MINERAL COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK - Softcover

Pick up a rock. Is it heavy or light, sparkling with the tiny crystals, or a cold lump of volcanic material? Could it be a nickel-iron meteorite that hit the earth from outer space back when dinosaurs still roamed the planet? From petrified seashells to marble and rubies, rocks, minerals, and gems of all kinds surround us. Delve into the exciting realm of mineral collecting with this ultimate field guide. It contains everything you need to know to stare what to look for, where to look, how to store your finds, and much more. Distinguish igneous rocks, born in fiery volcanoes, from metamorphic rock formations that have been fundamentally altered by heat, pressure, or fluid. Observe color; texture, weight, size, and features to ascertain their type and classification. If you're still stumped, perform tests to determine hardness, density tenacity, magnetism, chemical properties, heat and electrical conductivity, and radioactivity. Once you collect all this data, you'll unravel the mystery! Throughout, magnificent full-color pictures of rough green beryl, opaque blue lapis lazuli, rose quartz, golden feldspar, and crystalline diamonds will inspire you to go out and start gathering your own specimens right now!