What are the easiest gemstones to find in rocks and creeks? Let’s find out here.
Gemstones form under conditions of high pressure and temperatures as minerals within the rocks, or form as independent minerals and crystals as products of hydrothermal processes at relatively low temperatures. As they form as rock derivate or accessory mineral, the occurrence of a gemstone depends on the rock structure, i.e. the chemical composition of a rock defines which gemstones can potentially be formed. Minerals and gemstones in rocks are formed in the process when magma or molten rock begins to cool, when some elements separate from the main mass and form crystals or separate entities. As for creeks, the material that forms the river bed consists of the surrounding material, and material that has been brought by water from the upstream. That means pebbles in creeks resemble the surrounding geology.
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Rocks that most commonly bear gemstones are pegmatites, in which also some of the largest gemstones are found. Apart from them, many other silica-rich igneous rocks also contain gemstones of silicate origin, and most gemstones actually are silicates. Do not forget that some organic materials such as pearls are also considered to be gemstones, but those are not found in rocks and creeks (except for petrified wood for example). So having all this in mind, one must have the insight in the basic geological setting of a certain region in order to know where gemstones can possibly occur.
Our search for gemstones that are most easily found in rocks and creeks started at Geology Cafe, Our Pastimes, Yahoo Answers and Zoara. Since there was no strict ranking for specific gemstone occurrences, we have also checked individually those that are mostly mentioned as the common ones, on places like Geology or Gem Select for example.
Since those presented here are gemstones that occur most commonly, you will certainly not find any diamonds here. Those are fancy rarities, and you can read more about those in our article on the Most Expensive Gemstones in the World. One of the features that make mineral a gem is exactly its rarity, so gemstones are usually not easy to find, but some of them are more frequent (and probably less valuable) than others. So, let’s see which of them are the easiest gemstones to find in rocks and creeks:
