#3068: Rock Identification

[Caption above two panels:]

How to ask geologists to identify a rock

[Above each of the two panels there is a label.]

Wrong:

[Cueball holds out a rock to Ponytail.]

Cueball: Can you identify this rock that I found?

Ponytail: Not without knowing where you found it. It's difficult to identify minerals by sight without the geologic context.

Right:

[Cueball holds out a rock, with a piece of paper beneath it, to Ponytail, who reaches out to touch it.]

Cueball: Can you identify this rock that I found wrapped in a $5 bill?

Ponytail: Sure! Looks like garnets in a mica schist.