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generally meets the third Wednesday of each month, August through May. We now meet in Penn State's Earth and Engineering Sciences Building, on White Course Drive off North Atherton Street. See driving directions and campus maps. All are welcome to attend our meetings! Mineral collectors and rockhounds, earth scientists and dinosaur lovers will all enjoy our activities. |
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JUNIOR ROCKHOUNDS Download and print a flyer to post or distribute to friends Serpentinites in Pennsylvania and Maryland by Stephen Shank PA Geologic Survey 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.: Social hour, refreshments in the lobby 7:30 to 8:00 p.m.: announcements, questions, answers; door prize drawings about 8:00 p.m.: featured program The event has free admission, free parking, free door prize drawings and free refreshments, and is open to all. Bring your friends and share an interesting evening. - - Editor The varied geologic history of the serpentinites in southeastern Pennsylvania and Maryland has resulted in a wide range of mineral and stone resources. Fractional crystallization of a basaltic magma resulted in chromite ore and ultramafic dunite and peridotite cumulates. Later low-grade metamorphism altered the ultramafic rocks to serpentinite. Emplacement in and reaction with quartz-rich metasediments, intrusion of pegmatites, hydrothermal alteration, and weathering produced additional mineral deposits including talc, asbestos, magnetite, feldspar, corundum, and magnesite. Mining and quarrying span the time period from the pre-Columbian era to the present. Indians quarried and carved soapstone for use as cooking vessels and ornaments. Chromite was discovered in 1810 and under the guidance of Isaac Tyson, Pennsylvania and Maryland became the largest producers of chromite in the world until the mid-19th century. Sporadic, minor production continued until World War I. The chromite was used in the chemical industry for the production of pigments (chrome yellow) and dyes. The serpentinite region was also the major source of magnesite for magnesia and Epsom salts in the early nineteenth century. Talc and soapstone were used for refractory linings, ceramics, washtubs and as filler for paint. In addition to mineral production, serpentinite has been quarried for aggregate and for building and decorative stone. Building stone was widely used in the Philadelphia area in the nineteenth century, but use quickly declined because it did not weather well. Decorative ‘green marble' from Cardiff, Md. was quarried until the early 1970s. Today serpentinite is quarried for use as crushed stone. See our Merchandise page: NMS will be selling our T-shirts for $9 each in new colors, Galapagos Blue (a bluish teal) and Texas Orange. Each shirt is printed on both sides, map on front and specimens on back We will order a few extras for future sales but to ensure you get your size & color you should contact Dave Glick and place an order by 5 p.m. on May 23: call 814-237-1094 or e-mail xidg@verizon.net. Order by May 23 and pick up at our garage sale on June 9 (see below) or by other arrangement. We can also mail them at extra cost and a little extra time. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 9 NMS plus several members plan to sell a variety of merchandise including new handmade jewelry, newly cut gemstones, local and worldwide mineral specimens including many at low prices, related items such as books, plus a Bake Sale. PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS! Children and casual collectors will find something of interest. (NMS members who want to participate as sellers must contact Dave Glick) The location is John Passaneau's house, 2231 West Whitehall Road, State College, 16801. From downtown State College take West College Avenue (PA Route 26 South) almost 3 miles to traffic light at Harner Farms/ UniMart/ Nissan. Turn right on West Whitehall Road, go 0.3 miles to the first house on the right after Breezewood Drive. The sale should go on rain or shine, but check the web site for any updates. News: "I am a 6th grade student at Commonwealth Connections Academy. I did a science paper on what would I like to have as a state rock/mineral, and I was excited to find that there was none already listed. So, I am on a journey to get Celestine named as the Pennsylvania State Mineral. I am working with Representative Stephen Bloom to start a resolution, and he has explained the steps involved. I am currently in the 'lobbying' step. I am drumming up state wide support of my intent to have Celestine become the state mineral. On the link below, is my facebook page, and clicking on 'like' is a vote in favor of my quest!! Also on my page, is a link to my science paper that I wrote for this assignment. Would you be interested in helping me? Would you pass the message on...? Thank you, Royce Black Deb Black" www.facebook.com/pages/PA-State-Rock-Celestine/221235861288507 NMS Editor's Note: Although the facebook page says "state rock," they are indeed working toward having it designated the state mineral. Royce feels that the vote may happen soon. For more current news, see our NMS Bulletin (link at top of sidebar at left). DRIVING DIRECTIONS and PARKING for Earth & Engineering Sciences Building meetings: After 5:00 p.m. and on weekends, free parking is available immediately across the street from the building. From North Atherton St. (Business Rt. 322) between College Avenue and Park Avenue, turn west (toward the golf course) off North Atherton at the traffic signal marked "White Course Drive." Go past the parking attendant's booth, follow the curve to the left, then turn right into the parking lot. The building entrance is a little beyond the center of the lot, at the two round concrete planters. Enter the building, then go all the way across the lobby for our social hour & meeting room. We have a simple map at http://www.nittanymineral.org/EESBmap.jpg. For official campus maps see http://www.campusmaps.psu.edu/ .
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NMS will have T-shirts in two new colors. Order by May 23.
CELESTINE is once again under active consideration for Pennsylvania State Mineral
A station at our Minerals Junior Education Day 
Collecting crystals in a quarry 
We have 2012 (and other) posters for sale! |
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