Rock collecting just got me caught completely. It is an affordable hobby, as I can find pretty rocks an a lot of places, like on river banks, on the beach, or even in the forest. I like hiking in the mountains, and this is pretty much how my rock collecting hobby started. Once I was climbing some volcanic mountains, and I was impressed with the beauty of those rocks. I could not resist, so I took a few rocks with me back home. You can imagine how nice they were looking, in order to make me carry them in my already so heavy backpack. At home, I discovered that they were igneous rocks, which is the name for rocks that are formed by volcanic activity.

Another type of rock which is suitable for collecting is the metamorphic rock, which is in fact a common sedimentary rock which was exposed to big heat and pressure.

Best Rock For Collecting

But the most beautiful rocks to collect are crystals, minerals and gems. Pyrite and quartzite are my favorites by far, because they look so much like gold and diamonds.

For many folks, rock collecting means gathering rocks from many places and place them either in their house, in case of smaller rocks, or in their gardens, in case of big rocks. Rocks are carefully labeled with a permanent marker, stating the date of collection and the place where it has been found.

If you want to do more than a simple, souvenir type collection, or cool gifts for your friends, you need to identify the rocks and minerals you are collecting. Rocks have particularities according to the way they have been formed, and a little bit of instruction in this field will reveal you the beauty of your hobby.

When rock collecting, you cannot forget that the igneous rocks can look gorgeous.As an example, obsidian is an igneous rock that is very similar to broken glass. It is shiny and heavy, and it was used in old times for making arrowheads. Do you remember the bath stone you use to smooth your hills? This is pumice, another volcanic rock which is porous and light. It floats on water.

The true passionate of rock collecting travel in many places of the world, in order to gather a big variety of stones. The relief is different from place to place, for example the American Midwest is rich in sedimentary stones, rather than volcanic ones. Metamorphic rocks such as gneiss and schist can be found in the Carpathian mountains. Limestone can be found in Egypt. Now you see why I feel this superior to coin collecting, although I have to admit that I have a quite large ancient coins collection at home.

Wherever you live, you can enjoy rock collecting.