The Stone Age

The Stone Age lasted until the end of the Neolithic era when we learned to start using metals and transitioned into the Bronze Age. The Stone Age is three distinct periods recognized by researchers, known as the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic eras. The suffix lithic means “stone.”

Most of the Stone Age occurred within the Ice Age. Early humans hunted the Megafauna of this period such as saber-toothed cats, mammoths, mastodons, giant sloths, giant bison and relatives of the modern deer. Weapons were needed to kill these animals for food, to take their hides for clothes, warmth and protective structures, and to use their bones for numerous purposes.

The Stone Age Eras

The longest of the Stone Age eras was the first. The Paleolithic era lasted just shy of 2.5 million years, ending between 11700 and 9600 BCE. The stone tools and weapons from this era are known as Oldowan and Acheulean. Several cave paintings date back to this era and depict scenes of stone weapons. The end of this period coincides with the end of the ice age.

Middle Stone Age

Dates for the Middle Stone Age, or the Mesolithic era, are harder to pin down. This period represented an advancement in weapon and tool-making skills and is greatly regional since there was not a whole lot of exchanging of ideas and technologies. In some parts of the world, it began as late as 8,000 BCE. Regardless of the exact dates, it was the shortest of the three eras. It is notable though for many advancements in weapon and tool-making skills. Weapons associated with this era were chisel-pointed burins (akin to awls), blades and backed knives, scrapers, cutting tools known as tranchet adzes and multi-purpose tools.

Neolithic Era

The Neolithic era, also the last era, began as early as 8,000 BCE in some parts of the world and ended between 3,000 and 2,700 BCE. This was the last period where humans relied exclusively on stone, bone, antler, or wood weapons and started experimenting with metals. Stonehenge dates back to this period. Agriculture became more prominent during this time and a lot of stone weapons and tools were used for digging and farming. This period saw the rise or continued improvements to adzes, arrows, axes, blades, chisels, and other dual-purpose tools used for digging and striking.

Axes and Knife-like Weapons

Axes were broadly used throughout much of the Stone Age. Axes were useful in close combat, good for clearing a path while in pursuit of their target, but even more so when preparing a kill to be eaten. As the millennia progressed, so too did the shape and sharpness of the stone axes our forebears made. By about 320,000 years ago, axes had evolved from larger, fist-sized axes, to smaller and more sophisticated blades and points. A specific type of ax was developed, known as a “chopper.” This was used for more detailed work such as dividing up meat or cutting into skin and fur.

Blades and scrapers were crafted from smaller, sharper stones than those used typically for axes. There was no uniformity in their overall size or weight. A tribe, clan or family might have several different sizes to be used as each circumstance dictated. When made of obsidian, these blades were especially sharp. As time went forward, and agriculture developed, these would be affixed to longer sticks and become the world’s first scythes.

Projectile Points

Projectile points were used for arrows, spears and harpoons. The traditional arrowhead is among this group. Projectile points were the premium weapons for hunting. Early humans located near water utilized this technology to make harpoons for hunting fish and larger marine life. Evidence suggests that early mankind was adept enough at using harpoons, they could spear larger fish, including swordfish and whales. Rope was attached to the harpoon shaft so the kill could be pulled to shore.

As soon as early humans learned how to create composite tools, they affixed sharpened, triangularly pointed stones onto the end of a wooden shaft and adhered them with sinew or plant fibers. As the handle part of these composite tools has long since decomposed, it can be difficult to know whether a projectile was affixed to an arrow or a spear, so researchers do not make that distinction.

Around 300,000 years ago, humans began to adhere projectile points to sticks via a method known as hafting. This allowed the pointed stone and stick to be a singular weapon, much less cumbersome than previous methods. Skilled weapons makers would use fire and heat to perfect this attachment. Initially, these would have been used for jabbing, until the advent of the Atlatl — a device that evolved into the bow. It acted as an extension of the arm and allowed projectiles to be hurled much farther and faster with more accuracy.

Slingstones

An overlooked category of stone weapons is the sling stone. This is probably because not all sling stones were honed to a particular size or shape. They were potentially used in the form they were found. These first appeared late in the Stone Age. Piles of sculpted, similarly-sized, oval or oblong rocks with pointed ends have been found in parts of the Middle East.

When used in their found form, these are the most rudimentary of weapons. When formed with pointed ends into roughly uniform size, and intended to be flung with some kind of a sling, this evidences great thought and advancement. This allowed for greater accuracy because a formal size could be used for practice. Besides their obvious use in combat or hunting, these sling stones are also thought to have been used to aid herders when controlling predators and steering a flock. Scientists assume this because sling stones are often found in areas where flocks were located.

Multi-Functional Tools & Weapons

As the Stone Age came to a close, early humans became adept at making multi-use weaponry. This makes sense as it reduced the number of things to carry and is evidence of the evolution of stone weapon making. A single stone weapon/tool from the Mesolithic could simultaneously have one side that was used as a knife, one side as a hammer or striking surface, and one side as a scraper. As farming arose, the need to dig into the soil and clear land became important as well.

It was not uncommon for some skilled tool and weapon makers to have actual tool kits of stones to do a variety of tasks. Regional differences have been found suggesting these skills were passed down and that communities had distinct identities or cultures.

This story about the ancient artifacts previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Chris Bond.

The post Ancient Artifacts: Rocks as Weapons first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

As it was constructed in phases over thousands of years, it is likely to have served many purposes. Built of Sarsen, a type of sandstone, and an array of igneous rocks generically called “Bluestone,” this arrangement is thought to have begun being built at the end of the Stone Age, around 5,000 years ago. Evidence of additions and alterations as recently as 2,000 BCE show that it remained a work in progress for some time.

There are thousands of sites around the world that can be considered to be stone circles of one form or another. In some cases, the origin and purpose are known or understood, and in many if not most others, there remains some mystery. Some sites are potentially examples of nature depositing stones in a circular-like fashion, while others may be the work of hoaxes. Nonetheless, there are numerous examples of stone, and even wood circles that were placed or constructed by our ancestors for myriad purposes.

Stonehenge Replicas

Stonehenge is hardly the only example of man-made, circular arrangements of monoliths. The British Isles are littered with them, as are many other sites throughout the world. Most are thought to be some kind of astronomical calendars or ritual sites. There are also numerous replicas of Stonehenge, with varying degrees of accuracy and whimsy.

Mimicry and flattery aside, the world abounds in replicas of Stonehenge. Many attempt to be true to the dimensions and scale of the original. Some are built of stone, while others are made of much lighter-weight material. These can be found on both public and private lands, on the campuses of institutions, and even in some backyards.

In 1918, a World War I concrete monument was built in the state of Washington, known as the Maryhill Stonehenge. It was designed to look like Stonehenge is presumed to have looked at the time of its construction. In 2004, another installation, this time on the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, was constructed to be of similar size, shape and orientation of the original formation in England. At another college campus, Missouri S&T, a half-scale replica of Stonehenge, built out of granite was installed. The world’s only “exact” replica of Stonehenge, known as “Esperance Stonehenge” was made of granite and built in Western Australia. It opened to tourists in 2011.

