November 2002Volume 2, Issue 7
|
|
North Mississippi
Gem and Mineral
Society Officers
|
|
President: Floy Hawkins
P.O. Box 7312
Tupelo, MS 38802
(662) 844-7441
studioh@dixie-net.com
|
|
Vice President: Mary Reed
Rt. One, Box 104
Ackerman, MS 39735
(662) 285-6712
|
|
Secretary: Rena Everett
69 Jeff Street
Oxford, MS 38655
(662) 234-8561
mlgae@olemiss.edu
|
|
Treasurer: Shirly Randle
905 Poorhouse Road, E.
Starkville, MS 39759
|
|
Newsletter Editor: Sandy Grych
P.O. Box 283
Mathiston, MS 39752
(662) 263-8405
sigrych@yahoo.com
|
|
Next Meeting
|
Saturday, Nov. 16
1 P.M.
Lee County Library
Tupelo, MS
Youth Day
Activities geared
to the younger rockhounds
Directions:
Take East Main Street to Madison
St. (near United Methodist
Church); turn North; go two blocks
to the corner of Madison and Jeffer-
son St. Library is there
Or, From Gloster St. turn east onto
Jefferson St. until you get to Madi-
son St.
|
|
|
|
NMGMS Minutes for October 2002 by Rena Everett, Secretary
All members needed to help on the first
NMGMS Youth Day on Nov. 16
The October meeting of the North Mississippi Gem and Mineral Society was called to order by Vice-president Mary Reed at 4:15 p.m. at the Red Hills lignite mine near Ackerman, Mississippi, on October 19, 2002. Prior to the business meeting, the members present had been treated to a very interesting talk and a two-hour tour of the largest (and also the smallest [only]) coal mine in Mississippi. (See George Everett's article attached.) The first order of business was the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. There were six members present, and no guests. Secretary Rena Everett made one correction to the September minutes. It is not Floy's friend, but rather a friend of a friend who is going to help us with our logo. Then there was a motion made and seconded to accept the minutes as printed in the Nugget with this correction. The motion passed unanimously.
Shirley Randle gave the Treasurer's report, which showed a balance of $693.21 in our account, after deposits of $374.75 for dues and to raffles and a $37.00 debit for stamps.
The November meeting will be held at the Lee County Library on the 16th and will be devoted exclusively to young people. We will have demonstrations of many crafts that are associated with our hobby as well as a fluorescent rock display and a display of members' most amazing specimens and lapidary work. The following people will be in charge of demonstrations, etc.:
*George Everett-wire wrapping fossil shark's teeth and arrowheads,
*Bob Marshall-rings,
Nathan South (and others)-fluorescent display,
*Erin South and Ruby Marshall-making bracelets of beads,
*Rena Everett-pinata,
Arch Murphree-cabochon demonstration,
*Floy Hawkins-key ring making,
*Mary Reed-coloring sheets,
Sandy Grych and Jessie Frye-registration,
Shirley Randle-demonstrations with chemicals like she did in Starkville.
Starred demonstrations (*) will be hands-on for the young people. They will make things that they will take home with them.
Just because a person's name is not on this list does not mean that he/she is not needed to help with this very important event. There will be plenty for everybody to do. All members are asked to be at the library at 12:00 noon for set-up and to bring:
Their most amazing specimens,
Jewelry that they have made or other lapidary work that they have done. These things will be displayed on a table; so please bring labels for your specimens and be sure that your name is on them or that they are marked some way for identification so that you will know what is yours when the time comes to pack up and go home.
If members have things that would be appropriate for door prizes, you are asked to bring those things, too. We have no way of knowing how many young people will be there. If there are door prizes that are not used, you can take them back home with you.
All members need to bring something kid-friendly for refreshments. Any kind of cookies or chips would be appropriate; let your imagination be your guide.
Please announce this meeting in your local newspaper and to any groups (such as Scouts and home-schooled groups) in your area that you think would be interested.
Please feel free to contact Floy Hawkins with additional ideas and ways all NMGMS members can help make Youth Day a big success.
Susan Curry brought Rena (Stamp Chair) some great stamps, and she encouraged the other members to buy commemorative stamps at their local post office and use them on club mailings. The club has not yet heard who won the Federation Scholarship Contest drawing that was to have been held at the annual meeting earlier this month.
Logo #8 won the logo contest. The vote was very close. We had such good choices that nobody should be disappointed.
Our Christmas party will be a potluck lunch at the Lee County Library in Tupelo on December 14, 2002, at 12:00 noon. Members present agreed that it would be fun for everyone to bring a rock-related gift to exchange. The cost should be no more than $8-10; men should bring something appropriate for a man, ladies something appropriate for a lady, and young people something appropriate for a young person. Our contribution to Toys for Tots last year was so gratefully received that we thought we would do that again this year. So please bring a new toy for this worthy cause. It does not have to be wrapped.
NMGMS meetings for January 18th and February 15th are to be held at the Lee County Library in Tupelo.
