This must-have guide for Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario features full-color photographs and information to help readers identify rocks and minerals.
Get the perfect guide to rocks and minerals of the Lake Superior region! With the new edition of this famous guide by Bob Lynch and Dan R. Lynch, field identification is simple and informative. This book features comprehensive entries for 75 rocks and minerals, from common rocks to rare finds. That means you’re more likely to identify what you’ve found. The authors know rocks and took their own full-color photographs to depict the detail needed for identification—no more guessing from line drawings. The entries are organized by area, so you can find rocks unique to each state or common to all three. The field guide’s easy-to-use format helps you to quickly find what you need to know and where to look.
Inside you’ll find:
- 75 specimens of the Lake Superior region
- Quick Identification Guide: Identify rocks and minerals by color and common characteristics
- Range/occurrence maps to show where each specimen is commonly found
- Professional photos: Crisp, stunning images
This second edition includes updated photographs, expanded information, and even more of the authors’ expert insights. With this book in hand, identifying and collecting is fun and informative.
This updated field guide, organized by area, features full-color photographs and information to help readers easily identify the region’s rocks and minerals.
Introduction
Hardness and Streak
The Mohs Hardness Scale
Quick Identification Guide
Sample Page
Tri-State Rocks
Minnesota Rocks
Wisconsin Rocks
Michigan Rocks
Ontario Rocks
Minerals
Glossary
Lake Superior Rock Shops and Museums
Bibliography and Recommended Reading
Index
About the Authors
Quartz
Hardness: 7 Streak: White
Area: Extremely prevalent in all three states
Environment: Lakeshore, riverbeds, gravel pits, and mine dumps—virtually everywhere
What to look for: White crystals or masses that often fill in the holes or gaps in other rock, or as white, rounded beach pebbles on the lakeshore
Size: Quartz is very common and can be found in a wide range of sizes, but most commonly, it is walnut-sized or smaller when found on the beach.
Color: Quartz is generally white or clear but can be stained or tinted to a different color, including gray, yellow, purple, pink or red.
Occurrence: Very common
Notes: Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the world and can be found in almost every geological environment. It plays a very large role in forming many rocks and minerals. In the Lake Superior region, it is easily found as white, rounded beach pebbles, or within vesicles (cavities formed by gas bubbles) with a thin lining of crystal points. You can commonly find it filling cracks in large basalt flows.
Quartz is responsible for many of Lake Superior’s collectible stones, such as agate and jasper. In fact, these stones are almost made up entirely of hard, dense quartz.
Where to Look: Quartz is very common around the lake, and it is particularly easy to find where there is exposed rock, especially near the lakeshore.
The Rocks & Minerals Identification Guides are state- and region-specific field guides. They utilize an innovative, user-friendly format to make rock and mineral identification simple, informative, and fun. Written by acclaimed author Dan R. Lynch, each book features full-color photography paired with a corresponding full-page description that includes size, color, where to look, occurrence maps, and more, not to mention the author’s fascinating notes. At 4.38" x 6", the compact books are easy to carry on hikes and easy to keep handy while camping. Most Rocks & Minerals Identification Guides are well over 200 pages, include around 100 types of rocks and minerals, and are priced below $15.