LeFleur's Mining Company Gem Sluice

Gems

Also found at:

• No other locations listed yet

Fossils

From shark teeth in Florida to dinosaurs in Montana, the US offers world-class fossil hunting for all skill levels.

Also found at:

• Alabama Gold Camp
• Black Warrior River Sites
• Cathedral Caverns State Park - Gem Mining

Pyrite

Iron sulfide known as Fool's Gold for its metallic luster. Found in many US states, often in association with other minerals. Popular with beginner collectors.

Also found at:

• Hog Mountain
• Lyman Orchards Gem Mining
• Long Hill Mine (Old Mine Park)

Quartz Crystals

Clear, smoky, and rose quartz crystals are among the most common and rewarding rockhounding finds. Arkansas produces world-class quartz.

Also found at:

• Lake Martin Rockhounding Area
• M & G Mine
• Horseshoe Mine

Rose Quartz

Also found at:

• Lyman Orchards Gem Mining
• Bumpus Quarry
• The Sluice at Bethel Outdoor Adventure

Amethyst

Purple quartz crystals found in geodes and pegmatites. Notable sources include Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Maine.

Also found at:

• Four Peaks Amethyst Mine
• Crater of Diamonds State Park
• Lyman Orchards Gem Mining

Citrine

Also found at:

• Alabama Gold Camp
• Elijah Mountain Gem Mine and Goat Farm
• Cooper's Gem Mine

Calcite

Common but versatile carbonate mineral that forms in many crystal habits. Found in geodes, cave deposits, and veins throughout the US.

Also found at:

• Long Hill Mine (Old Mine Park)
• Fort Drum Crystal Mine (Ruck's Pit)
• Apple River Canyon State Park

Bell Creek

Biloxi, Mississippi · Public Land

Creek collecting in coastal plain deposits of Harrison County. Flat terrain, beginner-friendly. Quartz, agate, jasper, and chert specimens found along...

Mississippi Petrified Forest

Flora, Mississippi · Fee Dig

Privately owned petrified forest with 30+ million-year-old logs. Self-guided tours. Nearby gravels contain petrified wood specimens for collecting.

Mississippi Petrified Wood Beds

Forest, Mississippi · Public Land

Mississippi Petrified Forest — privately owned but public area for viewing. Collecting on nearby public gravel pits for petrified wood.

W.M. Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park

Frankstown, Mississippi · Public Land

Designated fossil park at the intersection of US-45 and County Road 7450. A creek bed site where Cretaceous fossils (shark teeth, oysters, marine foss...

Mississippi Gulf Coast Fossils

Gulfport, Mississippi · Public Beach

Gulf Coast beaches for fossil shark teeth and shells. Eroding bluffs and dredge spoil islands produce Miocene and Pliocene marine fossils.

Holly Springs National Forest

Holly Springs, Mississippi · USFS Land

Over 150,000 acres of national forest in northern Mississippi. Collect quartz, jasper, chert, and agate from creek beds and erosional banks. Maximum 2...