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

This book contains data on the mineral deposits themselves, broken down by magmatic, hydrothermal, secondary and placer deposits, as well as gemstones. Determinative tables, specific geologic environment references and a glossary round out this book. This Bible should appeal to the reader who wants a deeper understanding of geologic processes.-----------------------------I have no hesitation recommending this most useful "Bible" to all students of gemology. Not only will you enjoy reading this book, you will be amazed at what you will learn about the practical aspects of mineral identification, with the assistance of the Determinative Tables and the listing of Geologic Environments of Minerals. Its purchase is highly recommended for students. Len Ettinger's more than decades of expertise in exploration geology is obvious. This is indeed a book to teach the practically applicable basics of field mineral identification and prospecting techniques. -Revered Australian gemologist Grahame Brown, former editor of the Journal of the Gemmological Association of Australia-----------------------------The Rockhound and Prospector's Bible is more than just a basic text for the gold-panner or rockhound. It is actually a study guide which begins by giving the reader a general introduction to Geology. This detailed, yet simple to understand volume is recommended for those who are interested in how mineral and gems came to be, rather than just giving directions to sites where they can be located. - Stanley W. Paher, in the Las Vegas Review Journal

Learn about rock and mineral formation, tools, identification, finding minerals in the field, legal aspects, preparation and preservation, cutting and polishing, and making jewelry from your finds. Numerous illustrations and B/W photos.

This volume gives you the basic tools to transition from “pebble pup” to expert rockhound and explains everything from geology basics, identification tips, tools of the trade, how to record your findings, and how to set up a lab or gem shop. Before you know it, you’ll be driving the open roads and traveling home with dusty pockets full of rocks, gems, minerals, fossils—and maybe even gold. Features: * geology basics * popular collectibles, including rocks, gems, fossils, meteorites, and gold * tools of the trade for every level of collector * rules and regulations * polishing, preserving, crafting, and displaying your treasures

Geology is destiny—understand it and life gets easier. Our ancestors grasped enough about their environment to fashion tools, start fires, erect shelters, and find water. The principles they discovered long ago still apply, and the science behind stronger concrete, usable marble, and more pure metals still stands. The ancients were the first rockhounds out of necessity, and the skills they perfected resonate from medicine to sanitation, from pottery to food preservation. The Practical Geologist traces the impact of geology on the first toolmakers in their trek toward civilization and details how understanding geology allowed for advances in agriculture, construction, weaponry, and the arts. The hacks, shortcuts, and rules described here are still vital for not just homesteaders, campers, hikers, and survivalists—the same geological factors assist us all as we struggle with ever-changing global conditions and reach for the stars. Using full-color pictures, tables, diagrams, and simple language, The Practical Geologist covers the basics of geology and applies them directly to everyday situations, serving as a practical guide to co-existing in the physical world.