Several replicas have been made of lightweight materials such as foam and fiberglass. Foamhenge in Virginia is full-sized and astronomically aligned. A similarly built full-sized replica in Alabama (Bamahenge) was made of fiberglass. In 2005, a life-size replica of Stonehenge (British Foamhenge) was made for British television, built from carpet roll tubes and polystyrene. These have been placed in storage, with no known plan to display them again.

The world’s smallest, yet to-scale replica of Stonehenge was constructed at the National University of Singapore. This 3-D replica is built of silicone and measures just 80 micrometers (.003 inches) in diameter and is referred to as a Stonehenge microstructure. Two other replicas of note are a full-sized limestone Stonehenge replica built on private land in Fortine, Montana, and Stonehenge Aotearoa, in New Zealand which aligns with astronomy seen from the Antipodes.

Stonehenge “Tributes”

Replicas of Stonehenge built of various materials, intended as parodies or art abound. These structures have been made of everything from cars, appliances, phone booths, straw bales and even toilets. Carhenge, built in 1987, in Nebraska is one of the better-known tributes. In Ontario, Canada, one can visit Strawhenge. Phonehenge can be found in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, made up of retired British phone booths. The end of the Cold War saw the creation of Tankhenge in Berlin, made of Soviet-era tanks. Truckhenge, in Topeka, Kansas, is a farm art installation made of antique trucks jutting out of the ground.

Bladehenge is a piece of public art, located about two miles from the actual Stonehenge. Made up of propellers and turbines, it was installed at Solstice Park in 2013. Steel Henge, located in another UK park, is made up of large iron ingots.

Many Stonehenge-like installations have been temporary, built for festivals like Burning Man or the Glastonbury Festival. These have included Strawhenge, Mudhenge and Twinkiehenge. In 2007, renowned graffiti artist Banksy, designed and installed a Stonehenge-like structure made out of portable toilets. Still, other temporary henges have moved around on tour. In 2012, an inflatable Stonehenge “bouncy castle” called “Sacrilege” was displayed around London and then on to other venues internationally.

Other short-lived “henges” have been removed because of zoning violations or weather. These include Phonehenge West in Los Angeles, and Fridgehenge in New Mexico (a Stonehenge tribute built from refrigerators does still stand in Hamilton, New Zealand). Numerous “snowhenges” have been built all over the world, that melt in the subsequent spring.

Other Intentional Solar Alignments

Not all nods to Stonehenge are deliberate copies of the famed stone circle. Many modern cities have structures that are designed to align with astronomical events. One can debate whether Stonehenge inspired any or all of these, but their purpose is nonetheless intended to feature or exist symbiotically with astronomical phenomena. These range from public sculpture to architecture, to city planning.

In North Dakota, a 2005 work of art known as Mystical Horizons, serves as a solar calendar. It consists of variously-sized granite walls. The Armed Forces Memorial in Staffordshire, UK, aligns perfectly with the sun to illuminate its center at 11 a.m. on Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I. At MIT’s Infinite Corridor, the sun shines in the center of the hallway exactly twice each year on the equinoxes. This intentional confluence has been dubbed “MITHenge.”

Urban planning examples include England’s Box Tunnel which aligns with the sun, not on any date of solar significance, but the birthday of famed English Civil Engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In Raleigh, North Carolina, the street grids are aligned with the sun to form what locals call “Raleighhenge.” More famously though, is Manhattanhenge in New York City. The sun aligns with the street grids on Manhattan Isle such that the rising sun in December and January, as well as the setting sun in May and July, comport with the street grid lines.

Other Places to See Stone Circles Around the World:

1. Syria is home to the oldest stone circle on this list, boasting the Rujm el-Hiri, a series of concentric circles which archaeologists date back to the early Bronze Age almost 5,000 years ago. The ?yu Stone Circles are almost as old, up to 4,000 years, and a series of concentric circles in Japan.

2. In northern Africa, in Morocco is the Mrouza stone circle. Comprising 167 stones, this arrangement dates back as far as the 5th century BCE.

3. Located in Brazil, is the so-called “Amazon Stonehenge” or “Tropical Stonehenge.” This pre-Columbian monolith is laid out in a circle and is thought to have been used for rituals and as a calendar much like Stonehenge.

4. Though not always circles, Australia has numerous examples of Aboriginal stone arrangements. Two of the largest are in the state of Victoria. These include the Carisbrook stone arrangement and the Kuyang/Lake Bolac stone arrangement.

5. Outside o f the United Kingdom and Ireland, there are other European sites with stone circles. In Bulgaria, there is the Dolni Glavanak Cromlech, an oval design, dating between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE. The “Polish Stonehenge,” in Poland, is the second largest arrangement of stones in Europe, comprising 12 circles, dating back to the first or second century CE.

This story about Stonehenge alternatives previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Chris Bond.

The post Stonehenge Alternatives to Explore first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Although we live in California, my wife has a family homestead on the northern coast of Maine, which we visit often. One autumn, on a particularly overcast, cold and windy morning that hinted of winter, we walked along the steely gray North Atlantic with eyes glued to the pebble-strewn beach.

A local greeted us and asked what we were doing. “Beachcombing for pretty rocks,” we replied. She then asked, “Then why are you leaving behind all these Wishing Stones?” “Wishing Stones?” we asked. She bent and picked out a drab gray rock with a belt of white quartz. “Wishing Stones,” she repeated.

Wishing Stones Legend

Legend has it that if you find a rock with a white or pink line all around it, you have found a Wishing Stone. The stripe is usually quartz or calcite. If you trace your finger around the line while closing your eyes and making a wish, then throw the stone into the sea as far as you can or give it to another person, your wish will come true. Make a wish on behalf of a person other than yourself; then ALL your wishes come true. The very best Wishing Stone has a single continuous line wrapping around it, a line unbroken and uninterrupted by other lines or streaks.

Ever since that chance encounter, whenever we go beach combing—whether in northern Maine, southern California, or the shores of Scotland—we look not only for rocks with pretty colors but for those drab but magical Wishing Stones.

Do they work? Well, I can’t say, but Nancy and I have been traveling this Earth for over 60 years. We have two wonderful kids and a healthy new grandson in far-off Scotland and a wise old cat and energetic Australian shepherd to keep us company. What more could you wish for?

This story about wishing stones previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe! Story by Jim Brace-Thompson.

The post Gemstone Lore & Legend: Wishing Stones first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Some collectors’ passion has morphed into an obsession. They’ve not only filled their backyards and garages but are renting storage units. One fine fellow has not one but three, all bursting at the seams. When your home isn’t enough and you now pay to warehouse rocks you picked up for free, you may have one rock too many!

As rocks take over, how do you get a handle on them? I offer a four-step process from personal experiences and rockhound friends.

