Desert Messenger

January 20, 2016 www.DesertMessenger.com 15 Life as we know it today would be very different without this mineral. It is used in construction, medical proce- dures, crafts, movie sets, agriculture, bathroom fixtures, plates and sau- cers, roadways, car parts, and even Egyptian pyramids. It formed about 250 million years ago in ancient sea- beds. Chemists call it a Hydrous Calcium Sulphate, even though the water molecules contained within it are in crystalline form. As minerals go, it is a pretty interesting one, with many varieties and hundreds, if not thousands, of uses. Hydrous Calcium Sulphate ( CaSO42H20), better known as Gypsum, is found in many parts of the world. Gypsum deposits lie in flat beds usually about six to eight feet in thickness, and are often in- ter-layered with limestone or shale. Gypsum deposits were formed when By Jenn Jedidiah Free for RocksInMyHead™ Salt Flats, Window Panes, & Flowers saltwater oceans covered most of the earth. Over time, as the geography of the planet changed, the seas re- ceded and many inland "dead" seas were landlocked and left to evapo- rate. During evaporation, the water became more and more salty, and those salts precipitated out of solu- tion to create compounds of salt de- posits such as halite (rock salt) and gypsum (calcium sulphate with wa- ter). Decayed vegetation and other minerals were left behind as brines, petroleum, lime, clay, sandstone, shale, and coal, while a smorgasbord of dead sea creatures formed layers of limestone in alternating strata with gypsum layers. Gypsum and its products have been known and used from the earliest times. A soft stone with a hardness of 2, the ancient Assyr- ians called this beautiful rock Alabaster and used it for carving intricate sculp- tures. Five thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians used a slurry of it as plaster to line the insides of pal- aces and tombs. This gyp- sum plaster has been found still in- tact inside the great Pyramids some 50 centuries later. Classical Greeks adopted the use of it as plaster and named it "Gypsos", from which we have derived the name Gypsum. ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS SEE ROCKS ON PAGE 33 GOLD & Treasure SHOW Quartzsite A Z Daily Drawings Metal Detectors Gold Nuggets Equipment Demonstrations Speakers Gold Panning FEB. 12 - 14, 2016 Fri. 9-4 • Sat. 9-4 • Sun. 10-4 $5 Admission QIA building www.QuartzsiteAzGoldShow.com Sponsored by Tesoro Metal Detectors, Natures Nuggets, Miners Depot and QIA 235 E. Ironwood St. Quartzsite Vendors Call for Details: 928-927-5479 121 W. Kuehn Blvd., Quartzsite • 928-927-6365 P.O. Box 60, Quartzsite, AZ 85346 • www.tysonwells.com Tyson Wells Over 100 Gourmet Sodas! Just Arrived! 100 New Games! Salsas Hot Sauces Dip Mixes GIFT SHOP OPEN DAILY 9-5 C ac t usr anch F l o wer s 425 E. Main, Quartzsite www.facebook.com/CactusRanchFlowers Mon-Fri 9-4 Sat. 9-noon 928-927-7030 Remember your Special Someone on Valentine's Day ~ February 14 th ! All Valentine's orders prepaid by February 5th will receive FREE Delivery! 431 E. Main Street, Quartzsite 928-927-7900 QuartzsiteChiro.com Jennifer Maltby, D.C. Open Year-Round NEW HOURS: Mon. Tues. Thurs. 9am-12pm, 1pm-3pm Chiropractic Care Now Open in Quartzsite!

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