We extend a warm Broken Hill welcome our fellow collectors who have come f rom

“away” to attend our show this year. This year we have set up at the Broken

Hill Showgrounds and the Adkins Pavil-ion, and we hope that our central location will encourage a greater patronage f rom

our local community. Again, we will run tag along f ield trips fol-

lowing the show on Monday to the Lady Margaret Garnet Mine and Tuesday to Farmcote Station. Participants must sign

up for each trip at the show and a high clearance vehicle may be needed to ac-cess the locations visited on some of

these trips. There will be a manned information table

in the main pavilion where registrations can be taken for f ield trips, trading site registrations can be paid and information

brochures about the attractions in the Broken Hill can be collected.

On Saturday af ternoon at 5:30 pm we will have an auction of various goods donat-ed to the club by local businesses and

show stall holders. Come to the f ront sec-

ROCK-ON 2016 EDITION

Volume 17, Issue 2 September 2016

THE LINE FROM THE LODE

CLUB CONTACT DETAILS

PO Box 747 Broken Hill. NSW. 2880. (ABN:11502101481)

The Newsle tter o f The Broken H il l Minera l C lub Inc .

SUBSCRIPTIONS

2016 Annual Membership to the Broken Hill Mineral Club

Inc. is as follows

Full Membership - $25 Associate Membership - $15

Family Membership - $40 Child Under 16 - $5

Inside This Issue

Rock-On 2016 Program

Article: The Who’s Who of

Mineral Collect ing

Article: Storing “Dangerous”

Minerals

What to see in Broken Hill

tion of the pavilion to grab a bargain and support our club. This will be followed by

a BBQ for our visitors camped on site. There will be a food and refreshments

canteen open during the show, with a great range to chose f rom including a (pre-ordered) “big breakfast” for those staying

on site. Enjoy your time in Broken Hill, take the

time to see as much of our unique city while you are here, but most of all have fun. TD

VICE PRESIDENT Mr Ross Clark

461 Cummins Street Ph: (08) 8088 4210 SECRETARY / TREASURER

Mr Graeme Strike 42 Cobalt Street Ph: (08) 8088 5130

PRESIDENT, SENIOR FIELD OFFICER

& NEWSLETTER EDITOR Mr Trevor Dart

405 Chapple Street Ph: (08) 8088 7907

POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 747 Broken Hill.

New South Wales. Australia. 2880 EMAIL

bhminclub@internode.on.net

CLUB WEBSITE: http://brokenhillmineralclub.wikispaces.com

ROCK-ON FIELD TRIPS

Monday - Mount George Station, La-dy Margaret Garnet Mine. Tuesday - Farmcote Station, Ironclad Mine / Copper King Mine. Sign up for the (tag-a-long) trips at the Club table, in the main pavilion, over the show weekend.

PAGE 2 TH E LINE FRO M TH E LODE VO LU ME 1 7 , ISSUE 2

ROCK - ON 2016 PROGRAM OF EVENTS

FRIDAY 3OTH SEPTEMBER

8:00 AM - 11:00 AM - Set Up Stalls

Canteen open from 10:00 am

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM - Mineral, Gemstone, Craft Trading Stalls open. General Public entry from

12:00 PM. Field Trip registrations at club table. Raffle.

SATURDAY 1ST OCTOBER

.Canteen open from 8:00 am

9:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Mineral, Gemstone, Craft Trading Stalls open to the General Public. Field Trip registrations at club table. Raffle.

5:00 - Raffle Draw

5:30 PM - Auction Starts

SUNDAY 2ND OCTOBER

Canteen open from 9:00 am

9:00 PM - 1:00 PM - Mineral, Gemstone, Craft Trading Stalls open to the General Public.

12:00 PM - Field Trip registrations close.

1:00 PM - Close - Pack Up Stalls

FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS

MONDAY 3RD OCTOBER

LADY MARGARET GARNET MINE

9:00 am – 5:00 pm Full day trip – need to bring a packed lunch. The garnet mine is 60 km from Broken Hill

Looking for Garnets, Staurolite, Quartz, Beryl, Magnetite, Hematite plus other material.

4x4 (or high clearance) vehicle is required due to creek crossings and rough access track to the

mine. Assemble in front of the main gate to the Memorial

Oval, William Street.

TUESDAY 4TH OCTOBER

COPPER KING MINE AND IRONCLAD MINE

9:00 am – 2:00 pm

Looking for Malachite, Epidote, Quartz plus other material.

