- 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.
- 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.
- Ask for permission
to collect rocks on private property. The owners will appreciate this
courtesy on your part.
- 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.
- Do not collect
rocks in national parks and monuments or in State parks - it is
illegal.
- Similar rocks
commonly crop out on land nearby. 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.
- Join a mineral club
or subscribe to a mineral magazine. They occasionally discuss rocks.
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.
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