This essential guide to rocks and minerals is a concise and accessible reference for students, geologists, and anyone interested in the natural world. With detailed descriptions of over 200 common rocks, as well as diagrams, photographs, and tables explaining their properties and characteristics, this book is an indispensable tool for fieldwork, lab work, and classroom study. Whether you're a seasoned rockhound or a curious beginner, this handbook has everything you need to move from novice to expert. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.