Next weekend (June 10, 2017) we are going on a trip to the Missouri Mines Rock Swap in Park Hills, Missouri. We will look for drusy quartz and possibly Missouri banded agates. The swap itself goes from June 9-11 if you want to stay longer and is located at the Missouri Mines Historic Site near St. Joe State Park, 4000 MO-32, Park Hills, Missouri 63601. FREE admission to the show!
Directions: From Missouri 32, get off at Federal Mill Rd and look for the Missouri Mines Historic Site. Google Maps
Drip water in Yonderup Cave contains evidence of an aboveground fire. Credit: Andy Baker/U. New South Wales
Stalactites and stalagmites form in caves when water that contains dissolved minerals (such as calcium carbonate) drips from the ceiling. Scientists can analyze the 18O/16O ratios (isotopes of oxygen) in the stalactites and see how the temperature changed as they were formed. A team led by Andy Baker, Gurinder Nagra, and Pauline C. Treble of the University of New South Wales, Australia discovered that Yonderup Cave had a lot more 18O than they expected. Since having more 18O is associated with higher temperatures at the time of formation[1], it could have been interpreded as one of the largest climate changes in the last 2 million years.
But, there was a wildfire in 2005 and a large tree died right on top of the cave. Baker’s team believes that this is what actually caused the increased 18O concentration. This is important for anybody else trying to use these oxygen isotopes to determine ancient temperatures, because if they get a very warm result it might have been caused by a forest fire instead.
[1]It’s a little more complicated than that. Read the whole article here: http://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i30/Cave-dripwater-contain-fire-evidence.html and check Baker’s website for more interesting stuff about how he researches caves to learn about past climates.
In this economy, we all could use some career advice. Here is an interview with a former curator of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, explaining how he got the job and what it entails. (more…)
Agate slab clock, seen at the Fall Gem and Mineral Show 2016. Photo by Stephanie Reed
We hope you are having fun at the show. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward 1 hour for Daylight Savings Time.
Lectures presented by the Association of Earth Science Clubs of Greater Kansas City
Friday, March 10, 2017
3:00 p.m. “Opal Down Under”, Ron Wooly, Owner of Dreaming Down Under
Saturday, March 11, 2017
1:00 p.m. “Earth Science… Facts, Frauds and Scams”, Mark Sherwood, Independence Gem and Mineral Society
2:00 p.m. “The Life and Hard Times of the KU T. rex”, Dr. David Burnham, Research Associate, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
3:00 p.m. “Medullary bone in Tyrannosaurs: a question of chickens, eggs and possibly more”, Dr. Josh Schmerge, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
4:00 p.m. “History of Gold Mining”, Doug Foster, Show-Me Gold, Missouri
Sunday, March 12, 2017
2:00 p.m. “The Life and Hard Times of the KU T-rex”, Dr. David Burnham, Research Associate, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
3:00 p.m. “Islands in the sun: Eocene fossil mammals from Turkey”, Dr. Chris Beard, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
The Association has a scholarship for students studying earth science. The value will be between $250 – $1000. To apply, fill out this form on the Association website here and mail it to Molly Stinemetz. The application says 2015 but it is good for 2017. The scholarship happens every year.
Deadline: February 28, 2017
Requirements:
When you come to the show, don’t forget to enter the drawings for door prizes.
Kids’ Drawing:
Dinosaur Model with Real Tooth
Cactus Quartz
KANSAS CITY GEM SHOW SPRING 2017 FEATURE EXHIBIT
ROCK ART –Stone Quilt Design; Susan Judy; Denver, CO and WKP Accent Tables; Bill Peterson; Boulder, CO
Colorado artists Judy and Bill have brought some of their creations to the Kansas City Show. Judy inlays natural materials in a stone mosaic to create pictures and Bill uses natural materials to create tables.
INVITATIONAL EXHIBITS (more…)
Mark your calendar for the Spring 2017 Gem and Mineral Show, sponsored by the Association. Here is a flyer in PDF format you can print or send to all your friends, and a coupon for $1 off admission.
Paleontologists at the University of Toronto just found collagen in a 195 million year old fossil. This makes it the oldest protein that has ever been found. Previously, the oldest protein sample was only 80 million years old (it was also collagen, from a dinosaur bone). They also found hematite crystals in the fossil, which possibly came from the blood. The dinosaur was a Lufengosaurus that lived in Yunnan Province, China.
Some other paleontologists didn’t like the new, non-invasive methods that the team used used to identify the collagen, but other scientists thought the methods were fine. Read the whole article here https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i6/Collagen-found-195-million-year.html and let me know what you think.
Show-Me Rockhounds Kansas City 