4x4 (or high clearance) vehicle is recommended due to the at times, rough station access track to

the mines. Assemble in front of the main gate to the Memorial

Oval, William Street.

The Organisers of the Show Wish to Thank the Following People and Businesses for

they Support and Donations that have helped make this Show Possible.

ABC Radio - 2NB

Award Picture Framing

Bernie Williams Minerals

Broken Hill Community Inc.

Broken Hill City Council

Broken Hill Geocentre

Broken Hill Tourist Centre

Bizbyte Computers and Copying

Carol Kerslake

Gloria Jeans Coffee

Glynis Goodacre

Mount George Station

McCarthurs Merchandise

Radio Station 2BH / Hill Fm

Farmcote Station

Silver City Mint and Art Gallery

Shannon Electrical

Wayne Lee Blinds

PAGE 3 TH E LINE FRO M TH E LODE VO LU ME 1 7 , ISSUE 2

WHERE ELSE TO FIND BROKEN HILL MINERALS

McCARTHUR’S Your first stop to take home that original

piece of Broken Hill

Minerals for sale,

Broken Hill Souvenirs

Local Original Artworks

AFL and NRL gear.

Buying and Selling Broken Hill Minerals

303 Argent Street, Opposite the Post Office

Open Mon-Fri 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

OTHER PLACES FOR MINERALS

The Silver City Mint & Art Centre. 66 Chloride Street: Open 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Mineral Displays, Artworks, Jewellery, Opals, and the “Big Picture”.

Kings Aquariums. 51 Creeden Street: Open daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Mineral Display, Gift shop, Pet supplies

White’s Mineral Art Gallery. 1 Allendale Street, off the Silverton Road. Open daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR

SPONSORS

Wayne Lee Blinds. Broken Hill’s Blind, Awning & Carpet

Specialists, Ph: 8087 7585 for a free measure and quote.

Award Picture Framing. 86 Gypsum Street, Broken Hill. Ph: 8087 4188

Awards, Printing, Framing

Printed Advertising Materials for the Rock-On along with this

Newsletter have been possible via the

sponsorship of

BIZBYTE COMPUTER

AND PHOTOCOPIER SALES

AND REPAIRS

For all your Computing servicing and repairs

Printers, Copiers and copying

Memorial Oval, Broken Hill Andrew Gasmier: 0419180169

PAGE 4 TH E LINE FRO M TH E LODE VO LU ME 1 7 , ISSUE 2

As you go collecting on club f ield trips how do you know who to ask for advice?

Here is a f ield guide to mineral collectors and how to spot the people that know what they are doing and

those that do not. For the purposes of this guide, all gender references will be male and all characters are f ictitious. Any resemblance to real persons is coinci-

dental.

Mr. "What did you get?" This collector goes around all day asking "what did you get" in the hopes that you will ask him the same ques-

tion. This gives him the opportunity to pull out either a piece that he discovered with beginners luck, or a piece you threw away two hours ago or a piece that he picked

up at the mineral store down the road and now he claims to have found it. This collector is of ten new to f ield collecting and has not been humbled by collecting

next to real collectors.

Indiana Jones This is a real collector. Did you ever wonder how these

locations we visit were discovered? It is this guy. He searches out old locations or breaks ground at a new location, a true prospector. They can be spotted be-

cause they have the right tools for the job and know what they are looking for in advance. You can spot them on a dig because they are not talking, and have their

head in a hole. They have been in pockets that they could stand in and know what pocket mud is (and pock-et mud can found under their f inger nails). You never

know until the end of the day what they have found be-cause they don’t advertise their f inds out of fear that a claim jumper (see Leech) will try to move in.

Sight Seer This person is using the trip to get out of the city and doesn’t really care about collecting minerals. He thinks the club is a travel agency to arrange his vacation. Of ten

the loudest complainer, the f irst to suggest quitting for the day, and most likely to get lost because he was wan-dering away f rom the collecting location.

Paul Bunyan This is the biggest and baddest (in the good sense) of all collectors. He swings the biggest hammer you ever saw. You are not worthy of carrying his tools. He cannot

walk by a construction site without dreaming of pneu-matic jack hammer, back-hoes and 100 ton hydraulic jacks. No rock is too large to tackle, even if it is barren.

This collector play the odds, knowing that one trip in ten he will break into a good pocket and the pocket

will have twenty times the quantity and quality of the junk the rest of us are picking up off the ground. At night this collector can be found at the nearest pizza

parlor with a large supreme pizza and a six -pack of beer planning out the next days work.