The members thanked Mary Reed for setting up this very interesting meeting and thanked Mary and Susan Curry and Sandy Grych (in absentia) for our delicious Halloween-themed refreshments. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Rena Everett, Secretary
|
Black Gold from Mississippi
"Mining" our own business on an incredible afternoon
George Everett
On Saturday, October 19th, which (contrary to weather predictions) turned out to be a beautiful day, members of NMGMS were treated to a rare experience. Mary Reed's son, Keith, is employed by the Red Hills Mine, which is an open pit lignite mine near Ackerman, Mississippi, and he arranged for us to come and see their operation. The mine's environmental engineer, George Hawkey, gave up his whole Saturday afternoon to tell us about coal in general and about the Red Hills Mine in particular. He explained to us that there are basically four types of coal, based on hardness. The hardest is anthracite, which also burns hottest. In descending order of hardness, anthracite is followed by bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite. Lignite, the softest, is "just a little better than wood" in heat produced, according to Mr. Hawkey. It is so soft that you can tear it up with your bare hands. Because it produces so little heat and is hard to transport inexpensively, lignite is not often mined. However, tests showed that there is enough lignite in the Red Hills area for it to be profitably mined. There is enough lignite there to support mining operations for at least thirty years.
In Mississippi's only open pit mine, lignite is found in layers ranging from a few inches to twenty feet thick. It is uncovered using huge bucket cranes and moved by huge trucks a very short distance to a chute, in which the lignite is broken into small pieces and carried by conveyor belt directly to an electric generating plant only a half-mile away. From there electricity is sent out all over northeast Mississippi and even into Tennessee.
George took us out to the mine and showed us the operation up close and personal. The machinery that is used in the mine is so incredibly huge that it makes you feel very insignificant when you stand close to it. It is literally an awesome sight. George said that most people who tour the mine want to see three things: They want to see the drag line walk (an amazing sight), the huge trucks dumping coal, and the easy loader digging the coal and dumping it into a truck. Often the timing just isn't right, and they don't get to see any of these things. We got to see them all! Also, Shirley and Russell Randle, Mary Reed, Susan Curry, and I collected lignite and petrified wood from the mine. The lignite is so soft and friable that any fossils formed in it would be almost impossible to get out in one piece. I did find a fossil of a piece of grass, and I brought it home, but it is already starting to flake away.
The lignite mining is closely regulated by the federal and state governments. These regulations cover everything from the digging of the first trench to the reclamation of the land when they are through mining it. Mr. Hawkey explained how reclamation was being carried out by mining a wide and very long trench and then filling that trench with dirt mined from a second trench dug next to the first one, etc. The reclaimed land is then landscaped to resemble its former configuration, paying particular attention to returning (and improving) the water-flow patterns that the land formerly had.
It was an incredibly interesting afternoon, and we all learned a lot about this important part of the economy of northeast Mississippi. Mary says that she learns something new every time she takes a tour; so hopefully we can go back again so that the "old hands" can learn more, and those who didn't get to come this time will be able to see it first hand.
|
Thanks to Wire Wrappers
Many thanks to all of the North Mississippi members who sent entries to the wire-wrapping competition at the State Fair. If it hadn’t been for you, there wouldn’t have been many entries at all. We even had a junior member to enter some of her work. All in all, our members won a fine assortment of red and blue ribbons, and they should be receiving their cash awards in the mail soon. This is one of the ways that we can show the world what can be done with all of the rocks that we collect, and we hope to have even more entries next year.
|
"Lomy, git yaself o'r hyea and tote dem taters!"
Sandra Grynch
What's in a name? My father used to say that my name, "Sandy," was very appropriate for me because I liked to eat dirt. Now, the dirt part may be true, but note that I was about 2 years old at the time.
Sandy is also an appropriate name for a rockhound. It certainly sounds better than "Lomas" or "Terrain."
In a related story, one of my childhood friends married a girl name Ruby. Ruby had two sisters named Crystal and Opal. In addition, I think their mother's name was Pearl. Mmm… They sound like the rockhound version of PBS's floral Keeping up Appearances with Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced 'bouquet') and her sisters Daisy, Rose and Violet.
Well, one Saturday afternoon, Susan Curry and I decided to try to create a list of (Christian) names related to rockhounding. We quickly dismissed possible names like Obsidian, Peridot and Corundum.
However, we did come up with a varied list in addition to those already mentioned. Our list: Amber, Beryl, Brook, Clay Coal (Cole), Coral, CZ (Top), Fluroide (Floride Calhoun wife of John C.), Garnet, Gem, Jade, Jasper, Jet, Jewel, Marquise, Mica (Micah), Pebble (Flinstone), Precious (gem), Rock (Hudson), Sapphire, Stone (General Jackson or Phillips), Tara (terra), Topaz and Turquoise.
If you can add to the list, please let me know. Contact me at Sandy Grych, P.O. Box 283, Mathiston, MS 39752 or email me.
North Mississippi Gem and Mineral SocietyMeeting Schedule |
|
Sat., Nov. 16 | 1 p.m. | Youth Day | Lee County Library, Tupelo |
| Sat., Dec. 14 | Noon | Christmas Party | Lee County Library, Tupelo |
| Sat., Jan. 18, 2003 | 1 p.m. | Rock video | Lee County Library, Tupelo |
| Sat., Feb. 15 | 1 p.m. | TBA | Lee County Library, Tupelo |
|
|
