I was convinced this river stone was a geode until I cracked it open.

Turns out it was just a solid lump of granite, so how do you vet potential geodes before risking your hammer?

3 comments

3 Comments

Did you try tapping it to hear if it sounded hollow? I used to assume all smooth river stones were geodes until I wasted a day on solid rock. Now I only crack ones that feel lighter and have a distinct, hollow ring when tapped.

max_johnson17h ago

What if the hollow tap test is just creating false hope? (I've had dense basalt sound deceptively hollow because of internal fractures, while some of my best geodes gave a dull thud.) Sometimes you just need to accept that cracking open plain stones is part of the hunt, and over-vetting might make you miss the weird, heavy ones that are actually packed with crystals.

susansingh7h ago

Have you ever thought about how the hollow tap test works best when paired with other checks? (I mean, it's not a silver bullet, but what in geology is?) @max_johnson's point about dense basalt is valid, but that's why you also consider weight and surface texture. Relying solely on sound might lead you astray, but dismissing it entirely could mean missing obvious clues. Honestly, the joy is in the unpredictability, but a little vetting saves time without killing the fun.