The BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK MINERALOGICAL CLUB, INC

Volume 130 No. 5 May 2016

ZACKRY WIEGAND

NEW GEOLOGIST

2016 NYMC WORLD’S FINEST MINERAL MEMBERS See page 13! BLACK IS BACK

AUCTION DONATIONS

May 11, 2016 SNOWBALL EARTH Art of Light & Minerals

America’s Oldest Gem & Mineral Club Founded 1886  Incorporated 1937 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club Founded 1886 Ë New York City, New York Ë Incorporated 1937 Volume 130, No. 5 America’s Oldest Mineral & Gem Club May 2016

May 11th Meeting Presentation: Zackry Wiegand: “Subtle Bodies: Physicists Have Observed a The Art of Light & Minerals” Subtle Bodies is a collection of New State of Quantum Matter sculptural objects incorporating neon lights and minerals that examine our relationship By Alfredo Carpineti The new state was observed in crystals with Earth and Space. Created between Physicists have just observed in a real of ruthenium chloride (RuCl3). The team at 2012-2014 the nine pieces present minerals material a mysterious state of matter that the Oak Ridge National Laboratory shot as relics of nature. Through forced was first predicted 40 years ago. And if you neutrons at the crystals and looked at the perspective and thought quantum mechanics couldn’t get magnetic properties. The results are the use of light the any weirder, think again. published in Nature Materials. objects become An international team has observed for “This is a new addition to a short list of ambiguous in the first time a quantum spin liquid, a state known quantum states of matter,” said scale and infinite in which electrons break apart and behave Knolle. in depth. The in a very curious way. Electrons in typical “It’s an important step for our ability to perceive magnetic materials are well aligned when understanding of quantum matter,” added stars, galaxies, and the material is cooled down Kovrizhin. “It’s fun to have another new nebulas in objects to absolute zero. But in a quantum state that we’ve that come out of quantum spin liquid, never seen before – it the Earth provides electrons are not organized. presents us with new a meaningful and “This is a new possibilities to try new tangible connection to Space by quantum state of matter, things.” compressing and demystifying our distance which has been predicted The understanding of from it. Referencing cinematic lighting but hasn’t been seen quantum spin liquid could techniques and narrative tropes found in before,” Dr. Johannes have consequences for science fiction, the works simulate nature at Knolle of Cambridge’s Patterns formed by bombarding r o o m - t e m p e r a t u r e materials in a quantum spin liquid state superconductors and its farthest and most ephemeral boundaries. Cavendish Laboratory, one with neutrons By embracing those narratives and using of the paper’s co-authors, quantum computers. light as visual tool, you can elevate the said in a statement. It should be noted, it is Quantum spin liquid could even be used as perceived significance of your own not really a “liquid” per se – rather, the term memory storage for quantum computers. minerals and document them accordingly. indicates that electrons are not lined up as Zackry Wiegand is New York based they should be. Source: iflscience.com from April 6, 2016 artist and lighting designer from Vermont. Electrons are thought of as fundamental His background in film production and indivisible particles, but they can also be Issue Highlights architecture support a deep fascination with mathematically described by two light as a creative and narrative tool, and quasiparticles bound together, one President’s Message...... 2 themes of illusion and transition drive his representing the spin and one the charge. Meeting Minutes...... 2 curiosity with nature. Quasiparticles are essentially the World of Minerals: Mars Update (I). 3 His interest in rocks and minerals fundamental properties of the electron A New Geologist...... 4 started early in his life. His family collected acting as individual particles, although they Volcanic Eruption Cause?...... 4 wishing rocks (river stones with a complete can’t move freely through space. Even More Elements...... 5 line going all the way around), pieces of In a quantum spin liquid, the spin and Cave Art Volcano...... 6 quartz, and other charge quasiparticle can move Periodic Table Game...... 7 u n i q u e s t o n e s independently from each other and the The 100: Black is Back...... 8 everywhere they went, electron is broken. The free spin Topics in Gemology: Rare Watches.. 9 and his father is a quasiparticle is also a Majorana fermion, a 2016 NYMC Members...... 10 landscaper who builds curious excitation that is its own Climate & Gravel...... 11 stone walls. Rocks antiparticle. The first Majorana fermion was Snowball Earth...... 11 became valued objects only discovered last October. Lawrence Conklin Reprint...... 13 with the potential to be “Until recently, we didn’t even know Massive Blue Sapphire...... 14 found, and the process of searching for what the experimental fingerprints of a New Low-Density Ice...... 14 them created a heightened awareness of the quantum spin liquid would look like,” said March ‘16 Show Dealer Donations. 15 natural world. He continues to be inspired paper co-author Dr. Dmitry Kovrizhin. Banquet Invitation / Preview...... 15 by minerals with unique optical properties “One thing we’ve done in previous work is Curium...... 16 and the various associations rocks and to ask, if I were performing experiments on Club & Show Calendars...... 17 minerals have in pop-culture. a possible quantum spin liquid, what would I observe?” 2 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. May 2016

President’s Messages ‚ The NYMC items for sale (gemstone inclusions consisting of trapped brine, gas, and By Mitch Portnoy pens, backpacks, etc.) at the meeting halite. Demantoid garnets from the Urals are At last month’s meeting I presented a were exhibited. characterized by “horsetail” inclusions of mock-up screen of a “Members Only” tab ‚ The Club’s upcoming events through chrysotile, whereas demantoids from other on the website that would have classified March 2017 were presented. locales have needles of actinolite, or other minerals. In both examples, the Colombian and ads in a variety of categories that only Special Lecture: Dr. Roland Scal – Russian gems are considered more valuable members could place or access. Reaction to “Gemstone Microscopy” than those from elsewhere. this benefit was extremely positive so I will In his recent presentation, Dr. Roland Scal, professor at Queensborough Community The microscope unveils many other contract our webmaster to program the tab interesting internal features, such as growth . We will start with a “Rides College, revealed the hidden beauty and important information concealed in tiny zoning, changes of crystal habit during growth, Offered/Wanted” category with more to or more importantly, whether a stone is natural follow over the near future. inclusions embedded in gemstones. Regarded by many as flaws, these inclusions disclose or lab-grown. The fairly rare Lechtleiter For many years now the Club has much about the environment in which these synthetic emeralds look heavily fractured like produced free postcards advertising the crystals grew and where they originated, broken glass, or “crazy paving stones.” club and given them out at meetings and at whether in nature or a lab, and even in some Hydrothermally-grown synthetic emeralds mineral shows. I presented 4 designs to a cases their home country. Knowing this can show nail-head inclusions with phenacite, often group of members and there was no add value to the stone, particularly for aligned, which give the stone a roiled, hazy consensus which to use. However, it turned emeralds that originate in Colombia, a luster. Ramaura-grown rubies contain orangey out it was actually cheaper to produce all demantoid from Russia, or a ruby from blobs of flux and metallic Pb, La inclusions. four than just two! They will be distributed Myanmar (Burma). Roland’s journey into the hidden world of over the next two years. Roland began by pointing out basic gemstones unlocked a whole new dimension A large quantity of specimens from the instruments used to study inclusions—the and host of fascinating and useful facts about late Mitch Bogen’s collection have been optical microscope and the scanning electron these lovely crystals. donated to the club. A lot of work has to be microscope (SEM) for viewing at even higher Members in the News done to organize the unbelievably magnifications. The latter instrument also can disorganized mess that they currently are in. analyze an inclusion chemically, by The minerals will find their way into the bombarding it with x-rays. In general, the auction, raffles, etc over the next few microscopist uses darkfield illumination, in months. At first inspection, I think they will which light enters the field of view from an also form the foundation of a special benefit angle, rather than from directly below, to sale that we will have later in the year, create a high contrast that shows up otherwise perhaps during the summer. overlooked, subtle features. Many colorful slides were shown to illustrate these points. For example, swirls and bubbles usually mean a stone is fake—i.e., glass, but some natural fluid inclusions may freeze into a glassy mass. Randomly oriented, thin rutile needles in sapphire or ruby gives these stones a “sleepy”, milky look, but when they intersect at 120° angles, the resulting star I received the above item from esteemed dealer gem becomes highly desirable. The Linde James Zigras as a donation to our archives. Does Company manufactured synthetic star rubies anybody know what it was used for? and sapphires in the 1950s-1960s that could Club Meeting Minutes for be easily spotted because they were just too perfect. A zircon inclusion in an Australian April 13, 2016 ‚ In 2003, one of John Betts’s mineral sapphire became metamict (lost its By Vivien Gornitz, Secretary photographs was used on a postage stamp crystallinity due to natural radiation), which Attendance:45 of Guinea-Bissau. set up stresses that fractured the host crystal ‚ Renée Newman, who spoke to the NYMC President Mitch Portnoy presided and produced a halo. But tension haloes last year about exotic gems, has just had Announcements: around rutile, zircon and other high ‚ her fourth book in the Exotic Gems series The monthly raffle was held. temperature inclusions may also be evidence ‚ published, focusing on jade and pearls. The meeting day’s historical events for heat treatment. (Rutile needles also (More information to follow.) were announced. become fuzzy and indistinct when heated). ‚ A Mineral Hardness (Mohs 10) game Black inclusions within a diamond point to May Meeting Game! was played, the first of a new series! graphitization caused by the rapid transit to Information about mineral hardness in the surface within a kimberlite eruption that general was presented. brought the stone into a zone of ‚ A special door prize was given, a book disequilibrium (i.e., much lower temperatures about gemstone inclusions relating to and pressures than where it first crystallized). the evening’s lecture. In many cases, inclusions in gemstones ‚ A new book about the minerals of New can indicate the country of origin. For York State and where to collect them example, Sandawana emeralds from will soon be available. Zimbabwe typically display actinolite needles, whereas Colombian emeralds have 3-phase May 2016 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. 3

The World of Minerals The World of Minerals is a monthly column written by Dr. Vivien Gornitz on timely and interesting topics related to geology, gemology, mineralogy, mineral history, etc.

