Basic Rockhounding and Prospecting
A Beginner's Guide
1st Edition
Published on 1. May 2019
272 pages
978-1-4930-3282-2 (ISBN)
Description
A Beginner's Guide to Rockhounding, Gem Collecting, Gold Prospecting, and Fossil Hunting
Basic Rockhounding and Prospecting is aimed at anyone who is interested in learning the basics of collecting rocks and minerals. It's the perfect companion title to the more advanced Modern Rockhounding and Prospecting Handbook. Readers will learn how to identify common rocks and minerals, and where to look for them. Using labs, procedures, pictorials, and discussions to help readers learn, this book will cover the basics of geology, describing the three main rock groups, with extensive pictures to show what to look for and how to figure out what is out there.
Look inside for:
- Geology basics
- Rules and regulations
- Polishing, preserving, crafting, and displaying your treasures
- Popular collectibles, including rocks, gems, fossils, meteorites, and gold
- Tools of the trade for every level of collector
More details
Other editions
New editions
E-Book
06/2025
2nd Edition
Simon + Schuster LLC
€17.79
Available for download
Additional editions
Garret Romaine
Basic Rockhounding and Prospecting
Book
07/2019
Falcon Guides
€42.27
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
Garret Romaine has been an avid rockhound, fossil hunter, and gold prospector for 35 years. He is a long-time journalist, columnist, and technical writer, and teaches technical writing at Portland State University. He is a Fellow in the Society for Technical Communication. He holds a degree in geology from the University of Oregon and a degree in geography from the University of Washington. Since 1997 he has written a regular magazine column for the Gold Prospectors Association of America entitled "Mining the Internet." He is the author of Rockhounding Idaho and Rocks, Gems, and Minerals (both FalconGuides) as well as Gem Trails of Oregon and Gem Trails of Washington. He is also a columnist for Gold Prospectors magazine. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
Content
- Intro
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAPTER 1 GETTING STARTED
- THE THREE ROCK TYPES
- THE EARTH AND ITS CORE
- GEOLOGIC TIME
- GEOLOGY GIANT: JAMES HUTTON
- LAB: GEOLOGIC TIME
- GEOLOGY LAB: AGE OF THE EARTH
- OUR RESTLESS EARTH
- LAB: PLATE TECTONICS
- GEOLOGY LAB: COCOA CONTINENTS
- GEOLOGY GIANT: ALFRED WEGENER
- ADDITIONAL READING: THE MAP THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
- CHAPTER 2 ALL ABOUT MINERALS
- OUR CHEMICAL BUILDING BLOCKS
- SIMPLE CRYSTALS
- LAB: CREATE A CRYSTAL
- GEOLOGY LAB: CREATE A CRYSTAL
- LAB: CRYSTAL CLUSTERS
- GEOLOGY LAB: CRYSTAL CLUSTERS
- CHAPTER 3 LEARNING ABOUT ROCKS
- IGNEOUS ROCKS EXPLAINED
- BUCKET LIST: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
- FAMOUS SPECIMENS: THE CODE OF HAMMURABI (DIORITE)
- BUCKET LIST: YELLOWSTONE
