christianswest
having dreams about rocks
Member since June 2023
Posts: 54
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Post by christianswest on Oct 29, 2023 10:23:45 GMT -5
Good Morning. Waking up to nearly a foot of snow in Denver and it looks like field trips will be postponed for a couple of weeks or maybe till the Spring. Being quite new to this hobby and jumping right into field trips on my own and with rock clubs this summer, I now have time to learn more about geology and specifically how to use that knowledge to find rocks in the wild. I thought I would turn to the experts and ask….What are the resources you would recommend?
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 29, 2023 11:47:48 GMT -5
Snow...arghhhhh!!! We had an inch or so the last couple days. Bitter cold too. ARGHHHHH!!! Here you go...this oughta keep you busy for awhile! www.mindat.org/
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wargrafix
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2023
Posts: 558
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Post by wargrafix on Oct 29, 2023 13:02:12 GMT -5
Could you send some snow my way?
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Post by Pat on Oct 29, 2023 13:35:20 GMT -5
Welcome from California. Id like rain. Our hills are brown.
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 29, 2023 14:50:44 GMT -5
Could you send some snow my way? If you'll cover the costs of the Large Flat Rate Boxes, I'll keep sending it to you all winter long! LOL
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Post by realrockhound on Oct 29, 2023 18:08:59 GMT -5
When it comes to finding rocks. First find out what “type” of rock you’re looking for: seam agate, moss agate, plume agate, jasper, etc. if you know a place where a well known type of material has already been found, go there, research the landscape. Try to understand how it formed and where it formed (in seams, in layers in a cliff face, the type of soil you’re digging it it etc.) from there, you can start venturing out in other areas that look like they have similar qualities. Sometimes you find stuff, sometimes you don’t. Don’t be scared to travel far off the beaten path. This info is worth its weight in gold. You’ll learn more from getting out in the field than you’ll ever learn from a book.
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Post by vegasjames on Oct 29, 2023 18:19:18 GMT -5
Good Morning. Waking up to nearly a foot of snow in Denver and it looks like field trips will be postponed for a couple of weeks or maybe till the Spring. Being quite new to this hobby and jumping right into field trips on my own and with rock clubs this summer, I now have time to learn more about geology and specifically how to use that knowledge to find rocks in the wild. I thought I would turn to the experts and ask….What are the resources you would recommend? Learn how to navigate Mindat.org Can help with learning how to ID various rocks and you can search for various mineral deposits by mineral, or can look up names of mines to see what minerals are known for that location, then see other mines in the same area and see what they have, etc.
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wargrafix
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2023
Posts: 558
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Post by wargrafix on Oct 29, 2023 18:27:01 GMT -5
Could you send some snow my way? If you'll cover the costs of the Large Flat Rate Boxes, I'll keep sending it to you all winter long! LOL That's fair, will you send some frigid Temps too? We need it
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 29, 2023 19:19:04 GMT -5
If you'll cover the costs of the Large Flat Rate Boxes, I'll keep sending it to you all winter long! LOL That's fair, will you send some frigid Temps too? We need it Might have to go with some insulated shipping boxes then!
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Post by rmf on Oct 30, 2023 4:04:55 GMT -5
You will discover Geology will help with the hobby but not directly. If you like minerals take a mineralogy class at a local college. You will learn crystallography and how to ID minerals by physical properties. This will only help marginally for lapidary work.
for finding rocks find out which class they recommend if you want to learn about geologic maps. The State Geology department and USGS have geologic maps and different eras and rock formations have different minerals. as in you do not find fossil fish in a basalt formation. Books on rock hunting sites are helpful though many locations are not available and many minerals come from mines where you will never ever have a chance to look.
There was someone on here in the last couple of weeks looking for rock hunting near the Smokey Mtns. There is not a lot of good natural places and the links on the web have a lot of bovine scatology (BS). many rock descriptions in the books and web are poor. June Culp Zietner from the 60's was a good example. She referred to "desert roses" but depending on the areas she talked about she called selenite roses, barite roses and chalcedony roses all "desert roses" I found this very frustrating.
Join a rock club and go on collecting trips with them to start the ground running.
