After testing out the app and its different functions, I wanted to get out on a beach and try it out in real time while actively collecting rocks. The other day, I biked to one of my favourite rock collecting beaches near my house, Balmacarra Park. I started as I would usually, while rock collecting, I strolled down the beach scanning for any cool looking rocks and stopping to sift through the rocks every once in a while.

Once I had collected a good amount of rocks I found interesting and found a spot to sit and go through the rocks I had found. I first sorted the rocks into groups: ones I thought I knew what they were, and ones I was unsure of. After I had done that, I started testing myself and seeing if I had made correct identifications or not. I was finding success in identifying quartz, green jasper, red jasper, and basalt.

On my way home from the beach, I biked through a gravel parking lot and stopped to see what type of rocks were in the gravel and if they were all the same. I tried to choose a selection of rocks that looked different, and not only were they all different, but there were also a few new rocks added to my collection. I found sandstone, granite and augite.

Over reading break, I was visiting Canmore, AB and was excited to see what rocks I could find out on a hike. Although all the rocks did not look the same at first glance, all the ones I identified were limestone, which makes sense as most of the mountains in AB are limestone. I had yet to find any limestone on the beaches of Victoria, so this was still an exciting find.

I also went to Pender Island over reading break and stopped by a beach to see what I could find. I did not find any new types of rocks, but was able to correctly identify quartz, red jasper, and basalt again, which is an exciting progression. The next step is to find some new and unique rocks!