great opportunity space from a thousand different tacky Meeting Minutes. 2 because she worked with a wide variety of cultures? Despite the implications of the World of Minerals: Nanominerals II. 3 diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and Drake equation, we have never encountered Garnet Banquet Preview.. 3 pearls. She was also involved in jewelry even the slightest hint of extraterrestrial life, Jade Trade & Heroin. 4 quality control. not the faintest wisp of a stray radio signal Tales from a Martian Rock.. 6 Ever since she had become aware of from a distant civilization. SETI is listening Inner Core Surprise. 7 the need for affordable information on gem diligently, but so far, the universe is The 100: On Spring Break!. 8 evaluation, she wanted to write a consumer sepulchrally quiet. Show 2015 Dealer Donations.. 8 guide to buying gems. Gradually, writing, One answer to Fermi’s paradox is dark. Topics in Gemology: Rock Crystal. 9 research and book promotion became a Uranium is ubiquitous. There’s so much More on the Chelyabinsk Meteor. 10 full-time occupation. uranium in the Earth that it’s played an Mysterious Nodules. 10 After graduating from the University of important role in keeping our mantle hot, Plate Tectonic Mystery Solved.. 11 California at Santa Barbara, she taught and hence keeping plate tectonics Mysterious Craters. 11 English in France, Spain and Japan. To do functioning. (We’re the only planet we Crystal Comet.. 12 that, she had to learn to communicate in know of with both life and plate tectonics. Fabergé Pearl Egg. 12 clear, simple English so foreign students The recycling of the crust and its essential Second Natural Quasicrystal!. 13 could understand her. This in turn helped elements through tectonics suggests this 2015 NYMC Members. 14 her write about gems in an easy-to-read isn’t a coincidence.) Because uranium is Club & Show Calendars. 15 style that lay people can understand. everywhere in the universe, any advanced 2 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club May 2015 President’s Message the underlying “geoarchitecture.” Inspired 108 St, where the “Wandering Pole”, a statue By Mitch Portnoy by the human imprint on age-old geological of a wandering Buddhist monk stands. The At each meeting for a few years now formations in Utah, Jamie Kruse set out to pocked and scarred bronze statue holds deep we have played a mineral or gem ID game examine more closely the myriad ways memories of its ancient pre-solar origins and based on color, crystal system, state people channel and reshuffle earth materials a more recent cataclysmic event—the minerals, etc. I compiled all of these games in the city. bombing of Hiroshima in 1945—an apt and burned them on CD-ROMS. I then gave symbol of the stark contrasts inherent in the them to Cheryl Neary for distribution to Anthropocene. other EFMLS clubs at the recent convention The curious New Yorker can find out in March. I am glad to know that all this more about the city as a geological force in work will have more life and our brother “Geologic City: A Field Guide to the and sister clubs will have a good time with Geoarchitecture of New York” by Jamie them. Kruse and Elizabeth Ellsworth. Years ago we had many young (1) A term popularized by Paul Crutzen, a members (kids) and for a few years they In her presentation, Jamie mentioned Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist formed a club within our club called the several illustrative examples from among and discoverer of the ozone hole. Tourmaline Troop. On several weekends, the 20 field sites in the guidebook. We now 1 we developed programs and activities just live in the Anthropocene , she pointed out, Members in the News for them. The Troop was discontinued as a period in which humans have become a Both Gail Brett Levine and Branko their homework burden increased and they major geologic force, a period of Deljanin will be speakers at the eventually went to college. Is there any unprecedented rapid population growth, Mediterranean Gemological and Jewelry interest in resuscitating this group? extraction and consumption of earth Conference in Greece during June 27- materials, of waste production, and of Donations Being Accepted for the 28, 2015. climate change. The numerous ways in Congratulations to Cheryl Neary, Annual Benefit Auction which we transform ancient rocks makes elected president of Island Rock Hounds Wednesday, June 10, 2015 New York City a “geological hot spot.” mineral club! Minerals, Gems, Jewelry, Meteorites, To drive home important points, Jamie Articles by Charles Snider (advice Lapidary Arts, Crystals, Magazines, and Elizabeth invented a special geo- a b o u t m i n e r a l s h o w s a n d Books, Ephemera, Fossils vocabulary. On the walking tour, one can rockhounding/cell phones) appeared in Club Meeting Minutes for visit “Brownstone National Park”, the March 2015 issue of Rock Bottom April 8, 2015 populated by blocks of dinosaur-age Facts, bulletin of the Island Rock By Vivien Gornitz, Secretary Triassic and Jurassic sandstone buildings in Hounds, Inc. Attendance: 43 Brooklyn and other city neighborhoods. The Worthy.com named former Tiffany & President Mitch Portnoy presided. mounds of 8 to 10 million-year old salt Co. EVP Peter Schneirla as President Announcements: from Chile’s arid Atacama desert, used to in March 2015. The raffle was held. melt snow on city roadways, become a Mitch Portnoy will be delivering a After the “usual” historical meeting “desert moraine.” “No zero exists in the presentation to the Stamford day notices, the #3 Minerals & Light geologic city” because of constant Mineralogical Society on May 12, 2015. game, about iridescence, was played. remixing, in which, for example, The items available (both free and for concrete—a mix of sand, cement, stone, and Coming Next Month! pay) at the meeting were listed. water—remix into new “conglomerate.” The Club donated ten CD-ROMS of all Wastes at the Fresh Kills Staten Island the meeting games to the EFMLS for dump site generate methane for energy use, distribution to other clubs at the annual while the site gradually morphs into a park. convention. Other scrap yards accumulate the Janice Kowalski presented the results “wreckage of former worlds”, referring to of the EFMLS 2015 Article Contest. piles of rusting metals whose elements were A video about Earth’s layers and a fun created in cosmic events long before the presentation set to music about the origin of the Solar System.