Lake Superior Agate, it's our state gemstone and we're mighty proud of them! There are several kinds of Lake Superior Agates, each of which displays a beautiful banded pattern. The most common type of Lake Superior Agate is the fortification agate. It's bands connect to each other like the walls of a fort which is where the name came from. Common subtypes of the fortification agate are the parallel-banded, onyx-fortification or water-level agate. These stones have straight parellel bands over all or part of the stone.

For more information on the Lake Superior Agate, Minnesota's State Gemstone and other Minnesota minerals visit Digging into Minnesota's Minerals at the Minnesota DNR website. (Link opens in new window)

What have other states selected as their state stone, rock, gem or mineral?

Rock Tumbling As A Hobby

Granted, when I go out rock hunting, finding Lake Superior Agates is my top priority but there's lots of other beautiful rocks found on the Minnesota's Iron Range. Jasper, hematite, quartz to name a few and all of these stones tumble beautifully. The whole thing with rock tumbling is patience. You don't get them to go from rough to polished in a few days, it takes weeks and sometimes months to get them to shine.

Does it take a special kind of rock to tumble? Not really, although rocks do have varying hardness and you should take the time to learn the difference. You'd be amazed at what "driveway" gravel can turn into when run through the tumbling process. The main thing you need is a good tumbler. Don't waste your hard earned $$ on a cheap plastic kiddie tumbler. Get a Lortone or a Thumler's, they are a little more expensive but well worth it. Also, if you find your child isn't interested, they retain their resale value. Chances are, if your child isn't interested, you will be so get a good one.

What do you use the polished rocks for? Hundreds of uses, most commonly to make jewelry. Polished stones look super when used in aquariums. Many people use the to cover the tops of their houseplants and they look really pretty in a glass bottle as a table accent. There's lots of other craft ideas that use polished rocks, if you can imagine it, you can do it.

What's the best part of rock hunting? Being able to introduce a kid to nature. You don't have to be out hunting to enjoy being outside, you can look for pretty and different rocks anywhere. Take a walk down a gravel road, find a gravel pit, look along the lakeshore or edges of streams. The whole thing is this ... introduce a kid to nature. Take along a picnic lunch and make a day of it, as long as you don't mention "exercise" they'll never know it's good for them.