The Modern Rockhounding and Prospecting Handbook (Falcon Guides)

267 Pages·2013·21.89 MB·English

by  Garret Romaine

r
o
m
The Modern Rockhounding
a
I
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and Prospecting Handbook
T
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e

M
o
d
e
r
E The ultimate guide to rockhounding, n
s R
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e gem collecting, and gold prospecting o
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ia This volume gives you the basic tools to transition from “pebble h
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g pup” to expert rockhound and explains everything you need, u
e n
a including geology basics, identification tips, tools of the trade,
d
r
how to record your findings, and how to set up a lab or gem shop. i
f n
o
r Before you know it, you’ll be driving the open roads and traveling g
e home with pockets full of rocks, gems, minerals, fossils—and a
v
n
er maybe even gold. d
y
P
a  Features:
r
d o
v • geology basics s
e p
n • popular collectibles, including rocks, gems, e
tu fossils, meteorites, and gold c
t
re • tools of the trade for every level of collector in
:
g
O • rules and regulations

u H
• tips on polishing, preserving, crafting, and
t a
f
i displaying your treasures n
t d
Y
o Garret Romaine is an avid rockhound, fossil collector, and gem b
o
u
hunter. He is a columnist for Gold Prospectors magazine and o
r
M the author of Rockhounding Idaho and Rocks, Gems, and Minerals k
i (both FalconGuides) as well as Gem Trails of Oregon and Gem FALCON
n
d Trails of Washington. GUIDES®
®
Cover design by Libby Kingsbury • Cover images licensed by Shutterstock.com
falcon.com
FalconGuides ®
GarrEt romaInE
is an imprint of
Globe Pequot Press
The Modern Rockhounding
and Prospecting Handbook
Garret romaine

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FALCONGGUUIIDDEESS®
Copyright © 2014 Morris Book Publishing, LLC
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher.
Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions
Department, PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.
Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing,
LLC.
Photos by Garret Romaine unless otherwise noted
Layout artist: Mary Ballachino
Project editor: Ellen Urban
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
ISBN 978-0-7627-8470-7
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The author and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for
accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers
who engage in the activities described in this book.

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To my Dad, Garret L. Romaine,
who was always ready to jump in the rig and head for the hills.
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Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Chapter 1: What to Look For 1
Basic Geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Resources for Basic Geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Popular Collectibles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Gator Girl’s Best Advice Ever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 2: Where to Find It 32
Old-school Reference Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Online Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Rock and Gem Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Fossil Collecting Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Online Gold Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Online Meteorite Locales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Software, DVDs, and Other Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Rock and Mineral Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Social Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Historical Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Online Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
ArcGIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Geology Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
JSTOR Searches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Build Your Own Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
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Chapter 3: How to Get It Home 83
Getting to the Site (and Back) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
General Fieldwork Pointers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Chapter 4: Working in the Field 109
Ocean Beaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Creeks and River Walks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Desert Walks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Tailings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Veins and Vugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Fossil Collecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Gold Prospecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Meteorite Hunting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
Chapter 5: What to Do with It 188
Tumble Polishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
Carving Soapstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
Knapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Preserving Fossils. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
Jewelry Making . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Displaying Your Treasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251
vi Contents
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PrefaCe
The purpose of this guide is to
set you on a path for success in
collecting geological specimens
in the field. Whether you want
to find rocks, minerals, fossils,
precious metals, or meteorites,
this book is for you. Beginners
of all types and levels of exper-
tise will benefit from the infor-
mation here about what to look
for, how to research an area, and
what to do with your treasures.
Intermediate, experienced
rockhounds and prospectors
will benefit from this guide as well. The sections on modern research
and tools should be of interest to anyone who has been out a few times
and wants to improve his or her chances. I’ve been tracking the Internet
for almost twenty years, starting a regular column for Gold Prospec-
tors Association of America in 1997 titled “Mining the Internet.” I shared
with readers interesting sites they needed to check out to improve their
tactics and techniques and help make them better rockhounds. Many of
those columns and articles inspired this book.
I’ve included several sidebars where experts talk about putting it all
together. If you truly love being outdoors, stalking collectibles, and talk-
ing about rocks, you should consider taking your hobby to the next level.
These experts demonstrate various career directions you could investi-
gate to see whether you can make a living out of what you love.
This book is organized into five chapters:
1. What to Look for—You’ll get a basic overview of the geologi-
cal forces of interest to us hobbyists, such as how plate tectonics
affect economic ore deposits and how a smattering of geological
principles can come in handy. In addition you’ll find a list of the
most common rocks, minerals, crystals, fossils, and metals that
should spur your expeditions.
vii
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2. Where to find It—Once you have an idea of what you want to
bring home, you need to be able to put together a basic plan on
where to track it down. Some areas, such as the Obsidian Needles
Mine in northern California, have so much plentiful material that
it is literally laying on the ground as soon as you step out of your
vehicle. But other areas require some serious mapping, research-
ing, and studying. You may need to do some Internet research,
including social networking sites, in order to connect with others
who have been to the spot you want to search.
3. How to Get It Home—Now that you have a plan, you need to
mount your expedition. Just heading for the beach to look for
agates is easy enough, but you might be interested in some tools
that can save your back a lot of wear and tear. If you are more
ambitious and want to explore an old mining district with plenty
of tailings, you may need all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and a trailer.
If you don’t like sleeping in a tent, you might want an RV. This sec-
tion includes information on electronic prospecting with ultravio-
let lights, metal detectors, and magnets, as well as such tools as
sluices, panning wheels, and other devices.
4. Working in the field—Once you reach the locale or district that
you’ve been planning to visit, your work begins. This section con-
tains information about the wide variety of tools and devices
available, covers some of the legal restrictions in place, and takes
you through simple walks at the beach to working on ledges, veins,
and vugs. You’ll find tips and pointers for rockhounding, gold
prospecting, fossil hunting, and metal detecting.
5. What to Do with It—Once you start bringing home better and bet-
ter trophies, you will want to learn how to show them off. Small
quartz crystals make excellent jewelry, as do other showy gems.
You can knap obsidian into arrowheads, spear points, and jewelry;
you can carve soapstone into fetishes, amulets, and statues. This
chapter also contains basic information about traditional lapi-
dary, faceting, wire-wrapping, fashioning cabochons, and more.
viii Preface
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aCknoWLeDGments
A special thanks to all who provided input for this handbook, but espe-
cially to Val Bailey, Frank Higgins, Kevan Reedy, Martin Schippers, Terry
Snider, and Dirk Williams, who each proved once again to be practical
and helpful in the field and encouraging in their comments—all layered
with a healthy skepticism for someone who overplans and overpacks.
ix
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