Starting Your Own Mineral Collection
You probably have a few rocks or minerals already –
interesting things you picked up on a family vacation, or a class
field trip. The first thing to do is identify what you already
have. Once you’ve figured out what you have, you can call
them specimens (rather than just a bunch of pretty cool rocks).
Keep the ones you like the best, or that interest you the most,
and get rid of the others (your garden is a good place to discard
them). The next thing to do is decide what kind of collection you
want, based on what you already have, or what you’d like to
start collecting. If you don’t have any rocks or minerals
already, this is where you start.
Types of minerals:
There are many kinds of minerals, and they may not all
interest you. Here’s a short list of the most common
minerals and some of their varieties:
Quartz (Tiger Eye, Chert, Agate, Amethyst, Rose Quartz,
Citrine)
Plagioclase Feldspar (Albite, Labradorite)
Potassium Feldspar (Microcline)
Calcite (Dog’s Tooth, Optical Calcite)
Gypsum (Satin Spar, Desert Rose, Selenite)
Fluorite
Halite
Garnet (Pyrope, Almandine, Grossular)
Mica (Muscovite, Biotite, Lepidolite)
Hematite
Pyrite
Magnetite
Olivine
Serpentine
Hornblende
What to collect:
There are many other minerals you can collect. You can collect
some of each kind, just metallic minerals, just silicates
(minerals with silica and oxygen in their chemical formulae),
just green minerals, or if you live in a region near mines you
could collect ore minerals. You could even collect the many forms
and varieties of just one kind of mineral (like Quartz). To find
out more about the many kinds of minerals you can collect, see
the books listed below, or check with your school or public
library – the librarians are there to help you! You could
also talk to an Earth science teacher, and even look on the
internet – just make sure the site you’re looking at
is authentic!
Labeling your specimens:
Once you start collecting minerals, you should label your
specimens. You want to keep track of what kind of specimen it is,
where you got it, and when. If someone else gave you a rock, you
should note that, too. Even if you don’t know what the
mineral is right away, make a label for it before you forget when
and where you got it; you can add the name of the mineral later.
An easy way to label your specimens is to write out half an index
card and keep it with the mineral on your shelf or in an egg
carton or other box with compartments.
Finding minerals:
So where do you find these minerals? Start by
learning about the geology around your home. Again, check with
your school or public library, an Earth science teacher, or even
the internet. Find out what kind of rocks are around you and what
kind of minerals those rocks are comprised of. Some tools may be
helpful: a geologist’s or mason’s hammer, gloves, a
compass, a notebook and something to wrap your samples in
(plastic or canvas bags work well, but wrapping them in newspaper
is okay too). Then plan a field trip to local road cuts, stream
banks, and rock outcrops and happy hunting!
Cleaning your samples:
When you get home with your samples, they’re
often going to be dirty. Rinse them under cool running water, no
soap or cleansers (some minerals may react negatively to soap,
cleansers, even hot water). It’s generally best not to
brush them, but if you really want to get dirt out of crevices
between crystals (for example) you might try an old, soft
toothbrush. Again, only keep the few best samples from any
collecting venture – it’s really easy to pile up tons
of mediocre rocks that you’ll never look at twice.
Final Notes:
Mineral collecting is fun and interesting. It can
be part of a lifelong love for science and the outdoors. Besides,
who wouldn’t want their very own little piece of history
that’s millions of years old!
References (listed from simplest to most advanced):
Rocks & Minerals (DK Pockets)
by Sue Fuller; DK
publishing; 2003 (this one is a little basic, but it has nice
pictures)
Rocks, Gems and Minerals:
A Golden Guide from St.
Martin's Press by Paul R. Shaffer and Herbert S. Zim; St.
Martin’s Press; 2001
National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Familiar Rocks
& Minerals of North America
by National Audubon Society;
Knopf; 1988
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American
Rocks and Minerals
by National Audubon Society; Knopf;
1979
Simon and Schuster’s Guide to Rocks and Minerals
by Simon and Schuster; Fireside; 1978