Step One: Getting Started

First, a disclaimer: Do as I say, not as I do! My own rock pile and collections remain works in progress. Like many others, I deferred to those golden years of retirement to get around to it. Now, buried by rocks, fossils, lapidary rough and equipment, it’s hard to see the specks of gold for the tonnage and I reflect on my mortality. I’ve done the math. There’s no way to craft my way through my pile of lapidary rough. Time to downsize!

Simply getting started on an overwhelming task is the hardest part, especially when viewed at the macro level. A useful mantra to follow is “each day, one thing.”

Consistency is key. Once a habit is established, it’s easier to extend it. For instance, start making it two items a day and by year’s end, 730 items are out of the garage. Never underestimate the cumulative effects of small steps.

Step Two: Organize What You’ve Got

As you begin, follow the advice of de-cluttering author Joshua Becker: start with something easy, then work your way up. One easy and even enjoyable task is simply organizing what you’ve got. Working my way through my garage, I’m organizing all my quartz together in flats, all my agates, my trilobites, etc. This allows me to see exactly what I’ve got.

After a trip to the hardware store, I organized my outdoor rock pile by locality and/ or rock type into 40 five-gallon buckets and 30 crates, all lined up on a brick foundation and cinder block shelves. But as my son gazed at my proud feat, he shook his head and asked, “You will get rid of all this before you die, won’t you?”

Appreciate the distinction between “organizing” and “downsizing.” A ton of rocks for your heirs to dispose of is still a ton of rocks whether scattered in heaps or beautifully organized.

Step Three: Conduct a Hard-Nosed High-Grade

There’s a fine line between collecting what you can use, share, and enjoy and hoarding. It’s hoarding when you come across rocks you forgot you had or how you got them.

When you’re new to the hobby, enthusiasm overwhelms discernment. Every rock exudes potential and holds memories of a treasured trip, so you keep them all. You swear you will one day cut and polish each.

Be realistic in walking the line between dreams and deeds and resist the siren call of sentimentality. Take a hard look at the specimen that means so much to you. Was dinged-up quartz even worth collecting? If having trouble disconnecting, assume a positive viewpoint and realize you aren’t downsizing but “rightsizing.” Getting rid of duplicates and junk gives you space and time to focus on the good and right stuff.

If you’ve been collecting for years and you have multiple examples of a particular type of fossil, mineral or lapidary rock. Decide which is best. Get rid of the rest!

Step Four: Dispose of Surplus

Once you’ve organized and high-graded, start discarding. You have three choices: sell it, give it away, or die and leave the problem to someone else. Tackling this as soon as you can allows you to thoughtfully and leisurely dispose of material rather than having to move things in a hurried “sacrifice sale.”

Do you simply want to get rid of material? Or are you hoping to cash in? Offering your rocks free is the quickest way to see them disappear. Cashing in takes time, with items disappearing one by one rather than in large batches. Here are ways I’ve seen fellow rockhounds approach this.

Selling Your Surplus

The Meisenheimer Method. If you belong to a rock club, you have a ready network. Ray Meisenheimer tapped the shoulders of fellow members with specific interests and invited them to his home. My interest was fossils, and I found a table crowded with them. After I picked and paid for what I wanted and was out the door, Ray shouted, “For an extra hundred, it’s all yours!” Ray knew a sucker when he saw one. He sure got rid of his fossils fast!

A Silver Pick Sale. CFMS Past-President Dick Pankey shrank his rock pile by hosting silver pick sales, selling rough rocks, slabs, and mineral specimens by the crate, by the flat, and by the piece. If opening your rock pile for a sale, though, don’t change your mind midstream. I went to another silver pick sale, and every time I approached the host, he said, “That’s a pretty piece. I don’t think I can give that one up.” Once committed, go through with it!

Silent Auctions. Add excitement to a yard sale by simultaneously hosting silent auctions. Set a table with eye candy and auction sheets with minimum starting bids and hold half-hour rounds. If pieces are enticing, this generates a fair amount of cash to supplement the more modest income from the yard sale, where rocks typically are sold for a buck or so a pound.

Tailgate Sales. Some rock clubs host tailgate sales. Members gather in trucks and cars, lower tailgates or open trunks and sell specimens. But don’t get your hopes up. At one, I came home with more rocks than I had left with.

Online Sales. Many avenues exist for reaching out to customers. Think online sites like eBay or Etsy. However, selling one item at a time is a slow slog. Reserve it for high-end stuff bringing high-end yield.

Sales on Commission. Some dealers are willing to sell your stuff on commission at rock shows or in a rock shop. Package a couple flats with labels to facilitate the dealer’s efforts.

Giving Surplus Away

The approaches just described may yield pocket change, but your rock pile will only slowly dwindle given that most rockhounds are reluctant to pull out silver picks unless they see a ridiculously great deal. If money’s not your thing, give your surplus away.

Start with Family. If you have family with an interest, give them first crack at taking what they want.

Donate to Your Local Club. Nonprofit rock clubs are happy to take donations. Those sponsoring shows often conduct sales where they can convert your free rocks into cash for the club. They also need small rocks to fill grab bags and to use with kids’ programs.

Make it Educational. Donate to a museum or college. Museums prefer quality items with provenance. Children’s museums may take items that can be used in activities or sold in gift shops. Geology departments have classes where they use specimens for identification exercises.

Make It a Free-for-All! When a group of siblings advertised they were disposing of their parents’ lifetime rock pile, rockhounds from across the county showed up holding 5-gallon buckets and wads of cash. When told all rocks were free for the taking, folks were stunned. One person finally broke the silence: “We gotta get more buckets!”

The Ultimate Solution: Cab ’em as you Grab ’em

The way to avoid all this is by following the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies Code of Ethics: “I will…take home only what I can reasonably use…I will practice conservation and undertake to utilize fully and well the materials I have collected and will recycle my surplus for the pleasure and benefit of others.”

I sum up the ultimate solution with “Cab ‘em as you grab ‘em.” Practice just-in-time collecting of rocks and slabs, judiciously collecting or purchasing as needed then working them right away. Storage problem solved! Then again, there’s one person’s tongue-in-cheek suggestion: collect only micro-mounts. Now that’s downsizing!

Words From the Experts

In our acquisition-oriented society, an entire profession has sprung up to help downsize. There’s even a National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals with Certified Professional Organizers. Here are three to consider.

Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (2014). Kondo is described as the “home-organizing and clutter-clearing phenomenon.” Her advice? Pile your stuff, pick out only that which gives you joy, then thank the rest as you discard it. Her two-word mantra? “Spark joy.” As an aside, in an interview with Westways magazine, Kondo was asked what travel item she packs on trips: “My crystals. I travel with them to purify the space where I’m staying. They’re beautiful and spark joy for me.”

Margareta Magnusson, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter (2017). Magnusson lays out precepts of Swedish “Death Cleaning” or döstädning. Death cleaning doesn’t imply the grim reaper is at the door. It simply urges us to get affairs in order, which is good practice at any life stage. You do so by removing unnecessary things; things you don’t even see anymore, much less value. Not only do you unclutter your own life, you save loved ones the anxiety and time consumed in disposing of another’s belongings.

Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life (2018). Per Becker, minimalism frees you from possessions you don’t want, need or use. Instead of surrounding yourself with huge collections of low-quality odds and ends, aim for quality from the start. I’ve kept many specimens from collecting trips. A lot of junk; just a few true keepers. I’ve also gone to gem shows and purchased many “affordable” minerals and fossils. But low price tags add up to quite a dollar amount when aggregated. Instead, I could have used my money to make just a couple high-quality, high-priced purchases at each of the shows.

Sparking joy. Death cleaning. Minimalism. Pick your term. The important thing is taking your first step. It’s time to downsize!

This story about what to do with a rock collection that’s too big appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story and Photography by Jim Brace-Thompson.

The post What to Do With a Rock Collection That’s Too Big first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

What do Plants Need?

All plants need some combination of 17 different elements at a minimum to survive, thrive, and complete their biological processes. Each plant may require additional nutrients, but in general, all plants require these same 17. These nutrients are further broken down into macro-and micro-nutrients depending on the volume typically required by plants. Some classifications further break down the elements plants need into primary, secondary and micro-nutrients. Three of these necessary nutrients plants can obtain from air and water –  carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O). The remaining elements are obtained through rocks.

PRIMARY NUTRIENTS

• Nitrogen (N) -This is important for the production of chlorophyll in plant leaves. It also aids in the healthy growth of leaves, stems and branches.

• Phosphorus (P) -Phosphorus aids in all energy transfers in the plants, this includes but is not limited to root growth, flower development and fruit set.

• Potassium (K) -This aids in the absorption of CO2 and feeds developing plants.

SECONDARY NUTRIENTS

• Calcium (Ca) -Calcium helps transport nutrients from the roots throughout the plant and helps to build strong cell walls.

• Magnesium (Mg)-This helps to activate different life cycles and stages of plant growth and aids in photosynthesis.

• Sulfur (S) -Sulfur is a major component of essential oils in plants and helps nitrogen to create chlorophyll.

MICRO-NUTRIENTS

• Boron (B) -Boron helps plants to absorb Ca and to form cellular walls.

• Chlorine (Cl) -Chlorine helps to regulate water loss through plant leaves and also helps with the transport of nutrients through the plant.

• Copper (Cu) -Copper helps with the production of flowers, fruit and seeds.

• Iron (Fe) -Iron carries oxygen to the cells and helps to produce chlorophyll.

• Manganese (Mo) -Manganese helps plants to use iron and to help trigger new growth.

• Molybdenum (Mb) -This element is critical for pollen formation and to process both nitrogen and phosphorus.

• Nickel (Ni) -Nickel helps plants to metabolize nitrogen.

• Zinc (Zn) -Zinc helps metabolize the carbohydrates that produce growth hormones in the plant.

Where are Minerals for Plants Found?

Minerals needed by plants are found all over the surface of the earth. Sedimentary rock covers up to 80 percent of the Earth’s crust and is the primary component of soil. The type of rock and its components varies widely, but fortunately, many different types of rocks are comprised of many of the same minerals.

Feldspars, for instance, provide potassium, calcium, copper and manganese. Micas provide all of the same minerals as feldspars but additionally provide magnesium, iron, zinc, nickel, and copper. Clay can provide additional potassium, magnesium, iron, and calcium. In many soils around the world, up to 90 percent of the potassium is found within the structure of these minerals. Carbonates not only provide a source for calcium and magnesium, but they also trap and store those elements, acting as a sink for them.

How do Minerals Get Into the Soil?

Biological processes and physical weathering release minerals over time and produce healthy soil. As parental rock material decomposes and interacts with microbial activity and the decomposition of other organic materials, minerals are released and available in usable forms for plants.

The amount of time this takes varies and the type of rock and climate play a role in how long it takes to start to weather and release minerals. For example, one micrometer (?m) of granite will take 1,000 years to weather in a cold climate, but 100 years in a warm or humid climate. Marble will take 50 years for one micrometer (?m) to weather, but only five years in a hot or humid climate.

This is not a one-way exchange though. Rocks are not simply breaking down and not being replaced. They are part of a larger geological cycle. New minerals are being formed all of the time, especially in the aqueous phase of many environments. As old minerals are being released by rocks into soils, those that are not utilized by plants are available to be reformed into new rocks through many geologic eras. Volcanoes also release new minerals from deep inside the earth. Some of the world’s most fertile soils are located in proximity to active volcanoes. It explains why some civilizations choose to risk their lives living so close to danger.

Rock Minerals as Plant Fertilizer

All minerals are not evenly distributed. Humankind is also constantly introducing new species of plants into environments where they did not evolve, for better or worse. These introduced species may have higher nutrient needs than their new soils have. Other times, intensive farming practices cause existing mineral stores, that may have been present in sufficient amounts for native plants, to be depleted and additional nutrients to be reintroduced to the soil. When this need arises, many plant producers and farmers add minerals, directly derived from rock back into their soil.

Responsible growers perform soil analyses to learn what is present in their soils. Soils can then be amended, usually in the form of rock dust, and recreate a natural environment for that species.

Getting Minerals from Rock

The availability of minerals and a particular type of rock’s ability to be reduced to its constituent components varies greatly. For example, both granite and basalt have extremely high mineral content. Basalt, however, is much easier to work with and provides a slow-release of necessary nutrients over time, making it a preferred source of plant minerals compared to other rock types.

Growing Directly in Gravel

Some growers take this a step further. They grow plants from seed, straight through to harvest in gravel made of sedimentary rock – this is called geological agriculture, gravel gardening or even geo-agriculture. This form of soilless plant growing relies at least partially on the release of needed plant nutrients from the gravel. The constant presence of moisture aids in the quicker release of the stored nutrients in the stones, making them available to the plants.

Nutrients from rocks is nothing new. For millennia, it was likely the primary, if not the only source of minerals for plants. Somewhere along the line though, with the advent of industrial agriculture, farmers started removing rocks from the soil since they would do damage to plows and other farming implements when struck. Since the advent of organic gardening, growers have begun adding rocks back into the soil to gain nutrients, even if only in the form of rock dust. Like with so many things, everything old is new again.

What Happens When Plants Don’t Get the Required Amounts of Minerals?

Not all mineral deficiencies in plants are obvious. Some are difficult to determine or differentiate from other deficiencies. Here are some of the more common symptoms and implications of plants not getting needed minerals in sufficient quantities.

PRIMARY NUTRIENTS

• Nitrogen (N) -The oldest leaves, generally at the bottom of the plant turn yellow.

• Phosphorus (P) -Tips of new leaves appear burnt. Older leaves turn red or purple.

• Potassium (K) -Older leaves look wilted and burned on the margins

SECONDARY NUTRIENTS

• Calcium (Ca) -Newest leaves, generally at the top of the plant, look misshapen or distorted.

• Magnesium (Mg) -Edges of older leaves turn yellow.

