Beach Rock & Pebble ID Book.

Hi Celt40 and Beachbabe,

www.agatesofscotland.co.uk/ That's for Scottish agates all you need to know including what to look for
The beach pebbles depend a lot on locality, look at local geology for an idea of what kind of pebbles you have.

Down here in south wales we have mostly hard limestones which makes for a rather grey pebble beach, the advantage is we have plenty of fossils. There's red jasper in north wales also some agates, most agates are found in Scotland.

Flint pebbles are common as well they can be all colours and can be mistaken for agate.
www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/chespeb.htm about Chesil beach near Weymouth hope that's of some use.

Simon

This book won't be alot of help in U.K. but for the U.S. western coast it helps 4facets.com/books_OR.html#agate

Glad you got a copy as well Mary.
Just shows the power of a forum, with out a group talk about what book to look for we would still be in the dark.

Hey Folks,

Sorry it didn't light your fire beach babe. I found this book to be an inspiration in so many ways. Yup - it's lacking piccys in many ways - but the info is there all the same. The description of drift and pebble migration is actually key to knowing what you've got here on a UK beach, by working "back" (i.e. against the longshore drift) along any section of coast you can gain a clear indication of where the pebble may have come and that narrows the list considerably. By studying the section which guides you around the coast you can begin to understand the varied mixture of locations where this material has come, and in turn what it may therefore be. i.e. here on the east coast you won't be finding limestones, slates, basalts or other material which is common in the west, further narrowing the search. A section which deals with visual identification describes in some detail the process of testing each pebble to reveal it's true nature and thereby narrow the search still further. That is to say that once you've realized the beach coat is highly misleading, and that hardness and density are highly informative, you won't have many more possibilities to investigate before settling on likely identifications.

Any Norfolk (or Suffolk for that matter) pebble is likely to come from a fairly local source - if it's not flint (which 99.5% of our pebbles are), it's likely sourced from the boulder clay which overlays much of the region, and this is quite an important feature. The shape and hardness of the material also has clues which the book helps to decipher, in actuality it's a matter of eliminating all the possibilities until you settle on a suspected identification. Of course you can quote a location share a picture and let the forum do it's magic - we love guessing at rocks you've found on the beach! Oh - one more word of advice - get a ceramic tile, a chunk of sharp quartz, a piece of hard steel, and an iron nail and you have everything you need to inform yourself of the basic varieties your most likely to encounter on your searches.

Have Fun!

Harry.

Hi folks,

I'm kinda Sorry - Hope I didn't mis-direct you. I think that what your looking for doesn't really exist in the format you want. And there's a reason.... Pebbles vary in appearance depending on what's happened too them. A flint on a beach may show pretty lines and patterns that make it look like an agate or picture jasper (I've been deceived more than once!) When you break through the coating of crud, salt, sun-blush, frosting and micro shatter from being bounced around with all the other pebbles you find it's just another grey / brown flint and just like the other 99.5% of the beach. Heck it's disappointing! If there were an "observers book of pebbles" everyone would be doing it hey?! ;D

Your best plan of action if you haven't the time to learn this is sometihing like the Encyclopedia of Rocks and Minerals, and a lot of detailed examination of the stones.

Oh - I did note that the coast description was only on England - Sorry Celt! But the majority of the material is contiguous between our beaches. It's just the Agates you get and we don't!

You will all find great pebbles on beaches in the UK - My tactic is too look for RED - Jasper is one of the only things you'll find that will really look GREAT on a beach, I hope I'm not shattering any illusions but you aren't going to find much in the way of Lapis and Amethyst, or Picture Jaspers and Obsidian, They just don't exist on our beaches! (mores the pitty!)

I separate my collection in to commercial stuff and found rocks - and my found rocks are two kinds - Red Jaspers, and Fossils. (The rest is pretty plain pickings in my experience). If you want cool rough rocks - better head to a supplier - there are several good ones here in the UK, try Manchester Minerals for a start.

Cheers Folks,

H

Thanks Jack, thoses are very nice looking rocks. I will have to keep looking although i would not know an Agate in it's raw state if it jumpped up and hit me on the "HEED". Thats how fresh i am at this rock spotting lark!!!!!

Harry i did not mean to ridicule the Pepples on the Beach book you suggested. :blush: Far from that i think it is a very helpfull book and i will be able to get a lot of knowlage from it. It's not what i thought was out there in book world. I was wanting hand fed and thought that every stone belonged to it's own family and they were universaly recognised world over!!!!! how sad is that.

I have sort of found a book that touches on what i was looking for, but only hits the surface. Usborne Spotter's Guides "ROCKS & MINERALS" between you and me i think it's aimed more at the under 8's level?? :blush:

Well today i saw on my dog walking/pebble spotting walk: a red stone!! a brown stone !! a green stone !! a white shinny stone!!!! what they were g** only knows.

If i could get the hang of posting pictures i could let members see some of the BIG rocks i have Red one the size of a grapefruit and a large white pearly one the size of a large loaf. not sure if they are common in this size. ;D

Have a look at this link
forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=Pictures&action=display&thread=13473

This will help you to down load pics this is the one I use (photobucket)

Jack
Yorkshire Uk

PS.
If you have problems Im comming to Scotland in 2 weeks time I could call and show you ?

Celt 40
2nd Sept !!!!

I Know the feeling
have a good day
Jack
Yorkshire UK

ASI Industries, I know the man you suggested to me. It only turns out to be my local doctor (JP)

I have already emailed him and he suggested me to get some books on Agates.
Still would not know one if i saw one. I have been gathering up rocks that i think might be Agates on the beach smashing them over the head with a large hammer!!!
But all turned out to be "JUST A ROCK"