Unless the agate has been freshly broken and is relatively clean it will likely be much harder to identify than a smooth agate you might find on a beach. Few of the most highly desired minerals that you can find in the state of New Mexico. Sandy desert roads can easily get a 2-wheel-drive vehicle stuck in dry or extremely wet conditions. The area is set aside for the non-commercial collecting of agate, jasper, and petrified wood. While little information exists on the specifics of the mines, word has it that you can easily find gems and minerals such as Azurite, Malachite, and Chrysocolla. Central New Mexico, Unpolished Slab. The locations you can source for Agates in New Mexico are Santa Fe National Forest, near the Rio Grande river, and Rockhound state park. Rockhound State Park is in southwestern New Mexico near the town of Deming. Since its such a huge collectors item, many people want to know more. New Mexico is a popular state for searching for a range of rocks, minerals, and gems. It is the responsibility of each rockhound to obtain permission from a landowner to search and/or collect on a piece of property. These days he can be found in his workshop, setting the stones he dreamed of as a child. Fake Agate: You Should Know These 7 Differences, Gemstone & Crystal Properties (Quick Study Home), Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Rocks and Minerals (National Geographic Kids), Are Agates Valuable rocks? Agate new mexico. The end result is tubes and sticks that show up in the agate, both on the surface and after theyve been cut. Copyright 2022 Rockhound Resource | Birch on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Rocks, Gems, and Minerals of the Southwest, New Mexico Rockhounding: A Guide to Minerals, Gemstones, and Fossils. I am constantly collecting, cutting, polishing, photographing and placing quality agates in the gallery. The concentrations and composition of the minerals in the water change over time, which is responsible for agates famous banded rings. Another great aspect of hunting for agates on beaches is that the rocks tend to already be well rounded and relatively shiny due to the prolonged time they have spent being tossed around in the waves and sand. These semiprecious stones are highly desirable for their unique ring patterns and their variety of colors. waterline agates, and some with shadowing effect. The most famous of these is turquoise, which as the states gemstone has become nearly synonymous with the American Southwest. Fluorite, calcite, galena, smoky quartz, and barite are found in this mine suited for rockhounds of all experience levels. Their translucence tends to catch the light and almost make them appear to glow, especially when compared to the more ordinary rocks around them. New Mexico Rocks - New Mexico Minerals I OakRocks This site contains affiliate links to products. The gem is most often found in basalt flows in New Mexico. (Complete Guide), A Turquoise Standoff: The Story of a Woman Standing Her Ground in Nevadas Mining World. The fortifications are enclosed bands that wrap around inside the nodule as the stone separated into different layers during its formation. On the other hand, in some areas, you can find them where long seams have been eroded and passed into a river. In the U.S., agates are most commonly found along the shores of the Great Lakes, the beaches of the Pacific Coast, and in the deserts of many western states. Jeremy is a professional writer, but his real passion lies with stones. A Field Guide to Agate | Rock & Gem Magazine The area is covered with small mines but the most important are the Kelly, Juanite, and the Waldo-Graphic mines. All rights reserved. This lake is accessible from 3 different states: north-western Wisconsin, northeastern Minnesota, and northern Michigan. Dig Your Own Amethyst Crystals: The Diamond Willow Mine Offers a Unique Experience! I would also highly recommend asking around at a local rock shop, or even joining a local rockhounding group that will be filled with people who know all of the best spots. Thats only the beginning, variable colors run deep in this particular mineral. Hunting for Agates in New Mexico! Turquoise, Opal, Amethyst, Jasper, Red Beryl, Peridot & Azurite. Other people like to bring a 5-gallon bucket along with them which works just fine, although I find that to be a lot more cumbersome and uncomfortable. Most are fractured, and come in the colors of white, gray, and faint blue/lavender and . Through quite a bit of research and cross-referencing of available literature, I have compiled this list of some prospective locations in New Mexico which I would recommend to people looking to do some rockhounding. RockSeeker.com is reader-supported. Rock (Treasures of the Earth) shows Field