Borrower This collector thinks that the list of tools prepared for each trip is a multiple choice. He brings only half of them. Can usually be spotted adjacent the f ield trip

director so that he can borrow his tools. Has a habit of quickly disappearing af ter breaking a sledge ham-mer handle or bending a crow bar. Chronic amnesia

causes this collector to never offer to pay for damag-es, never remembers what tools he needs to get for the future, and always forgets to say thank you.

Pebble Pup Always the youngest person on the trip and always the one to get the best specimen, usually lying on the surface where it was kicked by all or the other

members on the trip.

What’s This?

Total lack of preparation and research causes this collector to have no idea what he is looking for or

what he has found. Forgets to bring a f ield guide or the f ield trip announcement so he can f igure it out for himself . Instead he can be seen lurking near the f ield

trip director asking "what’s this?"

20/20 Hindsight

This collector has many years of collecting experi-

ence and they were all better than the trip he is on now. At least that what he thinks. He is fond of talk-ing about collecting locations that are now built over

by condominiums or super-highways. Does not rec-ognize the passage of time. Never looks at his old specimens that he has boxed up in his garage to see

if they really are as good as he remembers.

Golden Pick

He has a backpack f illed with credit cards used to purchase minerals at the local rock shop. Breaks into

a sweat easily at the thought of swinging a hammer. His criteria for a good field trip is a pool, f ree Wi-Fi and Foxtel on the TV at the motel.

The “Who’s Who” of Mineral Collecting

Modified from an article by John Betts. Found at http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com

All articles and pictures included in this newsletter are copyright and should not be reproduced without the acknowledgement of the author.

© Copyright

PAGE 5 TH E LINE FRO M TH E LODE VO LU ME 1 7 , ISSUE 2

Braggart Again, this collector has not been humbled by collecting next to a real pro. He walks around and, without you

asking, will pull out to show you hundreds of f ragments of crystals that you threw away two hours ago. The braggart does not collect quality, he collects quantity.

Can of ten be heard saying "well it’s not much, but it counts". The braggart thinks he is in a competition, but in a real competition, he would not last until lunch.

The Workhorse Motto is run silent, run deep. Slow and steady. He starts in at one spot and sticks to it throughout the day. If there is a specimen to be found he will get it.

First Timer Expects the location will be littered with 1" gemstones. After the inevitable beginners luck discovery of a 1" gemstone, he f inds it is all downhill. Becomes a poker.

Poker Plants himself on the ground and pokes around usually with a stick he found at the site. Always comes away

empty-handed and is usually the most vocal about the failure of the club to plan good trips.

Got it, Done it, Been there This is truly the hardest type of collector to spot because

he seldom actually goes collecting. He was there twenty years ago and collected 5 pounds of stuff then. It was crap then and he does not need more crap, even if there

was a major recent discovery. When confronted with specimens f rom new a discovery exclaims loudly that they were better in the old days.

Pseudo Expert No, this is not a collector of pseudomorphs. This is the guy that that looks over your shoulder (of ten while pok-ing the ground with a stick - see poker) and tells you that

you are using the wrong tool or working the wrong zone. Of ten has an odd theory about pocket zones involving the Coriolis Effect, lef t hand quarks, or cold fusion. No

amount of factual articles can sway this guy f rom his theories. And he never actually does any collecting, he prefers to direct others.

Vampire This is the rarest collector of all to be seen in the f ield.

He is a nocturnal collector that only collects in active quarries at night. Can be spotted with essential cam-

ouf lage outf it, f lashlights, lawyers phone number and bail bond card. Never collects at any location open to the public. Only knows the back entrance into a

quarry and has memorized the work hours of each quarry. This collector always has the best speci-mens.

Leech This collector attaches himself to the side of any suc-cessful collector in the hopes of benef iting f rom their

hard work. Can easily spotted saying "Let me squeeze in here". When dump digging is fond of rub-bing shoulders with the collector he is attached to.

This collector never actually f inds anything except Leaverites (as in "leave it right where you found it"). His bad habits come f rom being used to parallel

parking in the city.

Field Trip Director This guy is the collector most likely to loose his pa-tience and temper, especially after being asked the

same question that he just answered ten times. Of-ten mistaken for a travel agent by other members too lazy to make his or her own arrangements. Can be

identif ied by the bags under his eyes resulting f rom members calling his home late at night and early in the morning.