The Minerals of Mars – An Update (Part I) Catastrophic floods streamlined teardrop-shaped “islands” in giant outflow channels. River-like formations hint at to a formerly more clement climate—one more hospitable for the origin of early life. Recent mineral discoveries strengthen this possibility. Finding evidence for life on other planets has motivated recent space exploration. “Follow the water” is NASA’s chief guideline for seeking possible life abodes–past or present–on Mars. Certain types of minerals can reveal important clues about past environments and climates of a planet and its potential habitability. Most informative are those minerals, such as clays or evaporites that deposit at or near the surface by interaction with atmosphere and water. Instruments onboard orbiting spacecraft and surface rovers have discovered the presence of sheet silicates, sulfates, and crystalline iron oxides. These minerals date to a very early period in the history of Mars, when water was more abundant. Furthermore, geologic mapping shows not only that some hydrated sheet silicates are much older than sulfates, but that the latter formed under markedly different geochemical environments. As the planet grew drier, new minerals formed under brinier, more Mars, the Red Planet acidic conditions, which imply a harsher environment for early Mars, a planet of dramatic contrasts, displays heavily-cratered, life. The overall scarcity of carbonates was also a surprise, since moon-like terrains in the southern highlands, towering volcanoes, CO is the dominant constituent of the martian atmosphere, the Valles Marineris canyon system (2000 miles long and 12,000 2 carbonates generally precipitate from CO2 - H2O solutions, and feet deep) that dwarfs the Grand Canyon, deep channels gouged by evidence for aqueous alteration abounds. biblical-sized floods, dune fields rivaling the Sahara, and smooth, (Continues next month) sparsely-cratered northern hemisphere plains. Its thin, mostly Astro Gallery of Gems, now along Fifth Avenue, is to open a carbon dioxide atmosphere has a surface pressure less than one second location in a 1,200 square-foot-space on the ground floor percent that of the Earth. Surface temperatures range from near of this six-story 1931 apartment building across from the American freezing during southern hemisphere summer to -190E F at the Museum of Natural History (102 West 79th Street). The gallery, poles in winter. Although once much wetter, the red planet is now which plans to to sell minerals, fossils and jewelry, as well as bone dry and frigid (Table 1). Any liquid water either seeps into items for children there, and is to have a storage basement, has the ground and freezes, or evaporates. Yet copious volumes of signed a 10-year lease and received a three-month rent concession water once carved out dendritic (or branched) river valleys–now for its build-out. Approximate annual rent: $171,000. dry–scattered across much of the cratered southern highlands. 4 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. May 2016

The Origins of a Geologist: Although I’d been to see AMNH’s Hall of Minerals many From the Shores of Lake Michigan to the Halls times before, I was completely floored when faced with the of Oberlin College museum’s entire collection. Where before I had spent my time marveling at a mere 5,000 specimens, here, ranged in By Emilie Lozier unassuming metal shelves and cabinets, over 100,000 individual minerals stood waiting to be wondered over. My love affair with geology began early. Wandering the Later, my job would be to go through just a subset of this shores of Lake Michigan as children, my sisters and I would collection, drawer by drawer, removing each mineral from its comb our fingers through the coarse sand grains. Occasionally box, lining it up with its label and catalog number, and snapping one of us would straighten abruptly, squinting at whatever a photo to be uploaded to the online database. To some, this duty treasure our sifting hands had unearthed. Sea glass; shelly may seem monotonous, but to me it was a blast of energy, conglomerates; dull, rounded rocks that turned luminous colors kindling in the fire of my curiosity. Here, I could hold in my when dunked in the surf. These objects were like precious gems hands the very objects of my passion. Every day I encountered to us, and we stuffed our pockets full to bursting. new oddities to pique my interest: a carpet of dark, glittering azurites, a pale purple fluorite with a structure like a honeycomb, a septarian concretion all crisscrossed with cracks, and native copper entombed in a perfect, football-shaped crystal of calcite. Even the more humble minerals did not escape my attention, and in the end these were the ones that taught me the most. After handling countless examples of a single variety of mineral, I soon gained an instinctive – albeit rudimentary – feel for its typical hues, densities, and morphologies. One day, when photographing a drawer of calcites, I came across a mineral that provoked my suspicion the moment I picked it up. For its size, the specimen was much heavier than my hands-on understanding of calcites had led me to believe. Turning the mineral over in my hands I realized with a low thrill of excitement that its reverse side was coated with a thick layer of galena, a dense, lead- containing mineral. Of all my experiences at the museum, moments like these Years later I had amassed a respectable collection of rocks were the ones that reminded me most dramatically of why it is and minerals. With a backbone of lake stones from my summers I study the natural sciences. They brought me back to the days of beach combing, it was fleshed out by a number of more spent darting in and out of Lake Michigan waves, holding “serious” specimens from my grandmother’s neighbor, Mitch. gleaming wet pebbles up to the sun and marveling at their gem- Whenever I would go to stay with my grandma in Manhattan, like colors. To the camping trips at Devil’s Lake State Park in Mitch would invite me to look through his own considerable Wisconsin spent puzzling over the ponderous quartzite cliffs. collection and choose a mineral to take home. Like the first geologists, my curiosity was purely visceral, Like many budding collectors, my choices were driven by stemming from that which I saw and touched and tasted. Today, an appreciation for distinctive shapes and colors. I chose this sense of primitive wonder remains to me an invitation, and hematite for its globular structure and metallic sheen, wavelite all the motivation I could ever need. for its radial spray of pale green needles. Months later, I still found myself puzzling over their unique beauty. I wanted to What Causes A Volcanic Eruption? understand the whole story, the series of mechanisms that could By Robin Andrews create minerals of such startling complexity. This curiosity has stuck with me. As a student at Oberlin A team of volcanologists led by the University of Liverpool College, I have stuffed my schedule full of geology courses, have released a perhaps controversial Nature study on the causes even while pursuing a major in chemistry. In my mind, this of volcanic eruptions. Going against the current consensus, they approach makes a lot of sense. With an ultimate goal of have suggested that it isn’t huge pressure differences that trigger geochemical research, my foundation in chemistry must be volcanic blasts, but a strange behavior of magma called unshakeable – and so I study chemistry. At the same time, it is “frictional heating.” the tantalizing mystery of the Earth’s processes that drives me to Volcanic eruptions, despite being studied for several shore up my knowledge of the natural sciences – and so I study thousands of years in one form or another, are still relatively geology. In brief, while chemistry is my vehicle, geology is the poorly understood phenomena. Although volcanologists have furnace that keeps the wheels turning. attempted to categorize eruptions as best they can, observing Last summer, with one year at Oberlin tucked away in my their underlying physical processes is impossible, and can only pocket, I spent two months helping out in the Department of be interpreted after the act. The arguable “holy grail” of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the American Museum of volcanology is to determine why exactly an eruption, Natural History. More specifically, I worked with Jamie particularly an explosive one, occurs, in order to aid our ability Newman, who assists in the curation of the Mineral and Gems to predict when the next one will happen. collection. Earlier in the year, Mitch had brought me to meet Volcanic eruptions are largely thought to occur when there Jamie and get a peek at the collection. is a huge pressure difference (or “gradient”) between the broiling May 2016 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. 5 magma within the chamber and the outside world. When this “A good analogy to this is peanut butter,” Lavallée said in gradient becomes too large for the encasing rock to keep it in, it a statement. “When it is too cold and viscous, we plunge a knife fractures, allowing the magma to violently decompress onto the into it and stir to warm it up and make it runnier.” surface. This “frictional heating” caused substantial temperature increases in the laboratory, which had several effects: Primarily, the formation of bubbles is easier when the magma is hotter, or more energetically excitable. The more fluid, less confining magma also permits the more efficient growth of bubbles. In addition, this temperature increase induced the melting of solid crystals within the magma, depositing a huge amount of chemical compounds into the molten phase of the magma. This so-called “supersaturation” causes a chemical imbalance within the magma, which releases these compounds as gassy bubbles in order to redress this. These findings, if corroborated by other independent studies, have the potential to rewrite a key component of volcanological science, potentially transforming how we determine when, and indeed how, the most dangerous volcanoes on Earth erupt. Source: iflscience.com from January 6, 2016 What causes the world's explosive volcanic eruptions, like the 1980s blast at Mount St. Helens, to occur? USGS The Race to Find Even More New Elements to Add to the Periodic Table This chamber pressure is largely controlled by the gas By David Hinde content of the magma, which itself is variably gloopy, or “viscous.” As the magma initially begins to decompress as it In an event likely never to be repeated, four new superheavy rises from the depths of the Earth, gas bubbles form from the elements were last week simultaneously added to the periodic magma in a process known as vesiculation, which increases the table. To add four in one go is quite an achievement but the race internal pressure of the magma chamber. The more viscous and to find more is ongoing. gassy the magma is, the greater the pressure gradient will be, and the more explosive the subsequent eruption.

