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Rock Hunting: Tools to Take Along

“Field geologists are pretty much hikers with some extra knowledge of the earth sciences and a specific problem to solve,” says Ellen Bishop, author of Hiking Oregon’s Geology: 2nd Edition. To explore and understand geologic features, take a few extra items with you into the field:

• Hand lens, preferably 10X: to examine the small-scale features of rocks
• Hammer: to break open rocks so you can examine a fresh surface (weathered surfaces do not even remotely resemble the real rock).
• Safety glasses: It is critical to wear eye protection, and to keep others at a safe distance when breaking rock with a hammer (or with anything else), because rock chips and steel slivers from the hammer frequently fly in all directions and can seriously injure eyes or cut you or bystanders.
• Notebook: handy to record your observations.
• Something to wrap samples in: newspaper is light, cheap, and effective.
• Felt-tip, waterproof pen: useful to mark sample numbers on each rock and key it to notes about where it was collected or other thoughts.
• Your curiosity and keen observation: these are inexpensive, lightweight, durable, and indispensable!

Adapted from Hiking Oregon’s Geology, 2nd Edition by Ellen Bishop (The
Mountaineers Books, $16.95 paperback)

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