rockhound, minerals, science, geology, rocks
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In the world of domain names and rockhounding you can’t really match the two better. This domain is perfect for our hobby/addiction and it’s a shame it’s not being used. Anyways just letting everyone know that it’s out there for sale AND that the .ORG extension is perfect for it IMHO.
Also one other in the same same family-
Strunz classification is a scheme for categorizing minerals based upon their chemical composition, introduced by German mineralogist Karl Hugo Strunz (1910-2006) in his 1941 Mineralogische Tabellen.
Karl Hugo Strunz
As curator of the Mineralogical Museum of Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität (now known as the Humboldt University of Berlin), Strunz had been tasked with sorting the museum’s geological collection according to crystal-chemical properties. His Mineralogical Tables, first published in 1941, has been through a number of modifications; the most recent edition, published in 2001, is the ninth.
The current scheme divides minerals into nine classes, which are further divided into divisions, families and groups according to chemical composition and crystal structure.
1. elements
2. sulfides and sulfosalts
3. halides
4. oxides and hydroxides
5. carbonates, nitrates and borates
6. sulfates, chromates, molybdates and tungstates
7. phosphates, arsenates and vanadates
8. silicates
9. organic compounds
The temper of a wire refers to the hardness or softness of the wire. Softer wire is easier to work with and gets harder as you work with it. Wire is sold in three tempers: dead-soft, half-hard and full-hard or spring-hard.
Dead-soft wire has been heated or annealed to make it more malleable and easy to work with. It will bend and coil without difficulty. You can create your piece and work harden the wire as you go or at the end in a tumbler.
Half-hard wire is harder to work with then dead-soft, but some wire jewel makers prefer to use it. Over the years, taking classes and after reading wire books I have found that this is a personal preference. If I want my wire to be half-hard, I pull on and work harden my dead soft wire before starting the project. After time you will see what you prefer.
Full-hard(spring-hard) wire refers to wire that does not bend easily and is not generally used for wire jewelry
making. You can use this type of wire to make spring back pins.
Note: As you work with dead-soft wire, you are changing its temper and making it hard. It will go from dead-soft to full-hard.
The more you know about the wire you work with, the better your projects will be. Check out some basics below.
There are four shapes of wire: round, half-round square, square and triangular. The names are accurate to the shape that the wire is when looking at its cross-section. The most popular of these shapes is the round wire, although some artists prefer working with the other shapes more often.
Wire is sized by its thickness. Popular wire gauges are 14-guage to 26-guage. The thicker the wire the smaller the gauge number. 14-gauge wire is thicker than 16-gauge wire and 26-gauge wire is thin. In other places than the U.S. wire is sold in diameters measured in millimeters. The chart below gives you a gauge to diameter(approx) conversion. Popular wire sizes are 18-gauge to 22-gauge.
Making beaded jewelry and other types of beading projects is such a fulfilling and fun craft. Beauty, history and heritage can be found in beading and beads - it’s very intriguing. This section of my site has gotten quite big with many free bead patterns and projects to share. To the left you will find a list of the types of bead projects, including different topics like holidays or prom patterns. There are also ever growing beginner and basic beading instructions to be found there. Below you will find a bead projects and patterns index by name with all types of beaded jewelry projects listed. I hope this helps you, my site visitor, with navigation. I also hope it helps me keep all of the beady things I offer here straight, lol! Enjoy ~ Denise
Newest Beaded Jewelry Projects:
5 Beaded Angels to Make
I’m sharing these in a bead swap and I thought I would share how I put together some of the beaded angels with everyone. Enjoy!
http://www.wittyliving.com/crafts/jewelry/index.html
Hundreds of projects! Read on…
The American Opal Society proudly presents its:
42nd Annual OPAL & GEM SHOW
Come visit the Biggest Opal Show in the USA!!!
WHAT:
* Dozens of Opal and Gem Dealers from around the USA and Australia.
* Rough and Cut Opals, Opal Jewelry, other gemstones, books, tools, etc.
* Huge Raffle with many prizes of opals, gemstones, jewelry, lapidary tools, etc.
* Free Seminars on opals, jewelry making, mining, etc. on Saturday and Sunday.
