Books that will help you identify the best collecting locations in a state and the maps to get you there. Hunting in these areas can be a bit different from other rockhounding terrains, however, and the hunter needs to be aware of these differences when planning a desert outing. A location guide for rock hounds in the united states 3 clarke county area, vein outcrops along county roads. Arizona is one of the highest caliber rockhounding states and receives visitors from all corners of the world in search of arizona rocks, gemstones, minerals and fossils which find themselves scattered across this geologic treasure trove. A location guide for rock hounds in the united states 1 alabama alabama comprises two geological regions. Right outside of vegas i mainly go for red selenite, a light golden selenite, actinolite for specimens, marine coprolite, fossil sponges, crinoids, there is some nice green and bluegreen jasper deposits, an interesting frothy looking obsidian, low grade fire agate and if you are in to. Before it was known as the place for quickie divorces, legalized gambling and the las vegas strip, nevada was about mining. Nbmg special publication 29, rocks, gemstones, minerals, and fossils in nevada, is a useful generalized map of areas to go. We are coming to vegas the 2nd week in september, unfortunately we havent had any time to plan this holiday as ive been in.
Americas best rockhounding website gator girl rocks. Rockhounding the virgin valley 4 lemon opal, thunder eggs and chalcedony mining america ep27 2017 duration. You could build up an entire library out of the numerous books and magazines about rockhounding in utah and rockhounding in general. Pick up the book rockhounding nevada, it has a ton more spots near tonopah and will help a lot. Numerous black and white photos aid in locating the collecting areas and selective color photos help with specimen identification. A few years back we purchased a book rock hounding idaho. The biggest little nevada rockhounding map reno road trippers. In this three volume series, rockhound, well explore what it means to collect minerals in the skarns and pegmatites of the canadian shield.
The vast lands of southern utah are intricately carved into the red and white sandstone limestone layers of the colorado plateau, leaving behind wellknown monuments in locations like canyonlands and zion national parks. Just west of the town of ely, nevada, located in white pine county, is the garnet hill recreation area, source of many beautiful garnet crystal specimens. A complete guide of the rocks, gems and minerals of new mexico and where to find them. It seems like everywhere we go, no matter what we are doing, we keep an eye out for color on the ground. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. There was one on the opposite side of the road at rubys inn at bryce canyon and at the petrified forest there were gem stores.
I have a couple of questions i hope you can help with. The nook book ebook of the rockhounding nevada, 2nd by william a. Gem trails of nevada gem trails of utah gem trails of new mexico gem trails of colorado gem trails of oregon gem trails of texas gem trails of washington. They also have a very good workshop and all kinds of.
Read on for ways to get some natural garnets, turquoise, and black fire opal and to visit some fantastic nevada rockhounding sites. Welcome to the first in a series of videos explaining in great depth all aspects of rock hounding. The statebystate section provides rockhound information about rocks, minerals, gemstones, fossils, and meteorites as well as rockhounding resources, books, museums, neat places to visit, and recreational rockhounding sites for every state in america the resources section provides an extensive collection of useful rockhounding resources, including my best ever guides, a rockhound glossary. According to pahrump valley rockhound vicepresident bill wertz, the oldest, hottest and most unusual story is told succinctly by the landscape, and specifically, by the rocks in. From the back cover a complete guide to finding and collecting the states gems and minerals rockhounding nevada is a musthave book for anyone interested in collecting rocks, minerals, fossils, and gems in the silver state. Italian stone masons in the 1870s built these beehive shaped ovens to produce charcoal used in forging and mining operations. Nevada travel log rockhounding in nevada the adventures of ron and val in las vegas, area 51, and southern nevada.
Based in las vegas nevada and governed by a board of directors our club started in 1930 as the prospectors club and is one of the oldest recorded clubs of its kind in the united. The southern nevada desert is the perfect location to learn the stories of the earth. A field guide to some of the states best rockhounding sites. There are a lot of rockhounding opportunities in the state of nevada. Fully up to date with gps coordinates for more than 100 collecting locales, it covers popular and widely known feedig operations as well as fourwheeldrive adventures into the desert and long winding drives. Mitchell detailed maps and descriptive text lead the rockhound to over 82 of the best collecting locales for gems, minerals, and fossils. He made a living and fed his family mining gems and gold, mostly in southern california. Rocks and minerals dk smithsonian handbook fossils. One of the most famous prospectors of the time, trappergold seeker pegleg smith traveled through the anza borrego region. Rockhounding the southwest rockhounding, writing, wandering. Books about rockhounding looking for gems, being a rockhound, prospecting for gold, geology, gems, gemstones, jewelry making, american gems like nevada turquoise and oregon sunstone, and more. Several books about rockhounding in california have been published,and most give gps coordinates.