trips Junior club activities Workshops I'm Mike Rhea, and I'm a professional Geologist with a passion for rocks, minerals, and everything related to Geology. The site is located approximately 40 air miles from both Las Cruces, NM and El Paso, TX. Round Mountain Rockhound Area is a prime collecting spot for fire agates, an uncommon semi-precious gem found only in Mexico, California and Arizona. Follow These Simple Steps. It also hosts millions of acres of public lands that are plentiful with a variety of recreational opportunities for all. The mineral inclusions can be complex or singular, depending on the locality or even the individual agate nodule. New Mexico is one of the archetypes of the American desert Southwest. I enjoy collecting and tumbling rocks with my daughter and traveling the world with my wife seeing geologic wonders. Dwarves Earth Treasures: Baker Eggs Thundereggs from Hermanas, New Mexico You can find these rocks on public land in many cases, and then search them for fossils. FIRE AGATE: THE PREMIER SEMI-PRECIOUS GEMSTONE The fire agates are found south of Arizona whereas Laguna agates are prevalent in Estacion Ojo Laguna, in the state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. Here are some of the most well-known and popular beaches on Lake Superior for agate hunting. Highly valuable specimens are stored away in humidity and light-controlled areas free of fluctuations, and not on the mantle shelf. (What They Are and How To Find Them) Top 10 Agate Hunting Tips For Rockhounds. New Mexico - PattiPolk.Rocks Its located about two hours south of Albuquerque on Highway 380 at mile marker 30. It is, simply put, the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand rock identification system youll find anywhere. Agates take their form from the vesicle in which they originated. The basalt beds around Luna, New Mexico have produced several similar types of agates passed as just "Luna Agates" which leads to the confusion with purple colored Luna Agate from Mexico. This road leaves the valley bottom and begins to climb up in the hills past a number of old mines and prospects overlooking the town. Theyre a common find and a prize for collectors, and some of them are world-class. . Probably one of the most recognized semiprecious gemstones in existence, Turquoise, has been popular since prehistoric times. Here rockhounds can find jasper, thundereggs, agates, geodes, pearlite, smithsonite and other prized minerals. You can also read through my free rock identification guide and mineral identification guide which are filled with useful information and tools. Ill be using agate in the modern sense for this article. Seam agates arent found as often by collectors, since you generally have to knock apart some stone to get good samples. Beaches are the best places to look for agates. Easy rockhounding on road beds in the Jemez MountainsGo east from the Paliza Campground near Ponderosa, New Mexico on Forest Service Road 266 to find agate, . Plume agates are among the most common to find themselves cut into forms for jewelry. I am excited to share them with you. Either way, the digging is in the desert, so you should be prepared for hot weather to go with your hot finds. That constant motion polishes the rocks, making them extremely beautiful and relatively easy to spot. Always The Best Prices. 7 Ways to Turn Your Rocks and Minerals Into Jewelry, Ultimate Guide To Moqui Marbles (What They Are and Much More), A Guide to Yooperlite Rocks (What They Are and Where to Find Them), Barite: Ultimate Guide To Collecting Barite (What It Is and Where To Find It), Magnetite: Ultimate Guide to Magnetite (What It Is and Where to Find It), A Turquoise Standoff: The Story of a Woman Standing Her Ground in Nevadas Mining World. You can find them in Mexico and the southwestern United States, specifically in California, New Mexico, and particularly Arizona. Guadalupe Canyon Agate, Arizona, no description, Getsinger (1961, p. 316), probably for Guadalupe Canyon that extends from 31o 20' 35" N to 31o 27' 56" N and 109o 02' 29" W and 109o 03' 46" W, Cochise County, Arizona, and Hidalgo County, New Mexico, Guadalupe Canyon and Guadalupe Springs Maps, U.S. Geological Survey 7.5' x 7.5'. Its another great spot to find a wide variety of different minerals. Coloration depends largely on what metallic compound creates the illusion. The best places to find turquoise in New Mexico are: Los Cerrillos Mining District Burro Mountains Mining District Hachita Mining District Jarilla Mining District These mining districts each contain many mines, both active and abandoned, and care should be taken to ensure you have permission to search and collect wherever you go. This is the place to go for the famous Pecos diamonds, which are