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Home Foundation Repair Rock Collecting and Geology Basics

Rock Collecting and Geology Basics

Geology is a fascinating field of study for many reasons. Not only are you studying the 4.5 billion year history of the Earth, but you are also studying the history of how the Earth has changed in that period. In the course of amassing a rock collection, you will find rocks that were around when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and seem to come from an alien planet.

Geology is also the study of phenomena like earthquakes, volcanoes, and floods. Each rock you collect is the process of billions of years of extreme forces.

If you’ve caught the Geology bug, starting a rock collection is an excellent place to begin. The best thing about it is that it’s an easy, inexpensive hobby, that you can start from anywhere in the world.

HISTORY OF GEOLOGY

Geology as a subject dates only from the eighteenth century.

During this time, individuals searched for biblical evidence of the deluge, or Great Flood of Noah’s Ark fame. In looking for this evidence, collectors began finding fossils, which contained evidence of large creatures that no longer existed on the planet.

This piqued the curiosity of scientists, particularly during the Age of Enlightenment, a time when the traditional understanding of the world was being challenged.

In addition, a growing economic impetus toward mining led to a growing desire to understand minerals and the composition of the Earth.

As the Industrial Revolution took hold and large engineering projects, such as the digging of canals and building of railways began, geology became regarded as a vital science. Scientists began to understand much more about the Earth, including the presence of historical glaciers (the Ice Age) and changing sea levels.

The final major advancement in Geology came in the twentieth century with Alfred Wegener’s development of plate tectonics.

For the first time, geologists understood that plates moved across the surface of the planet, being subducted and colliding to form different types of rock and rock formations.

Contemporary geology now looks at the formation of rocks that come from space via comets, as well as analyzing craters on the moon. From its original starting point as an ‘Earth Science,’ geology is truly now a ‘Universe Science.’

BUILDING A COLLECTION

If geology is a subject you’re interested in, then the first step is to start collecting rocks. The best thing about starting rock collection as a hobby is that it’s free, and you can do it from anywhere.

All you need is to collect different types of rocks and have some way of ordering them to discover their different origins. With a little bit of research and some considered cataloging, you can build a broad collection of fascinatingly different rocks.

WHICH ROCKS TO COLLECT

Which rocks you should collect is totally up to you. When you begin your collection – or if you are new to geology – you can start with something as simple as collecting rocks of different colors, or rocks that catch your eye.

When you go on a vacation or any trip to a new area try and collect a new rock (but make sure to follow the Code of Ethics, below). This will give you a great basis for your collection.

As you get better at cataloging, you will soon find where the gaps are in your collection and can take field trips to fill them in.

WHERE TO FIND ROCKS

The best thing about starting a rock collection is that rocks are everywhere. Even rocks in your yard count and can be an excellent way to start a collection. However, once you’ve done that you can look at places where humans have cut into the earth. This is where rocks from below the surface will be found.

For example, quarries and construction sites often dig below the earth, and some may even have cut into the rock (which can be excellent for showing different layers of rock).

If you go on private property, be sure to ask for permission from the landowner and always be safe around construction sites.

It is for this same reason of checking near broken ground that the area surrounding your basement or even through cracks in your home’s foundation is a great place to look as well. When that ground was disturbed to dig for the basement or lay the foundation of your home, it likely kicked up some interesting rocks.

CATALOGING

Physically collecting a rock is a useful first step, although to have a successful collection you will need to catalog your items.

Cataloging means taking notes about the type and collection point of the rock, as well as other notes that may be useful in identifying it. The best time to do this is as soon as possible so that you don’t forget any details about where you got it from.

The two most common ways to catalog a rock are to paint on the rock itself, usually with a spot of white paint, before writing on it; or you can place the rock in a clear plastic bag and place a label on the outside of the bag.

On the rock or bag, give your rock a unique number or code, which will correspond to notes on an index card, a notebook, or on your computer.

ON THE INDEX CARD, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THE ROCK:

  • Where you found it
  • Who found it/whom you bought it from (plus price)
  • Formula (you can look this up online if you don’t know)
  • Any other interesting information
  • Code number (i.e. what you have written on the rock)
  • Size/weight of the specimen
  • Type of rock
  • Classification
  • When you found it
  • You could also include a photograph of the rock and add this to the index card. This will allow you to share the details of the rock without having to take it out of storage.

Collecting all this information will ensure you build an extremely useful collection and will increase the financial value of your collection if you ever decide to sell it.You will also be able to make connections between different types of rocks and the area that you got them from. The act of cataloging will mean that you learn more about the composition of the Earth – and ultimately that’s the whole point!

FIELD TRIPS

A ‘field trip’ refers to any journey or trip taking with the express intention of collecting rocks. Once you’ve begun your collection, and developed a cataloging system that works for you, you may need to travel further away to get new rocks.

This can be with the intention of discovering what’s around you or can be a deliberate attempt to find specific rock types.

As mentioned above, quarries and construction sites are good places to go on field trips because the surface of the earth has been disturbed, therefore allowing you access to rocks that are usually below the surface.

If you can get permission from the owner of the land, it’s usually best to visit on a weekend when there’s less likely to be work activity. When you are on a field trip you should always be considerate of safety and other people’s property.

The Code of Ethics (below) will make sure that rock collectors maintain the goodwill of the wider community and safety provisions will help keep you as safe as possible while you’re hunting for rocks.

CODE OF ETHICS

Rock collecting has a clear code of ethics to make sure that those collecting rocks operate in a way that doesn’t denigrate the natural environment and engenders the most goodwill from property and landowners.

THE STATE GEOLOGIST OF MICHIGAN ENDORSES THE FOLLOWING ETHICAL CODE:
  • Respect all property, whether private or public. Always get the permission of the landowner before entering (and collecting)
  • Always respect laws, rules, and regulations in any area you are collecting
  • Do not use blasting materials or firearms to collect
  • Do not cause any damage to property you are collecting on
  • Leave the environment as you found it (including closing gates, removing any litter, and tidying the area you have been collecting)
  • Only build fires if necessary, and make sure they are fully extinguished (and do not leave any burning materials behind)
  • Do not contaminate any water supplies
  • Do not take more rocks than you need
  • Fully cooperate with any field trip leader
  • If you find any archaeological remains, fossils, meteorites or any unusual items, you should report your findings to a museum or your local university
  • Observe the ‘Golden Rule’ and make sure to leave the environment in the way you would want to find it

This Code of Ethics varies somewhat from country to country and state to state, although the basic principles hold, in that the general rule is to be as unobtrusive and as good a guest as possible. After all, geology is about a fascination with, and an appreciation for, the natural environment.

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