The expanding periodic table of elements. Shutterstock/Olivier Le Queinec Back in 2012, the International Unions of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) Is temperature or pressure more important when it comes to triggering explosive tasked five independent scientists to assess claims made for the eruptions? Credit: mik ulyannikov / Shutterstock discovery of elements 113, 115, 117 and 118. The measurements This new study, led by Yan Lavallée, professor of had been made at Nuclear Physics Accelerator laboratories in volcanology at the University of Liverpool, has concluded that Russia (Dubna) and Japan (RIKEN) between 2004 and 2012. temperature, not pressure, is the controlling mechanism for Late last year, on December 30, 2015, IUPAC announced vesiculation. Laboratory experiments were set up to melt various that claims for the discovery of all four new elements had been types of igneous rocks in various ways. The team looked accepted. carefully at how each melting technique produced varying This completes the seventh row of the periodic table, and degrees of vesiculation, comparing their results with fieldwork means that all elements between hydrogen (having only one on Santiaguito volcano. proton in its nucleus) and element 118 (having 118 protons) are Their experiments show that magma and partially molten now officially discovered. rocks moving up through a tube or “conduit” heat up as they do After the excitement of the discovery, the scientists now so. This temperature increase is caused by the “drag” of the have the naming rights. The Japanese team will suggest the magma against both the walls of the conduit and the internal name for element 113. The joint Russian/US teams will make currents within the magma itself. suggestions for elements 115, 117 and 118. These names will be 6 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. May 2016 assessed by IUPAC, and once approved, will become the new The payback from the discovery of these new elements names that scientists and students will have to remember. comes in improving models of the atomic nucleus (with applications in nuclear medicine and in element formation in the universe) and testing our understanding of atomic relativistic effects (of increasing importance in the chemical properties of the heavy elements). It also helps in improving our understanding of complex and irreversible interactions of quantum systems in general. The Australian Connection The race is now on to produce elements 119 and 120. The projectile nucleus Calcium-48 (Ca-48) – successfully used to form the newly accepted elements – has too few protons, and no target nuclei with more protons are currently available. The question is, which heavier projectile nucleus is the best to use. The completed seventh row in the periodic table. Wikimedia Commons To investigate this, the leader and team members of the German superheavy element research group, based in Darmstadt Until their discovery and naming, all superheavy elements and Mainz, recently travelled to the Australian National (up to 999!) have been assigned temporary names by the IUPAC. University. Element 113 is known as ununtrium (Uut), 115 is ununpentium They made use of unique ANU experimental capabilities, (Uup), 117 is ununseptium (Uus) and 118 ununoctium (Uuo). supported by the Australian Government’s NCRIS program, to These names are not actually used by physicists, who instead measure fission characteristics for several nuclear reactions refer to them as “element 118", for example. forming element 120. The results will guide future experiments The Superheavy Elements in Germany to form the new superheavy elements. Elements heavier than Rutherfordium (element 104) are It seems certain that by using similar nuclear fusion referred to as superheavy. They are not found in nature, because reactions, proceeding beyond element 118 will be more difficult they undergo radioactive decay to lighter elements. than reaching it. But that was the feeling after the discovery of Those superheavy nuclei that have been created artificially element 112, first observed in 1996. And yet a new approach have decay lifetimes between nanoseconds and minutes. But using Ca-48 projectiles allowed another six elements to be longer-lived (more neutron-rich) superheavy nuclei are expected discovered. to be situated at the centre of the so-called “island of stability”, Nuclear physicists are already exploring different types of a place where neutron-rich nuclei with extremely long half-lives nuclear reaction to produce superheavies, and some promising should exist. results have already been achieved. Nevertheless, it would need Currently, the isotopes of new elements that have been a huge breakthrough to see four new nuclei added to the periodic discovered are on the “shore” of this island, since we cannot yet table at once, as we have just seen. reach the centre. Source: iflscience.com from January 5, 2016 How Were These New Elements Created On Earth? 36,000 Year Old Cave Art Shows Ancient Atoms of superheavy elements are made by nuclear fusion. Volcanic Eruption Imagine touching two droplets of water – they will “snap By Robin Andrews together” because of surface tension to form a combined larger droplet. The problem in the fusion of heavy nuclei is the large numbers of protons in both nuclei. This creates an intense repulsive electric field. A heavy-ion accelerator must be used to overcome this repulsion, by colliding the two nuclei and allowing the nuclear surfaces to touch. This is not sufficient, as the two touching spheroidal nuclei must change their shape to form a compact single droplet of nuclear matter – the superheavy nucleus. It turns out that this only happens in a few “lucky” collisions, as few as one in a million. There is yet another hurdle; the superheavy nucleus is very likely to decay almost immediately by fission. Again, as few as one in a million survives to become a superheavy atom, identified by its unique radioactive decay. The process of superheavy element creation and The Chauvet cave system has its own high-resolution replica. Getty identification thus requires large-scale accelerator facilities, Volcanology is a fairly ancient science, with descriptions of sophisticated magnetic separators, efficient detectors and time. dramatic eruptions going back at least as far as the year 79 C.E., Finding the three atoms of element 113 in Japan took 10 when Pliny the Elder sailed into the pyroclastic flows emerging years, and that was after the experimental equipment had been from Vesuvius and his heir detailed the unfolding destruction. developed. Now, a study in PLOS ONE has described what may be the May 2016 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. 7 earliest known images of erupting volcanoes. These paintings, Chauvet cave paintings predate this Turkish example by around found in the Chauvet caves of France, are at least 36,000 years 28,000 years, and if the Vivarais eruption theory is accepted by old. the scientific community, its depiction in volcanic art will be the This particular cave system was found to contain a series of oldest in human history to date. paintings in 1994. Among them were menageries of animals – a Source: iflscience.com from January 11, 2016 common theme in ancient cave paintings. Examples of human Teach Kids Chemistry with this Homemade handprints were also found there. However, some of the artwork Periodic Table Battleship Game was at the time too abstract to be properly identified. By Tom Hale Nearby, a new geological survey was conducted in the Bas-Vivarais area, which aimed to look at the geological evolution of the area between 30,000 and 40,000 years ago. This coincides with the period of time wherein the Chauvet cave system was occupied by humans. During this time, the geological survey revealed that 35 kilometers (22 miles) away from the cave system, a major volcanic eruption took place in the Vivarais volcanic field, a series of volcanoes spread over 500 square kilometers (193 square miles). This research team, using geological mapping and isotopic dating, managed to provide the most accurate timings and precise eruption characteristics of the volcanic activity of Vivarais to date. They note that the activity ranges from the calm and effusive (lava flows, for example) to the iridescent and violent, with buried water and magma interacting explosively to form volcanoes known as maar volcanoes. If you teach or have kids of your own, here’s a great way to get them into chemistry. On the homeschooling blog Teach Beside Me, Karyn Tripp shows how to create a Battleship-esque game with a periodic table. All you need to do is print out four periodic tables, which you can easily find on Google Images. Along the left side, you then label the rows alphabetically from a to i. You then set up the a battlestation using two folders facing back-to-back and attached by a paper clip at the top. You can also laminate the sheets to make the game reusable. As Tripp explains on the blog, “The kids can then mark where they want to place their ships by circling rows of 2, 3, 4, The map of the Chauvet cave system (A), the general view of the “Megaloceros panel” (B), and the detail of the spray-like paintings (C). and 5 elements on the lower table. They play by calling out Nomade et al./PLOS ONE coordinates. If they miss they put an X on the spot they chose on the upper table. If they get a hit, they circle it.” Indeed, carbon dating techniques show that the nearby After learning to play in this way, you can then use more Chauvet cave paintings were created during this time. The later advanced ways to find the opponent's “battleships,” such as phases of painting focused around an extinct, deer-like creature using an element’s atomic number or mass number. You can also called a Megaloceros. Painted using a red pigment, perhaps make a rule that a “ship” has to be in each group, i.e. one in the traced with fingers, these Megaloceros appear to have a noble gases, one in transition metals, etc. spray-like feature emerging from their heads. Source: iflscience.com from January 14, 2016 These spray shapes are unique among over 340 ornate cave Niagara Falls: New York State Park System to painting sites in France and Spain, which made their identification problematic for a long time. The authors of this Present Plans to ‘Dewater’ American Side of Falls study suggest that they appear to resemble the typical lava Following a public hearing, the dewatering is expected to occur fountains reminiscent of Strombolian eruptions, gas within three years to replace 115-year-old bridges accessing slug-induced volcanic explosions. Goat Island. The falls were first dewatered in 1969 for an Sebastien Nomade, lead author of the study, told erosion study. IFLScience: “We noticed that the shape is reminiscent of lava fountains that a young kid could draw.” Although it is impossible to be certain, the authors are cautiously confident of their discovery, noting that the strength of the eruptions could have meant that the original artists likely felt compelled to paint them. Previously, volcanic imagery was found in Catalhoyuk in central Turkey, and dated to be at least 8,000 years old. The 8 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. May 2016

Collector’s Series – “The 100" The 100 is a monthly feature of interest to mineral collectors written by Bill Shelton, based upon his many years of experience as a mineral collector, educator, author, appraiser, philanthropist and dealer. Comments as well as suggestions for new topics are most welcome. Contact him at [email protected].

