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California Rocks and Minerals Field Guide
California Rocks and Minerals Field Guide
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EASILY IDENTIFY AND FIND 120+ CALIFORNIA ROCKS, CRYSTALS, MINERALS, AND GEMSTONES IN SECONDS: From gold nuggets in the Sierra Nevada to jade along Big Sur and tourmaline from Southern California mines, this field guide gives you everything you need to recognize California treasures fast. With simple explanations and zero fluff, you’ll look like a pro geologist in no time, without lugging around a heavy 200-page textbook.
💪TOUGH, WATERPROOF, AND LIGHT TO CARRY: Every page is laminated with a durable, wipe-clean coating and spiral-bound to handle California’s sun, sand, and dusty trails. This isn’t a book you’ll ruin on the first trip, it’s rugged enough for years of exploring beaches, deserts, forests, and even kids’ playrooms.
💎TURN ANY CALIFORNIA HIKE INTO A TREASURE HUNT: With 300+ full-color photos, kids and beginners can easily spot serpentine in the Coast Ranges, jasper in the Mojave Desert, or even glittering quartz veins in the Gold Country. It’s like Minecraft in real life, only here, you get to hold the gems in your own hands.
🎁THE PERFECT GIFT FOR CALIFORNIA ROCK LOVERS: Shopping for a rockhound, collector, or a kid obsessed with crystals? This guide is the ideal mix of practical and fun. It’s not just a field tool, it’s a gateway to discovering the incredible rocks and minerals found across the Golden State.

Easily Identify 120+ California Rocks, Minerals & Crystals
Packed with 120+ California rocks and minerals and 300+ photos, this guide helps you recognize just about every rock and mineral in seconds.
Simple visuals and quick-reference facts make identification easy anywhere across the state.
Built Tough for the California Outdoors
Each page is laminated, waterproof, and easy to clean, with a solid steel binding made for years of adventure.
Lightweight and rugged, it’s the perfect guide for creeks, quarries, and muddy trails.
Learn to Identify Rocks Like a Geologist
Step-by-step visuals show how to test hardness, luster, and color to identify California rocks fast.
It’s the easiest way to learn geology hands-on, no lab required.
Loved by Californians and Trusted by Rockhounds
Readers call it “An awesome resource for anyone who loves rocks.”
Compact, accurate, and beautifully designed, this field guide makes rock identification simple for beginners and pros alike.
Inspire a New Generation of Rockhounds
Bright photos and fun facts make it easy for kids to identify what they find.
Perfect for family hikes, classrooms, or backyard adventures, it turns curiosity into hands-on learning.
The Go-To Reference for Serious Collectors
Detailed photos and verified data help you identify and label every rock and mineral across California with confidence.
Trusted by collectors statewide, Rock Chasing guides are the definitive reference for anyone who loves geology.
FAQ
How much is shipping?
All orders are shipped 100% free of charge.
How long does standard shipping usually take?
Most order will arrive within 7 business days and often significantly faster.
Occasionally, delays may happen due to circumstances outside of our control such as holidays, weather, and carrier issues.
Do you ship internationally?
At this time we only ship domestically within the United States.
What is your return and refund policy?
We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee - no questions asked. If you are not satisfied within 30 days of purchase, you can return ore exchange your purchase for any reason.
You can see the full return policy and how to return a purchase HERE.
Where is my order?
All orders can be tracked by clicking on the tracking link sent to your email.
This is my second book in this series, and it certainly lives up to my expectations after seeing the first book. Laminated pages make it waterproof. I'm originally from California so when I go back for a visit this book will be indispensable. It has photos of every specimen, and it even features gold, silver and platinum (I never knew before that platinum could be found in California).
I am thrilled about this resource! I am a novice rockhound, and now I feel that I have all the info in one handy dandy guide that I can bring with me into the field. The layout is super user-friendly, and I love the clear photos of the rocks and minerals. Plus, I now understand all the key characteristics of each mineral type.
This field guide is an excellent resource for California rock hounds & geologists alike. The Guide is made for the field. Waterproof pages that can be written on & very user friendly. The photographs of the rocks & minerals are great, & a good representation of the specimens. There is a lot of information presented for each specimen to include chemical formula (which is cool for us nerds), physical characteristics, location where it may be found & interesting miscellaneous information.I highly recommend this guide for anyone interested in rock hounding in California.
I was immediately impressed by the hard laminated pages of the California Rocks & Minerals Field Guide. It would be easy to wipe off mud or dirt that might splatter on them out on the trail. I appreciated the clarification between rocks and minerals in the first couple pages, as well as a pictorial description of how to differentiate between different minerals. On the following pages, each mineral and/or rock has a clear photo, its chemical composition, and how it reacts when tested for streak, luster, and transparency. One of the best features, in my opinion, is the location where each rock/mineral can be found. The book is small enough to fit in a day pack but large enough to differentiate the characteristics of each photo. I would definitely recommend it to rock hounds in California!
The book on California rocks did not disappoint.Just the right size to hold while rock hounding and the plastic coated pages make it water proof.If you add more content it will make it heavier.Looking forward to using it on my next rock hounding trip!