Let's face it. Most of us start out rock collecting when we're in a gift shop. Those bags that you can fill with shiny, tumbled rocks are irresistible! If you want to take your collecting to the next level and move from the mall to the field, you've got to have the right gear.
BE PREPARED!
Anytime we're outside, particularly when working with rocks, we need to be prepared for rockhounding AND the weather. Check your weather app or go old school and watch the news before you go. Then make sure to pack for the forecast.
From head to toe, wear the best clothing for the outing and think of layers in case the weather changes during the day. Consider grabbing an extra fleece top or jacket. Small emergency parkas easily fit in a backpack and have prevented many rockhounds from becoming soaking wet in a sudden shower.
PROTECT YOURSELF
Sun and bugs don't have to ruin your day. Bug spray, a long sleeve shirt, sunscreen and a hat are must-haves that no one regrets bringing along.
Protect your tootsies by knowing where you're going and wearing the right shoes water shoes for the creek and heavier boots for rocky climbs. Because rockhounding can be dirty and rough with the potential for skinned knees, you may want to wear jeans or heavier fabric long pants.
Eyewear is an absolute must. Do not let a sharp shard ruin the day!
This story is from the May 2023 edition of Rock&Gem Magazine.
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This story is from the May 2023 edition of Rock&Gem Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORGAN HILL POPPY JASPER
In California, there are very few places to collect semi-precious stones. Many locations from the past have been either exhausted of the material or the land has been developed.
THE ACORN
The briolette gemstone has the same design attributes of a regular gemstone, however, the pavilion is elongated and the crown is usually domed. This is perfect for an elegant pendant, earrings or a pendulum.
HOW TO PUT A PROTECTIVE CAP ON A CAB
To protect a specimen cab, often a cap is needed. In my case, I had a slab with the because of the color of the background and the pattern. This background had a more silicified consistency than most sandstones. It had no graininess like most sandstone, so I'm inclined to compare it to a jasper. The pattern was typical of a dendrite.
The Resilient Revival of Anne Brontë & Her Stones
For the first time, the Anne Brontë rock collection underwent complete description and identification, and along with Professor Hazel Hutchison of Leeds University and Dr. Enrique Lozano Diz at ELODIZ (a company specializing in spectroscopy analysis), an analysis of that collaboration, Anne Brontë and Geology: A Study of her Collection of Stones, was published in April 2022 in Volume 47, Issue 2 of the peer-reviewed journal, Brontë Studies & Gazette.\"
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The Case of the Bleeding Glacier
It's a gory sight called Blood Falls. Ever since British geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor first noted it in 1911, it has been a mystery.
Asteroid Samples Are Said to Hold Invaluable Secrets
If Only Scientists Can Pop the Lid!
Paleontologists Embrace a New Method for Seeing Fossils within Rock
Fossil bone can be delicate. Attempts to remove it from a hard rock matrix by picking and scratching or etching with acids can be time-consuming and/or may end up obliterating that which you hope to study.
Need a Map of the Ocean Floor?
Call in the Seals!
A Step Closer to Hydrogen, the "Climate-Friendly Fuel"
As I reported last June, the world is racing to find sustainably renewable, nonpolluting sources of energy to replace our carbon-based reserves of coal, oil and gas.
