In the table down below, you can see what other minerals can be found in Wyoming, and their exact locations. Follow the dirt roads toward and past the water tower on the ridge. Agates also happen to be some of the most commonly collected rocks in the United States, including Wyoming. That was a joke. Gemstones are some of the most enjoyable specimens that rockhounds can find, but its not always easy to know where to look. The best we have for GPS is cell phones. You can also find agates a few miles west of Saratoga, Carbon County. So, this saves us precious time. The club started in 2016 and has been growing in numbers ever since. Jade can be found in the Sweetwater River district southeast of the Wind River Mountains in Fremont County. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 17. That is partly because of about 50 percent of the state's public land. And if you have any tips (Ill keep your finds a secret! Please take our survey about how you use and access the data we provide on our website. The state of Wyoming is noted for its copper minerals, lithium minerals, uranium minerals, feldspar minerals, manganese minerals, mica minerals, and quartz minerals. Guide to Prospecting and Rock Hunting in Wyoming Rockhounding in Wyoming is a great way to get out and enjoy the states expansive landscapes and beautifully unique terrain. If its sapphires you fancy, you may want to check out Grizzly Creek and Sweeny Basin. Not a member of this organization? I encourage you to check them out if you are curious about the legalities of rock and mineral collecting. In general, the best places to find agates in Wyoming are in gravels and washes, particularly in Sweetwater County, Fremont County, and along the Sweetwater and Wind Rivers. TIP: Geodes can form anywhere in the world, but they do not form at random. The majority of counties in Wyoming contain numerous minerals, rocks, gemstones, and fossils. Obsidian is abundant in Yellowstone, with the most famous location being the Obsidian Cliff, located in the northwest part of the Park. amzn_assoc_title = "Here is some of my favorite rockhounding gear from Amazon"; Opal is found near Smith Creek in Carbon County, and if you want to find quartz minerals, they are located from north of Saratoga along Wyoming Highway no. Also lots of buzzworms. You can even find geodes in Wyoming. Note: magnetite is also present. Fossilized leaves near Miles City, MT: 2.) Fremont County, washes and draws in extreme SE corner, Wind River and tributaries, in gravels near Riverton, Warm Springs, area draws and hills over a large area, Rattlesnake Mountain, area N of Shoshone River, Sweetwater County, all area outcrops of Green River formation, Rock Springs, washes and draws over large area to E, Blacks Fork Creek, NE corner of Uinta County. However, anywhere in the area around Black Rock should be good, and maybe to the west, too, which I havent checked yet. Now lets look at what sedimentary rocks are found in Wyoming. Note: stramatolites can be found in some washes at the base of the Pryors nearby. In Wyoming, you can find sedimentary rocks such as bentonite, chert, coal, concretion-geode, conglomerate, gypsum, limestone-dolomite, oil shale, shale, taconite, or trona, among many others. Monthly educational meetings are held during the autumn and winter on the second Monday of every month. The prominent minerals found in Wyoming are agates quite a variety of them, jades, opals, chalcedony, and other varieties of quartz crystals, among others. This area is very close to Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite. The Absaroka Mountains are an excellent place to explore. For additional reading, Id highly recommend these books you can find on Amazon: Please remember that rock collecting locations are constantly changing. In the Bighorn Range part of Natrona County, you may discover pegmatite, while the igneous rock pumice-pumicite is located in the Split Rock area of Natrona County. google_ad_type="text_image"; Check out recommended tools for rockhounding here:Recommended tools and equipment for rockhounding, What Rocks Are Good For Tumbling? First of all, check the Tertiary igneous rocks in the Wood River and Sunlight Basin areas of Park County and the Black Hills area of northeastern Wyoming. If youre into gemstones like amethyst, I suggest checking out Amethyst Mountain; it got its name for a reason. Fossils in Sanders County, MT: 4.) 05-01-11 Water line and fortification agate and calcite geodes and selenite phew!! 08-07-11 Elusive Wyoming fluorite specimens. If you want to find fossils, you should know that the Triceratops is the states official dinosaur, while the Knightia Fish is the official state fossil of Wyoming. Take our Survey for a Chance to Win a Map! Wyoming is home to some incredible jade specimens, mainly of the classes nephrite and jadeite. I find the watermelon stone about halfway up the canyon. At the top of this small incline, make a right. Concretion and geodes are common in many of the sedimentary rocks in the state, but a good way of finding geodes in Wyoming is to search for the conglomerate in limestone or sandstone. Agate, Chalcedony, Chert, Jasper, Petrified wood, Silicified wood, Quartz crystals, Agate (Turritella agate), Agate, Chalcedony, Chert, Jasper, Quartz crystals, Silicified wood, Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper, Silicified wood, Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper, Petrified wood, Agate, Jasper, Opalized wood, Silicified wood, Silicified algae, Agate (Turritella agate), Chalcedony, Jasper, Quartz crystals, Petrified wood, Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper (red, yellow), Quartzite, Agate (Turritella agate), Chalcedony, Chert, Jasper, Quartz crystals, Petrified wood, Silicified wood, Coffinite, Ilsemannite, Autunite, Pyrite, Uranophane, Uraninite, Cobaltite, Erythrite, Linnaeit, Pyrrhotite, Agate, Chalcedony, Gastroliths, Jasper, Petrified wood, Quartz crystals, Azurite, Bornite, Chalcocite, Chrysocolla, Malachite. Carbon County is also a famous location for rockhounding in Wyoming. Keep me signed in. as well as detailed information that will interest