Black is Back I would also like to inform serious collectors that some This curious group of black minerals shares a common recent samples from Russia have excellent luster and a minimum status regarding fluorescence and gemstones - there is nothing to of coating present. Such a piece would be prized by many say regarding either! Uranium, the collectors. In addition to Dalnegorsk, the element, has a bearing on fluorescence former Soviet Union has other places that but it is unrelated to the species uraninite. might produce a fine specimen – here I Byproducts of course are a different include Rudnyi, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan matter. and Ukraine according to the World of Stibnite, a popular species for Stones magazine. If you like a specimen collectors, can have well-formed crystals with multiple species present, you will that occasionally reach 20 inches or so. find quite a few possibilities here ranging Normal specimens and most of those from gangue minerals to other potentially known to exist are modest sized singles or valuable species. At times, the silver clusters to a few inches or less. The recent content in tetrahedrite is concentrated influx of Chinese pieces allows an enough to make it a possible ore species opportunity for anyone with most any size for copper and silver. budget to get single crystals or even Uraninite is perhaps best known as a groups. Prices seem remarkably Stibnite from Nevada source of uranium and probably reasonable now that we have a large considered in some circles as dangerous supply. Prior to this, a few places had due to radioactivity. Secondary species samples – France, Japan, Nevada and and traces of the uranyl radical are noted Romania are exemplary. They tend to be with bright colors, fluorescence and, sparsely represented in dealer stock and sometimes, high levels of radioactivity. many of these pieces will be expensive. This is much less applicable to uraninite. Long ago, Sinkankas (1964) said Species such as cuprosklodowskite, “Probably the acquisition of a fine group betafite and autunite may actually be of Japanese stibnite crystals is to an more radioactive than uraninite. When amateur mineralogist an attainment equal crystals are found, the price will probably to an art patron’s acquisition of an old be moderate and the quality variable. master.” The best pieces are silvery to Among some of the samples I have seen, gray and may be iridescent so some, at those from Standpipe Hill, Maine are least, are not really black in appearance. I most often noted to exhibit high quality. can’t imagine a collector not considering Tetrahedrite from Peru Generally, they are thumbnail sized and this as a good addition to their suite. have little or no matrix present. Other Tetrahedrite is a very interesting sources in America include several species – many elements can enter the pegmatites in Connecticut, North Carolina, structure including bismuth, silver and Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. zinc. Arsenic can be present and when See mindat.org for a very long list of enough is there, the species is properly known places. Worldwide, Canada, labeled as tennantite. A complete solid Congo, England and South Africa are solution series is evidently known to exist. notable sources. Pitchblende is a massive, The massive material may prove to be a bit sometimes impure uraninite that may be elusive to identify but crystals are more available but will likely be unattractive. If readily recognized. It is common for you decide to own a crystal, say thumbnail chalcopyrite to encompass the entire sized, I believe the relative danger to you crystal and that means an error in identity is minute. Perhaps you will be able to might occur. Fifty years ago, a one inch source one from lesser known and crystal was considered impressive. Not available places such as Norway. long ago, I was fortunate to find a two inch As a group, they may be beauty from Dalnegorsk, Russia. But don’t underappreciated in the collector be overly impressed – the Handbook community. Black is not the most Uraninite from Maine suggests crystals exist more on the order of endearing quality for fancy collection six inches in length today. pieces anyway. Mindat.org reports 2,833 localities for stibnite, 1,866 for tetrahedrite and 2,503 for uraninite. Does this come as a surprise to you? May 2016 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. 9

Topics in Gemology Topics in Gemology is a monthly column written by Diana Jarrett, GG, RMV, based on gemological questions posed to her over the years by beginners and experts alike. Contact her at [email protected].

All the Subtleties of Time knowledgeable personnel, Sarkissian believes. “Service replaces Recently, the Washington Post published a report about a shift all the discounts in the world. These professionals will follow you in paradigm with ultra-luxe consumers who at one time only on your collecting journey whether you own one or 50 sported highly visible status-con labels. Now, they are regarded as timepieces.” “a little trashy” shoppers were quoted as saying. Instead, the story Dizzying Details goes, consumers eschew logo-stamped products plastered with Limited edition watches fascinate collectors who understand names like Van Cleef & Arpels, Prada, Gucci or Luis Vuitton. their discreet complications. DEVON timepieces deliver a No Attention Please patented system known as interwoven Time Belts™. The My, how things have changed. In the world of luxury Ressence, with liquid under its crystal has no crown stem goods, manufacturers may have relied wholly on name to wind. Instead, the functions happen on the reverse of the recognition to push their brand to the fore. Status minded case. Laurent Ferrier is the only brand offering a double consumers happily participated in prominently flaunting spiral tourbillon for enhanced security and accuracy. Both logos believing it added a certain snob-value to their own of these brands are produced in very small editions of identity. But the recent disinterest toward blatant self - between 50 to 100 pieces annually. Girard Perregaux promotion visible on couture goods has already been Chrono Hawk Hollywoodland pays homage to its observed with the serious timepiece crowd. namesake while boasting self-winding manufactured Knowledgeable, cultivated and affluent, the last thing calibre with visible oscillating weight. Roger Dubouis’s savvy watch collectors want is attention focused on skeleton tourbillon exhibits dynamic depth of field. themselves. They are the rare watch connoisseur. Parmigiani Fleurier’s 21 house calibres are the basis of Bonafide rare timepieces are those of the highest the brand’s success today. manufacture and artistic merit, with discreet complications, Parmigiani Fleurier “The coolest development in visual complications often advanced technology, and crafted in limited editions. comes from the guys at Ressence working on a novel way People have been interested in knowing what time it is eons. to display time,” Sarkissian informs. “Their elegant, extremely The earliest form of timekeeping was a sundial created in Egypt comfortable case houses a beautiful, original and complicated around 1450 BC. By the mid 16th century, countless expert mechanism presenting time in a completely new way with no watchmakers were busy in Switzerland. The phrase Swiss-made crown. The time rotates around the dial 360° while being very watch still denotes a fine timekeeping instrument. But inexpensive legible.” Top watchmakers are returning to core values of battery-operated fashion watches have become so cheap that people craftsmanship with some inner improvements. “Laurent Ferrier often toss their watch when its battery goes kaput. demonstrates that principal,” he says. It’s Complicated Mostly Manly Still a robust market exists for haute horology sending prices Each manufacturer’s creations are distinct, but the appeal soaring into the six figures. That’s because rare watches have seems skewed towards the male sensibility. “Rare watches are complications that enthrall both novice and seasoned collector. An mainly a male thing”, Sarkissian discovered. “Laurent Ferrier advanced albeit discreet technology is also a potent draw for developed the Galet Micro-Rotor with natural escapement in a aficionados. But not every fan can play the game. Only those with lady’s model. The response in the US to the lady’s version has deep resources make the leap from admirer to high watch collector. been lukewarm whereas the man’s model is in great demand. This Watch expert Andrew Block understands haute-horology and trend is shared by just about all brands.” The majority of female its dedicated enthusiasts. He draws on 30 years experience in high-end collectors prefer quartz, brand recognition, plus an luxury brand management as president of California-based Stephen association with couture jewelry. Block concurs. “Women focus Silver Boutique where he curates a collection of rare watches. “It’s on fashion and style. Women truly understand the entire concept not an inexpensive passion, but a rewarding one that develops over of accessorizing – collecting watches for women goes beyond time,” Block finds. “We’re talking about the finest examples of artistry.” craftsmanship and art. Once you develop a passion for any art, you What Next? never loose it. With fine timepieces, the highest forms of watch What territory remains unconquered for these timekeepers? making are true works of art.” “It may not be limited to the number of functions per watch,” Today’s discerning collector appreciates cutting-edge Block considers, “but rather an innovative combining of technology inherent to luxury timepieces, especially when they complications never seen before. It may be utilizing new materials themselves are in a related field. Discreet complications resonate in combination with new technology. Smart watches are the next with venture capitalists and tech-culture scions. Extraordinarily frontier to remain a relevant category for a younger demographic wealthy, they have no intention of flaunting it, however. The owner of luxury consumer.” is usually the only one who knows how the watch performs. Authority Alexis Sarkissian, CEO, Totally Worth It, has tracked the evolution of rare watches on a global scale. Even first time collectors are an educated set, he says. “More and more novices enter the world of haute horlogerie. In the US especially, consumers educate themselves via the internet’s multiple outlets. My favorite resources are still great salespeople with the passion DEVON Ressence Type 3 and faith to share their craft.” One cannot overstate the value of 10 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. May 2016

