How to Expand a Rock Collection

If you've started collecting rocks and need ideas on where to find more specimens, try some of the following locations.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Rock hammer or mason's hammer
• Canvas bags
• Hard hat and eye protection
• Rock identification guide

1. Search areas around railroad grades. Railroad track ballast typically contains a wide variety of igneous and metamorphic rock types like granite, gneiss, schist, marble, quartzite and basalt.
2. Visit local rock or gravel quarries. Even if visitors are not welcome, there are usually abundant spills around nearby driveways and roads. Use extreme caution when collecting around active truck traffic.
3. Drive the roads in your area and look carefully for roadcuts into bedrock. Park well off the road shoulder, and wear a hard hat and eye protection. Use a rock hammer to remove samples around 1 to 3 inches in diameter.
4. Visit local beaches and shorelines. Waves will wash up pieces of local rock formations. Storm waves can wash up freighter ballast or offshore gravels.
5. Visit local streambeds and river banks. Stream gravels can contain local and exotic rocks. Rounded river rocks can be hammered into fresh angular pieces for display.

Tips & Warnings

• It's not necessary to trespass on private property to collect rocks. There are always samples in the public right-of-way adjacent to the rock sources listed here.
• Use canvas bags to gather samples, to save wear and tear on your pockets.
• A good field guide to rocks and minerals will help identify new specimens.
• Be cautious of large vehicles around quarries, roadways and railroads.
• Wear a hard hat and eye protection when collecting.

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