• Sulfur (S) -All leaves turn yellow, starting at the youngest leaves and working their way through the oldest in succession.

MICRO-NUTRIENTS

• Boron (B) -Youngest leaves are splotchy yellow and new growth is misshapen and brittle.

• Chlorine (Cl) -Leaves start to wilt and die at the margins, then the entire leaf curls and dies.

• Copper (Cu) -Leaves are stunted and abnormally dark green.

• Iron (Fe) -Veins of young leaves turn yellow (chlorosis).

• Manganese (Mo) -Yellowing between the veins of the youngest leaves, but not as pronounced as an Iron deficiency.

• Molybdenum (Mb) -Oldest leaves turn yellow while the rest of the plant turns light green.

• Nickel (Ni) -Leaf tips die, newer leaves are undersized and veins are yellow.

• Zinc (Zn) -Outer leaves at the end of each stem are misshapen and turn yellow between the leaf veins.

This story about the role of rocks and minerals in plant growth previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe! Story by Chris Bond.

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Practical Stones

Stone is valued for its year-round interest and unique appearance. It’s also low to no maintenance. It can withstand weather and heavy use, essentially indefinitely, depending on the material chosen.

Rocks and stones can be used for patios, walls, stairs or even be incorporated into exterior lighting. Stone is also used extensively for drainage and to protect against erosion.

Walls & Steps

Walls are an important part of the landscape to contend with differing elevations and serve as a barrier to hold the earth in place. Stone walls may be formal or informal. Stone walls can also serve to mark property boundaries or to protect an area such as a garden or a swimming pool.

Stone steps often accompany a rock wall, but not always. Stone stairs are frequently used for their durability, as well as their appearance. They can be uniform and clean looking, or erratic and uneven.

Stone walls and stairs often serve double duty as exterior seating. Stone pillars may flank either stairs or walls and sometimes incorporate landscape lighting elements.

Drainage & Protection

Stone is the building material of choice for wet or poorly drained areas. Water drains more quickly through small rocks than clay or muck soils. Gardens can be built on top of a bed of gravel to aid in drainage. For areas that lose soil during rain or weather events, stone serves as a solid barrier to prevent or reduce such losses.

In their role as a protector, rocks also shield plants from many types of stress. Plants growing directly behind or next to rocks are less likely to be trampled. Rocks provide shade in the summertime and absorb some of the heat that would have otherwise gone into the soil to the plant’s root zone. In colder months, stone helps to insulate and shield plants from the worst of winter’s freezing winds.

Aesthetic Stones

Some of the most beautiful elements of the landscape are constructed of stone. Stone is an amazing medium for statement pieces and works of art. Just like lapidary artists with jewelry, skilled artisans, can utilize stone to create a focal point, an impact, a separation or an aesthetic element to a water or fire feature.

Stone elements can also draw your eye away from less attractive or utilitarian features in the landscape such as drainage elements or buildings. Stone or rocks of varying sizes can be combined to create contrast. They can be the backdrop for living elements such as flowers or uniquely shaped trees. They can be used to create an entire garden or as an accent anchor or as a centerpiece.

Boundaries & Landscape Features

Separation in the yard or garden can be achieved with many materials, both natural and synthetic. None, however, have quite the impact of stone. Stone can be used to define boundaries of gardens, properties or just to delineate one type of land use from another.

Rocks can also be the basis of landscape features containing other elements such as water or fire. Entire features can be cleverly built out of or carved from stone. A recess in a large rock can be carved out to create a fire pit for outdoor ambiance and cooking. Elaborate waterfalls can be built with well-sited and selected boulders and large rocks. Ponds can be lined, encircled with, or be made entirely from rock. On a smaller scale, birdbaths, footpaths, or cooling stations for wandering animals can be carved out of the right stone and contribute to the aesthetics of a landscape.

Making a Statement

Even without extensive skills in sculpting or masonry, stone can be a statement unto itself. The mere placement of a large boulder in the landscape can go a long way to adding dimension and depth to an otherwise ordinary yard. While it can be costly to add large, statement-type boulders or to convert large portions of the landscape to stone or rock, there are some more cost-effective ways to incorporate stone into your landscape.

Where to Get Landscaping Stones

If stones are not native to your home landscape and easily dug, then there are other options. Leftovers from construction sites are often locations to obtain free materials with permission from the site owner. Materials that people would have to pay to discard are often gladly given away for free. Permission can sometimes be obtained from public lands to take some rock out so long as it is not serving another deliberate or ecological function. Failing the free options, rock and stone are available in all shapes, sizes and prices at many garden and landscape supply stores.

Environmental Concerns to Using Stone

You have decided that your outdoor living space needs more natural elements and stone is the perfect addition. It comes from nature, so there must be very little environmental impact in using it, right? Well, not exactly. Stone for landscape use is either removed from natural settings like riverbeds, dug or quarried. Each harvesting and transportation method utilizes fossil fuels. The closer from the point of origin to its destination, the lower the carbon footprint to getting it there.

Quarrying operations can damage the environment. Many responsible companies do have reclamation plans in place for when an area has been tapped out. It is important to work with a company that has such a plan in place. It’s also good to work with a company that doesn’t quarry stone or rock that is in short supply or that is ecologically sensitive.

The process of extracting or processing stone for use in decoration or industry creates other problems as well. Besides erosion and fossil fuel usage, these processes create noise pollution and often generate dust that travels far from its point of origin. This doesn’t mean that stone should be ruled out as a function of the landscape. Because stone does not decompose, there are often many opportunities to reuse stone that has already been quarried or used for other purposes. There are also landscape companies that take their role very seriously and work to offset any disturbances they cause by improving the environment in other ways such as planting more trees or even just by using more environmentally-friendly extraction methods to obtain the stone.

Famous Examples of Landscaping Stones

Mankind has been altering and shaping stone for a variety of purposes since the first primitive hand tools were fashioned. There are thousands of examples all over the world. Here is a list of some of the better-known examples.

NORTH AMERICA

Cairns – Cairns can be found all over North America but most often near coasts. They are simply stones piled atop one another but can be made up of many thousands. Examples date back many hundreds of years.

Public gardens – We are fortunate to have many examples of 19th and 20th-century landscape architecture to visit. In some cases, renowned landscape architects designed magnificent stone structures for their wealthy clients and are now available for all to see. One such example is the grand stone staircase at Naumkeag in Massachusetts designed by Fletcher Steele.

Monuments – Whether carved in place such as Mount Rushmore or the Crazy Horse monuments in South Dakota or sited at a specific spot such as the MLK Jr. memorial in Washington D.C., stone is the perfect material to honor our history.

Public Art Displays – These come in all sizes and can be found in almost every town, city or county. They can be as simple as a painted rock in a town square or an array such as America’s Stonehenge in Georgia.

AROUND THE WORLD

Ancient Stone Monuments – Historic peoples have baffled generations with their ingenuity in moving stones weighing many tons without the aid of machinery. Sites like Stonehenge, Easter Island, or the Great Pyramids of Giza still elicit awe for their sheer scale.