2016 Members of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. Toni Akhibi, Abuja, Nigeria Dr. George Harlow, New York, NY Sivia Phoenix, Brooklyn, NY Alicja Andrejczuk, Scarsdale, NY Parvin Hartramph, New York, NY Martin & Lillie Pope, Brooklyn, NY Scott Arsham, New York, NY Richard Hauck, Franklin, NJ Mitchell Portnoy, New York, NY Carol Bailey, Flushing, NY Jeffrey Hayward, Staten Island, NY Alla Priceman, Larchmont, NY Linda Barrett, New York, NY Tema Hecht, New York, NY Elayne Prince, Westport, CT Charlotte & Lawrence Bassett, Thornwood, NY Will Heierman, Stafford, TX Rafael Ramirez, Newark, N Diane Beckman, New York, NY Howard Heitner, Tuckahoe, NY Eric Rampello, Levittown, NY Lorraine Bege, New York, NY Erica Hirsch, Ocean Grove, NJ Joaquin Ramsey, New York, NY Russell Behnke, Meriden, CT Pablo Hoffman, New York, NY George Rappaport, Staten Island, NY Raissa & Dr. Garrett Bennett, New York, NY Sidney Horenstein, New York, NY Mohammad Qammer, Islip, NY Ted Berkowitz, New York, NY Irving Horowitz, Floral Park, NY George Rappaport, Staten Island, NY Philip Betancourt, Moorestown, NJ Gail Jaffe, New York, NY Daniel J. Record, Newington, CT John Betts, New York, NY Diana Jarrett, University Park, FL James Regnante, Forest Hills, NY Mark Lowenthal & Gail Billig, Englewood, NJ Rudolph B. Jones, Fayetteville, NC Vesta Sue Rhodes, New York, NY Michael Davis & Alberto Bird, Bronx, NY Arlene Joseph, New Milford, NJ Karen Rice, Rio Rancho, NM Richard Blackman, Randolph, NJ Tracy Jukes, Narberth, UK Susan Ritter, New York, NY Andrew C. Blume & Family, New York, NY Robert Karlovits, Staten Island, NY Olivia Roach, Brooklyn, NY Fran Radbell Bolinder, Tuckahoe, NY Jacob & Ruth Kaufman, New York, NY Andrea Ross, Manchester, VT Richard Bostwick, New York, NY Michael & Robin Kessler, East Stroudsburg, PA Richard & Judith Biegner Rossi , Brooklyn, NY Pauletta Brooks, New York, NY Victor & Margaret Krasan, Jamaica, NY Olga Rubio, Chester, NY Alan Bronstein, Livingston, NJ Saul Krotki, Seattle, WA Susan Jane Rudich, New York, NY Mrs. Dale L. Brown, Bronx, NY Patricia Dolan & Mark Kucera, Yonkers, NY Roman Rudinskiy, Brooklyn, NY Kevan & Claudia Brown, New York, NY Alexandra Krummenacker, Glen Cove, NY Jesus U. & Meyci Sanchez, Elizabeth, NJ Louis J. Brown, Bronx, NY Matthew Langlois, New York, NY John F. Sanfaçon, Morristown, NJ Otis Kidwell Burger, New York, NY Paul Vitaris & Lee Laurie, New York, NY Alexsandra Santiago, Corona, NY Eugene Carmichael, Kew Gardens, NY Delores Lawton, Brooklyn, NY Victor Sapienza, Staten Island, NY Elaine Casani, Bohemia, NY Delphine Leblanc, Hoboken, NJ Naomi Sarna, New York, NY Andrew Chait & Family, New York, NY Barbara Brewka & James Lee, Bronxville, NY Roland Scal, New York, NY Neil Chalfin, Englewood, NJ Gail Brett Levine, Rego Park, NY Peter C. Schneirla, New York, NY Atilio Ciucci, Yonkers, NY Florence Levy, New York, NY Anna Schumate, New York, NY Bill Cotrofeld, East Arlington, VT The Litvin Family, Englewood, NJ Ronnee Medow Segal, New York, NY Catherine Corwin & Family, Brooklyn, NY Eduardo Lopez, New York, NY Jack Segall, Cedarhurst, NY Lillian Cozzarelli, Brooklyn, NY Richard & Marion Lopus, Hicksville, NY Charles & Ruth Severson, Gwynedd, PA Bob Cullen, Mamaroneck, NY Immacula Louisime, Jamaica, NY William Shelton, Tucson, AZ Richard Currier, New York, NY Donna M. Luisi, Middle Village, NY Michael Silver, Los Angeles, CA Ralph Dames, Kearny, NJ Robert J. Martinchek, Newington, CT Helen Skrobut, Brooklyn, NY Joan Daniel, New York, NY Andrew Mason, Briarcliff Manor, NY Candie Smith, Staten Island, NY Ann Darby, Elmhurst, NY Sydney Mazur, New York, NY Charles Snider, New York, NY Joan Deignan, Bronx, NY Dr. Charles Merguerian, Stone Ridge, NY Alma Barkey Sohmer, New York, NY Nick Del Re, Brooklyn, NY Stephen Milne, New York, NY Paul & Jeannine Speranza, North Bellmore, NY Donna Dempsey, New York, NY William Mirabello, Staten Island, NY Atida Stein, New York, NY Christine Domino, Woodside, NY Miriam Mopper, Forest Hills, NY Robin Sternberg, New York, NY Joshua Dudley, Montclair, NJ Robbin C. Moran, Bronx, NY Steven B. & Max Stieglitz, New York, NY Tina Di, Flushing, NY Ethel Murray, New York, NY Matt & Abbey Stolle, New York, NY Alissa Duffy, Blairstown, NJ Diane L. Nadler, New York, NY Kacper Szarejko, Ridgewood, NY Kevin & DG Duffy, Sunnyside, NY Vanessa Napolitano-Lydon, Rego Park, NY Linda Ultee, New York, NY Ray Eginton, Springfield Gardens, NY Cheryl Neary, Patchogue, NY Ann Vitiello, Brooklyn, NY Philip Elenko, New York, NY Jamie Newman, Brooklyn, NY Sam M. Waldman, Brooklyn, NY Duane Farabaugh, Forest Hills, NY Nik Nikiforou, New Paltz, NY Jessica Wasserman, New York, NY Robert & Estée Fraser, Dupont, WA Tony Nikischer, Keswick, VA Lenore Weber, New York, NY Sam Gelman, Woodside, NY Keith & Barbara Noyes, Blauvelt, NY Jeffrey P. Wiegand, New Rochelle, NY Gary Golden & Family, Brooklyn, NY Thomas W. Nugent, Woodside, NY Susana Wilches, New York, NY Olga González, New York, NY Tim O'Meara, Reston, VA Robin Wildes, New York, NY Vivien Gornitz, New York, NY Christopher O'Neill, Brooklyn, NY Leonid Zakinov, Forest Hills, NY Joel & SusAnna Bernard- Grae, New York, NY William O'Neill, Brooklyn, NY Vanessa Zannis, New York, NY Fran Greder, Belleville, NJ Corinne Orr, New York, NY Theodore Zirnite, New York, NY Richard Greene, Bronx, NY Peter & Mady Palese, NYC, NY Anne Marie Zumer, Wantagh, NY Raymond Hakimi, Great Neck, NY Seymour Perlowitz, Brooklyn, NY Dr. Daniel Hall, Columbus, OH Alfredo Petrov, Desert Hot Springs, CA May 2016 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. 11

New Climate Measuring Technique Uses unlikely reservoir given how ‘messy’ most people think it is - Gravel Coating Like Tree Rings there is a mineral that accumulates steadily and creates some of By Stephen Luntz the most detailed information to date on the Earth’s past climates,” Amundson said in a statement. A new technique, if verified, could transform our capacity to understand ancient climates, arming us with far more detailed knowledge of what to expect in a warming world. The method uses carbonate deposits between soil and gravel detritus in arid and semi-arid zones. These are laid down like tree rings, allowing us to learn about the climatic conditions at the time.

