Where to find rocks in texas

You might also check with some of the local businesses and see if you can get some tips on access. Texas is actually one of the few places where tektites can be collected.

These are fascinating little specimens that are formed when meteorites slam into the earth, creating a glass-like substance. They are found around the town of Dime Box and Somerville Lake. Another location known for tektites is the small town of Bedias in Grimes County. These distinct specimens found in this region are also called bediasites by geologists.

Tektites are the prize of any Texas rockhound. As such, they are extremely hard to find nowadays. Careful inspection within the known areas is required to find one. The lovely gem known as topaz is the Texas State Gem. There are several areas where these gorgeous gems occur. Perhaps the best known area is at the San Saba River. A small area north of the town of Mason in the Katemcy Creek area is particularly productive.

Inquire with the local ranchers for access. You can pay a small fee and access known pits where topaz specimens can be dug from pegmatite dikes. Another pay-to-dig site near Mason is the Sequist Ranch. This is another well-known area along Honey Creek where you can find beautiful specimens of Texas Topaz. Many people are surprised to learn how abundant fossils are throughout this state.

In fact, most of the areas where petrified wood have been found also have the potential for fossils. The most common occurrences are invertebrates that were once part of an ancient sea floor.

The late ranchwoman Hallie Stillwell found hundreds of lithic artifacts on the ranch in the early 20th Century. Rockhounds have come here for decades in search of chalcedony, agate, jasper, petrified wood, and flint. A longtime lapidarist, Potter cuts and tumbles One rock at a time.

Deloris Lindsay, who lives on the Lindsay Ranch in Mason County, feels the same way about kids and rocks. Some guests have found smoky quartz crystals, arrowheads, and even topaz.

If only unearthing Texas topaz were that easy. His Seaquist Ranch near Grit is the most famous and productive Texas topaz-hunting site open to the public. Texans first found topaz in Mason County in the early 20th Century in streambeds and pegmatites. The largest gem-quality topaz crystal found in North America came from Mason County.

On loan from the Smithsonian, the nearly three-pound stone sits on display in the Mason Square Museum. We come upon three topaz hunters hard at work in the blazing sun, shoveling and sifting sediments through wire screens, and we stop to talk. Nash, an avid topaz hunter from Manor. Now I think about the way the water flows and deposits sand. The area around Palo Duro Canyon is the most promising site in the region for rockhounding.

Collectors can hope to find agatized wood, flint, and alabaster. The best places to rockhound in North Texas include creek beds near Alvord and the northeast side of Lake Bridgeport, where collectors can hope to find fossils including crinoids and trilobites. Rockhounds can hope to find all manner of quartz-family minerals including several varieties of agate, jasper, and petrified wood, as well as less common specimens like geodes and turquoise.

This part of Texas is the best place in the state for rockhounding, both for its variety of minerals and the sheer number of prospective locations. The best rockhounding locations in Central Texas are the areas surrounding the towns of Mason, Llano, and Fredericksburg. Particularly of note are the pegmatites and stream beds in Mason County, where rockhounds flock for a chance to find blue topaz.

Central Texas contains a fairly wide variety of rocks and minerals including agate, petrified wood, calcite, celestite, quartz crystals, and topaz. East Texas is one of the few places where rockhounds can hope to find tektites, and it also probably the best part of the state to search for petrified palm wood the state stone. Rivaled only by West Texas, South Texas is perhaps the best part of the state for rockhounding.

The best rockhounding locations in South Texas are generally associated with the gravels of the Rio Grande, but locations further inland towards San Antonio should also be considered. Minerals found in South Texas are almost exclusively in the quartz family, most notably several varieties of agate, petrified wood, amethyst, citrine, jasper, and chalcedony. Blue topaz is relatively rare, and Texas is one of the only places in the world where it can be found naturally.

Article: Where to Find Topaz in Texas. In Texas, blue topaz is only found in centrally located Mason County, particularly the towns of Mason and Grit. There are three ranches in the area which are open to the public for topaz hunting — Seaquist Ranch, Bar M Ranch, and Lindsay Ranch, all of which are fairly close to one another. Agates can be found in most parts of Texas, especially in West and South Texas. The gravels of the Rio Grande and its tributaries, as well as the surrounding washes and hillsides are all prime locations for agates.

