Officers & Committees
ROCKHOUNDING ~
A
GREEN
HOBBY
Green
gems,
Green minerals,
Green rocks
Green
recycling of all we collect
Once a rock is picked up by a rockhound, that’s just the beginning of its
useful cycle by humans. It may
proudly become part of a collection to be admired; broken into smaller
pieces to be given away; sliced, cut and polished for a piece of jewelry;
tumbled till it gleams or given as a prize.
It may even be bartered or sold so the rockhound can expand his
collection. Perhaps it will be
placed in a rock garden to be admired every day, and there is our rock, back
to nature where it all began.
Of
course, its natural recycling began millions of years ago when it was formed
from molten material. It was
possibly compressed in layers or masses and changed over time by heat and
pressure, worn down by erosion and reformed again.
It may have formed as a growing crystal in just the perfect solution.
Years later it may be dug out of its crevice by someone awed by its
beauty.
Kevin Gauthier and Bruce Mueller say on the cover of their Lake Superior
Rock Picker’s Guide, “We do not own rocks, we only borrow them…so enjoy
them while you are the keepers.”