actually very attractive double-terminated quartz crystals. Deming, area draws, washes, surfaces, etc. But since theyre so widespread, you need to know exactly where theyre found in each country and state to save yourself a lot of time and effort. Sometimes they are extremely easy to spot, but in some cases they are almost impossible to distinguish from other rocks without a practiced eye and more meticulous work. Expect detailed site information including the following. Sagenite, 6.4 cm . Its cool stuff, and theres a lot of variance in how it forms. At most of these locations, youll have the most success hunting in the winter or early spring when storms are larger and more frequent. Iris agate is sometimes used in jewelry but only displays well in earrings due to the nature of the optical qualities. Banded Agate. Agates can be found on the beaches of oceans and lakes, along road cuts, and in areas with exposed gravel. amzn_assoc_title = "Some of my favorite rockhounding gear from Amazon:"; This site is devoted to sharing my love of rocks with you. Find a rockhounding site near you easitly by using this map. One thing to be aware of: it is against the law to collect any vertebrate-life fossils in the state. The best places to find turquoise in New Mexico are: These mining districts each contain many mines, both active and abandoned, and care should be taken to ensure you have permission to search and collect wherever you go. Some of the links on our website are affiliate links. In New Mexico, its distribution can be isolated and patchy but its present in many corners of the state. The best places to rockhound near Sante Fe include several mining dumps along the Pecos River, the area north of Las Vegas, and several outcrops and sites to the southwest of Picuris Peak. Mexican agates are prized by collectors for their bright colors and interesting patterns. Most of our Mexican agates were found in the northern state of Chihuahua. I hope my articles will be useful to you. Since agate is made up primarily of chalcedony (a form of microcrystalline quartz) it is very hard and resistant to weathering. Its always more enjoyable to go rockhounding on a nice, sunny day, but there are more practical advantages to having good sunshine when searching for agates. The reason for going at low tide is because more of the beach will be exposed, giving you more ground to cover. As with the rest of the state, Northwestern New Mexico contains a wealth of rockhounding sites with a wide variety of rocks and minerals. Flickr/Nicolas Pea. 7. If youre searching in an area other than a beach then the agates will likely not be as shiny and easily recognizable. Flickr/Samat Jain. Arizona Rockhounding Location Guide & Map - Rockhound Resource Nearly all of the commercial mining of peridot in the US occurs on one small Reservation in neighboring Arizona. 2005-2016 Agates with Inclusions. At the shop, you can pay to visit the mine site which is behind the shop. New Mexico hosts a lot of exposed sedimentary rock, and along with it comes fossils. The igneous stone is what holds the treasures. When searching for agates, its important to know exactly what it is youre looking for. In the metaphysical realm, agate is said to change negative energy into positive energy and to heal anxiety and internal anger. There are lots of great places to rockhound in New Mexico and a rich variety of rocks and minerals can be found. One of the most famous agates in the world is one that can only be found in the U.S. and Canada The Lake Superior agate. Top quality hyper rare fire agate from Mexico.925 silver pendant. Fire agate is one of the most spectacular, and valuable, varieties of agate. The water will remove any dust from the surface of the rocks and help the colors pop. Like most rocks and minerals, they require a fairly specific geological setting to form, and more geological processes to become exposed for us to collect. OakRocks has been in the rock and mineral business for 30 years. Other than petrified wood, New Mexico also has . Most of the obvious mineral veins have been picked clean along with much of the surface specimens since the area is designated for rockhounds. Use this resource as a guide to get you started. Rough agates have a better chance to be a bit larger because they havent been heavily weathered and worn away. Remember! Agates can sometimes be found in gravel pits and on dirt roads. Eye Agate Sometimes these gravelly areas can also be quite dusty, especially if its been a while since the last rain. If your local area has volcanic rock beds that have been exposed by road cuts then you may be in luck. When the host rock around the agate is eroded away, the agates remain intact and remain for us rockhounds to find. Youre looking for sedimentary