Perfect Club Member This is the ideal collector ("low maintenance" in f ield trip director lingo). He understands that this is a group effort and does not think of himself f irst. He

can be spotted giving away crystals to others, shar-ing food and water, lending a hand to others to move large rocks. He never complains to the f ield trip di-

rector when it is too late to change the situation. He brings everything on the tool list, nothing missing, nothing extra. He knows his physical limits and only

participates at locations that are appropriate. He ar-rives early at the meeting location, collects steadily all day, he maintains his interest past 2:00 P.M. and

is the last person to stop collecting. He has a car and always bring another member who doesn’t with him knowing it is an opportunity to make a new f riend.

Always thanks the van driver and f ield trip director at the end of the trip.

The “Who’s Who” of Mineral Collecting (Continued)

PAGE 6 TH E LINE FRO M TH E LODE VO LU ME 1 7 , ISSUE 2

ARE THEY SAFE? A GUIDE TO KEEPING “DANGEROUS” MINERALS

In and around the Broken Hill district are a great range

and variety of minerals. Many of these minerals may not be deemed “safe” to keep if we were to listen to the gloom and doom merchants of the 21st century. How-

ever with a few very simple guidelines, most minerals are safe to keep and store in your collections. Some of the more common misconceptions about minerals con-taining certain elements are described as follows:

1. Lead. Broken Hill is probably the largest silver, lead and zinc deposit known in the world and as a result of

over 125 years of mining, there are numerous lead min-erals in local collections. Lead is an accumulative poi-son that resides in the fatty tissue and can result in

brain developmental problems and learning def iciencies in young children. In adults, lead affects all organs and functions of the body to varying degrees. The f requency

and severity of symptoms among exposed individuals depends upon the amount of exposure. Mineral collec-tors with lead containing minerals need only be cautious

when handing and cleaning the samples. A thorough washing of their hands, to remove lead dust is usually the best practice to avoid ingestion. Galena is relatively

safe, while cerussite, being a carbonate could be more easily dissolved in the stomach acids and the lead be absorbed.

2. Uranium. Minerals containing uranium are mildly radioactive and if treated properly cause no reason for

concern. Radioactivity is a natural process and depend-ing on the type of decay and what type of particle is pro-duced, def ines how careful you must be. Alpha particle

emitters do not travel far and the radiation can be stopped by a piece of cardboard. Minerals such as the davidite found in the Olary District can be stored in a

cardboard box, lined with aluminium foil as an added safety precaution. Handling such a specimen only re-quires thorough washing of hands to remove dirt, as

this must not be ingested. As long as it is outside of the body no U-mineral will ever be active enough to be of any concern. On board an intercontinental f light there's

about 6 µSv/h of gamma and only very active speci-mens ever achieve that level, but then only for short distances up to 20 cm. Radiation f rom samples will only

ever reach a small part of the body, so unless the whole body is covered with radioactive specimens for hours on end, there is no reason to worry.

However, it's a completely different case, if the radioac-tive samples get it inside the body. U-minerals not only

emit the relatively harmless gamma radiation, but also beta and alpha. Beta only travels about 10 cm through air and alpha a mere 1-2 cm. But inside the body, di-

rectly touching a cell the alpha radiation will be danger-ous. So ingesting or breathing in U-mineral dust is something to be avoided.

One other issue with uranium minerals is that the natu-

ral radioactive decay results in the production of radon gas. This is quite toxic when built up. To avoid the build up of radon to toxic levels, simply place the samples in

an well ventilated area. If you are opening boxes that contain radioactive minerals, do it outside. 3. Asbestos. The asbestos group of minerals has also

had a lot of bad press and many workplaces are affect-ed under new Work Health and Safety laws in regards to materials containing asbestos. The asbestos form

minerals that many collectors may have in their posses-sion include reibeckite (crocidolite), tremolite, actinolite, serpentine and cummingtonite.

The dangers of asbestos minerals come f rom the chron-ic inhalation, over long time periods, of the right size and

type of fibres. Not all types of the minerals in the asbes-tos family f it those criteria. The inhaled f ibres can, cause asbestosis, a f ibrous thickening of the lung tissue or

pleura (the lining of the lungs) with consequent chronic cough, restricted breathing and oxygen starvation. Lung cancer is also a very real possibility, however, the one

disease that has gotten the most press and attention over the years has been mesothelioma. This is the can-cer of the pleura and/or abdominal cavity. The cancers

caused by chronic inhalation of the proper types and sizes of the f ibres occur in people working for long time periods in the dusty air with those f ibres. For mineral

collectors there should be no increased risk over the rest of the non-exposed public.

Collectors who have any of these minerals just need to check that there are no small f ibres coming off the sam-ples that may be inhaled. A good wash is usually all that

is needed to remove any built up dust. If there is any concern, then a quick spray with a clear matt varnish, will seal any potentially loose f ibres in place.