Public Gardens – The world abounds in fine examples of masonry and ornate stonework in public gardens such as those found in Japan and England.

Great Wall of China – This gargantuan feat of engineering needs no introduction. Once erroneously thought to be the only manmade structure to be seen from space (it’s not), this amazing landmark was started over 2200 years ago!

This story about landscaping with rocks previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe! Story by Chris Bond.

The post Landscaping With Rocks first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

About Mt. Baker Rock & Gem Club

Rock and gem clubs across the country have been challenged by declining membership and limited funding resources. Recently though, Mt. Baker celebrated an astonishing first anniversary. Their bold experiment led to new growth and the club is gaining momentum attracting people to rockhounding and lapidary skills.

Located in the Cascade Mountains 90 minutes north of Seattle, Whatcom County is home to the community of Bellingham. The Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club is one of the oldest continuously operated local nonprofits in the area. Attracting people of all ages, the organization’s long-standing priorities include providing educational opportunities to the public and funding scholarships to geology students attending Western Washington University.

Making the Decision to Move

Founded in the 1950s, the club’s history includes both abundant and lean times for financing their lapidary room. Since the 1980s, they used free space through the Bellingham Parks Department. This same building was rented by the club for monthly meetings and an annual show. Over the decades, the rates went from free to a modest space rental fee. Eventually, rates increased to be at or above those of renting commercial space in privately owned buildings.

Ultimately the Mt. Baker club faced the reality of being unable to pay the rates.

They moved out of their long-held space in early 2019 and needed to find space for meetings and the annual show.

Finding the Right Space

In November 2020, the club learned that the Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham had space available. Like other malls, Bellis Fair Mall has suffered declining occupancy. There were two spaces in the mall that would work. These were spaces with a tile floor, sink, access to bathrooms and access to the mall’s indoor foot traffic.

Club president, Candi Gerard, approached the mall to explore renting space. She reached out to the manager with a certain space rental budget in mind.

“I was shocked when he came back and said yes, we want you,” Gerard explained. “They provided us with a contract which we went over with a fine-tooth comb.

We changed a couple of things, took the contract to our full board, and discussed it further. It was a new and scary thing to sign a contract, but we knew that if we didn’t find a solution, our club would die. The mall allowed us to sign a single-year lease.”

The mall does require that visitors and staff wear masks – something that has generally been treated with courtesy and respect.

Opening a Mall Store

One of the big surprises of the mall venture has been the way the space lends itself to selling member products. Club members sell their pieces and volunteer time for managing the space.

Members bring their specialties to the space. For instance, one member specializes in small mineral specimens while another works with large pieces of petrified wood and agate. Another member also sells stone-handled knives.

Displaying members donate their time based on the sales spaces they are using and make a donation to the club for the space they use. This has been beneficial for the club’s overall financial position.

The future of the show circuit remains uncertain, so the storefront is filling a void.

“Before Covid there were rock and gem shows where we could sell pieces,” said club member, Walter Hekala. “But going to shows isn’t all that fun anymore for those of us in our more chronologically advanced years. Selling in our store is a lot better than the show circuit for some of us.”

Club members who aren’t selling are starting to see the benefits of the storefront and are engaging in volunteering more. It does take a lot of people to manage the store during high traffic business hours to prevent theft. Recently, the club added a bulletin board where any member can post a note on what they may be selling.

Mixed-Use Space

The space is large enough for class offerings. Talented members have taught wire wrapping, tumbling and gem identification classes. This year the club will be adding classes on cutting cabochons and polishing rocks. Working with mall security, classes, offerings and the lapidary room are all available after mall hours.

Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club is expanding beyond a traditional rock and gem store. For instance, one of the space limitations is the ability to offer big bins of stones. The storefront had some metal racks left from the previous renters. There were also some acrylic display cases, all of which have been pressed into use.

From Foot Traffic to Membership

The mall space offers the Mt. Baker club some bonuses. Previously, the mall space was a candy store. People continue to show up looking for candy and generally stay and explore their rock and gem shop.

The shop features rocks and gems and recently has added the sales of jewelry, books and pamphlets about different metals as well as grit for tumblers. In the future, the club would like to sell tumblers too, but currently, they are not available because of supply chain issues. Used tumblers quickly sold out when made available.

The abundant windows of the Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club storefront invited some fall and winter surprises. More than 400 trick-or-treaters visited the Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club store on Halloween. The club gave out traditional treats and tumbled rocks to attract rock pups and rockhounds to the store again.

In December, the storefront was adjacent to Santa’s mall presence. This attracted even more families to visit the store – which in some ways acted as a mini rock and gem museum. People asked questions, sometimes bringing in their own stones to be identified. Visitors made donations to the club and inquired about their presence beyond the holiday season. In some cases, they became members. Membership grew from 109 people in 2018 to 180 at the start of 2022.

Keep Moving Forward

The Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club confidently signed another one-year lease at the end of their first year. They ended their year in a much-improved financial position. They look forward to a longevity position while expanding public interest in rockhounding and lapidary arts.

This story about a mall rock club previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Deb Brandt.

The post A Rock Club Mall Store Success first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

What is Metaphysics?

It’s hard to put a concrete, definitive definition to metaphysics. In today’s world, metaphysics has expanded to include the study of a wide range of topics including mysticism, meditation, self-help, astrology, dreams and spirituality.

Historical Metaphysical Uses

As far back as there are records, there is evidence of stones being used by different religious groups in different ways. Precious stones were sewn into clothing and embedded in battle armor for protection.”

As far back as there are records, there is evidence of stones being used by different religious groups in different ways. Precious stones were sewn into clothing and embedded in battle armor for protection. Because the earliest references predate scientific identification, stones were recognized strictly by color. The depiction of a red stone in a painting or a story might be a ruby or red jasper or carnelian or garnet, or any red stone.

The Bible

There are references to precious stones in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The book of Exodus 28:17-21 describes Aaron’s breastplate which held twelve stones: carnelian, chrysolite, beryl, turquoise, lapis lazuli, emerald, jacinth, agate, amethyst, topaz, onyx and jasper. The twelve stones represented the twelve sons or tribes of Israel.

From Revelation 21:11 (New International Version) “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” In verses 18-21 “The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. …”

Wiccan References

The Bible isn’t the only reference. The Wiccan celebration known as Mabon marks the Autumnal Equinox. This holiday celebrates the second harvest and marks the time when day and night are balanced and equal. It is viewed as the time to restore balance and harmony to your life.

Preparation for the celebration includes setting out decorations that reflect the colors of the season such as red, gold, dark green, brown and orange. Stones of those same colors such as citrine, amber, cat’s eye, sapphire and jasper are used to decorate homes and altars. While the name “Mabon” was coined in the 1970s, the harvest celebration dates back to the Druids and is still celebrated today.

The Metaphysical Stone in Today’s World

Today’s metaphysical uses for stones are as varied as the people who use them. Whether it’s a pendant to wear, a stone to hold or a chip in your pocket, whether you’re a high school student, first responder or teacher, people of all ages, professions and walks of life are finding ways to tap into the metaphysical uses of stones.