any rockhound. In fact, everywhere in the blackened areas has petrified wood on both sides of the draw. Rockhounding Locations in WY, MT; UT. Rockhounding is incredible, but its even better when youre a member of a club or society. The clamber down through the woods and thicket is well worth the spectacular site of the mountainous, artesian well. The real gems that rockhounds are eager to get their hands on in Platte County are banded agates and drusy quartz specimens. A lock ( Clear chalcedony and vein moss agate occur along this countys outcrops of the Bridger Formation. The Rockhounding Wyoming guide book lists a spot just south of Cody. types. Rockhounds have several excellent locations to choose from in Wyoming. In Sweetwater County, west of Wamsutter along the old road to Baggs, the Green River Basin is plentiful in agates. Many other varieties of agates, jasper, petrified and opalized wood are also very commonly found in gravels and washes all over the state. Afton Canyon is one of only three places where the Mojave River flows above ground year-round in the Mojave Desert. Albany County is in the bottom eastern portion of Wyoming and borders the northern Colorado state line. Here, rockhounds can find some incredible specimens, including: The Casper Mountains contain chromite, feldspar, and beryl. Quartz crystals, chalcedony, and vein moss agate occur along outcrops of the Bridger formation in the regions north of Sweetwater County. Obsidian is plentiful in Wyoming, especially abundant in Yellowstone National Park, where the Obsidian Cliff is located in the northwest part of the Park. Manganese minerals or uranium minerals are found in the Wasatch Formation. This site is devoted to sharing my love of rocks with you. Zoom in for full list. Lets dig in! The Hot Park Area is near the Sierra Madre Mountains, and barite is commonly found a few miles southwest of Encampment. The most commonly found and collected rocks and minerals in Wyoming are: If youve already found a rock and youre not sure what it is, I would highly recommend checking out my Practical Rock Identification System. The pyroxene group of minerals is confined to Precambrian rocks and the Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Absaroka Mountains and Yellowstone National Park. Exposed and subsumed vertebrate fossils of what amounts to a type of ancient alligator-type creature, as well as some others, can be found here. (I do not live in the US right now.). //-->, Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites. From beginners to advanced collectors, everyone will find something in Wyoming! Obsidian isnt listed here since we know how much rockhounds love this igneous rock, so let us talk about obsidian separately. This is where you will find what is legal or not in Wyoming, in regards to rockhounding, where you are allowed to rockhound, what, and how much. Most of the gold produced in Wyoming comes from the Atlantic City-South Pass-Sweetwater district. If youre unsure where to start, try looking into some of Wyomings rockhound clubs and societies. Azurite, Barite, Chalcopyrite, Cuprite, Galena, Gold, Limonite, Malachite, Pyrite, Quartz crystals, Sphalerite, etc. 08-13-11 A very hot day to rockhound with cool marcasite, 09-03-11 Crystal park quartz crystals and bread, 10-15-11 Another world class pseudomorph deposit, 2012 Denver gem and mineral show report fall, 2013 Denver gem and mineral show report fall, 2013 Rockhounding and mineral collecting reports, 04-06-13 Shirley basin agates and calcite, 04-13-13 red feather quartz crystals and a surprise mineral, 2014 Denver gem and mineral show report fall, Denver Coliseum Mineral Fossil and Gem Show, International Gem Jewelry Show denver 2014, Denver gem and mineral show 2010 report fall, Denver mineral show report 2010 fall part 2, Denver mineral show report 2010 fall part 3, Denver mineral show report 2010 fall part 4, Denver mineral show report 2010 fall part 5, Photo report Denver gem mineral rockhounding show 2011, Denver gem and mineral show report 2010 spring, Denver gem and mineral show report 2011 spring, Links to other Rock show reports Tucson , Denver, Blue Forest Wyoming petrified wood location, Copper Mountain Pegmatite District Wyoming. Pegmatite and sedimentary rocks such as bentonite are also found in Johnson County. google_ad_host="pub-6693688277674466"; It is going to take me a while to get all the locations in here. Rockhounding Wyoming Table of Contents: About This Book ix. Tom, this is an AMAZING resource. Wyoming is full of jades, mostly of the nephrite class, and the jadeite class, which sounds like something out of Star Wars. LOCATIONS FOR ROCKHOUNDING IN WYOMING Includes descriptions and maps. These rockhounding sights ofWyoming are mostly on public land but a good blm ownership map isrecommended allowing you to stay off private land. Sadly, it is illegal to rockhound in Yellowstone National Park, but you can do it outside the area. However, it is legal to hound the areas surrounding this famous park. There are several excellent rockhound locations all throughout the state. Enter your email address to subscribe to this the content of this site, some of which, we hear, is worthwhile. Rockhounding in eastern Wyoming offers a lot of opportunities to find a wide variety of rocks and minerals. Please direct technical questions (including broken links) about this Web site to webmaster@wsmgs.org. The minerals listed above are among the most famous in Wyoming; however, Wyoming is full of other minerals. Other great places to find opals are the Absaroka Mountains, which are in the area of northwest Wyoming, near Smith Creek in Carbon County, or near Lusk in Niobrara County. Wyoming State Mineral & Gem Society This interest of mine has lasted until today, so I decided to create this website. Rockhounds can explore most of Wyoming's geologic products up close because over 50% of the state is public land! If you want to know more about rockhounding in Wyoming or you prefer paper books, I recommend buying the book Rockhounding Wyoming: A Guide to the States Best Rockhounding Sites (2nd Edition). Atlantic City, area stream gravels, draws, etc.