During a minor ice age a persistant high pressure system over the Canadian ice sheet reversed the dominant pattern of North American precipitation, bringing stronger rain bearing winds from the Gulf of Mexico during summer, and possibly suppressing winter snows from the Pacific. Erik Oerter Amundson and his PhD Student Erik Oerter used laser ablation to collect microscopic samples from pedothems. “It is evident that the carbonate coatings formed in concentric bands around the rocks, much like the annual growth rings in a tree, except that these laminations form over timescales of several hundred years,” Oerter said. The ratio of Uranium-234 to Uranium-238 indicates the age of the pedothem, while carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios provide an indication of temperature and rainfall at the time Moreover, plants preferentially remove carbon-13, so lower levels left in the soil are indicative of higher levels of plant productivity, indicating better growing conditions. This analysis revealed oxygen-18 levels spiked coinciding The carbonate layers of this 3 millimeter sample are like tree rings, but laid down with a “previously hypothesized” period between 55,000 and over tens of thousands of years. Credit Oerter et al/PNAS 70,000 years ago. This has been explained as warm winds Paleoclimatology, the study of climates before we had bringing summer rain from the Gulf of Mexico replacing winter widespread thermometers, has been hampered by a shortage of snows from the Pacific. The minor ice age conditions at the time suitable proxy measures. Some tree species store indications of were very different from anything likely to occur soon. the conditions as they grew in their growth rings. Similarly However, Oerter said, “The techniques that we developed can stalactites, stalagmites, and lake sediments can provide an now be applied to similar soil deposits to fill in key gaps in the insight into the local environment when they were laid down. paleoclimate record,” including local effects of past climatic All have their limitations however. The further you go back conditions most similar to the greenhouse effect we anticipate. the less likely it is that there will be tree or coral records, and Source: Iflscience.com from January 13, 2016 other measurements tend to be geographically restricted. We Snowball Earth Triggered by Explosive have only the vaguest knowledge of the climate over huge areas Underwater Volcanoes? of the world at crucial points in time. By Stuart Gary Professor Ronald Amundson of the University of California, Berkeley has published a new method in the Proceedings of the Extensive underwater volcanism caused by the breakup of National Academy of Sciences, and used it to chart the an ancient supercontinent may have pushed the Earth into a temperature and rainfall of Wyoming’s Wind River Basin over period of extreme freezing 750 million years ago, according to the last 120,000 years. a new study. Amundson’s technique relies on carbonate layers on the The research, reported in the journal Nature Geoscience, bottom of alluvial gravel debris. These deposits, known as may also help explain how animal life began on Earth millions pedothems, are far thinner than tree rings, and consequently give of years later, scientists said. far poorer resolution. Instead of being able to tell what a single “A Snowball Earth is an extreme event and the planet almost year was like, they give an average over a thousand years. didn’t get out of it,” one of the study’s authors Professor Eelco “The cool thing that this study reveals is that within soil - an Rohling, of the Australian National University, said. 12 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. May 2016

“Our hypothesis provides a single mechanism that explains “That kicks the world through a tipping point into a several different aspects of the Snowball Earth state.” snowball state where the oceans start to freeze over as well,” According to the Snowball Earth hypothesis, most or all of Professor Rohling said. Earth was covered in ice sheets at least once in the planet’s history, but it is not clear what caused this extreme glaciation. “Our hypothesis provides a single mechanism that It had been widely thought that the run-off from rivers into explains several different aspects of the Snowball the ocean caused by the break-up of the vast supercontinent Earth state.” Professor Eelco Rohling Rodinia changed the chemistry of the ocean, reducing the “The sea ice forms because of the large scale glaciation on amount of carbon-dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, which in land.” turn increased global ice coverage. The Earth stayed locked in this state for millions of years.

The vast ice sheets covering the continents reflected sunlight “Eventually land-based volcanism pumps so much CO2 into away from the Earth, further cooling the planet. the atmosphere that it pushes the planet out of the Snowball “That kicks the world through a tipping point into a Earth phase,” Professor Rohling said. snowball state where the oceans start to freeze over as well,” But the existing hypothesis does not explain how thick Professor Rohling said. deposits of carbonate rock such as limestone — known as cap carbonates — were laid down as the Earth warmed. Volcanoes Altered Ocean Chemistry Key Facts: Simulations by Professor Rohling and colleagues indicated ‚ Volcanic chemicals released in eruptions saturate the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent may have released oceans, removing carbon-dioxide from atmosphere and huge volumes of volcanic chemicals that saturated the oceans cooling the planet and drew CO out of the atmosphere cooling the planet. ‚ Chemicals leached from glassy volcanic rock formed 2 As the supercontinent Rodinia started to break up, extensive sediment on the sea floor shallow marine volcanic activity produced large amounts of ‚ The chemicals may also explain high levels of glassy volcanic rock, called hyaloclastite, that readily break phosphorus in oceans thought to be catalyst for origin down releasing large amounts of chemicals into the ocean. of animal life “In the past the big question has been: how could large continental weathering deposit so much mineral into the oceans “Our hypothesis provides a single mechanism that explains if the land is covered in icesheets,” Professor Rohling said. several different aspects of the Snowball Earth state.” “The hyaloclastite eruptions do that — turning the ocean According to the Snowball Earth hypothesis, most or all of very rich in calcium, magnesium, silicon and phosphorus.” Earth was covered in ice sheets at least once in the planet’s Eventually when the Earth warmed and the ice broke apart, history, but it is not clear what caused this extreme glaciation. light penetrated the oceans allowing algal life to pick up again It had been widely thought that the run-off from rivers into and undertake photosynthesis. the ocean caused by the break-up of the vast supercontinent “The phosphorus [leached from the hyaloclastite minerals] Rodinia changed the chemistry of the ocean, reducing the is a nutrient generating huge algal blooms which fix carbon and amount of carbon-dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, which in release oxygen, essential for the development of animal life,” turn increased global ice coverage. Professor Rohling said. The vast ice sheets covering the continents reflected sunlight away from the Earth, further cooling the planet. Source: ABC Science Posted January 19, 2016 May 2016 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. 13

Lawrence H. Conklin passed away on February 7, 2016. He was I had made my best shot at getting them to send the piece to a NYMC member, collector, art lover, author, advisor and Central Park West, and, it fell, apparently, on deaf ears. Then I did aesthete. For many decades he was America’s premier mineral it. I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. (I love to quote from dealer. In September of 1994 he was overwhelmingly elected an the “Godfather”) I actually found myself saying that I would honorary member of the New York Mineralogical Club. I reprint forego my substantial appraisal fee if the azurite journeyed this engaging article in his memory. – Mitch westward across town instead of down south and, to my happy The World’s Finest Mineral Specimen surprise, they promptly agreed. By Lawrence H. Conklin

Dedicated in Memory of Jay Lininger (1939-2004), Devoted Collector of the Mineral Specimens of Pennsylvania.

Then I made another pitch for them to “throw in” to the deal the magnificent “Newmont gold” an old-timer from Grass Valley, California and they said yes to that suggestion, too. I do not know of a California gold specimen that I like more than this one. On January 13, 1977 I typed and delivered my appraisal of What is the finest mineral specimen in the world? In my mind that azurite and described it, simply, as follows: “Azurite, Tsumeb, there is no question that it is the “Newmont azurite” at the Southwest Africa. A group of huge magnificent crystals on matrix. American Museum of Natural History in New York City. 12x12x5 inches. $250,000.00.” At the same time I appraised the Judgments like this are, of course, subjective but there is no Newmont gold, an amazing mass of superb flattened, octahedral question that in my 65 years of examining fine minerals and 50 crystals with no matrix, of 7x4-1/2x2 inches, for the same price. I years of buying and selling them that this is the best. heard nothing more of the matter until I was made aware of a This great piece was found at Tsumeb, South West Africa negatively-oriented article that appeared in the May, 1980 issue of (now Tsumeb, Namibia) in 1952. It is said that the worker who Jewelers’ Circular-Keystone. recovered it, used the piece to pay an overdue bar bill and that it I wondered why a jewelry magazine became interested in the sat in the barroom, properly appreciated for the treasure it was, story of an appraisal and donation of a mineral specimen, or even until the mine boss at that time, Charlie Stott, reclaimed it for the how they became aware of it. Nonetheless they published a Newmont Mining Company. full-page article about it, with a good color photograph of the My personal connection to this specimen goes back to the specimen, entitled: “The Newmont azurite: As priceless as Mona Winter of 1976-77 when Paul E. Desautels (1920-1991), who was Lisa?” the curator of minerals at the Smithsonian Institution at that time, Of course the article was, in my opinion, nothing more than a came to New York for the specific purpose of garnering that great “hatchet-job.” To begin, how could any reasonably knowledgeable trophy for the collection in Washington, and I was called upon to staff of reporters and editors think that the Mona Lisa was worth appraise it. I already had a pleasant and longtime relationship with only $250,000 in 1980? My sources tell me that $5,000,000 would the Newmont people and other members of the Copper Council. have been a better guess; and they got many of the facts in the Upon hearing the shocking news that this great piece might story completely wrong, too. escape, I panicked. “This azurite,” I pleaded to the company’s The article quoted my dear, longtime friends, Dave Wilber and board, “should never leave New York.” I pointed out to them that Charlie Key as saying my appraised value was too high. Dave got they had such a fine, long-term relationship with the “American bogged down, as usual, in an invidious comparison with a Museum,” and that now was surely not the time to break it. They specimen that he had recently sold and stated that it was finer than reminded me that, after all, Desautels would be adding the azurite the azurite. I did not agree at that time with Dave’s estimation and to “the nation’s collection” and they liked that concept. I am sure I still do not agree. The superb phosphophyllite that he sold is that Paul had done his usual great job of public relations. surely a wonderful specimen but the main crystal, it must be I then told them my tentative evaluation of the specimen, they remembered, needed to be reglued to its rock matrix. Charlie was approved of it, and even approved of my fee which was quite high. a little more generous when he explained: “To some extent you’re I got nowhere, however, in my further attempts to change the appraising in a vacuum on a piece like this.” Indeed, appraising the ultimate fate of that azurite. “unique object,” mineral specimen or whatever is, to say the least, quite challenging. 14 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. May 2016

