What Is
My Rock?
Upload a photo. Get an expert answer. Completely free.
What Are You Trying to Identify?
Choose a specialist tool for the most accurate identification result, or use the general Rock Identifier for anything.
Identify Any Rock in Seconds
Our free AI-powered rock identifier works directly in your browser — no app, no account, no wait.
Pick Your Tool
Choose the specialist identifier that best matches what you have — rock, mineral, gem, crystal, or just use the general Rock Identifier for anything.
Upload Your Photo
Take a clear, well-lit photo against a plain background. Upload up to 3 images for the best accuracy. Works with any phone or camera.
Add Details (Optional)
Tell us where you found it, its size, colour, and any physical observations — weight, texture, reaction to a magnet or vinegar. More detail means better results.
Get Your Answer
Our AI returns a detailed identification with the key visual features that confirm the result, mineral properties, origin, care advice, and similar specimens to compare.
Rocks, Minerals & Gems Explained
Not sure what category your find falls into? Here’s a quick guide to the main rock groups our identifier covers.
Igneous Rocks
Formed when magma or lava cools and solidifies. Coarse-grained types (like granite) cool slowly underground; fine-grained types (like basalt) cool rapidly at the surface.
Sedimentary Rocks
Built up from layers of sediment — sand, shells, mud, or organic material — compressed over millions of years. Often show layering, fossils, or rounded grains.
Minerals
Naturally occurring inorganic substances with a defined chemical composition. The building blocks of all rocks — found as crystals, veins, or massive forms in the ground.
Gemstones & Crystals
Prized minerals valued for beauty, rarity, and optical properties. Our specialist tools identify rough specimens, tumbled stones, faceted gems, and set jewellery stones.
All 31 Free Identifier Tools
Every tool uses AI trained specifically for that material — giving you more accurate results than a general identifier.
Built for Curious People, Not Just Geologists
Whether you found something on a beach, in a field, or inherited an old collection — our tools are designed for real people, not just professionals.
Powered by Claude AI
Our tools use Anthropic’s Claude — one of the world’s most capable AI models — trained to analyse visual properties like colour, grain, texture, crystal structure, and luster the same way a geologist would.
Specialist Tools for Each Material
Generic rock identification gives generic answers. Each of our 31 tools has a system prompt specifically tuned to that material — diamond identification uses different visual criteria than meteorite identification.
Context-Aware Results
Tell us where you found your rock and what you’ve observed — weight, reaction to magnets, scratch tests, acid tests. The more context you provide, the more accurate the result. Our tools factor in regional geology.
How to Identify a Rock You Found
Finding an interesting rock is one of the most accessible and rewarding forms of natural discovery. Unlike birdwatching or botanical identification — which require the subject to cooperate — a rock stays exactly where you put it and reveals its identity at your own pace.
The most important step is a good photograph. Use natural light, a plain background, and get close enough to show surface texture. Then think about what you can observe physically: Is it heavy for its size? Does it scratch glass? Does it attract a magnet? Does a drop of vinegar cause fizzing? These simple field tests — which require no equipment beyond a coin, a key, and a tile — can immediately narrow down hundreds of possibilities to a handful.
The Most Common Question We Get
“Is this gold or pyrite?” — Real gold is soft (Mohs 2.5–3) and bends without crumbling. Pyrite is hard (Mohs 6–6.5), brittle, and leaves a black streak on porcelain. Our gold identifier specifically tests for these visual differences in your photo.
Where to Find Interesting Rocks
- Riverbeds and streams — erosion concentrates harder minerals and exposes a wide variety of types
- Coastal cliffs and beaches — wave action reveals fresh cliff faces and delivers rocks from a wide area
- Road cuts and construction sites — expose fresh unweathered rock that hasn’t been visible for millions of years
- Old mine dumps — waste rock from historical mining contains specimens discarded as economically unimportant
- Ploughed fields — frost action and ploughing constantly bring new material to the surface
Rock Identification Tips for Beginners
You don’t need a geology degree or expensive equipment to identify rocks accurately. The key is knowing which properties to look for and how to photograph them clearly.
Start With These Five Observations
- Colour and colour pattern — uniform, banded, speckled, or zoned? Banding is particularly diagnostic
- Grain size — can you see individual crystals or grains with the naked eye? This alone separates many rock types
- Surface texture — smooth, rough, grainy, glassy, fibrous, or crystalline?
- Weight — does it feel surprisingly heavy or light for its size?
- Luster — metallic, glassy, silky, pearly, or dull?
Common Beginner Confusions
- Gold vs pyrite — pyrite (fool’s gold) is far more common; real gold is softer and does not crumble
- Quartz vs glass — natural quartz scratches glass; glass does not scratch glass
- Limestone vs granite — limestone fizzes with vinegar; granite does not
- Obsidian vs coal — obsidian is much heavier and has a glassy conchoidal fracture
- Marble vs limestone — marble shows interlocking crystals; limestone is finer grained
For Definitive Identification
AI identification from photos is an excellent starting point and educational tool. For commercially important specimens or insurance purposes, always follow up with a certified geologist or gemologist who can physically examine the specimen with specialist equipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about rock identification and how our free tools work.
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