* Free Demonstrations on gemstone cutting, jewelry making, etc.
WHEN:
Saturday, 10am-6pm, November 7, 2009
Sunday, 10am-5pm, November 8, 2009
WHERE:
New Location!
White House / West Wing Event Center
1238 S. Beach Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92804
Located within the Hobby City / Adventure City complex,
at the southeast corner of Beach Blvd. and Ball St.
42nd Annual OPAL & GEM SHOW
ADMISSION:
Adults $3.00, children under 15 FREE. Plenty of FREE Parking.
One FREE raffle ticket is included with each paid admission.
FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Gene LeVan at (562) 621-1805; e-mail: fineblackopal@sprynet.com
Jay Carey at (714) 525-7635; e-mail: jaycarey@charter.net
http://www.opalsociety.org
American Opal Society, Inc., P.O. Box 4875 Garden Grove, CA 92842-4875
Contact e-mail: info@opalsociety.org
The American Opal Society is a non-profit organization, educational in nature, whose primary purpose is promoting interest and knowledge of the precious gem opal.
I was doing some research on making your own rock tumbler and was surprised at how much info there was on the subject. Here are some links to make your own. If you try any of these out (or have made your own) please comment and let me know.
http://www.miim.com/thebside/tumbler/index.html
http://ktcatspost.blogspot.com/2007/01/diy-rock-tumbler.html
Home made rock tumbler
http://www.ehow.com/how_4964435_rock-tumbler.html
Making a homemade rock tumbler can be surprisingly easy. Homemade rock tumblers can be just as effective as ones that are commercially sold, and you’ll have the added excitement of making it all by yourself. Whether you’re making one for your own personal hobby or you want to get the kids involved for some educational fun, the steps below will get you started.
In order to build a sturdy rock tumbler that can withstand a few pounds of rocks, you’ll need a sturdy baseboard. Wood is fine for this part of the tumbler, although many people prefer metal because they believe it will be more stable during the tumbling process. As long as the piece is large and heavy enough to stay firmly on the table, you should be fine with either material.
On top of the baseboard, you’ll need to mount a few sets of wheels or pulleys that will hold your tumbler while it is turning. In order to mount these properly, you should first choose what you will use for the rock tumbler itself. The tumbler must be made from some sort of cylinder. Metal is best, but you can also use a plastic jar if you wish. Do not use glass or any other breakable material. Place the jar on its side on the baseboard, and mount the pulleys so that the jar rests between them comfortably a few inches above the baseboard.
Finally, you’ll need a small rotary motor and a drive belt. Mount the motor on the opposite end of the baseboard from the pulleys, and hook the belt from the motor around the jar. When you turn the motor on, the drive belt will turn and the jar will turn also, supported by the pulley wheels. Any adjustments you need to make regarding the speed of the tumbling will rely on the motor, so make sure to choose one with low RPM and the right speed for your projects.
And there you have it- a simple homemade rock tumbler that anyone can do! If you need further instructions, check your local library- there are many books available on how to make homemade rock tumblers and the various projects you can create using tumbled rocks.
Quote from - http://www.rocktumblers.com/makingahomemaderocktumbler.cfm
ROCKHOUNDS.ORG is for sale.
Excellent name for a website/club or anything to do with Rockhounding. Email Buckshotdots@yahoo.com for inquiries.
Gary-
I bumped into Jon while looking for camera equipment of all things. I found a great deal plus found some great pictures! I asked if I could write about his site and he was happy to share his pictures with us.
Please check out his site/pictures as they are beautiful! http://www.cornforthimages.com/
Jon Cornforth is an award-winning nature photographer whose images have been recognized internationally for their masterful composition and incredible detail. Jon travels over 6 months each year to challenge himself in new locations and document the unique creatures that live there.
