View collecting localities on the map, or scroll down to browse the guides by state and county. Please bear in mind that land ownership and other circumstances may have changed. If you encounter a site that is no longer accessible, please contact Rockhound Times so we may remove it from the list.
Likewise, if you should discover a site you feel should be featured on here, we would be delighted to hear about it.
Arizona
California
Humboldt county |
Scotia Bluffs Fossil Beds, rio dellAbundant fossils in soft sandstone and mudstone. Hand-sized scallops and large clams are quite abundant. More rarely, echinoderms, crabs, and other sea life may be found.
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Moonstone beach, trinidadCliff face full of fossils -- delicate and easily broken, but a wide variety. Shells, sponges, crabs, sand dollars, and more.
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Agate Beach, patrick's pointBeach agates in various hues, including carnelian, and numerous jasper pebbles. Many of these are perfect for wire-wrapping and / or tumbling, and there's a considerable variation.
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Lake county |
Lake county 'diamonds', Lower lakeLake County diamonds are small fragments of volcanic silica glass, which are prized for jewelry-making or simply as specimens.
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Bottle rock road obsidianObsidian chunks in all sizes, from tiny shards to boulders the size of a bathtub. Mostly black, though you may find some silver sheen obsidian or snowflake and mahogany.
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Redbud Trail TravertineTravertine and druzy calcite crystals in a dry creekbed near Redbud Trailhead
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marin county |
mendocino county |
Eel river north of potter valleyBright red and sometimes yellow jasper can be found in the riverbed, along with blue or green chert pieces.
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point arena pierFossil whale bone, small agate pebbles, and the potential for a shark's tooth or two. Also, merciless lunch-stealing seagulls.
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salt creek, willitsSizable boulders of lapidary-quality actinolite and jasper in a creek beside the road. Most of the jasper is yellow or red, and some is shot through with threads of agate.
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EEL RIVER at hearstLarge boulders of jasper can be found here, as well as colorful rhyolite, jade, and specimens of fluorescent calcite in shades of yellow, orange, and red.
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tomki creek near willitsThis is a good spot to stop at while heading to the Salt Creek and Hearst sites. Right near the roadside, and offers chances for some nice actinolite and jasper.
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Laytonville quarry on hwy 101The Laytonville Quarry is the type locality for three rare minerals, Deerite, Howieite, and Zussmanite. Also found: garnets, well-formed pyrite cubes, and interesting schists.
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Red mountain copper minesThis is an old copper mine with plentiful specimens of bright blue azurite and green malachite, as well as other copper minerals. Very colorful specimens!
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lake mendocino, ukiahBright and colorful jaspers along the lake shore, along with the rare chance of stumbling over some petrified wood.
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MONTEREY county |
san luis obispo county |
santa barbara county |
jalama beachJalama Beach offers a number of different prizes, including travertine onyx, fossilized bones, very nice fish fossils, agates, and jasper.
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santa barbara beach fossilsThe Santa Barbara coast offers prodigious quantities of fossil whale bone, along with other fossils, including petrified wood.
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sonoma county |
oregon
coos county |
texas
bosque county |
Meridian city limitsThis site offers heart urchin fossils, various gastropods, and a decent quantity of fossilized coral.
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County Road 3110A roadside quarry with an abundance of heart urchins, as well as the usual gastropods and such common to the Comanche Peak formation.
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Rudist reef with calcite crystalsA fossil rudist reef with specimens infilled with very attractive clear calcite crystals.
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Cooke County |
coryell county |
Fannin County |
Jacks County |
Llano County |
mclennan county |
Mills County |
Parker County |
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