Natural stones and crystals are part of the earth element in Feng Shui. Clear and rose crystals, amethyst, jade and citrine are some of the more commonly used stones. Those who practice meditation may hold a stone both as an aid in focusing and in releasing unwanted energy or emotions.

The process of “gridding” involves creating an energetic grid in and around your home and property. Stones like tourmaline, rose quartz, carnelian and shungite are used to improve the effectiveness of the grid.

Stones are often used to help align chakras. Chakras are energy centers in the human or animal body. These energy centers interact with the physiological, neurological and energetic systems. There are seven main chakras, each is a specific color. These colors are then associated with a crystal or stone of the same or similar color. For example, the Crown Chakra is purple or violet. Holding an amethyst during meditation is believed to help realign the Crown Chakra.

Real Life Stone Stories

Today’s world can often feel like a mixed-up and difficult place, especially when you factor in the confusion of adolescence.

Stones at School

A young woman we’ll call “AH” is a 16-year-old high school student living in South Dakota. She uses stones and crystals to help navigate the emotional turmoil that comes with being a teenager. On test days, she uses amethyst to help relieve stress and keep her grounded. When working at a local coffee shop, she might wear her malachite necklace to help repel negative or toxic energy or carry obsidian in her pocket for protection. AH says one of the reasons she works is to earn money for her expanding crystal and rock collection. “I told my mom that she should be grateful I’m blowing my paycheck on crystals and not drugs.”

Multiple Responsibilities

Jennifer, a holistic life coach (support@ jrosehealthcoach.com) and first responder for a rural Arizona fire department, uses stones and crystals in her personal life and in both her careers. A holistic health coach is someone who works with clients to assist them in finding better, healthier ways to live their lives.

When she is working with a client, Jennifer may feel the need to focus on a specific chakra. Depending on the client and the situation, Jennifer might ask the client to hold a stone or she may place the stones directly on the client during the session. She may recommend someone hold Apache tears to help release grief or moldavite to release trauma. Some of the other stones she uses in her practice are rose quartz, fluorite, black tourmaline, amethyst, citrine, aventurine and snowflake obsidian.

Being a first responder is a difficult job both physically and emotionally—especially in today’s world. To help reduce stress, Jennifer carries black tourmaline and shungite. An amethyst stone helps her stay grounded.

In her personal life, Jennifer uses stones in her home and garden. When she was having difficulty sleeping, placing shungite around her bedroom helped to alleviate the insomnia. Gardening in the Arizona desert can be a challenge. After placing shungite in the garden beds, her plants were more vigorous and production improved.

Website Owner

Theresa Wolf-Silva, owner of WhisperedHealings.com, also uses stones in both her professional and personal life. She places tourmaline, clear crystal quartz and carnelian in each of four small flower pots and places them in her yard to grid her home. When conducting a guided mediation or spiritual reading she may ask a client to hold specific stones or place them on the person’s body.

Before her work as a seer, Reflexologist and Reiki Practitioner, Theresa worked in corporate America. Her jewelry choices always reflected that day’s events. The largest and most profitable account she landed happened while wearing a pendant containing malachite, a stone believed to have a strong financial connection. However, it’s not just about the stone. Theresa points out that “You can’t just sit it there. You have to do your work too.” Your work involves setting your intention—clearly stating what it is you want help with and what you want the rock to do for you.

One of Theresa’s clients is an elementary school teacher who keeps several types of stones on her desk. If a student is having a difficult time, the teacher invites the student to select one of the rocks to carry for the day. According to the teacher, children always pick the stone most appropriate for that day’s challenge and she always notices a shift in their behavior.

Energy Worker & Healer

Joanne Faulkner, owner at Two Hands Talking uses stones and crystals in her role as an energy worker and healer. When doing a healing on a person or animal, she’ll feel directed to place stones on their body or around them to aid in their healing. When a goat farmer’s animals were being poisoned, Joanne performed an energetic clearing of the land and buried sardonyx on the four corners of the property. She too wears jewelry containing the stones she feels she may need that day—rhodochrosite for self-esteem or a labradorite pendant for clarity.

Using Metaphysical Rocks

As you begin collecting and using rocks for their metaphysical properties, it’s important to remember there is no one right way. There’s no “perfect” stone to use in any given situation. How do you know which stones are the best ones for you? Regardless of who you ask, the answer is always the same— the rocks will speak to you. Theresa explains “They just talk to me. It’s hard to explain to people.” Jennifer will hold a stone and ask, “Would you be willing to work with me?”

AH feels drawn to a stone or piece of jewelry. For Joanne, it’s about sitting and listening.

“When people give me new stones, I try to sit with them and let them tell me what is what.”

As you try different rocks in different situations or placements, keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings and make a note of what seems to work for you.

Sources

www.oakrocks.net/metaphysical-defintion-and-healing-crystals

www.gemrockauctions.com/learn

https://huckleberrypress.com/exploring-the-metaphysical-through-crystals-and-gemstones

https://7chakrastore.com/blogs/news/chakra-stones

www.jewelsforme.com/gem_and_jewelry_library/ curious_lore_chapter_seven

https://crystalstones.com/apache-tears/

https://tinyrituals.co/blogs/tiny-rituals/turquoise-howlite-meaning-healing-properties-and-everyday-uses

Disclaimer: The metaphysical properties discussed in this story are not intended as a substitute for traditional medical treatment. If you have a health issue, please seek a licensed medical professional. The crystals and stones discussed are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any conditions.

The post Metaphysical Rocks 101 first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

1. AMETHYST

Known for helping to develop a person’s spiritual connection and abilities, amethyst is often used in meditation. Purple is the color associated with the seventh or Crown Chakra. It is the February birthstone.

2. APACHE TEAR

These are small round pebble-like pieces of obsidian, each containing flecks of white. Apache Tears are often used to help release grief.

3. BLACK TOURMALINE

Tourmaline comes in several different colors. The black is used for protection against negative energy.

4. CITRINE

Citrine restores warmth and energy. Like the tiger’s eye, citrine can be used to increase your personal power and is associated with the third or Solar Plexus Chakra. It is the November birthstone.

5. HEMATITE

Hematite helps improve focus and provides clarity when your mind begins to spin out of control. Some associate it with the first or Root Chakra.

6. MALACHITE

Malachite helps in attaining goals and has a strong financial connection. Often associated with the fourth or Heart Chakra.

7. RED CARNELIAN

Red Carnelian helps to increase creativity, passion and self-confidence. Can also be used to clean other stones and crystals. Both the ruby and red carnelian are seen as birthstones for July.

8. SHUNGITE

Similar in chemical composition to coal, shungite also contains the carbon molecule, Fullerene. Shungite has a wide range of uses from improving the health of bees to water purification to protection from the harmful effects of electric and magnetic fields (EMFs).

