Students will get the chance to buy rocks, minerals, meteorites and fossils this week as the ASU Geology Club hosts its last rock sale of the year. (Photo by Ally Carr)Students will have a chance to own fossils, minerals or even meteorites from Mars this week as the ASU Geology Club hosts its last rock sale of the year.
Katherine Sheppard, the club's secretary, said there is a wide range of mineral samples, fossils and meteorites for anyone to purchase Tuesday through Thursday on the grassy knoll in front of the Physical Science F-wing building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We hold the sale as close to Christmas as possible,” she said. “We have a nice selection of coal if you want to be funny.”
The club uses the money it makes from the sales to take trips around the southwest U.S. to places such as the Grand Canyon, Tucson and even Utah. The money also ensures members don’t have to pay for gas, she said.
The rock sale is the Geology Club’s main fundraiser and the primary way that they make money for trips and educational outreach events, Sheppard said.
“There is always something that people like,” Sheppard said. “You’d be amazed by how many people like rocks or come up to tell us about the rock collection they had as kids.”
Caitlin Ostrander, Geology Club historian, said she will be there each day selling minerals.
“People are interested in buying the small collection of meteorites that we have,” she said. “We also have a collection of minerals, some that are already made into jewelry.”
Andrew Bochko, a geology junior and historian for the Geology Club, said some of the meteorites are from Mars.
“You can own a piece of Mars,” he said.
Bochko has been taking part in the mineral sale for the past two years. Each semester the club puts on two sales with minerals members find or purchase at gem and mineral shows. The sale is great on-the-ground training and helped him to learn all of his basic minerals, Bochko said.
“People ask, ‘What is that?'" he said. "I had to learn what the minerals and rocks are."
Some meteorites, like those from Mars, will be sold for around $800 to $1,200, but there will also be $1 rocks for anyone who walks by with cash or check, Bochko said.
“We are selling coal, fossils, general minerals and meteorites,” he said. “You don’t see other clubs do that.”
Reach the reporter at akcarr@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @allycarr2
