Awesome Rocks, gems, and ores.

Bryce Helms, May 1st 2023

Thunder eggs are really awesome rocks that in many ways are similar to geodes. They are usually about baseball sized, and form when minerals like agate, jasper, quartz, or even opal fill a cavity in the surrounding rock. Unlike geodes, the cavity is entirely filled, leaving no void space, making them really great specimens to add to a collection when they are sliced in half by a lapidary.

While geodes can form in almost any kind of rock where large cavities occur, thunder eggs only occur in volcanic rhyolite ash flows. They can be found in several locations in the U.S., and all around the world. You’d probably be best off buying a thunder egg specimen unless you also have a lapidary saw at your disposal.

There are plenty of sedimentary rocks worth collecting, but oolitic limestone is probably one of my favorites because of its unique appearance. Getting its name from the Greek word for ‘egg’, this rock is made up of tiny ‘ooids’, which are themselves made up of calcium carbonate. They form when tiny pieces of sediment are washed around on the seafloor, accumulating calcium carbonate that precipitates out of the water.

Pretty much every rock collection has at least one good geode. These rocks vary dramatically in size and appearance, but their defining characteristic is that they have beautiful crystals encrusting the void space inside an otherwise normal looking rock. The type of crystals inside can come in almost any color and size, but the most popular type has to be amethyst – a purple variety of quartz.

Geodes, while extremely common collectibles, can’t be found just anywhere. They can only be found in specific geologic settings where empty voids in the host rock are filled with crystals growing from mineral-rich water precipitating into them. If you think you may have found a geode I have indeed found very many.

We all know this unique looking rock. There is no mistaking that smooth, glassy surface and characteristic conchoidal fracturing. Obsidian makes for a great collector’s piece because of how readily available it is and how beautiful it can be. While it’s usually black, it also comes in some really pretty shades of red . You can also find it shaped into useful tools like arrowheads and knives, making it a great conversation piece.

Obsidian is very common in many places across the world because it forms from rapidly cooling lava flows on the earth’s surface. Because it’s so prevalent you can find really nice specimens for reasonable prices, or travel to many locations to collect your own.

This is probably the rarest rock type on this list, but definitely one of the coolest. These rocks are small (about gravel-sized), glassy objects that were produced from meteorite impacts. How they form is not completely agreed upon, but basically the impact of a meteorite melted the rock at the impact size and sent it flying from the crater, at which point it rapidly cooled and landed in the surrounding area.

There are only four widely recognized areas where tektites are found, known as ‘strewn fields’, but there are many other potential locations. If you can’t make it to one of those locations to search for your own, you can find them for sale online and sometimes in local rock shops.

Some people might consider granite to be too common to put on this list, but I had to include it because it’s one of my favorites. It comes in so many varieties that you can collect many different specimens that all appear distinct from one another. The compositional varieties of the feldspars, micas, and quartz content give the granite in each location an appearance all their own.

You can collect granite just about anywhere. It’s one of the most common volcanic rocks and there are entire mountains made of it. I’d suggest collecting many small specimens from different areas instead of one large piece.

Pumice is one of the coolest types of rocks for its famous ability to float in water. Even picking it up can be a shocking and satisfying experience – it’s so light compared to most rocks that it’s hard to wrap your head around. It can be really fun to play with, especially for kids who will have their minds blow watching a rock float in water.

Like obsidian, pumice is pretty common and readily available to any collector because of how prevalent it is. After some volcanic eruptions, it can be so abundant that the ocean surface is absolutely covered with the stuff.

Conglomerate is a fun rock to collect because it’s actually just a bunch of rocks all stuck together to make one bigger rock. 

It can sometimes look a bit like coarse cement, and forms when large well-rounded rocks are deposited by strong water currents. The space between the rocks is usually filled with sediment and then fused together by quartz or calcite cement.

Conglomerates are very common and can be found all over the world. If you find a piece that has angular grains that’s called breccia, which also makes for a nice collectible.

Most people think lapis lazuli (sometimes just called ‘lapis’) is a mineral because high-quality specimens are often considered gemstones, but it’s actually a rock consisting of several minerals. Its distinct blue color comes from the mineral lazurite, but it is often accompanied by other minerals like pyrite and calcite which gives it a nice variety from specimen to specimen.

Lapis is pretty rare in the U.S., but can be found all over the world – most notably in Afghanistan. Most people like to turn high quality lapis into cut gems, but the striking blue color of rough specimens makes it a nice addition to any collection.

Gastroliths are rocks that have been eaten by animals and used to aid in the digestion of food. They sit in the animal’s stomach or gizzard to help grind up anything they eat, and become very smooth and polished in the process. There are plenty of animals alive today that use and produce gastroliths but, in my opinion, the really collectible ones are from dinosaurs.

Since gastroliths are defined by their use in animals they can be almost any kind of rock, so you can find a lot of variety here. Many collectors will have a batch that was found together, so you can have multiple colors and rock types all from the same animal.

Honorable mentions: Earl is a one of a kind rock, as the only one that is still standing is owned by Mr. Anspaugh. Mr. Anspaugh says, “If I had to sell Earl I would sell him for One hundred bucks" says Mr. Anspaugh. I would personally sell him for Trillions of dollars. Earl is mainly special because he can TALK, but only Mr. Anspaugh can hear, understand, and relate to Earl. Earl is also very special because he has a face.                      

Dwayne The rock Johnson is a one of a kind man, except for the fact he has a brother that looks a bit like him. The rock is known for the Memes about him, the shows he's been in, and the celebrities he has met up with. His most famous show being little rock, His worst show being Empire state, and according to science, Dwayne the rock johnson is the most recognizable person in the world that is still alive. Also his B-Day is May 2nd so happy early birthday Dwayne. (His B-Day might have already happened by the time you read this)

Diamond being the most popular non-human rock in the world and the most expensive gemstone in the world is quite a rare sight to see. Diamonds have actually been thought to be blue for SO many years but than scientists have found out that they are clear like glass. They actually get their color from light, sorta like alexandrite. The main reason why Diamonds are so popular is the fact that they can be found in a very classic game of……MINECRAFT! They are also popular for being very expensive and beautiful.

Fun facts about rocks. Did you know that sharks have a crystal that is known as Tapetum Licidum in their eyes, the crystal reflects stuff like a mirror in a way where they make it so that the shark can see in murky waters. Did you know that natural diamonds are priceless? Did you know that there is a planet made out of nothing but diamond, the planet's name is 55 Cancri e and it is worth 384 quadrillion times more than earth's GDP which is 77 Trillion. Did you also know that the most common is feldspars as they make up 60% of earth’s crust. Did you know that Indiana only has 4 active mineshafts? Did you know that jewelry stores get their diamonds from diamond dealers?

And that is some of the Awesome Rocks, gems, and ores that I researched.I could not put them all on here, because if I did this article would be VERY long.

Bryce is a 6th grader that likes rocks and video games, his favorite food is a turkey wrap from tropical smoothie cafe, his favorite drink is cranberry sprite, and his favorite animal is an octopus.

Link I used:30 Awesome Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils to Collect – Rockhound Resource 

Another link I used:63 fun facts about rocks and minerals that will rock your world - Legit.ng