Multicolored, eroded rock formations dominate most of southeast Utah, though
particularly outstanding is the desert either side of the Paria River,
beneath the Vermilion Cliffs - seen for example along the Cottonwood Canyon
Road or at the Paria Rimrocks. The kaleidoscopic scenery extends a little
way south into Arizona, before the land becomes more sandy and barren, and
all can be visited free of charge and with no access restrictions apart from
the Paria canyon system and one small area spanning the UT/AZ border (mostly
in AZ); this is Coyote Buttes, which was unknown before the mid 1990s but is
now quite popular because of just one formation, ‘The Wave’, a small ravine
between eroded sandstone domes formed of amazingly beautiful rocks
containing thin, swirling strata. The location was first publicized in
Germany, in magazine articles and a movie (’Faszination Natur’ by Gogol
Lobmayr, 1995), and then was visited only by a small number of Europeans,
becoming widely known just in the last few years. Because the BLM considers
the formations to be particularly delicate, Coyote Buttes has recently been
subject to fees and entry limitations, with only 20 people per day allowed
to visit.
Location: Coyote Buttes are the far southern portion of the Coxcomb Ridge, a
40 mile escarpment that parallels much of the Cottonwood Canyon Road and
provides an impressive barrier to US 89 between Kanab and Page. The buttes
are reached by the House Rock Valley Road that links US 89 with ALT-US 89,
south of the Vermilion Cliffs in Arizona, and all are contained within both
the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and the Vermilion Cliffs
National Monument. The southern part of this track may have soft sand or mud
at some times of the year and a rather longer drive (21 miles vs. 8.5 miles)
is required to reach the main Coyote Buttes trailhead, so the northern route
is preferred; this rather bumpy road is also used to reach the Buckskin
Gulch slot canyon, and the trailhead for the Wave is the same as for the
Wire Pass entrance of the gulch. The BLM divides the buttes into North and
South, though the north contains all the famous sites, extending from Wire
Pass about 4 miles south (2 in UT and 2 in AZ), with the southern half
stretching a further 4 miles beyond that. Apart from the Wire Pass
trailhead, the only other easily reached starting point is The Notch, 2
miles from Wire Pass, where a trail crosses a pass in the cliffs and leads
to the south end of the north section. South Coyote Buttes is generally
harder to reach though lesser quality dirt tracks provide some access from
the east, while the very southern end (Paw Hole) can be reached by a 2 mile
4WD track starting from the House Rock Valley Road.
Permits: Entry to either North or South Coyote Buttes costs $5 per person,
with a limit of 20 people for each region and no more than 6 in a single
group. Half these are bookable up to 4 months in advance, by writing to the
BLM in Kanab or applying via their website
(https://www.blm.gov/az/paria/index.cfm, sometimes inaccessible), while the
other half are available by applying in person to the BLM office at the
Paria River, before 9 am on the day prior to the intended visit (the office
opens at 8.30 am). At 9 am, if more than 10 people are waiting, a lottery
system is used to select the chosen few. All successful applicants receive a
copy of the access regulations and, for North Coyote Buttes, a topological
map to help identify the route to the Wave, which is not well marked on the
ground. There is high demand for the advance permits and all may be taken
many months before the date of travel. A permit is also required for dogs -
another $5. No overnight camping is permitted anywhere in the area.
Trail to The Wave: From the Wire Pass parking area, a path crosses the wash,
runs alongside for a while then turns to the right, up the side of the hill
on the outside of the first big bend. At the top of the rim is the Coyote
Buttes trail register, then the path follows a disused, sandy road over a
plateau and down to another dry wash. Beyond here the land is generally
rocky and the trail is not well defined; the route is across the wash and up
the far side to the top of a small ridge, veering left a little to keep the
higher ground on the right. Over the ridge, the land opens out to reveal a
big expanse of sand and slickrock, with a long, high ridge to the right (the
north part of Coyote Buttes), a vast open area of sand and scattered rock
domes in the middle distance and larger, more concentrated red rocks to the
left, rising up to a mesa which forms the edge of Buckskin Gulch. Directly
ahead, just left of the main ridge and about 2 miles distant, the land rises
to a higher summit with a small but distinct dark notch about half way up,
which is directly above the Wave and so provides a point to aim for. The
hike is along the rocky slopes of the eastern side of the main ridge,
descending near the end into another sandy wash (Sand Cove) then up to the
Wave itself, though there are plenty of choices as to the exact route. The
time taken is between one and two hours, and the hike is relatively easy,
without much elevation change.
Sites in North and South Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, Wave 2, the
North and South Teepees, and the ‘Dinosaur Dance Floor’.