layers of rock such as limestone. It is the only common mineral that forms four directions of perfect cleavage, creating an eight-sided crystal. Facet-quality linardite is recovered in Socorro County. San Jon, NM 88434, USA. Many lakes and even river banks are well known for producing quality agates most notably the Great Lakes. Organ, NM, USA. Other sources include: Minnesota Rockhounding Location Guide & Map, 11 Gifts Rock Collectors Will Love (And Dont Already Have). Some of those places are public but others are private and rockhounding there is forbidden (or in some cases a fee needs to be paid). . Of course, beaches arent the only places you can find agates. Turquoise. Rockhounding in New Mexico: Free Guide, Maps, Locations Agates can be transported great distances from where they originated, most commonly by glaciers, ocean currents, and rivers. It remains just as hard as the rest, but working your way carefully down to the formation is required to preserve the form and color play of the stone. Montana is actually quite famous for its agates which have been one of their official state gemstones since 1969, along with sapphire. Certainly there are exceptions, but in my experience youd be pretty lucky to find an agate much larger than that. Beads dating back to 5000 BC have been found in Iraq. If youre planning on hitting up a beach to look for agates then make sure to check the tide tables for the best time to go. We are focused on discovering 38 million year old natural treasures. Copper was extracted beginning in 1804 at Santa Rita. These include translucency (if you hold a flashlight behind or in front of the rock, you will notice transparent areas, especially near the edges), a waxy exterior (especially if the rock is broken or chipped and the exposed area has a waxy feel) and bands inside the rock (once you open it). While all share some of the same characteristics, each also provides their own impressive visuals. This is a big part of the reason it can be helpful to understand your local geology when hunting for agates. Area-specific regulations may be different and may restrict the collection of fossils in specific areas. As you can guess, its found on the shores of Lake Superior. They form in old gypsum deposits. The finest, facet-quality moonstone in the United States comes from a deposit in Grant County. Most commonly, the primary colors are purples, greens, and aquamarine. They can also be found around the world in Australia, Germany, Brazil, Czechia, Botswana, Mexico, Morocco, Afghanistan, Argentina, Canada, Chile, India, China, and over 40 other countries. Unfortunately for rockhounds, the law in most states prohibits them from publishing their names or contact information online. For more information about turquoise in New Mexico I would recommend reading this short article from the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources which contains background and some details on each of the mining districts I listed above. Catron County, Unpolished Facecut Rough. 6. While finding agates is often as simple as walking around and picking up any pretty rocks you see, there are a lot of tips and tricks that will save you quite a bit of time and backaches. If you dont live near any of those areas that doesnt necessarily mean that you wont be able to find agates. Some specimens even have hues of purple contained within them, but not quite on the level of amethyst. Its basically a wire mesh scoop on a pole that allows you to pick up rocks without having to bend over to pick them up. One of the best things you can do before looking for agates is to check the weather. Other locations in New Mexico to find petrified wood are Ash-Shi-Sle-Pah, Bisti and De-N-Zin in the San Juan Basin. This website also participates in Google Adsense. To access this mine, youll want to visit the Blanchard Rock Shop in Bingham, New Mexico. Where Can I Find Agate Rocks? Best Places in the US & World An abandoned SPMDTU building in the northern part of the state. A guide to New Mexico rockhounding is hardly complete without mentioning the eponymous state park of the hobby. While some parts are friendly to the beginner,, there are more remote sites that offer more plentiful collection opportunities. Follow posted signage and always get permission from the landowner to collect. Agate New Mexico - Etsy The best places to collect rocks in Arizona include the areas around Phoenix and Tucson, as well as smaller towns such as Cave Creek, Clifton, Morristown, and Kingman. In its heyday, it was a rich mining town. This drive takes you through the ghost town in New Mexico known as Organ and, while the town isn't an official stop on the map, it has more than its share of derelict places. My best finds yet! Invertebrate