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wargrafix
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2023
Posts: 558
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Post by wargrafix on Oct 30, 2023 11:49:11 GMT -5
That's fair, will you send some frigid Temps too? We need it Might have to go with some insulated shipping boxes then! Ohhh, ship some chilli too! get it chilly..chilli I am going to hell for that one All jokes aside, the more you learn about geology, the rock tell more detailed stories. I have a love/hate where I live...wonderful for planetary astronomy....but trash in terms of rock. Trinidad never had a volcanic past to bring of that yummy goodness.
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Post by Rockoonz on Oct 30, 2023 13:01:22 GMT -5
When it comes to finding rocks. First find out what “type” of rock you’re looking for: seam agate, moss agate, plume agate, jasper, etc. if you know a place where a well known type of material has already been found, go there, research the landscape. Try to understand how it formed and where it formed (in seams, in layers in a cliff face, the type of soil you’re digging it it etc.) from there, you can start venturing out in other areas that look like they have similar qualities. Sometimes you find stuff, sometimes you don’t. Don’t be scared to travel far off the beaten path. This info is worth its weight in gold. You’ll learn more from getting out in the field than you’ll ever learn from a book. Is gaia the app you use? A couple here in AZ who have claims around the state and help others file did a presentation at the club. They use gaia and some companion geological apps (overlays?) to locate likely spots to look. I think it might be my Christmas present to myself this year, especially since I really need to make sure I'm avoiding the numerous gold claims around here, I'd be terrible in a gunfight.
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Post by realrockhound on Oct 30, 2023 13:12:42 GMT -5
When it comes to finding rocks. First find out what “type” of rock you’re looking for: seam agate, moss agate, plume agate, jasper, etc. if you know a place where a well known type of material has already been found, go there, research the landscape. Try to understand how it formed and where it formed (in seams, in layers in a cliff face, the type of soil you’re digging it it etc.) from there, you can start venturing out in other areas that look like they have similar qualities. Sometimes you find stuff, sometimes you don’t. Don’t be scared to travel far off the beaten path. This info is worth its weight in gold. You’ll learn more from getting out in the field than you’ll ever learn from a book. Is gaia the app you use? A couple here in AZ who have claims around the state and help others file did a presentation at the club. They use gaia and some companion geological apps (overlays?) to locate likely spots to look. I think it might be my Christmas present to myself this year, especially since I really need to make sure I'm avoiding the numerous gold claims around here, I'd be terrible in a gunfight. I don’t use any apps. I started learning by going to open dig spots like batcaves, eagle rock, congelton hollow etc… sure… there ain’t much stuff left at those spots, however, I’d spend time looking over the terrain. Where it formed, types of soil, landscape, etc… then I’ll find public land using google earth that shares same characteristics like soil, formations and so forth. Then I go out and explore. For you and others that know me, I’m pretty dang successful with finding new deposits. It’s not always 100% you’re going to find something. But I’ve found that a lot of materials form under the same circumstances touched on above.
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johnwilliams1
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2023
Posts: 2
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Post by johnwilliams1 on Oct 31, 2023 7:40:46 GMT -5
Good Morning. Waking up to nearly a foot of snow in Denver and it looks like field trips will be postponed for a couple of weeks or maybe till the Spring. Being quite new to this hobby and jumping right into field trips on my own and with rock clubs this summer, I now have time to learn more about geology and specifically how to use that knowledge to find rocks in the wild. I thought I would turn to the experts and ask….What are the resources you would recommend? Good morning! I can understand the frustration with postponed field trips due to the snow. To enhance your geology knowledge and rockhounding skills, you might want to explore resources such as books like the "Roadside Geology" series and "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals." Additionally, consider engaging in online forums and communities, joining local rock clubs, enrolling in online geology courses, and referring to geological maps and state surveys. For academic writing or research help, you can check out the services at pay for essay writing.
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christianswest
having dreams about rocks
Member since June 2023
Posts: 54
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Post by christianswest on Nov 1, 2023 7:18:33 GMT -5
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful feedback! Enough here to keep me busy throughot the winter. BTW, after the snow we had, it is getting progressively warmer with 69 predicted for Saturday. Maybe I’ll delay that research and go get my hands dirty.
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wargrafix
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2023
Posts: 558
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Post by wargrafix on Nov 2, 2023 8:22:39 GMT -5
Getting your hands dirty is part of research! I wish you the best and hope all your finds are winners!
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