Tools for Geological Collecting: A Checklist

by Alan Goldstein

Interpretive Naturalist

Falls of the Ohio State Park

If you are going to visit a quarry, road cut or private property to do fossil or mineral collecting, it helps to have a checklist of what to bring. Quarry access is considerably more restrictive today than it was 20 or 30 years ago. Let’s review what you need to bring.

Permission – mandatory. Don’t go into a quarry or other private property without permission. Inactive or closed quarries are stilled owned by someone. Trespassing is illegal and it reduces the chance of permission that might be granted to an insured geoscience organization or college student group. Sign visitor log-in books / liability release forms and/or job-site safety training forms as required.

Hard hat – almost always mandatory in quarries. Recommended in road cuts with a highwall (cliff face). Get an adjustable helmet to fit snuggly. You don’t want it to slide over your face when you look down or fall to the ground when you look up! A chinstrap is often helpful, but not essential. Hard hats are designed to absorb the impact if a small rock falls from a height and lands on your head. Not a boulder, mind you, just a small rock. You shouldn’t be collecting immediately below a tall highwall, anyway.

Heavy boots – steel-toed boots are best. Something to protect your feet from bring crushed by a shifting rock, a dropped chisel, etc. You want a good tread for traction in mud, dust or smooth rock surface. Avoid shoes with exposed toes, sides, or heels at all cost!

Gloves – heavy duty quality work will when you are turn over or scrambling on rocks. They can shift pinching or crushing your fingers. The main purpose is to reduce the risk of cutting your hand on edge of a rock or when using a hammer and chisel and you miss the chisel head! It also reduces blistering if you swing a hammer a lot.

Sturdy clothes – Jeans or other heavy cloth is recommended. Avoid clothes that are loose-fitting or have places that can be snagged. Long sleeve shirts are a good idea as well. The less skin exposed, the better!

Safety glasses – if you are going to be breaking rock, these are mandatory. No specimen is worth losing your eyesight! Full coverage is best, but when you sweat your eyes will sting! Another option is a screen facial cover like you see for chain saw users. Rocks can fly in odd directions and ricocheting is to be expected.

Hammer – rock or masonry hammers are good for light trimming. Sledge hammers are essential for reducing larger rock. They come in all sizes and weights. Heft it and take some practice swings before you buy one. Get a hammer that you can use comfortably. Never use hammers designed for nails and non-rock materials. The metal can flake.

Chisels – the newer chisels with hand guards are ideal. If you don’t have a hand guard, buy and use the thickest gloves you can get. Different chisels have different uses, so talk to experienced collectors to find out what chisels serve the particular rock you are going to be working with. There is an art to successfully removing minerals and fossils from a large rock. Patience is most important part. Learn from experienced collectors and expect the rock to break wrong most of the time!

Losing Tools – Spray-paint your chisels and other metal tools using fluorescent colors. The quickest way for a person or organization to be banned from a quarry is to leave tools behind. They can damage rock-crushing equipment and cause thousands of dollars in damage. While not as hazardous when left on road cuts (the next collector who visits will thank you for adding a tool to his or her collection), it is frustrating to lose a chisel or other tool. Make your tools easy to spot from a distance! Better yet, keep a tool bag or bucket at your finger tips so you will never have to lay anything down on the rock or ground (see next listing).

Tool belt or container – these are handy to carry a small hammer, chisels and wrapping material. For larger tools, milk crates, 5 gallon plastic buckets, small back packs or gym bags can be used. Long tools have to be carried by hand or if possible, leave them in your vehicle until they are needed.

Specimen care – Bring adequate amounts of wrapping material and storage boxes. Better to have too much than not enough! Newspaper, paper towels, toilet paper and rags can be used depending on the size and condition of the fossil or minerals you collect. Stuffing a rag into a crystal pocket before trying to remove it will help to keep crystals from flying off or flakes of rock from damaging them. Egg cartons, cardboard flats, small plastic storage bins, milk crates, and buckets can be used to carry rocks out. Don’t overload these containers. Park as close to your collecting spot as is safely possible. Secure everything in your vehicle so you won’t have an “in-car avalanche” if you find yourself slamming on the brakes on the way home!

Food & Water – it is always a good idea to carry adequate food and water for the duration of your visit. In warm weather, quarries, road cuts and open fields can be extremely hot. Heat exhaustion (or worse) can be a real threat. One person should take a minimum of a quart of water per hour of visit. I have completely emptied a 1/2 gallon jug of water in two hours when it was 85 – 90 degrees. Quarries and south-facing road cuts tend to reflect light and can be 10 – 25 degrees warmer than the air temperature outside the pit.

Heath Concerns and First Aid - Make sure others are aware of potential health problems that can be elevated by physical activity in warm weather. Be aware of problems induced by medications (i.e. increased sun sensitivity). An easily-accessible, portable first aid kit should be carried in every vehicle.

Trash – Carry-in, carry out! Don’t leave food wrappers, drink cans / bottles, wrapping material for rocks, cardboard flats, etc. lying around. Haul it out with you. Pick up other trash in the area while you are at it! Collectors are guests and the land owners will appreciate it!

Responsibility for yourself and your family - Do not get into a situation that will cause potential legal action down the road. Be safe! Be smart!

Created August 30, 2010