Showerthought: My campfire fail made me stop judging rocks by color

I thought a black rock was coal and tried to burn it. It was just basalt, so now I test hardness first. Saved me from looking silly again.

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_hall4d ago

Color can still be a decent first clue though. Hardness just confirms it.

violal544d ago

Actually, color is famously unreliable for mineral ID, even as a first guess. Something like quartz can be clear, purple, pink, or smoky grey. Hardness is way more useful from the start.

laurap493d ago

Okay but honestly color catches my eye first every time. Sure hardness tells you more, but I'm gonna notice if something's bright green before I start scratching it.