4. Other Toxic Metals. Almost all heavy metals are tox-ic - if they can be absorbed into the body. The important

fact is whether or not a mineral is stable. If it is, there is little need to worry about its constituents as there are lots of minerals that contain highly toxic elements, but

since they are stable, there is no real problem. Many collectors will have toxic metals in their collections and probably don't even know about them. These include

Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Cop-per, Mercury and Nickel,

A prime example is Beryl. It contains a good amount of beryllium which is considered to be the most commonly occurring toxic element. However, there is little care

about this since Beryl is so stable. The same is true with Cinnabar, a very stable mineral of mercury, but when seeing it contains mercury, people panic.

PAGE 7 TH E LINE FRO M TH E LODE VO LU ME 1 7 , ISSUE 2

ARE THEY SAFE? A GUIDE TO KEEPING “DANGEROUS” MINERALS - CONTINUED

Barium is also quite toxic. But many collectors have a

sample of barite without giving it a second thought. Since most Ba-minerals are very stable, again it is not a problem. Nickel and chromium can be toxic. Many col-

lectors in Australia are lucky to have samples of Tasma-nian crocoites. These contain not only the chromium but also lead. Nickel and chromium are part of our everyday lives as we stainless steel cutlery and razors. Copper is

toxic, and yet we allow the water to enter our houses through copper pipes.

Caring for and Storage of “Toxic” Minerals. Our lives are full of toxic substances, and the mineral

specimens are probably the least of anyone's con-cerns. Although it's always better to err on the safe side, people in general have been led to believe that there

are extreme dangers and are of ten too afraid about the threats posed by most minerals.

They hear that it's radioactive or contains uranium

and panic, but then go for a chest x-ray or take a in-tercontinental f light (or live in an area with high back-

ground radiation like Broken Hill)

They hear asbestos and they worry about mesotheli-oma, but then light up their cigarettes

They hear that mercury is in a mineral, but think noth-

ing of disposing a busted fluorescent tube in the rub-bish bin.

They hear about lead poisoning, but then go fishing

with "native" lead f ishing weights.

They hear about arsenic minerals, but then stupidly

burn treated timber on a bonf ire.Most are insoluble, and the soluble ones still take high milligram to gram quantities to kill somebody as a speck of dust won't

be fatal. It's all about relative risk. The vast majority of mineral

specimens pose absolutely no danger when common sense rules are followed. Mineral specimens should be displayed in cases that don't tip over, or are on safe and

secure shelves. When boxed up they should be put in safe and secure dry areas. It is advised that specimens should not be kept in the bedroom either under the bed

or at the head of the bed. Mineral specimens should never be kept near or around food and should be kept away f rom children and pets. Mineral specimens should

be gently and only inf requently handled. A cut finger f rom a sharp crystal edge or dropping a full cabinet size specimen on the foot, really are the two greatest dan-

gers. Wash hands after handling any mineral specimen and understand the possible hazards.

When these common sense rules are followed, all spec-imens including asbestos minerals, radioactive miner-als, lead, chromium, nickel and arsenic minerals and

just about all others will pose no danger to the collector.

Top: Davidite crystal from Plumbago Station, via Olary South Australia. Above: Torbernite crystals on hematite from Mount Gee, Arka-roola. South Australia. Below: Vein of Crocidolite (b lue asbestos) from Whittenoom. Western Australia.

PAGE 8 TH E LINE FRO M TH E LODE VO LU ME 1 7 , ISSUE 2

WHILE IN BROKEN HILL

BROKEN HILL’S MINING AND

MINERALS MUSEUM

(THE GEOCENTRE)

Home of the Silver Tree

Corner of Bromide and Crystal Streets

Open daily Monday to Friday

10:00 am - 4:45 pm Saturday and Sunday 1:00 pm - 4:45 pm

Why not visit any or all of the following attractions. Many of these have mineral displays and /

or pieces of Broken Hill’s mining history on show. Some entry fees may apply.

RAILWAY

&

HISTORICAL

MUSEUM

Blende Street - diagonally opposite

the Tourist and Travellers Centre

Includes the Triple Chance Mineral Collection

and the famous Beryl Cross

Open daily 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

THE HISTORIC

DAYDREAM SILVER MINE

UNDERGROUND TOURS

20 km from Broken Hill and 13 km off the Silverton Road along a scenic

drive.

Tea room facilities available. The best Scones on the Barrier

Open 7 days a week

from 10 am to 3 pm