[meteorite-list] How to do it your self

[David Freeman]

Dear Dana (and other mineral identification newbies);
May I suggest acquiring my favorite book and this is one you should own. 
 Audubon Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals (about $22).   By reading it 
each winter when it is cold out, you will gradually become familiar with 
minerals and minerals make up rocks.  Evening reading one page about an 
interesting rock or mineral will start you off.  Try gold, silver, 
diamond, or your favorite gemstone first to pick up how the minerals 
form and are identified.  By reading about rock types, you will become 
familiar with how different rocks form and change the minerals into 
other combinations of minerals.
After about three cover to cover readings of this book, reading a bit 
each evening, your friends will think you have a geology degree.  One 
must accompany the read part with the handling and asking a million 
questions part.  Just like having a computer guru to tutor you in 
computer problems, one needs a rock associate that can walk you through 
difficult rock and mineral questions.
The Audubon book discusses hardness, crystal habit, associated minerals 
that may be confused with like minerals, lots of pictures to ponder 
color, also discusses environments in other rocks where like minerals 
can be found.  This one book has helped me get my rock education better 
than any one book.
Get a good 10X hand loupe, a magnifying glass will get you started until 
you find a good loupe. Learn the hardness scale.  With loupe, hardness 
test understanding (see your Audubon book), you will be half way to 
mineral identification (if all else fails, see your guru or rock club 
associate).
Not selling anything but, on eBay, if you go to my "about me" page, that 
is a type in mjwy and click on the blue and red "me" next to mjwy (my 
user ID), you will get to my "about me" page and half way down the page 
of shipping disclaimers and instructions is my  recommended book list. 
 Most can be borrowed at the local library, or  checked out on loan for 
the postage cost, or you may wish to purchase either on eBay or at a 
Hastings, or B. Dalton book store.  I don't really sell any books on my 
book list.  Have sold out.  
Maybe subscribing to Rock and Gem Magazine, or visiting Bob's Rock Shop Web
Site will help and be entertaining as well.   Your local area may have a 
club to join for bringing your show and tell rocks in to get identified. 
American Federation of Mineralogical Societies can be looked up on Bobs 
Rock Shop site (the official home to Rock and Gem Magazine) and see what 
clubs are near you.  An active rock club is a great place to learn 
locally occurring rocks and minerals.
For a condensed version, of the above, get the Audubon Field Guide, a 
hand lens/loupe, and a local rock guru, and get a near by club, or rock 
shop shop to visit regularly and handle all the rocks and ask all the 
questions you can.
Hope this helps all of you "do it yourselfers" out there.
Very good Saturday,
Dave Freeman
eBay ID mjwy

Dana wrote:

>I am wondering how a person can learn to identify
>mineral content of rocks?
>
>I am always seeing olivine 49.2%, ect. and so forth.  
>
>Are there any books I could buy or check out at my
>library that would teach me to do this that you all
>might recommend personally. 
>
>I am sure the one rock I have is a meteorite wrong... 
>but the feeling I had when I found it thinking that
>maybe I finally had found one was really great.  So
>now I am on a personal quest to find my own someday.  
>
>I read lots of sites with info. on the net over the
>past two years.  Many sites claim this slice is rare,
>this one is that, so forth and so on.  After all my
>reading I do not really feel any smarter, only more
>confused about pricing and rarity, what is real and
>what is not, but I did learn about caring for them
>once I finally get one and how to spot a meteorite
>wrong.  LOL  
>
>Also, are there any groups that go meteorite hunting
>together?  I would be very interested to do something
>like that anywhere in the US or Canada.
>
>Thank you for your time and input.  
>
>Dana Hawn
>on a Prairie
>Illinois, USA
>
>
>		
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