RockhoundID field guides
Rocks, minerals and meteorites, explained like a good field partner would
How to identify what you found, what it might be worth, where you may collect, and how to polish it. Pictures included.
hardness
Gemstone Hardness Chart: 40 Gems on the Mohs Scale
A gemstone hardness chart of 40 gems on the Mohs scale, grouped hard, medium and soft, plus what hardness means for rings and why tough is not the same as hard.
tumbling
Rock Tumbler Grit: Which Grit, How Much and Why
Rock tumbler grit explained: what 60/90, 150/220 and 500 mean, which polish to use, how much per pound of rock, why sand fails and how to clean up safely.
rockhounding
Rockhounding Near Me: How to Find Legal Spots Fast
How to find rockhounding near you: BLM rockhound areas, state survey guides, clubs, fee digs, beaches and gravel bars, and how to check who owns the land first.
rockhounding
Rock Collecting Rules: BLM, Forests, Parks and Private Land
Rock collecting rules in plain English: BLM limits, national forest permits, why national parks say no, state and private land, fossils, artifacts and selling.
color id
Rocks That Look Like Glass: Quartz, Obsidian or Slag?
Found a clear or glassy rock? Tell quartz, obsidian, calcite, selenite, halite, fluorite and topaz from beach glass and slag with five quick home tests.
meteorites
Meteorite Impact Glass: Tektites, Moldavite and Fakes
Meteorite impact glass explained: how tektites, moldavite and Libyan Desert Glass form, why none are meteorites, and the clues that give fake moldavite away.
value
How Much Is Petrified Wood Worth? What Sets the Price
Petrified wood value explained: real, dated dealer and auction prices, what raises or lowers a piece's worth, and the rules for collecting and selling it.
rockhounding
Gold Panning for Beginners: Where You Can Pan Legally
Gold panning for beginners: BLM and Forest Service rules, how to stay off mining claims, verified public panning sites in four states, technique and real odds.
stones
Thunder Eggs: What They Are and Where to Find Them
Thunder eggs explained: how they form, how they differ from geodes, verified public sites in Oregon and New Mexico with their rules, and how to cut one open.
value
How Much Is Amethyst Worth? Value by Color and Size
What amethyst is worth, with dated auction and dealer prices for clusters, geodes and cathedrals, the color rules that set the price, and where to dig your own.
value
How Much Is Jade Worth? Jadeite, Nephrite and Fakes
What jade is worth, with dated auction results and dealer prices: jadeite vs nephrite, the color and treatment rules that set the price, and how to spot a fake.
rockhounding
Rockhounding Tools: The Beginner Kit That Actually Helps
The rockhounding tools a beginner needs: rock vs crack hammer, safety glasses, a 10x lens, streak tile, magnet, bags and labels, what to skip and tool rules.
fossils
How to Identify Petrified Wood: 6 Clues in the Stone
Is it petrified wood? Check six clues: growth rings, bark, grain, knots, a glass scratch test and weight. Plus look-alikes and where collecting is legal.
color id
Pink Rocks and Minerals: 10 You Can Actually Find
Identify pink rocks and crystals: rose quartz, pink feldspar, rhodochrosite, rhodonite, calcite, halite and more, each with the one quick test that settles it.
meteorites
Meteorite Metal Detector: Do You Need One to Find Them?
Do you need a meteorite metal detector? What a detector can and cannot tell you, how hunters pair it with a magnet on a stick, and where detecting is legal.
hardness
Mohs Hardness Test Kit: What to Buy or Build at Home
What a Mohs hardness test kit contains, how hardness picks differ from mineral sets, how to build a DIY kit from household items, and when buying one pays off.
fossils
Fossil Identification: How to Name the Fossils You Find
Fossil identification made simple: a chart of common finds from crinoid stems to shark teeth, how to rule out concretions, and where you can legally collect.