fossils, on the other hand, are legal to keep in New Mexico. The Rock Hound State Park is in Luna County near Deming, New Mexico. Mexican Agates. Find out the main differences between real and fake agate in the article below: If you do happen to find a good spot, chances are you will be able to go back to that location over and over again and still be able to find more agates, especially if there is a storm or two between visits. Other Fee Dig sights to check out include: http://epswww.unm.edu/harding/harding_.htm, and www.peaktopeak.com/blanchard/. As with any rockhounding adventure, make sure you are allowed to collect rocks at any location youre searching. We do tend to strip the surface in popular collecting areas, and Rockhound State Park meets that classification. The following are some of the most famous sites: Though some of these sites have been used for decades as rockhounding locations, you dont need to worry about not finding any agates annual rainfalls reveal buried rocks all the time and most of these places are very large (there are probably areas that havent even been properly explored because of the rough terrain). Big Diggings, Burdick Hills. The vast majority of BLM land is open to rock collecting, but if you are wondering about any specific type of public land I wrote an extensive post about rockhounding laws and regulations for just about any type of public land you can think of. E of Truth or Consequences, Oscura Mountains, area mines, Blanchard Rock Shop (fee), Fort Sumner, S along both sides of Pecos River, Whites City, limestones outside park boundaries, this short article from the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Rockhounding on Public Land: Laws and Regulations, Can You Collect Rocks in State Parks? Thundereggs. Moss agate is relatively popular and easy to find in raw, tumbled, or cut forms online. I decided to write this post to help anyone hoping to find their own agates. Check out values for different types of agate in the article below:Are Agates Valuable rocks? This beautiful mineral is widely used in jewelry and has become an integral part of the Southwests aesthetic. Theyre found near the Big Horn River and the Pryor Mountains. Some faces of the rock will probably still display some luster that almost appears greasy. Your best bet will probably be to check around with local rockhounding groups or rock shops. Feel free to bookmark and/or link to this site so you can see the agates gallery grow and change over time. For the most part, plume agate will resemble feathers or smoke instead of moss. While green moss agate is quite common there are many different oxidized metals that can end up forming in chalcedony. TIP: Fake agates have flooded online shops these days. They are also some of the most highly sought after rocks for rock tumbling hobbyists (myself included) because of how amazing they look once polished. Turquoise is one of the first things that most people think of when it comes to New Mexico. How to Tumble Rocks: Get Great Results Every Time, How Much Do Rocks Weigh? For ease of reference, Ill break up the state into the four regions shown on the map below. . Just to name a few: ricolite, fire agates, drusy quartz, apache tears, agates, rhyolite, quartz, and fluorite. The redness comes from iron which leeches into this agate from other rocks and oxidizes. Tube agates are another example that has a wide range of coloration and value. A good hammer and pick are definitely recommended. Including a smorgasbord of rockhounding opportunities. In New Mexico, I would recommend starting with the County Assessors office. To name a few, let's start with regular agate specimens, which you can find in the south side of Abiquiu Lake, Sante Fe National Forest, or the Mexican Gulch area. Waterline agate tends to not have vivid colors. Moss agate can come in a wide variety of colors other than green. Consider digging and scouring in old mine tailings or exposed cuts in the hillside. Banded Agate, 5.8 cm. Always respect private property! Sarape Agate. The ownership and status of land can and does change frequently, making it impossible to document accurate information on this page. That may sound trivial, but it will save your back from a world of hurt! Rockhounding In New Mexico! (Complete Guide) - Rock Seeker There are other guides out there, but this is a great one for people of all levels. There are a number of public rockhounding sites in Oregon (link to complete rockhounding guide), most of which are managed by the BLM and open to rockhounds. Theyre still the best palace to start for the casual rockhound. The True Worth of Agates. Many have well-defined, regular banding, but some, such as Mexican Crazy Lace . Specimens may become depleted from other collectors, the