Three books every rock and mineral collector should own. Plug these into your gps to help ensure that you do find productive geode beds. A guide to the states best rockhounding sites rockhounding series by william a. In this video we will be discussing guide books and other printed resources that you can use to. Wyoming rockhounding, colorado rockhounding and a rock show. A large number of popular books have been written on rock, mineral, and gem collecting and recreational prospecting in nevada and the west in general. Gem trails of southern california gem trails of northern california gem trails of arizona gem trails of nevada gem trails of utah gem trails of new mexico gem trails of colorado gem trails of oregon gem trails of texas gem trails of washington. Rockhounding is the recreational collecting of rocks andor mineral specimens from their natural environment. We are docents at the crater rock museum in southern oregon. Millions of years of geothermal and geological activity makes nevada a rockhounders paradise. I learned so much while in vegas from the southern nevada rock and mineral society. Visit the places where experienced rock and mineral collectors have found success. Fully up to date with gps coordinates for more than 100 collecting locales, it covers popular and widely known feedig operations as well as fourwheeldrive adventures into the desert and long winding drives through the mountains.
Rockhounding nevada is a musthave book for anyone interested in collecting rocks, minerals, fossils, and gems in the silver state. Its rumored he discovered black gold somewhere in the. We were driving back to bend after visiting the fam in nevada and decided to take a little different route in order to hit some places in our rockhounding nevada book. He could probably put you in touch with a local rockhound. Rockhounding nevada is a favorite for locals and tourists alike. Most of these locations are primarily sourced from a few key books. Gem hunt road trippers rock hunting reno tahoe book sites apple books books to read online rocks and gems gems and minerals. Undisclosed site in southern nevada,but sites may not be all that hard to find as cretaceous continental deposits are not widespread in nevada cretaceous turtles,dinosaursteeth,dinosaursbones. Anyone know of any rockhounding sites nearish to vegas.
Check out our finds and how you can get started with rockhounding yourself. State specific rockhounding books including the books listed here as well as other books. Click on the links below for more information on each book. Where to find rocks, minerals and gemstones in utah. Rockhounding is the collection of reasonable amounts of mineral specimens, rocks, semiprecious gems, petrified wood and invertebrate fossils. Video riding your suv or atv over gold one of the most famous prospectors of the time, trappergold seeker pegleg smith traveled through the anza borrego region. This book is a 6 x 9 paperback with 156 pages, descriptions, maps, photos. There were several sites listed that were somewhat easy to get to with our 4wd truck on blm bureau of land management roads.
Visiting the springs preserve itself isnt bad either. Check out our interactive nevada rockhounding map with information for each location. Few people know that to progress in knowledge about this hobby is easy as can be, it just take a little bit of reading and we have the perfect selection of books to talk about today, ones that will give you a full understanding of minerals. Dig the rounded geodes out of holes left by other miners, or start your own hole. A guide to the regions best rockhounding sites rockhounding. The northern desert regions of southern idaho, northern utah, northern nevada and south eastern oregon hold a wealth of rock and gem material. A complete guide and source book brimming with advice on collecting and preparing gems and minerals. Rock hounding a fascinating hobby for southern nevadans las. A guide to 99 of the states best rock hounding sites rock hounding series by garret romaine. A location guide for rock hounds in the united states. A book on the rockhound hunting grounds in the golden state of california.
Nevada rockhounding map rock hounding, nevada, books to. A guide to the states best rockhounding sites paperback by. Invertebrate fossils are the remains of animals that didnt have bones such as shellfish, corals, trilobites and crinoids. Even though it was a little dry reading, as a reference book when we were trying to find new places to explore, it was great. Rock hounding a fascinating hobby for southern nevadans.
This crystalline or mineral region is composed primarily of metamorphosed paleozoic. Pahrump valley rockhound gem club rocks desert pahrump. The first chapter of my new travel list book is out. Turquoise and opal are two of the most highly valued minerals mined here, but many other minerals such as beryl, amethyst, quartz, azurite, and a variety of fossils can also be found throughout nevada. This website is dedicated to the amateur rockhound who is interested in finding rock specimens for their collection. Kappele has been rockhounding across the west for more than forty years. Plant fossils, opal rockhounding nv p188 black rock desert. It is a designated rock hound recreation area, so it is open with no fees. Buy or rent rockhounding nevada as an etextbook and get instant access. Diva complete guide and source book brimming with advice on collecting and preparing gems and minerals. Apr 20, 2020 seventeen miles from ely and two hundred miles northeast of las vegas is nevadas ward charcoal ovens state historic park external link. Diva complete guide and sourcebook brimming with advice on collecting and preparing gems and minerals.
