Rockhounding

Ontario-first rockhounding hub with quick access to rocks, guides, logbook, and resources.

Rockhounding

Practical, Ontario‑first field notes for finding, identifying, and polishing rocks and minerals. New to the hobby? Start with Guides. Trying to ID a find? Jump to Rocks or Minerals. Ready to polish? See Tumbling.

Regional focus: Lake Ontario’s north shore and Southern Ontario; methods apply broadly.

Rocks & Minerals

Rocks & Minerals

Igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary, and rock‑forming minerals with key tells, quick tests, photos, and Ontario context.

Guides

Guides

Where to go, what to bring, how to look—plus safety, ethics, and beginner IDs.

Logbook

Logbook

Field log and tumbling batches together.

Resources

Resources

Curated book recommendations synced from my Goodreads rockhounding shelf.

Notes in this section

  • Agate

    Wikimedia Commons Agate Chalcedony Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Amethyst

    Wikimedia Commons Amethyst Quartz Hardness: 7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Aventurine

    Wikimedia Commons Aventurine Quartz Hardness: ≈6.5 Approximate Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Banded Iron Formation

    Wikimedia Commons Banded Iron Formation Sedimentary Hardness: ≈5.5–7 Approximate Banded iron formation is a Precambrian sedimentary rock of alternating iron‑rich layers (hematite or magnetite)...

  • Banded Jasper

    Wikimedia Commons Banded Jasper Jasper Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Basalt

    Wikimedia Commons Basalt Igneous Hardness: ≈6 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Breccia

    Wikimedia Commons Breccia Sedimentary Hardness: ≈2–7 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Calcite

    Calcite Minerals Hardness: 3 Streak: White

  • Chalcedony

    Wikimedia Commons Chalcedony Minerals Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Chalcedony Varieties

    Chalcedony Varieties Chalcedony

  • Chert

    Wikimedia Commons Chert Quartz Hardness: 7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Coldwater Agate

    Encyclopedia Gemstonia Coldwater Agate Chalcedony Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Conglomerate (Puddingstone)

    Wikimedia Commons Conglomerate (Puddingstone) Sedimentary Hardness: ≈2–7 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Conglomerate vs Breccia

    [[conglomerate]] and breccia are both coarse-grained sedimentary rocks made of fragments (clasts) cemented by a finer matrix, but they differ in clast shape: [[conglomerate]]...

  • Epidote

    Wikimedia Commons Epidote Minerals Hardness: 6–7 Streak: Greyish white BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Feldspar

    Wikimedia Commons Feldspar Minerals Hardness: 6–6.5 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Field Testing Hardness

    Coming soon. See also: [[Mohs Hardness Scale]].

  • Fire Agate

    Wikimedia Commons Fire Agate Chalcedony Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Garnet

    Wikimedia Commons Garnet Minerals Hardness: 6.5–7.5 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Gneiss

    Wikimedia Commons Gneiss Metamorphic Hardness: ≈6–7 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Granite

    Wikimedia Commons Granite Igneous Hardness: ≈6–7 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Granite Boulder with Quartz Vein

    Spotted on the Lake Ontario shoreline; granite boulder with a prominent quartz vein.

  • Heliotrope (Bloodstone)

    Wikimedia Commons Heliotrope (Bloodstone) Chalcedony Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • How to Clean Rocks

    Common Cleaning Methods

  • How to Tumble Rocks

    This is a quick entry point to my tumbling notes. For a full guide, see [[Rock Tumbling]].

  • Jasper

    Wikimedia Commons Jasper Minerals Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Jasper Varieties

    Jasper Varieties Jasper

  • Lake Superior Agate

    Wikimedia Commons Lake Superior Agate Chalcedony Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Limestone

    Wikimedia Commons Limestone Sedimentary Hardness: 3 BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Marble

    Wikimedia Commons Marble Metamorphic Hardness: 3–4 BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Mica

    Mica Minerals Hardness: 2–2.5 Streak: White

  • Milky Quartz

    Wikimedia Commons Milky Quartz Quartz Hardness: 7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Mohs Hardness Scale

    The Mohs hardness scale ranks minerals by their resistance to scratching, from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond). It’s an ordinal, non-linear field test: if...

  • Moss Agate

    Wikimedia Commons Moss Agate Chalcedony Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Obsidian

    Wikimedia Commons Obsidian Igneous Hardness: 5–6 BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Onyx

    Wikimedia Commons Onyx Chalcedony Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Picture Jasper

    Wikimedia Commons Picture Jasper Jasper Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Pretty in Pink?

  • Pretty in Pink?

  • Quartz

    Wikimedia Commons Quartz Minerals Hardness: 7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Quartz Varieties

    Quartz Varieties Quartz

  • Quartzite

    Wikimedia Commons Quartzite Metamorphic Hardness: 7 BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Red Jasper Pebble

    Collected along the wave‑polished pebble line. The piece shows uniform deep red colouration with occasional darker mottling, consistent with hematite inclusions in chalcedony. Fresh...

  • Rhyolite

    Wikimedia Commons Rhyolite Igneous Hardness: ≈6–7 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Rock Tumbling

    If you are interested in my rock tumbling batches, check them out here: [[Tumbling Tumbling Batches]]

  • Rockhounding 101

    The shores of Lake Ontario, shaped by glaciers and erosion, offer a treasure trove of collectible stones. From colourful [[notes/rockhounding/rocks/minerals/jasper]] to translucent [[agate agates]],...

  • Rockhounding Online

    Here is a list of some of the resources I have found helpful, while I learn about rockhounding. I will clean this up eventually....

  • Rockhounding Overview

    Rockhounding is the hobby of searching for, identifying, and collecting rocks, minerals, and the occasional fossil. It blends time outdoors with hands-on learning about geology—how rocks form, where minerals occur, and what clues in the landscape point to good finds. Responsible rockhounding also means knowing the rules (land access and permits), practising safe fieldwork, and respecting the environment and cultural sites.

  • Rocks and Minerals

    ## A - [[agate]]

  • Rose Quartz

    Wikimedia Commons Rose Quartz Quartz Hardness: 7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Sandstone

    Wikimedia Commons Sandstone Sedimentary Hardness: ≈6–7 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Schist

    Wikimedia Commons Schist Metamorphic Hardness: ≈4–7 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Shale

    Wikimedia Commons Shale Sedimentary Hardness: ≈3 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Slate

    Wikimedia Commons Slate Metamorphic Hardness: ≈3–4 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Smoky Quartz

    Wikimedia Commons Smoky Quartz Quartz Hardness: 7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Soapstone

    Wikimedia Commons Soapstone Metamorphic Hardness: 1–2 BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Tiger Eye

    Wikimedia Commons Tiger Eye Quartz Hardness: 6.5–7 Streak: White BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite

  • Unakite

    Wikimedia Commons Unakite Metamorphic Hardness: ≈6–7 Approximate BasaltGraniteObsidianRhyolite