The 8 Best rock Identification Field Guides (2023 reviews)

Not everyone likes to purchase guide for their regular usage, but the owen christensen rock identification field guide would be an anomoly. It is a great rock hounding book. It allows beginners to find a place near them to practice this activity. Coupled with a location guide, this book is invaluable in helping you find rocks, identify them and stay safe while you are out in the field. To help you with rock identification, the book features more than 100 high-definition color images and as many stones sorted alphabetically. It includes accurate gps coordinates for at least 5 sites per state.

While it doesn’t have GPS coordinates like a lot of other books do, it has a wealth of resource information that is also very much needed when you go digging so you know how to identify what you’re looking for. It allows the reader to circumvent a lot of the trial and error that comes with getting into rockhounding as an absolute beginner.

Why We Like This:

A practical method for identifying gems in the field and out of the field
A practical, step-by-step approach to recognizing rocks at first sight
More staring at rocks for hours with a big question mark on your forehead

Best For budding geologists: National Audubon Society rock Identification Field Guide

Buy on Amazon

The national audubon society rock identification field guide's superior materials makes sure that it ages well with use. This book is for anyone from the casual rockhound to anyone thinking about going in to the Lapidary field. It offers the most in depth, yet easy to understand information. It can be used in the process of identification. If you're looking for something that will show you all the different colors of agate, slate, conglomerate, granite, etc. It's a must have for rock hounds and fossil hunters.

This book has mostly gemstones. These keys are integeral for quick identification. It's one of the classic field guides for rocks.

Why We Like This:

Compact informative detailed and well illustrated with photos for the amateur geologist
Very conveniently sized, great to take on hikes
Great for anyone interested in minerals and rocks, especially kids
Great book for any enthusiast's collection

Best For rock: Sarah Garlick rock Identification Field Guide

Buy on Amazon

Best part: sarah garlick rock identification field guide costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. This is a very useful pocket guide that you can carry on your rockhounding trips. It includes the name of the item, it's class, chemical formula (for minerals), key facts (like hardness and where to find them), two full-color photos, and a descriptive paragraph. The graphics of the book are first-rate, in terms of quality of the image and creativity of the layout of the images and text. These are very heavy on buried treasures and hidden gems.

This is a great book for beginners or people who like rocks. It comes with one rock or mineral per page, that means lots and lots of them have been omitted from the book.

Why We Like This:

Very light reading, maybe targeted for the younger audience
Lots of good info and images on a variety of minerals and rocks
Informative, interesting and perfect for the back pack
Wonderful to take camping and hiking

Best For any rock hound: Dan R Lynch rock Identification Field Guide

Buy on Amazon

We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate guide. The dan r lynch rock identification field guide is exactly that - it's a simple guide that hits all the right notes. This little book is easy to carry when rock hounding. It can take on a rainbow of colors depending on impurities. It is perfect for your beach bag, it's tiny. It is very convenient and compact, fits in a shoulder bag or big pocket with no trouble. It is a great guide when beginning to collect rocks. It is a great guide for anyone who likes to rock hunt in Michigan, for beginners or true rock lovers. This is a great gift for any rock hound.

Why We Like This:

Nice purse or bag size book
Excellent book for the rock lover
Clear, concise, full-color pictures, easy-to-understand text

Best Field Guide: Bob Lynch rock Identification Field Guide

Buy on Amazon

Compared with other guide in this category, the bob lynch rock identification field guide has a convenient design. If you want to collect rocks, gems, and minerals this book is a MUST have. It is easy to find what you're looking for and it's small. It is a well known technique to find excellent collectibles as the miners are not looking for the pretty rocks, they are moving ore. It's size and content are perfect for the amateur geologist's pack.

This book will help you to EASILY identify most rocks and minerals that you find in the field, and it is the perfect size to take into the field, which can't be said of many books out there. It has a section on testing your sample such as hardness, streak test etc. The book is sturdy in binding, and is 4" wide by 6" tall by 1/2" thick. It can fit in your pocket to take anywhere from anywhere you are into rock hounding, prospecting, or any outdoor activities involving exploring Arizona.

Why We Like This:

Locations to hunt, and the notes on each mineral are concise, yet informative
Excellent photo examples and well written text
Well made pocket guide to rocks&minerals indigenous to arizona

Best For expect: Dan Lynch rock Identification Field Guide

Buy on Amazon

Dan Lynch makes beautiful and great guide with classic and smartly choosen materials. This guide will be perfect for the beginner and the beginner. It includes a photo, map, info about common or rareness, and description. The photographs are beautiful and it is the perfect size for the beach. The polished pictures are good for identifying clean up rocks. It is a great field guide for agates.

Why We Like This:

Great book to share with kids & grandkids
Shows locations of where you generally find the rocks
Good brand reputation

Best For those: Pough rock Identification Field Guide

Buy on Amazon

We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate guide. The pough rock identification field guide is exactly that - it's a simple guide that hits all the right notes. If you're into rocks and rockhounding, this book gives you plenty of information. It has color pictures and text book sections to help narrow down your searches by trekking you what to watch for in land formation. The descriptions of minerals are very in-depth and good for those who understand what it's describing, but not so good for the layman.

This book is arranged according to the mineral classifications, which is good if you know your minerals. It is used for bird field guides and tree field guides. There are more photos and they are arranged by color. The minerals are listed by color, making it easy and fast to learn the different minerals of rocks.

Why We Like This:

A cool addition to any rock loving person
Small enough to carry in a pocket
Excellent book for serious rock hounds & geology students
New, sturdy great quality, fast deliivery

Best For novice rock hound: Dan R Lynch Great Field Guide

Buy on Amazon

Compared with other guide in this category, the dan r lynch great field guide has a convenient design. These glassy crystals are common and frequently found within cavities in rocks. It's the single most abundant mineral on the planet, and it is absolutely essential for amateur and professional collectors alike to be able to identify quartz, recognize it in its various forms and understand its characteristics. It's a great field guide on what to look for in stones, minerals and gems in the CO region. It's lamenated and pocket-size-ish, and has maps of the local where the specimens are located, and big pictures of each rock type. The rocks and minerals are shown like how you find it in nature and the cleaned up look.

This book is a must have if you plan on looking for different rocks and minerals. It is easy to use, with nice and plentiful pictures, and the key that helps guide you.

Why We Like This:

Small, good quality paper and pics for using in the field
New and hot release