The club has also incorporated a junior rockhounding program. Lars johnson goodreads author shelved 3 times as rockhounding. Popular rockhounding books showing 150 of 54 rockhounding oregon. Rockhound books, guides, rocks and more desertusa store. The biggest little nevada rockhounding map reno road. Well visit forgotten settlements and ghost towns and ill show you the famous mining camps of cobalt, eldorado and gowganda. Sites derived from these source books have entries referencing the. Gem trails of california, gem trails of nevada, rockhounding california and rockhounding nevada. Merrimac district copper, lead, zinc, magnetite, tungsten. We went to site 25 called cottonwood spring and site 22 called agate hill. Books about rockhounding looking for gems, being a rockhound. Hi all first time posting in here so please be gentle.
The gps guide to western gem trails accompaniment to above gem trails guides rockhound s handbook. Hi everyone, im new to the forums but wanted to get some info or locations around las vegas. Rock hounding idaho 99 locations in idaho to find gemstones. A guide to the regions best rockhounding sites rockhounding series hodges, montana on. I did find some other cool minerals yet to be identified near the two kids mine mine area is now closed and gated, went to the easterly adjacent property. Apr 19, 2018 we love to use our falcon guide books to look for new rockhounding sites during road trips. Mcdermitt sits right on the border of nevada and oregon with a population of around 500. And please, do yourself a favor and rent or bring a 4wheel drive vehicle when traversing the nevada backcountry. Jan 07, 2017 most of these locations are primarily sourced from a few key books.
I would recommend the book rockhounding nevada though. I also visited red rock canyon, but found no rocks of any interest. It identifies a number of good locations throughout the state. I also have a wildlife section that includes pictures of some of the wildlife ive come across while rockhounding and, of course, there is the chief adventurologists blog. The silt playa 100 miles 160 km north of reno encompasses more than 300,000 acres of land and contains more than 120 miles of historic trails. Rockhounding is a great hobby, rewarding and full of adventure.
Rockhounding nevada tips tricks and places to visit. Exploring and rockhounding in nevadaoregon room to ramble. The northeast section is mountainous, constituting the southern end of the cumberland plateau and climaxing in 2,407 ft. Garnet hill rock hound recreation area near ely, nevada. The adventures of ron and val in las vegas, area 51, and southern nevada.
Pardon the lousy formatting, that is the main reason i gave up on publication. Recreational gold panning is a popular type of rockhounding in california and the. A guide to the states best rockhounding sites rockhounding series. Rockhounding 101 the basics of field collecting research.
Cayucos beachrobert altmanrocks and gemssouthern californiacalifornia beachbutlerdesertsmineralsaudiobook. Nevada is one of the best states to search for a variety of minerals. Sites derived from these source books have entries referencing the book and page number for more detailed information. Rockhounding nevada tips tricks and places to visit travel nevada. It includes information such as collecting locations that ive visited or that ive researched, and also information from other rockhounds. Recently i discovered that theres garnet, opal, and turquoise within 30 miles or so of the city and was looking to see if anyone could offer some places to start looking.
Rockhounding the northern deserts legends of america. His other books include rockhounding nevada and rockhounding colorado. In addition, in las vegas, anyone can get a glimpse of the worlds largest gold nugget. The black rock desert is a semiarid region of lava beds and playa, or alkali flats. Of all the activities we enjoy, rock collecting, also referred to as rockhounding, is the longest lasting. New mexico, the land of enchantment is an archetype example of the endemic culture, vibe, and heritage of the american desert southwest. Chances are you will get an enthusiastic guy who will tell you all kinds of neat info on interesting nature places including rockhounding in southern nevada. Jul 07, 2016 rockhounding is a great hobby, rewarding and full of adventure. Arizona, the grand canyon state, is obviously no stranger to rocks and gemstones.
His other books include rockhounding utah and rockhounding colorado. Although known for its gold production, california is a virtual haven for rock and gem collectors. A guide to the states best rockhounding sites paperback. We checked out a book from the library titled, rockhounding nevada. Which takes us back to mineral clubs, and why it is a wise idea to be involved with at least one of them.
Whether searching for unknown sources or going to a paytodig operation, you can have great fun digging for opals, turquoise, or any number of minerals that are found while rockhounding nevada. Erick begay native american jewelry in boulder city is a lovely southern outpost. Recently retired, gary has more time to pursue his passions, traveling and rockhounding throughout utah. Jan 09, 20 however, if you had been a member of the mineralogical society of southern california, you would have had the chance to visit with several outstanding collections belonging to members of that club. Avail yourself of books on the subject in local libraries. That story, some experts assert, continues for approximately 4.
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