Realized simple rock ID skills prevent missing major finds at digs. | Archaeology Discoveries

Try a scratch test on plain looking stones. That simple move found a purple agate in the story. Not testing is how you walk past treasure.

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the_logan7mo ago

Honestly feel like that advice can backfire big time. Get too focused on testing every plain rock and you'll miss the actual good stuff sitting right there. Spent a whole day once doing scratch tests on gray junk while my friend just picked up obvious chert and quartz pieces I walked past. Sometimes you just need to look at the whole picture, not get stuck on one trick.

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the_tyler7mo ago

That "simple rock ID skills" point is so true. My buddy almost walked right past what looked like a plain gray river rock at a dig, but a quick scratch test showed it was way too hard. He cracked it open and it was a solid agate nodule with wild purple banding inside. Completely changed how he scans the ground now.

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