Where To Find Rocks
(Where to Find Rocks)
In the great interior plains and lowlands of the United States, a wide variety of sedimentary rocks are exposed. Igneous and metamorphic rocks are widespread in the mountains and piedmont areas of New England, the Appalachians, the Western Cordillera, and scattered interior hill lands; igneous rocks make up almost all the land of Hawaii. Along the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains, loose and unconsolidated rocks are widespread.
The best collecting sites are quarries, road cuts or natural cliffs, and outcrops. Open fields and level country are poor places. Hills and steep slopes are better sites.
(Collecting Equipment)
The beginning collector needs two pieces of somewhat specialized equipment, a geologist’s hammer and a hand lens. The hammer is used to break off fresh rock specimens and to trim them to display size. The head of a geologist’s hammer has one blunt hammering end. The other end of the most versatile and widely used style is a pick. it is used mostly in soft sedimentary rocks and in collecting fossils.
The hand lens, sometimes called a pocket magnifier, is used to identify mineral grains. Six-power to ten-power magnification is best.
Other pieces of necessary equipment are inexpensive and easy to find: a knapsack to carry specimens, equipment, and food; bags and paper in which to wrap individual specimens; a notebook for keeping field notes until more permanent records can be made; and a packet knife, helpful in many ways, especially to test the hardness of mineral grains.
The Essay on When There Is A Sudden Breaking Of Rocks Within
When there is a sudden breaking of rocks within the earth or an explosion, wave like energy travels through the earth and is recorded on seismographs. These are called seismic waves and they are of two types: body waves and surface waves categorized into different kinds. What we will be discussing are body waves; there are two types of body waves: primary waves (P waves) and secondary waves (S ...
On some collecting trips, additional equipment is needed. Sledge hammers can be used to break especially hard ledges of rock. Cold chisels often make it possible to loosen specimens. Dilute hydrochloric acid helps in identify limestone and dolomite.
(Housing and Enlarging a Collection)
The practical problems of cataloging and storing a collection must be considered by every collector. Housing arrangements can be very simple because rocks are durable and do not require special treatment. Shoe boxes and corrugated cardboard boxes are often used. Ordinary egg cartons can be used if the specimens are rather small. Shallow wall cases for rock collections are available commercially.
It is important to have a careful system of permanent labeling so that specimens do not get mixed up. Many people paint a small oblong of white lacquer on a corner of each specimen and paint a black number on the white oblong. The number, rock name, collector’s name, date collected, description of collection site, geologic formation, geologic age, and other pertinent data are entered in a small notebook. If rocks are kept on separate trays, a small card containing some data is usually placed in the tray.
Extra specimens are sometimes used for trading with other collectors. Few people have the opportunity to obtain all varieties of rock types, and exchanging can fill gaps in a collection. Collectors interested in trading are usually located by word of mouth. No nationwide organization of rock collectors exists, though local clubs and individual collectors are found throughout the United States. It may be necessary to buy some specimens, but good specimens are expensive.
Hints for Rock Collectors
1. Label specimens as they are collected. Identification can wait until later, but the place where the rocks were found should be recorded at once. Many collections have become mixed up because the collector did not do this.
2. Trim rocks in the collection to a common size. Specimens about 3 by 4 by 2 inches are large enough to show rock features well. Other display sizes are 2 by 3 by 1 inch, or 3 by 3 by 2 inches.
The Term Paper on Igneous Rock
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2012) Geologic provinces of the world (USGS) Shield Platform Orogen Basin Large igneous province Extended crust Oceanic crust: 0–20 Ma 20–65 Ma >65 Ma Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ignis ...
3. Ask for permission to collect rocks on private property. The owners will appreciate this courtesy on your part.
4. Be careful when collecting rocks. Work with another person, if possible, and carry a first aid kit. Wear protective clothing–safety glasses, hard-toed shoes, hard hat, and gloves–when dislodging specimens. Avoid overhanging rock and the edges of steep, natural or quarried walls.
5. Do not collect rocks in national parks and monuments or in State parks; it is illegal. Similar rocks commonly crop out on land nearby.
6. Look for unusual rocks to study in large buildings or in cemeteries. Dimension stone blocks and monument stone are often transported long distances from where they are quarried. Polished stone sometimes looks different from unpolished rock. This provides good identification practice.
7. Join a mineral club or subscribe to a mineral magazine. They occasionally discuss rocks.
8. Collecting rocks from each State or country has no scientific significance. The distribution of rocks is a natural phenomenon and is not related to political divisions.
( Ultramafic magmas )
Olivine – Mg2SiO4 to Fe2SiO4
Pyroxene – Ca(Mg,Fe,Al)(Al,Si)2O6
Mafic (basaltic) magmas
Olivine – Mg2SiO4 to Fe2SiO4
Pyroxene – Ca(Mg,Fe,Al)(Al,Si)2O6
Plagioclase – CaAlSi3O8 to NaAlSi3O8
Intermediate magmas
Plagioclase – CaAlSi3O8 to NaAlSi3O8
Amphibole – NaCa2(Mg,Fe,Al)5(Si,Al)8O22(OH)2
Muscovite/Biotite – KAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2
Quartz – SiO2
Felsic (granitic) magmas
Potash Feldspar – KAlSi3O8
Quartz – SiO2
Muscovite/Biotite – KAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2
Amphibole – NaCa2(Mg,Fe,Al)5(Si,Al)8O22(OH)2
Igneous Rock Chart
| |Felsic |Intermediate |Mafic |Ultramafic |
|Aphanitic – fine – grain |Rhyolite |Andesite |Basalt |Conditions needed to produce ultramafic flows do not |
| | | | |exist in nature at this time. |
The Term Paper on Sedimentary Rock 2
Sedimentary rock formation begins with igneous, metamorphic, or other sedimentary rocks. When these rocks are exposed at the earth’s surface they begin the long slow but relentless process of becoming sedimentary rock. Weathering All rocks are subject to weathering. Weathering is anything that breaks the rocks into smaller pieces or sediments. This can happen by the forces of like wind, rain, and ...
|Intermediate | |Dacite |Diabase | |
|Phaneritic –coarse -grain |Granite |Diorite |Gabbro |Peridotite |
|Glassy |Obsidian | | | |
|Frothy |Pumice | |Scoria | |
Sedimentery Rock Chart
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|Clastic | |
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