rockhounding
Rockhounding for Beginners: Where, How and What to Bring
Rockhounding for beginners: what it is, where collecting is legal (BLM, forests, parks, private land), how to read a site, what to bring and how to stay safe.
stones
Agate Stone: How to Identify, Find and Value Agates
What agate stone is, how it forms in volcanic rock, the flashlight and scratch tests that spot a rough agate, its look-alikes, and where you may collect it.
tumbling
How a Rock Tumbler Works: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide
How a rock tumbler works, step by step: the four grit stages, how full to load the barrel, grit and water amounts, cleanup, noise and where the slurry goes.
value
Pyrite vs Gold: 6 Tests to Spot Fool's Gold
Six tests that separate pyrite from gold: streak, hardness, a pin press, crystal shape, heft and color in shade, plus why chalcopyrite and mica fool people.
rockhounding
Where to Find Geodes: The Best Places in the US
Where to find geodes in the US: Utah's Dugway beds, California's Wiley Well, Iowa's Keokuk country, Indiana, Kentucky, Texas and Florida, and the rules.
fossils
Petoskey Stone: How to Find, Identify and Polish One
What a Petoskey stone is (a Devonian fossil coral), where and when to hunt in Michigan, how to spot one wet or dry, the state limit and how to hand polish it.
stones
Yooperlite: How to Find and Identify Glowing Rocks
What a yooperlite is, why sodalite glows orange under a long-wave UV flashlight, which Lake Superior beaches to search, Michigan's limit and the look-alikes.
rock types
The 3 Types of Rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic
The 3 types of rocks explained: how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks form, what to look for in your hand, 12 common examples and the rock cycle.
value
Rocks Worth Money: How to Tell If Yours Is Valuable
Is your rock worth money? Learn what makes rocks and minerals valuable, which finds usually are not, and how to get an honest identification and appraisal.
meteorites
Meteor vs Meteorite vs Meteoroid: The Simple Difference
Meteor vs meteorite vs meteoroid, made simple: which one is in space, which one lights up the sky and which one lands, plus fireballs, bolides and showers.
meteorites
How to Identify a Meteorite: 8 Checks Before You Get Excited
How to identify a meteorite with 8 honest checks: fusion crust, a cheap magnet, metal flecks, weight, bubbles, streak, shape and where you found it.
identification
Streak Test: What Your Rock's Streak Color Means
How to do a streak test on the back of a tile, what red-brown, black, greenish black and yellow-brown streaks mean, and why hard minerals leave no streak.
hardness
Mohs Hardness Test: How to Scratch Test Any Rock
How to do a Mohs hardness test at home: the 10 reference minerals, everyday testers from fingernail to steel file, and how to tell a scratch from a smear.
color id
Black Rocks and Minerals: How to Tell 12 Look-Alikes Apart
Black rock identification made simple: obsidian, basalt, magnetite, hematite, tourmaline, coal, jet, slag and more, sorted with a streak test and a magnet.
color id
Rock Identification by Color: A Guide to Every Shade
Identify rocks by color the smart way: the usual suspects for 13 colors, from black to brassy gold, plus the one quick test that tells each look-alike apart.
identification
Crystal Identification: How to Tell What Crystal You Have
Identify a crystal by shape, hardness, cleavage and luster: quartz points, pyrite and fluorite cubes, calcite rhombs, selenite blades, and glass or dyed fakes.
identification
Rock Identification Apps: What a Photo Can Really Tell
What a rock identifier app can and cannot see in a photo, why two apps disagree, what popular apps say they offer, and two quick tests to check any answer.
identification
Rock Identification Chart: Match Your Find in 5 Steps
A rock identification chart of 25 common rocks and minerals with luster, hardness, streak and a tell-tale clue for each, and how to read it in five steps.
identification
How to Identify Rocks: A Simple 7-Test Method
Identify rocks at home with seven simple tests: scratch, streak, luster, weight, cleavage, a magnet and vinegar, then color last. Includes a worked example.