Rocks & minerals Wisconsin, Illinois & Iowa : a field guide to the Badger, Prairie & Hawkeye states

Dan R. Lynch

Book - 2015

Full color photos and details for identifying and collecting 96 rocks and minerals found in the three states. Includes information about everything from agates to zircon, fossils to gold, including where to find them, in one handy guide.

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Location Call Number   Status
2nd Floor 552.0978/Lynch Due Mar 31, 2024
Subjects
Published
Cambridge, MN : Adventure Publications, Inc [2015]
Language
English
Main Author
Dan R. Lynch (author)
Other Authors
Bob Lynch (author)
Physical Description
244 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 16 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 234-235) and index.
ISBN
9781591934516
  • Introduction
  • Important terms and definitions
  • A brief overview of the region's geology
  • Precautions and preparations
  • Dangerous minerals and protected fossils
  • Hardness and streak
  • The Mohs Hardness Scale
  • Quick identification guide
  • Sample page
  • Rocks and minerals found in the region
  • Glossary
  • Regional rock shops and museums
  • Bibliography and recommended reading
  • Index
  • About the authors.

Quartz Hardness: 7 Streak: White Environment: All environments What to look for: Light-colored, translucent, glassy and very hard six-sided crystals; also found as masses, veins, or river pebbles Size: Crystals can be up to several inches; masses can be any size Color: Colorless to white when pure; often stained yellow to brown, more rarely purple, dark gray, or reddish Occurrence: Very common Notes: Quartz is the most abundant mineral in the earth's crust and the first mineral all new collectors should study. It consists entirely of silica, the silicon- and oxygen-bearing compound that helps form hundreds of other minerals. Most abundant as a component of rocks, it often appears in uninteresting white masses in coarse-grained rocks such as granite or as the microscopic grains that make up chert (page 79). Nonetheless, crystals aren't rare and often appear as elongated hexagonal (six-sided) prisms ending in a point. Crusts or cavity-linings of many tiny intergrown quartz crystals are also common in the region; such crusts are called druzy quartz. White water-worn pebbles and chunky, coarse masses of quartz are found most anywhere, often buried in glacial till (gravel). All quartz is easy to identify, thanks to its distinctive high hardness, translucency, and conchoidal fracture (when struck, circular cracks appear). Where to Look: Quartz is found anywhere throughout the region, especially as worn pebbles. The Mississippi River cuts through areas rich with limestone that yield cavities and geodes lined with quartz. Look in southern Wisconsin near Prairie du Chien, in Iowa near Keokuk, and around Hamilton in Illinois. The Lake Superior shore and granite quarries near Wausau, Wisconsin, also produce fine crystals. Excerpted from Rocks and Minerals: A Field Guide to the Badger, Prairie and Hawkeye States by Dan Lynch All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.