- HALL OF FAME: FLORENCE BASCOM
- UNDERSTANDING VOLCANOES
- BUCKET LIST: ACTIVE VOLCANO
- GEOLOGY GIANT: CHARLES LYELL
- METAMORPHIC ROCKS EXPLAINED
- ADDITIONAL READING: BARREN LANDS: AN EPIC SEARCH FOR DIAMONDS IN THE NORTH AMERICAN ARCTIC
- LAB: SCHIST HAPPENS
- GEOLOGY LAB: FUN WITH SCHISTS
- SEDIMENTARY ROCKS EXPLAINED
- LAB: EROSION
- GEOLOGY LAB: EROSION
- LAB: SALT CRYSTALS
- GEOLOGY LAB: SALT CRYSTALS
- BUCKET LIST: GRAND CANYON
- GEOLOGY GIANT: JOHN WESLEY POWELL
- CHAPTER 4 THE KEYS TO IDENTIFICATION
- MINERAL FAMILIES
- MINERAL PROPERTIES
- LAB: HARDNESS TEST KIT
- GEOLOGY LAB: HARDNESS TEST KIT
- LAB: TESTING FOR STREAK
- GEOLOGY LAB: STREAK TEST
- LAB: MEASURING DENSITY
- GEOLOGY LAB: MEASURING DENSITY
- HALL OF FAME: MADAME CURIE
- MINERAL KEYS
- CHAPTER 5 FINDING FOSSILS
- BUCKET LIST: LA BREA TAR PITS
- ADDITIONAL READING: CRUISIN' THE FOSSIL FREEWAY
- HISTORY OF PALEONTOLOGY
- ADDITIONAL READING: THE SEASHELL ON THE MOUNTAINTOP
- GEOLOGY GIANT: GEORGES CUVIER
- ADDITIONAL READING: THE BONEHUNTERS' REVENGE
- GEOLOGY GIANT: MARY LEAKEY
- BUCKET LIST: GREEN RIVER FORMATION
- HOW GEOLOGY HELPS FOSSIL HUNTERS
- KNOW
- KNOW YOUR BIOLOGY
- BUCKET LIST: DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT
- EXTINCTION THEORIES
- HALL OF FAME: WALTER ALVAREZ
- FOSSIL COLLECTING
- LAB: MAKE A MOLD
- GEOLOGY LAB: MAKE A MOLD
- BUCKET LIST: DINO DIG
- CHAPTER 6 PROSPECTING FOR GOLD
- HALL OF FAME: WALDEMAR LUNDGREN
- WHERE TO LOOK FOR PANNING SPOTS
- BUCKET LIST: MARSHALL GOLD DISCOVERY SITE
- THE SCIENCE OF GOLD PANNING
- MAKING CONCENTRATES
- CHOOSING THE RIGHT GOLD PAN
- HOW TO USE A GOLD PAN
- LAB: PRACTICE PANNING
- GEOLOGY LAB: PRACTICE PANNING
- ABOUT THOSE BLACK SANDS
- HALL OF FAME: GEORGE MASSIE
- PANNING MACHINES
- BIGGER GOLD MINING EQUIPMENT
- GOLD AND METAL DETECTORS
- CHAPTER 7 HUNTING METEORITES
- IMPACT CRATERS ON EARTH
- TEKTITES
- METEORITES IN HISTORY
- THE SCIENCE OF METEORITES
- LAB: SPACE DUST
- GEOLOGY LAB: SPACE DUST
- ADDITIONAL READING: METEORITE HUNTING: HOW TO FIND TREASURE FROM SPACE
- REGULATIONS FOR METEORITE COLLECTING
- HOW TO IDENTIFY METEORITES
- BUCKET LIST: WILLAMETTE METEORITE
- WHERE TO LOOK FOR METEORITES
- BUCKET LIST: METEOR CRATER
- HUNTING METEORITES BY SIGHT
- HUNTING METEORITES BY MAGNET
- HUNTING METEORITES WITH METAL DETECTORS
- CHAPTER 8 FROM BEGINNER TO COLLECTOR
- LEGAL NOTICES
- FEE-DIG OPPORTUNITIES
- BUCKET LIST: STERLING HILL MINING MUSEUM
- OCEAN BEACHES
- CREEK AND RIVER WALKS
- DESERT WALKS
- TAILINGS
- BUCKET LIST: TUCSON SHOW
- GEOLOGY GIANT: JUNE CULP ZEITNER
- VEINS, VUGS, AND OUTCROPS
- BUCKET LIST: COLORADO GOLD MINE TOUR
- GEOLOGY GIANT: BOB JONES
- DISPLAY YOUR FINDS
- RECORDS AND LABELS
- LAB: MAKE A LABEL
- GEOLOGY LAB: MAKE A LABEL
- APPENDIX A: ONLINE RESOURCES
- APPENDIX B: CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS
- APPENDIX C: BIBLIOGRAPHY
- GLOSSARY
- INDEX
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