9. TIGER’S EYE

Tiger’s eye is often used in jewelry. It helps to ground the wearer and to remind them of their personal power. Tiger’s Eye is often associated with the third or Solar Plexus Chakra.

10. TURQUOISE

Turquoise is believed to be a powerful stone, it too is often used in jewelry. It aids in repelling negativity and restoring harmony and joy. It is associated with the Heart, Throat and Third Eye Chakra. Some view it as the birthstone for Sagittarius.

This story about a top 10 metaphysical rocks list previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe! Story by Kris McElhinney.

Disclaimer: The metaphysical properties discussed in this story are not intended as a substitute for traditional medical treatment. If you have a health issue, please seek a licensed medical professional. The crystals and stones discussed are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any conditions.

The post Top 10 List of Metaphysical Rocks first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

But is this breaking the law? Simply put, maybe. It depends on where the rock was found. Private land is relatively straightforward, but on public land, it’s not as clear-cut.

Can You Collect Rocks on Roadsides?

Finding a rock on the side of the road and keeping it probably wouldn’t give most people pause, but sometimes it’s illegal. Each state and local government has unique rules regarding roadside rock collection, so what might be completely legal in one area may not be in another. Generally speaking, collecting small quantities of small rocks from roadsides and ditches on public property isn’t a problem. Collectors should still ask first, but it’s likely okay. If the roadway or ditch is on private property, get the owner’s verbal, preferably written, permission first to avoid potential problems.

Can You Collect Rocks on Government Land?

Collecting small, loose rocks easily found on the surface may not seem like a big deal. However, based on where those rocks are located, it could cause the collector some major grief. For the most part, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) won’t mind, but the National Park Service (NPS) will.

According to a BLM spokesperson, “the collection of mineral specimens is allowed on public lands in most cases. Collection of rocks and gems is limited to a reasonable amount … The limits for petrified wood are 25 pounds plus one piece per day and no more than 250 pounds in a calendar year for non-commercial use.”

Collecting isn’t allowed in some BLM areas, so contact the local field office to determine whether an area has any special designation that precludes collecting.

Kevin Johnson, Geologist with the USFS, Minerals and Geology Management, said individuals can usually collect rocks on USFS land, but it depends on what is being collected and on the status of the land.

Check Ahead of Time

“In some areas, such as Wilderness, National Monuments, etc., rockhounding may be restricted,” explained Johnson. “Check with the local Ranger District for information. Depending on the type of material to be removed, it may be subject to specific laws, such as the General Mining Act of 1872 as amended, mineral withdrawals, or the lands may be split estate where the United States owns the land but not the minerals.”

Alternately, Cynthia Hernandez, NPS spokesperson, said “collecting, rockhounding and gold panning of rocks, minerals and paleontological specimens, for either recreational or educational purposes is generally prohibited in all places in the National Park System. Violators of this prohibition are subject to criminal penalties.”

Hernandez said there are two exceptions. Limited recreational gold panning is allowed in the Whiskeytown Unit of the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area in California. Some Alaska parks allow the surface collection of rocks and minerals by hand for personal use only, excluding the collection of gemstones, silver, platinum or fossils.

Do You Need a Permit to Collect Rocks?

Most casual rock collectors won’t need a permit to collect rocks on BLM or USFS land. However, individuals using certain implements or collecting larger amounts of rocks or minerals may need one.

Collectors on BLM land who remain on-site for less than 14 days and only use casual collection methods usually won’t need a permit. Casual collection involves an insignificant amount of disturbance to the land using hand tools only. If using mechanized equipment, a permit will likely be required. Contact the local field office to learn whether a permit is necessary.

USFS Permits

The USFS doesn’t usually require permits if the lands are open to collecting, aren’t claimed by someone else and there won’t be any significant disturbances to the surface. A permit may be required when rockhounding for minerals that aren’t considered valuable; especially if one intends to remove large amounts that could create surface disturbances, or for commercial use. Check with the local Ranger District, especially in areas where heritage or archaeological sites or threatened or endangered plant or animal species exist.

Hernandez said there’s a permit process for recreational gold panning in the Whiskeytown Unit of the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area in California, but no other types of rocks, minerals or gems may be collected with or without a permit.

What About Fossils or Petrified Wood?

The BLM is open to the non-commercial collection of petrified wood in most areas and non-vertebrate fossils of reasonable amounts. However, the collection of vertebrate fossils isn’t allowed without a permit, which is only issued to scientific entities, such as museums or universities.

“If a vertebrate fossil is found on BLM lands by members of the public, the fossil shouldn’t be disturbed,” said the BLM. “Leaving fossils undisturbed helps maintain scientific information that helps advance our overall understanding of the fossil record.”

Bruce Schumacher, Paleontology Program Lead with the USFS, WO Minerals and Geology Management, said, “A person may collect fossils from most National Forest System lands without a permit if the fossils are common invertebrate or plant fossils, collected for personal use and not for resale, and gathered by hand or with small nonpowered hand tools resulting in negligible disturbance.”

Collecting vertebrate fossils, or collecting any type of fossil, for research purposes on USFS lands requires a permit. Schumacher said if a person isn’t sure whether a fossil is common, they should report the find to the local Forest Service office before disturbing it. Individuals also can collect limited quantities of petrified wood under a free use permit for personal use but bartering/selling the wood is prohibited. Local Forest Service units have designated collection areas and varying limits on how much petrified wood can be collected.

Illegal Rock Collecting

Collecting rocks where it’s illegal to do so could lead to legal consequences. Penalties vary by jurisdiction and may be severe.

“Violators may be subject to criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment not to exceed six months,” said Hernandez of the NPS.

Johnson said, “Depending on the locality, land status, amount of disturbance and volume of material taken, a person could be cited or charged for damage to a natural feature or removal of other property of the United States … other criminal charges could include fines, imprisonment or restitution for repairs.”

Consequences of Illegal Collecting

Citations or other legal consequences are likely from the USFS for damaging or removing any heritage or archaeological resources. Also, removing valuable minerals from a mining claim could result in legal action for mineral trespass in the state court system.

The BLM said, “Causing resource damage or unnecessary and undue degradation on public lands can be punished with up to a $100,000 fine and/or 12 months in prison.”

To ensure compliance with all rules and regulations, always seek permission to collect rock in an area of interest if it’s not explicitly noted that it’s okay. Even with permission, whether implied or through verbal or written consent, rock collectors should also be familiar with any conditions or limitations tied to a site, specimen or planned activity that could turn legal rock hunting into illegal activity.

Is It Illegal to Collect Rocks From State Parks?

Like national parks, most state parks don’t allow visitors to remove rocks even for personal use. States prohibit rockhounding to protect their parks from potential damage. In states where rock collecting is legal, a permit may be required and may only be available for certain groups. A few states have parks especially dedicated to collecting rocks. Laws/ rules can change over time, so always check with park officials before taking anything to avoid legal issues.

This story about is it legal to collect rocks previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe! Story by Moira K. McGhee.

The post Is It Legal to Collect Rocks? first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.