Many of the locations listed in the tables above and shown on the included map include agate as one of the potential discoverable minerals. Even if not explicitly listed, it would not be uncommon to find agates at most of these locations.

One of the most common questions rockhounds have is whether or not they are allowed to collect at a certain location. The ownership and status of land can and does change frequently, making it impossible to document accurate information on this page. 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.

I have written entire articles which cover the rockhounding laws and regulations for nearly every type of public land you can think of. I encourage you to check them out if you are curious about the legalities of rock and mineral collecting.

To determine what type of public land a particular location is on, I would recommend starting with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Hunting Maps. As with most states, each county in Connecticut will have records of who owns each piece of property. Unfortunately for rockhounds, the law prohibits them from publishing their names or contact information online.

Blue Topaz. Palo Duro Canyon, outside State Park boundaries. Between Red River and US 62, in area deposits. S side of US , in shale formations. The county of Grimes is excellent for rock collectors to rejoice in finding various gems, crystals, and minerals, in East Texas. Bedias City is particularly rich in fire pearls, black diamonds, or meteorite remnants, known as tektites. Petrified palm wood can also be found in this area. The county of Trinity is another good location in East Texas where rockhounds can find various collectible specimens such as jasper, agatized wood, chalcedony, agates, petrified wood, and other gems, minerals, and crystals.

BTW: Do you want to know more about rocks and minerals identification? The books listed below are the best ones you can find on the internet Amazon links :. Llano County is an exciting place in Central Texas, where you can find Llanite. This variant of rhyolite has some beautiful blue quartz crystals attached to it, being hexagonal in form. It can be found on Highway 16, at the roadcuts around Baby Head Cemetery. The pegmatite exposed areas around Llano also contain topaz and zircon.

Another great place to visit in this country is the Llano River. You can find crinoid stem sections in the river banks, particularly where grayish-black limestone resides. Mason County is the place to go if you want to find the famous blue topaz gemstone. In the ranches west of Mason, you can discover amazonite, quartz crystals, feldspar crystals, topaz, and tourmaline; however, you have to pay a small fee.

It is the only place where you can find blue topaz in Texas. TIP: Every rockhound needs a good backpack. Backpacks belong to one of the most important equipments for all rockhounding trips. But it is not always to choose the right one. Check out the ultimate buying guide about the best backpacks for rockhounding in the article below:. Texas is abundant in gemstones.

You can find gemstones such as amethyst, pearls, opals, turquoise, almandine garnets, Celestine, labradorite, or blue topaz, among many others. In the table below, we have highlighted where you can find some of the most popular gemstones in Texas, and further down, we will discuss these gemstones. Amethyst can be found throughout the state of Texas. Stillwell Ranch in the Big Bend area is a popular area where high-quality amethyst is found. Amethyst Hill, as its name implies, is another excellent place where you can find this gemstone.

For those more daring, the Althaus Ranch is also abundant in beautiful amethyst specimens. When it comes to pearls, there are three main areas in Texas where you can find them, namely, the Colorado River, Brazos River, and all their tributaries, and the Concho River. Look out for the mussel known as Tampico Pearlymussel — Cyrtonaias tampicoensis, as it produces some of the most beautiful and highly prised pearls.

Opals are another popular gemstone easily found in Texas. Coming in colors of white, blue, and with flashes of green, blue, fiery orange, or red, most specimens are usually small. You can find opals in the Alpine City area, Brewster County, at about 16 miles south.

Llano county is another great place to find opals, as well as the Catahoula formations. Turquoise is another popular gemstone in Texas that you can find. Texas turquoise is highly qualitative and used in many pieces of jewelry, and it is often found in the western parts of the state rather than anywhere else. There are plenty of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks to be found in Texas. Some of the most popular rocks in this state include geodes, obsidian, flint, agate, microcline, soapstone, moonstones, limestone, and chert, among others.