3068: Rock Identification

2025-03-27T02:35:51Z

Skoyo: Added reference to the adage “If you’re good at something, never do it for free” which I believe is very relevant here.

{{comic
| number = 3068
| date = March 26, 2025
| title = Rock Identification
| image = rock_identification_2x.png
| imagesize = 430x409px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'Is it worth anything?' 'I dunno, is the answer to that question worth another $5?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SPECIALLY ARRANGED ASSEMBLY OF SILICATES THAT WILL DO IT FOR $4 - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Geologists, being the specialists who study natural features of the earth, are often called to interpret rock formations, either to understand the formation of our planet, identify suitable sites to mine resources, or to explain what the pretty thing you're holding is called. It is somewhat hard to identify rocks without knowing their original location - as this gives such features as local lava flows, subduction into layers causing metamorphic rock or the presence of local sediments that can form into similar looking hard things. Randall insinuates here that this is just a lie geologists insinuate to obtain free money from curious people looking to identify rocks and assures that the best way to get rocks identified is to pay the geologist you ask. As the old adage says, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Geologists make their living identifying rocks (among other things), and while some scientists may be excited to discuss their work with a layperson in any context, a shrewd business sense would technically discourage one from “giving away” such a valuable skill.

This subverts the expected "correct" way to ask the question, which in these sorts of tips is often made by asking a slightly different question that gives a reason for the person who knows the information to become interested, rather than feel like they are being asked to do work for you. Examples of expected ways to get the information might be to ask preemptively, "Can you tell me where this rock came from?". Or, to draw their attention by being intentionally wrong, i.e. "Why is this granite red?"

An alternative explanation might be that {{w|garnet}}s in {{w|mica schist}}s actually grow in $5 bill environments, and this was sufficient geologic context for the geologists to differentiate it from other rocks.{{citation needed}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Caption above the comic:]
:<u>How to ask geologists to identify a rock</u>

:[A two-paneled comic, one panel labeled "wrong:" and the other labeled "right:"]
:[The panel labeled "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.

:[The panel labeled "right:"]
:[Cueball holds out a rock wrapped in a $5 bill 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.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Geology]]

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3068: Rock Identification