I'm Allergic to Rocks Hitting Me in the Face!

“I'm allergic to rocks hitting me in the face.” ― Mike Rowe

Soke Hausel is prepared to use his bare hands
or his rock hammer!

Recent research at Jeffrey City University, Rock U, and Home on the Range Community College indicate rock hounds, prospectors, and geologists, could all benefit from karate training, particularly if they forget to take a rock hammer to the field. But imagine the benefits of rock hammer! One or two?

Next time you are in the field, or outback, and forget your rock hammer, you can use your hands. Just take a geology or karate class with rock hounds and martial artists.

The benefit of rock hounds taking karate was discovered in the Australian outback in 1986. In that year, Soke (before he became a grandmaster, and was still known as sensei) traveled to Western Australia from the University of Wyoming to look for diamonds, crocodiles, gold, iron ore, lamproite, komatiite, beer, sheep, roos, emu and strange speaking people. It was just like Wyoming where diamonds, gold, beer, strange speaking people, sheep, lamproite, komatiite, kimberlite all occur, but rabbits were considerably smaller and did not carry Joey's in a pocket. Arizona has similarities - funny-speaking people, sheep, beer, gold and emu, but most everything else is missing.

In 1986, geologists, rock hounds and prospectors from many countries attended the International Kimberlite Field Conference to examine a brand-spanking new Argyle diamond mine and its incredible fancy diamonds. We also toured the Noonkanboh and Ellendale lamproite fields, and visited the locals at Geikie and Windjana gorges. 

Unfortunately, we missed the Merlin diamond mine because it had not been discovered until some years later. Our group included a couple of Australian and Japanese black belts, a sifu from China - so a challenge was issued and a contest began. Should we break rocks with rock hammers, or should we display testosterone and break them with our bare hands? To be sure the research was thorough, we tried both the testosterone enhanced method and the rock hammer method. The results were conclusive - termite mounds in Western Australia are hard as rock, and in some cases - harder! I don't know what those termites eat for breakfast, but they are a heck of a lot tougher than ants in Arizona and Wyoming.

Foreground shows termite mound and in the background is a hill formed of Ellendale lamproite, 
Ellendale diamond field, Western Australia.

Many termite (ant) mounds stood as high as a person. Most display peaked tops making them perfect for horizontal shuto uchi (open knife hand strike) - so why would any black belt pass them up? We didn't! The Aussie, American and Japanese black belts successfully broke 85% of the mound peaks with their hands, and about 90% with rock hammers, while the Chinese sifu watched with puzzled expressions. The group also periodically came across rock outcrops and we broke rocks to examine fresh rock surfaces for any strange and unusual minerals that would attract interest of the rock hound, diamond prospector and diamond geologist. Yes, some rocs we broke with our hands, others we left to hammers.

Above photo shows a termite mound ready to provide entertainment for geologists in the outback. In the background is an outcrop of lamproite (a very rare rock). Photo taken in the Ellendale diamond field of Western Australia by the author.

Swimming in the Fitzroy River at Geikie Gorge in Western Australia, can be a bit hazardous. But it
was so hot, that our entire group decided to get to know the locals - photo by the author.