CSMS and RMFMS Annual Show

On June 24-26, 2011, the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society (CSMS) will celebrate its 75^th anniversary by hosting the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies (RMFMS) Annual Show and Convention (70^th anniversary), the 48^th annual Pikes Peak Gem and Mineral Show, and the 3^rd annual Rock Fair at WMMI (Western Museum of Mining and Industry).  The Best Western Academy Hotel at 8110 N. Academy Blvd. will host the activities of the Federation and the indoor Pikes Peak Show.  The WMMI at 225 North Gate Blvd., Colorado Springs (across from the US Air Force Academy) will play host to the outdoor Rock Fair.  The two localities are very close to each other at the north end of Colorado Springs and are near Interstate 25.  The events are under the leadership of Show Chair Ron “Yam” Yaminokoski at yamofthewest@gmail.com.

The theme for the events is Colorado’s Mining Heritage and several speakers will have presentations at the Federation activities.  In addition, CSMS members will be presenting several talks throughout the period at the outdoor show (actually there are a few rooms inside for such activities as the talks).  The WMMI is a natural location for events associated with our mining heritage as the 27 acre museum includes both indoor displays and outdoor exhibits such as an operating stream shovel.  See the museum web site at: http://wmmi.org/home.

CSMS will utilize both the WMMI and the hotel to display submitted cases. The competitive cases will be displayed at the convention hotel where all judging will take place.  The non-competitive cases will be featured at the WMMI.  CSMS cases will be available for those making prior arrangements.

CSMS has strong programs with both Pebble Pups and Juniors so there will be numerous activities for children (of all ages).  Perhaps most interesting will be the gold panning area operated by the local Gold Prospectors of Colorado club.  Always a big hit, beginners may learn to “pan gold” and actually keep what they find! 

A vibrant Silent Auction will be running at WMMI and all proceeds will benefit our scholarship program (geology/earth science majors in a collegiate environment).  Numerous vendors at both localities will have a wide variety specimens and equipment for sale.  Pre-meeting field trips start June 19 while post-meeting trips conclude June 29 so plan accordingly.

This outstanding summer event promises to offer ‘something for everyone” and so CSMS invites participants to the great city of Colorado Springs where you will be able to observe Pikes Peak (14,115’) every day!  Check the Federation web site at www.rmfms.org for continuing details or contact the Show Chair (yamofthewest.yahoo.com).

mike

FACETED SPURS: SIGNS OF MOVEMENT

THE PATRIARCH, OR IS IT MATRIARCH?

Faceted spurs are common, fairly easy to recognize, landforms found along the flanks of mountains in the western U. S. where active, or recently active, faults are present.  As the mountain ranges are uplifted, streams cut into the rocks and flow toward master streams located in the down-dropped and adjacent valleys.  Ridges are formed between the mountain streams and usually slope gently toward the adjacent valleys.  However, if bounding faults are active, a fault scarp (cliff) forms along the edge of the mountains.  This scarp has the tendency to truncate the interfluve ridges (spurs) and create a triangular shaped “faceted spur”.  Along the west flank of the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Arizona, the bounding Pirate Fault has created numerous faceted spurs that are quite evident from Catalina State Park.  These triangular features seem common on outcrops of the Tertiary Wilderness Suite Granite.

In south central Colorado, the east side of the San Luis Valley is bounded by the Sangre de Cristo Fault along the western side of the Sangre de Cristo Range.  The northern part of the range, usually referred to as the Culebra Range, is separated from the adjacent San Luis Basin by the Crestone Section (a large normal fault = mountains “up” and basin “down”) of the master Sangre de Cristo Fault (Ruleman and Machete, 2007).  This fault extends from Poncha Pass, the northern-most boundary of the San Luis Basin, south to the Great Sand Dunes (McCalpin, 1982).  The deepest part of the basin seems to lie adjacent to the Crestone Section where there may be 30,000 feet of sediment (Garca and Kind, 1965). 

The Culebra Range and the adjacent Crestone Section Fault are characterized by a steep-walled mountain front with well-developed faceted spurs.  Many of the fault scarps are developed on very recent late Pleistocene and Holocene alluvial deposits.  (McCalpin, 1982, 1986).  This would indicate movement along the fault within the last 10,000 years.

REFERENCES CITED

McCalpin, J.P., 1982, Quaternary Geology and Neotectonics of the West Flank of the Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, South-central Colorado: Colorado School of Mines Quarterly, v. 77, no. 3.

McCalpin, J.P., 1986, Quaternary Tectonics of the Sangre de Cristo and Villa Grove Fault Zones, in Rogers, W.P. and Kirkham, R.M., eds., Contributions to Colorado Seismicity and Tectonics—A 1986 update: Colorado Geological Survey Special Publication 28.

 Ruleman, C. and M. N. Machette, 2007, An Overview of the Sangre de Cristo Fault System and New Insights to Interactions Between Quaternary Faults in the Northern Rio Grande Rift in Ruleman, C., M. N. Machette, M-M. Coates, and M. L. Johnson, eds., 2007 Rocky Mountain Section Friends of the Pleistocene Field Trip—Quaternary Geology of the San Luis Basin of Colorado and New Mexico, September 7–9, 2007: U. S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1193. 

mike

WEST FACE OF SANTA CATALINA MOUNTAINS.  THE PIRATE FAULT LIES UNDER THE SEDIMENT AS THE MOUNTAIN FRONT HAS RECEDED.  THE FACETED SPURS ARE GEOLOGICALLY OLDER (TERTIARY) THAN SIMILAR FEATURES ALONG THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS.

WEST FACE OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AT NORTHERN END OF THE SAN LUIS VALLY.  MOVEMENT ALONG THE CRESTONE FAULT IS GEOLOGICALLY YOUNGER THAN THE PIRATE FAULT IN ARIZONA.

GOOGLE EARTH IMAGE OF SANTA CATALINA MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT FEATURES.

GOOGLE EARTH IMAGE SHOWING EXTREME NORTHERN END OF SAN LUIS BASIN AND ADJACENT FEATURES.