location may have been built on or altered, locality information in literature may be inaccurate, and property ownership may have changed hands. (984 Results) From handmade pieces to vintage treasures ready to be loved again, Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Exceptional Fossil Reveals Fish-Eating-Fish Moment Frozen in Time, The Great Meteorite Hunt: Museum Offers $25,000 Reward for Rare Fireball Remains in Maine, Why Petrified Logs Look Like Theyve Been Cut (The How and The Why), Detailed maps and directions to sites including GPS points, Contact information for local land management agencies, Suggestions for tools and techniques by site. Pictures, Examples & Calculations. To determine what type of public land a particular location is on, I would recommend starting with the New Mexico Department of Wildlifes public land maps. (42) $168.99. We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Theres even a map that shows you where to look for rocks in Oregon. Rockhound State Park is in southwestern New Mexico near the town of Deming. Situated just 30 miles east of the New Mexico-Arizona border, Casitas de Gila Guesthouses is located in the heart of this rockhounding paradise. A lot of agates are also found along the coast of California and this map shows the main locations. The state park amenities for campers and travelers make it a great camping spot or road-tripping stopover point as well. While there are no shortages of sites or minerals to collect, caution should be taken when venturing into the sparsely populated and difficult to access wilderness in which they reside. A good shortwave light is a valuable companion when youre searching for fluorite, readily allowing you to make a field identification. Still visible are the deep wagon-wheel ruts left by those frontiering souls traveling the 175-mile Santa Fe Trail . Baker Ranch. There are very specific spots that are known to have agates and those are the locations you need to start from. Other great rockhounding sites in the area include Pedernal Park, Abiquiu Lake, and localities in Carson National Forest. Southeastern New Mexico is a fantastic area for rockhounding. For the most part, its just a glorious myriad of silica-based minerals! Agates are a subject of their own, with various varieties creating an amazing display. Agates can be found on the beaches of oceans and lakes, along road cuts, and in areas with exposed gravel. Brightly colored jasper and agate can be found on both sides of the road for almost 5 miles. Positively Agate. Beautiful Magnetite and Pyrite comes from that mine. The chance to find peridot is a unique opportunity only found in this area of the state. An exceptional reference for experts and novices alike, you can read about 140 of New Mexicos top sites to visit as a rockhound. Most commonly they are a reddish orange with alternating white bands. Once that happens, however, they can be downright breathtaking. These agates only have horizontal stripes, as opposed to the complete bands of fortification agate, and can have many layers with different colors. The New Mexico Bureau Of Geology And Mineral Resources is a great resource for making sure your finds stay legal. Peridot is gem-quality Olivine. While agates are relatively common, they cant be found just anywhere. Flickr/Tony Hoffarth. One of the most highly sought-after types of agate is the fire agate. The end result is usually a limb-cast, where the exterior of the stone looks much like the wood it replaces. So where can you find agates? Compared to the rest of the state Northeastern New Mexico is relatively lacking in rockhounding sites, but there are still many worthwhile locations to investigate. I would recommend checking mindat.org for specific locations wherever you live. Ethically Sourced Minerals. It most often finds itself in lighted displays or just collectible specimens which are observed on their own. However, I have compiled a list of resources here so that you may investigate and obtain permission for any locations (found here or elsewhere) for yourself. Theres definitely enough for collectors hiding in the hills and creek beds of New Mexico, theres just no large centralized location like the Petrified Forest of Arizona. The inclusions can form in different ways, ranging from complex 3D shapes to simple coloration, which is what makes the family so varied. This is a pretty specialized tool that can greatly improve your quality of life if you plan to spend any significant amount of time hunting agates. With this guidebook, just about anyone can learn where to find unique minerals, fossils, and other geologic treasures mentioned above. At that stage, agates are only a silica-rich gel before pressure and time create the stones we know and love.
