Banded gneiss and talc schist are layered, metamorphic rocks. Schist is metamorphosed shale. Rock Collecting as a Hobby Collecting rocks and minerals is a popular and worthwhile hobby. It combines outdoor exercise with indoor study. Learning to identify the minerals and fossils in rocks may lead to a career in such rewarding sciences as chemistry, physics, geology, physical geography, or paleontology.
Amateur collectors call themselves rockhounds.
With a little inexpensive equipment, such as a hammer and chisel, a notebook, a magnifying glass, and a rock hunter's guidebook, a collector is ready to gather specimens. Most rockhounds specialize, rather than try to collect all the 1,500 known minerals. Colorful and beautifully shaped crystals are prized by all collectors. Petrified woods and fossils are interesting specialties. Collections of semiprecious stones such as agates, zircons, garnets, and amethysts may lead to gem cutting and jewelry making.