Hwy 84 Roadcuts
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What you can find: Well-preserved sea urchins, large clams, plentiful gastropods, chunks of calcite, and the occasional lump of orange travertine.
Ease of access: Right on the road
Equipment needed: Rock pick and collecting bag
Safety considerations: None
Where, exactly? On Hwy 84 just east of Evant, near the junction with County Road 161.
These two huge roadcuts sit on either side of the highway, exposing a fantastic amount of hunting area. You’ll find urchins (some of them quite detailed and well preserved), snails, clams, small pectins, and chunks of calcite crystal.
More unusually, you may also find chunks of orange-colored travertine. Twenty minutes of hunting netted one sizable lapidary-quality chunk, and a few thin travertine crusts over country rock. Also, a number of samples of what appears to be pyrite cubes replaced by limonite, usually growing out of the interior of poorly-preserved fossils