HISTORY UNVEILS PREDATOR X
The two-hour special PREDATOR X premieres on HISTORY; on Sunday, March 29 at 8pm ET/PT. On the remote archipelago of Svalbard, just 800 miles from the North Pole, a team of paleontologists from the University of Oslo Natural History Museum, have made a remarkable discovery. Buried beneath the icy landscape of the Arctic are the fossilized remains of a huge creature from the distant past. PREDATOR X is the story of a major discovery; what appears to be an entirely new species; of a massive and powerful predator. The scientific team must excavate it, determine its significance and try to rebuild it to see what it was like — as they discover the astounding power of which this creature was capable. PREDATOR X follows the expedition every step of the way, from painstaking field research to the astonishing find of the amazing creature. The special delves deep into this terrifying ancient mystery, uncovering what is one of the most amazing underwater finds in modern history.
Predator X’s bite was more than 10 times more powerful than any modern animal and four times the bite of a T-Rex, it said of the fossil, reckoned at 147 million years old. Alligators, crocodiles and sharks all now have fearsome bites.
The teeth of the pliosaur, belonging to a new species, were a foot (30 cms) long. The scientists reconstructed the reptile from a partial skull and 20,000 fragments of skeleton.
The pliosaur, estimated to have weighed 45 tonnes, was similar to but had more massive bones than another fossil sea monster found on Svalbard in 2007, also estimated at 50 feet long and the largest pliosaur to date.
“It’s not complete enough to say it’s really bigger than 15 meters,” Hurum said of the new fossil.
Hurum had said of the first fossil pliosaur that it was big enough to chomp on a small car. He said the bite estimates for the latest fossil forced a rethink.
“This one is more like it could crush a Hummer,” he said. referring to General Motors’ large sport utility vehicle.
Among other findings were that the pliosaur had a small thin brain shaped like that of a great white shark, according to scans by Patrick Druckenmiller of the University of Alaska.
Pliosaurs preyed upon squid-like animals, fish, and other marine reptiles. Predator X had four huge flippers to propel itself along, perhaps using just two at cruising speeds and the others for a burst of speed.
LOS ANGELES – Scientists are studying a huge cache of Ice Age fossil deposits recovered near the famous La Brea Tar Pits in the heart of the nation’s second-largest city.
Among the finds is a near-intact mammoth skeleton, a skull of an American lion and bones of saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, bison, horses, ground sloths and other mammals.
Researchers discovered 16 fossil deposits under an old parking lot next to the tar pits in 2006 and began sifting through them last summer. The mammoth remains, including 10-foot-long tusks, were in an ancient riverbed near the fossil cache.
Officials of the Page Museum at the tar pits plan to formally announce their findings on Wednesday. The discoveries could double the museum’s Ice Age collection.
Such a rich find usually takes years to excavate. But with a deadline looming to build an underground parking garage for the next-door art museum, researchers boxed up the deposits and lifted them out of the ground using a massive crane.
“It’s like a paleontological Christmas,” research team member Andie Thomer wrote in a blog post in July.
The research dubbed “Project 23″ — because it took 23 boxes to house the deposits — uncovered fossilized mammals as well as smaller critters including turtles, snails and insects. Separately, scientists found a well-preserved Columbian mammoth that they nicknamed Zed.
An examination reveals Zed, which is 80 percent complete, had arthritic joints and several broken and re-healed ribs — an indication that he suffered a major injury during his life.
“It’s looking more and more as if Zed lived a pretty rough life,” Thomer blogged in December.
Some scientists not connected with the discovery said this is the first significant fossil find since the original excavations at the tar pits more than a century ago.
“Usually these things are either lost in the mixing or not recovered in the processing of the oily sand and soil they occur in,” paleontologist Jere H. Lipps of the University of California, Berkeley wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
The La Brea Tar Pits ranks among the world’s famous fossil sites. Between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago, mammoths, mastodons, saber-tooth cats and other Ice Age beasts became trapped by sticky asphalt that oozing upward through cracks and fissures in the ground. The newly recovered fossils were also in asphalt.
Since 1906, more than a million bones have been unearthed from the sticky ponds.
___
On the Net:
Page Museum: http://www.tarpits.org/