That the museum staff loves the azurite is shown by the fact A 17kg (37.5 pounds) rock containing sapphires was revealed that it is the only mineral specimen discussed and illustrated on in 2013, but the final weight of the gems inside is not yet known. their web site. A rather poor picture and a simple description can Sri Lanka’s Gem and Jewellery Association said in 2011 that be seen at— the engagement ring for Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/expeditions/treasure_fossil/Tre Cambridge, included a sapphire mined in the country in the 1970s. asures/Newmont_Azurite/newmont.html?50. It was previously owned by Diana, Princess of Wales. Happily, the Newmont azurite is on everyday display at the Super-Low Density Ice Proposed museum but in my opinion the lighting of it could be greatly By Stephen Luntz improved. The specimen appears almost black in color and it is Researchers have raised the possibility of a new form of ice, not; it is a fine, deep blue. one that would break the record set two years ago for low-density If you agree with my choice for the world’s finest mineral solid water. specimen or perhaps, more importantly, if you disagree, I should Anyone with access to certainly welcome your comments. refrigeration is familiar with one form Newmont Mining Company deserves much thanks for their of frozen water, and walking outside generous gifts to the museum. I thank Jamie Newman of the Earth in winter at high latitudes or altitudes & Planetary Sciences Department at the museum for all her help introduces us to another. We might and encouragement and special thanks to Dr. George E. Harlow. expect the possible ways to turn Photographs courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History. The structure of the water dihydrogen monoxide into a solid ends molecules in the proposed new Massive Blue Star Sapphire Mined in Sri Lanka there, but the flexibility of the phase of ice. hydrogen bonds in water have allowed the creation of 17 crystalline phases of water. Now researchers think they have designed another. Two years ago a French-German collaboration produced ice XVI, the least dense form of ice known. However, scientists are always keen to break a record, and now Professor Xiao Cheng Zeng of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln has theorized a form that would have a density of just 0.6 grams per centimeter cubed, 25 percent lighter than ice XVI. “We performed a lot of calculations (focused on) whether this is not just a low-density ice, but perhaps the lowest-density ice to date,” said Zeng in a statement. “A lot of people are interested in predicting a new ice structure beyond the state of the art.” Gemologists in Sri Lanka claim that the largest blue star Zeng is the inventor of “Nebraska Ice”, a form that contracts sapphire yet has been discovered in a mine in the country. when frozen, rather than expanding. Icebergs made of Nebraska The gemology institute in the capital Colombo has certified Ice would sink to the bottom of the ocean, rather than float, which that the gem weighs 1404.49 carats and say they have not certified would have been good news for the Titanic, but might have anything larger. unfortunate effects on ocean ecosystems. The gem is valued at at least $100m and the current owner As with a number of other theoretical ice structures, no one estimates that it could sell for up to $175m at auction. has created the structure Zeng has proposed, but in Science Sri Lanka’s gem industry, for which sapphire is the main Advances he outlines the conditions under which it might occur. export, is worth at least £70m ($103m) annually. The key to Zeng’s brainchild is for water to freeze under what is Blue star sapphires are so named because of the distinctive referred to as negative pressure. Instead of normal atmospheric mark found at their center. pressure pushing in on the freezing material, the pressure goes “The moment I saw it, I decided to buy,” the current owner, outward. Improbable as this sounds, it is not impossible to achieve, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the BBC World Service’s but the paper noted, “In the laboratory, applying and maintaining Newsday program. very large tension or negative pressure up to -6000 bar would be “When the stone was brought to me I suspected that it might very difficult.” Atmospheric pressure is 1.01 bar. be the world’s largest blue star sapphire. So I took a risk and Moreover, the colder the conditions under which the ice bought it.” forms, the higher the negative pressure required. At 250K (-10°F) The owner said it was “absolutely confidential” how much he the outward pressure would need to be -3411 bar, four times as paid for it. The previous record holder weighed 1,395 carats. much as at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. At colder The new gem was mined in the city of Ratnapura, in southern temperatures the pressure required gets even higher, -5834 bar at Sri Lanka, which is known as the City of Gems. near absolute zero. It has been named The Star of Adam by its current owner, Zeng’s new ice is so light because the water molecules form after a Muslim belief that Adam arrived in Sri Lanka after being a near hollow, cage-like structure of 48 molecules. sent away from the Garden of Eden. It is claimed he then lived on “Water and ice are forever interesting because they have such the slopes of a mountain now known as Adam’s Peak. relevance to human beings and life,” Zeng said. “If you think about The owner of the Star of Adam said he bought it thinking “this it, the low density of natural ice protects the water below it; if it was not a piece of jewelry but an exhibition piece”. were denser, water would freeze from the bottom up, and no living Speaking to the BBC, Armil Samoon, a leading gem and species could survive. So Mother Nature’s combination is just so jewelry dealer in Sri Lanka, confirmed this was the largest blue perfect.” star sapphire in the world. Source: iflscience.com from February 16, 2016 May 2016 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. 15

Dealer Donations for the June ‘16 Benefit Auction October Banquet Invitation & Preview The following list includes all the donations that the March 2016 NYC Mineral & Gem Show dealers made to the Club this year:

Amazon Imports ‚ (2) Faceted Paraiba Tourmalines...... Brazil Aurora Minerals 1. Geode...... Brazil 2. Polished Emerald in Matrix...... Bahia, Brazil AYS International 3. Prehnite Beads...... NA Bary Gems 4. Carnelian & Silver Earrings...... India John Betts Fine Minerals 5. Pyromorphite (ex. J. Marshall)...... Scotland 6. Quartz on Calcite...... Anthony’s Nose, NY China South Seas 7. Carved Red Coral / Gold Filled Chain Necklace. . . . China Crystal Circle 8. Several Wonderful Carved Fetishes...... SW USA 9. Several Wonderful Gemstone Carvings...... NA Excalibur Minerals 10. (12) WW Minerals, Fossils, Meteorites, etc...... Misc Exotic Russian Minerals 11. Synthetic Red Quartz...... Russia Gems Art Studio 12. Selection of Russian Minerals...... Russia (Corundum, Staurolite, Orpiment, Eudialyte, etc.) Great Opals 13. Boulder Opal Pendant...... Ethiopia Highland Rock & Fossil 14. Fossil...... Morocco 15. Serpentine Sphere...... China 16. Quartz Drusy...... Arizona 17. Mounted Picture Jasper...... China 18. Rose Quartz Heart...... NA 19. Ocean Jasper Drusy...... Madagascar Khyber Minerals 20. Nondescript, Useless “Mineral”...... Pakistan? Mahalo Minerals 21. Gemmy Apophyllite...... India 22. Platy Quartz...... Brazil Malachite & Gems of Africa 23. Velvet Malachite...... Congo 24. Company Pen...... USA Margola Minerals 25. Polished Multicolor Fluorite...... China Alfredo Petrov Rare Minerals 26. Alfredopetrovite...... Bolivia 27. R&M Magazine with Article by A. Petrov...... Periodical Raj Minerals 28. Stilbite...... Pakistan Rocko Minerals 29. Polished Larimar Specimen...... Dominican Republic Howard & Betsy Schlansker 30. Large Calcite with Inclusions & etc...... China Somethings 31. Wide selection of jewelry, especially pendants!...... NA [Although not represented at this show (Arlene does the November show only) she contributes nevertheless!] 16 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. May 2016

Curium’s Part in Solar System Formation “The possible presence of curium in the early Solar System By Stephen Luntz has long been exciting to cosmochemists, because they can often use radioactive elements as chronometers to date the relative ages of meteorites and planets,” said coauthor Professor Nicolas Dauphas of the University of Chicago.

This slice of the Allende meteorite, the largest carbonaceous chondrite ever found, shows the 1.5-centimeter-long (0.59 inch) pink ceramic inclusion that once contained curium. Origins Lab, University of Chicago Curium, an element heavier than any that exist naturally on Earth today, played a part in the formation of the Solar System, traces left behind in a meteorite suggest. The discovery provides False color close up of the “Curious Marie” inclusion. Calcium is in red, aluminum is us with a better understanding of how the Sun and planets formed, blue, green for magnesium; field of view is 0.5 millimeters (0.01 inches). François L.H. and how giant stars die. Tissot Elements heavier than uranium, known as transuranics, exist Dauphas concluded that the quantity of Cm-247 produced only in the laboratory on Earth. Curium, jointly named after Marie indicated it was formed in the same process as iodine 129 and and Pierre Curie, has an atomic number of 96, four places beyond plutonium 244, two other long-decayed isotopes whose legacy we uranium. “Curium is an elusive element. It is one of the heaviest detect. The discovery will help us understand how supernovae known elements, yet it does not occur naturally because all of its form heavy elements. isotopes are radioactive and decay rapidly on a geological time Source: iflscience.com from March 8, 2016 scale,” said Dr. François Tissot of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a statement. Website of the Month: Like all transuranics, curium’s isotopes have half-lives short New York Mineralogical Club enough that any formed in supernovae, and incorporated into planets at the birth of the Solar System, decayed long ago. Most The New York Mineralogical Club has existed for 130 years. curium isotopes have half-lives of a few thousand years or less. They have not had a website for that long, but now that they do The longest lived isotope, Cm-247, has a half-life of 15.6 million they are able and willing to share their knowledge with any and years, tiny compared to the age of the Solar System (4.6 billion all who care to hit their site. The site is very easy to remember years). http://www.newyorkmineralogicalclub.org/, but this should link However, when Tissot examined the Allende meteorite, he you there also. found a portion of it was a ceramic. He dubbed it “Curious Marie,” Naturally, they would hope you join and membership suspecting it might once have contained curium. In Science information is readily available. But like us, they permit much Advances, he reveals evidence for this theory. of their bulletin information to be accessed by all and there Cm-247 decays via plutonium 243 to eventually become appears to be over 50 years of them for you to open on their uranium 235. Any material that formed with Cm-247 in it should website. The latest issue has stories on turquoise, rare earth have more U-235, relative to other isotopes of uranium, than the minerals in coal in West Virginia, gold, earthquakes, and a same material formed in the absence of Cm-247. On Earth, whole lot more. Looking back into last year, I enjoyed a geological mixing obscures such variations, but meteorites multi-part series on garnets authored by Vivien Gornitz and an preserve a record of the Solar System’s formation. interesting article on low temperature minerals in September. “The idea is simple enough, yet, for nearly 35 years, scientists But with 175 pages alone in the 2015 file, there is still a lot for have argued about the presence of Cm-247 in the early Solar me to read. Certainly seems worth the $25 annual membership System,” said Tissot. Some studies found excess U-235 in to have your own Bulletin mailed to you monthly. meteorites, but other explanations have been made. Finding traces If you plan to be in the New York City area the first weekend of curium is hard because it is estimated that even in the early of March they are hosting their Spring NYC Gem and Mineral Solar System there was almost 10,000 times less Cm-247 than Show in the Holiday Inn in Midtown Manhattan. Of course if U-235. that is too soon for you to plan a trip to the big city they do it all Tissot’s approach was to study a portion, known as an over again this fall, November 12-13 this year: perhaps a good inclusion, rich in calcium and aluminum, rather than the whole time to plan a trip to the big city. The club currently boasts meteorite. The chemistry of these inclusions excludes most about 250 members and meets the second Wednesday of most uranium, in this case 99.9 percent, but should incorporate curium. months. “We were able to resolve an unprecedented excess of U-235,” Source: Wayne County Gem and Mineral Club News March 2016 Tissot said. “A finding that can only be explained by live Cm-247 in the early Solar System.” May 2016 Bulletin of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. 17

2016-17 Club Calendar Date Event Location Remarks & Information

Special Lecture: Zackry Wiegand (Artist) – May 11 Meeting at 6:45 Holiday Inn Midtown Manhattan “Subtle Bodies - The Art of Light & Minerals”

June 8 Annual Benefit Auction Holiday Inn Midtown Manhattan Details to follow; Online catalog available!

July/August Officers Meeting / Open House (?) / Special Sale (?) TBD – Stay tuned!

Special Lecture: Eric Rampello (1st Timer!) – September 14 Meeting at 6:45 Holiday Inn Midtown Manhattan “Tips in Building a Mineral Collection”

October 19 Annual Banquet Holiday Inn Midtown Manhattan Opal theme; Details to follow

Special Lecture: Anne Pizzorusso – November 16 Meeting at 6:45 Holiday Inn Midtown Manhattan “The Renaissance, Dante and Geology”

Special Lecture: Howard Heitner– December 14 Meeting at 6:45 Holiday Inn Midtown Manhattan “Pseudo-What?!”

Special Lecture: Mitchell Portnoy– January 11, 2017 Meeting at 6:45 Holiday Inn Midtown Manhattan “NYC Parks’ Monument Stones” 2016 Show or Event Calendar Date Event Location Remarks & Information

April 23-24 NJESA Mineral Show Franklin School, Franklin, NJ For Info: Russ Brarens – (908) 421-1045

Southern Vermont Mineral, Grace Christian School, May 21-22 For Info: Bill Cotrofeld – (802) 375-6782 Rock & Gem Show Bennington, Vermont

Orange County Mineral Complete Mastodon Skeleton! June 4-5 Museum Village, Monroe, NY Society Mineral Show Orange County Mineral Society, Sponsor

Greater Canandaigua Civic Gems, Minerals, Fossils, Beads & Jewlery June 4-5 Gemfest 2016 Center, Canandaigua, NY Wayne County Gem & Mineral Club, Sponsor

Celinka Gem & Mineral Our Lady of Mount Carmel, June 11-12 Diverse dealers, 10 am - 5 pm both days Show North Ocean Ave. Patchogue, NY

July 27-Aug 1 AFMS Convention/Show Albany, Oregon Article Contest Results; Details to Follow

Cutchogue East Elementary Sponsor: Long Island Mineral & Geology July 30-31 Gem & Mineral Show School, Cutchogue, New York Society

Franklin & Sterling Hill Franklin Elementary School,50 Franklin Mineral Museum sponsors as their September 24-25 Gem and Mineral Show Washington Ave, Franklin NJ only large fundraising event

October 21-23 EFMLS Convention/Show Rochester, New York Article Contest Results; Details to Follow

Fall NYC Gem, Mineral & Grand Ballroom, Holiday Inn 20+ diverse dealers; lectures; wholesale November 12-13 Fossil Show Midtown, New York City section (with credentials); Club Booth Also, for more extensive national and regional show information check online: AFMS Website: http://www.amfed.org and/or the EFMLS Website: http://www.amfed.org/efmls The New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. Founded in 1886 for the purpose of increasing interest in the science of mineralogy through the collecting, describing and displaying of minerals and associated gemstones. Website: www.newyorkmineralogicalclub.org P.O. Box 77, Planetarium Station, New York City, New York, 10024-0077 2016 Executive Committee President Mitchell Portnoy 46 W. 83rd Street #2E, NYC, NY, 10024-5203 email: [email protected]...... (212) 580-1343 Vice President Anna Schumate 27 E. 13th Street, Apt. 5F, NYC, NY, 10003 email: [email protected].. . (646) 737-3776 Secretary Vivien Gornitz 101 W. 81st Street #621, NYC, NY, 10024 email: [email protected] ...... (212) 874-0525 Treasurer Diane Beckman 265 Cabrini Blvd. #2B, NYC, NY, 10040 email: [email protected]...... (212) 927-3355 Editor & Archivist Mitchell Portnoy 46 W. 83rd Street #2E, NYC, NY, 10024-5203 email: [email protected]...... (212) 580-1343 Membership Mark Kucera 25 Cricklewood Road S., Yonkers, NY, 10704 email: [email protected]...... (914) 423-8360 Webmaster Joseph Krabak (Intentionally left blank) email: [email protected] Director Alla Priceman 84 Lookout Circle, Larchmont, NY, 10538 email: [email protected]...... (914) 834-6792 Director Richard Rossi 6732 Ridge Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY, 11220 email: [email protected]...... (718) 745-1876 Director Sam Waldman 2801 Emmons Ave, #1B, Brooklyn, NY, 11235 email: [email protected]...... (718) 332-0764

Dues: $25 Individual, $35 Family per calendar year. Meetings: 2nd Wednesday of every month (except July and August) at the Holiday Inn Midtown Manhattan, 57th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, New York City, New York. Meetings will generally be held in one of the conference rooms on the Mezzanine Level. The doors open at 5:30 P.M. and the meeting starts at 6:45 P.M. (Please watch for any announced time / date changes.) This bulletin is published monthly by the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. The submission deadline for each month’s bulletin is the 20th of the preceding month. You may reprint articles or quote from this bulletin for non-profit usage only provided credit is given to the New York Mineralogical Club and permission is obtained from the author and/or Editor. The Editor and the New York Mineralogical Club are not responsible for the accuracy or authenticity of information or information in articles accepted for publication, nor are the expressed opinions necessarily those of the officers of the New York Mineralogical Club, Inc.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Mezzanine , Holiday Inn Midtown Manhattan (57th St. & Tenth Avenue), New York City Special Lecture: Zackry Wiegand — “Subtle Bodies: The Art of Light & Minerals”

New York Mineralogical Club, Inc. Mitchell Portnoy, Bulletin Editor P.O. Box 77, Planetarium Station New York City, New York 10024-0077

FIRST CLASS

George F. Kunz Founder