So lets dive in and talk about the different types of agate! For additional reading, Id highly recommend these books you can find on Amazon: Please remember that rock collecting locations are constantly changing. It also collapses down for easy transportation and storage, and seems pretty durable. Paul "GeodeKid" Calburn, owner of Baker Egg Mine. Old mines exist all over the hills just west of Shakespeare. 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. My best finds yet! Rockhounding in Central New Mexico The area is set aside for the non-commercial collecting of agate, jasper, and petrified wood. Consider digging and scouring in old mine tailings or exposed cuts in the hillside. 2005 . Not all gravelly areas will contain agates, so if you are checking out a location but you havent found anything within 10 or 15 minutes then youre probably going to be out of luck. The key is in finding and identifying the rare stuff, such as Fairburn Agates, and separating it from the rest of the material in an area. Find out the main differences between real and fake agate in the article below:Real vs. You can find these rocks on public land in many cases, and then search them for fossils. Rockhounding | Silver City | Lodging - Gila Agates From Mexico - Etsy If there are agates anywhere on the beach, theyll likely be mixed in with that gravel. New Mexico hosts a lot of exposed sedimentary rock, and along with it comes fossils. The Lopacki Collection Fire Agate waterline agates, and some with shadowing effect. The reaction creates the beautiful and variable shapes and colors of azurite. Invertebrate fossils, on the other hand, are legal to keep in New Mexico. 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. Now that Ive covered the types of locations to look for agates Ill get into how to actually go about planning your trip to the field and some best practices for increasing your chances of finding good specimens. For the most part, its just a glorious myriad of silica-based minerals! Each eye agate is unique, and thats half the fun. Look for rocks that have a roughly round or oval shape that are at least slightly more colorful than the majority of rocks in the area. Here are some of the best beaches that Ive found, along with some information on the type of agates you can find at each. Still visible are the deep wagon-wheel ruts left by those frontiering souls traveling the 175-mile Santa Fe Trail . Organ, NM, USA. 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. If you do a little research on your local area you may very likely find at least one location that is known to produce agates. Looking for the perfect addition to your crystal collection? We have a great source for New Mexico Rocks and Minerals and we carry a large variety of both finished and rough materials. These formations are fractions of a millimeter thick, making fire agate much trickier to cut properly than most agates. TIP: Agate is actually a very popular rock that is famous for its use in jewelry and decorations. It can be any variety of agate, but a lot of it is simple waterline agate that has formed in veins. Many lakes and even river banks are well known for producing quality agates most notably the Great Lakes. And as an Amazon Associate, we earn a commission on qualifying purchases after clicking on those links, at no additional cost to you. Fresh material will be churned up and youll be the first person to take a crack at finding anything. Highly valuable specimens are stored away in humidity and light-controlled areas free of fluctuations, and not on the mantle shelf. Sandy desert roads can easily get a 2-wheel-drive vehicle stuck in dry or extremely wet conditions. Find a rockhounding site near you easitly by using this map. Rockhound State Park is in southwestern New Mexico near the town of Deming. Beautiful Magnetite and Pyrite comes from that mine. Moss agate is relatively popular and easy to find in raw, tumbled, or cut forms online. This guidebook highlights a large number of the even larger number of potential rockhounding sites across the state. You can find his knowledge here, and his handiwork at his Etsy shop. The best time to search for agates (especially in a beach setting) is right after a storm. Baker Ranch. Links to New Mexico fire agate stories NM FIRE AGATE STORY NM FIRE AGATE STORY # 2. Apache Dendritic, 15 cm . Remember! Many of these sites are on federal land and therefore managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Each region will have its own list of rockhounding locations with an accompanying map. From Highway 70 east of Safford, Arizona approximately 50 miles, travel into New Mexico to just beyond milepost 5. TIP: Fake agates have flooded online shops these days. A dilapidated home in the ghost town in New Mexico called Steins (near Lordsburg). Rockhound State Park - Deming, NM A guide to New Mexico rockhounding is hardly complete without mentioning the eponymous state park of the hobby. Mexican agates are prized by collectors for their bright colors and interesting patterns. The best rockhounding spots for finding agates in Colorado are Wolf Creek Pass on route 160, Felch Creek, and Houselog Creek. 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. If there are agates to be found in any particular location you can be reasonably certain that rockhounds have already made note of it. The best rockhounding sites in Southeastern New Mexico are along the Pecos River, especially the areas near Roswell, Artesia, and south of Fort Sumner along US 60. You dont necessarily need to be on an ocean beach in order to find agates. Agates From Mexico - Facebook RockSeeker.com is reader-supported. You will likely have to be more diligent and methodical in your searching than you would at the beach. Its is one of only two state parks in the U.S. that allows and even encourages visitors to keep something from the park. Like many other popular areas to look for rocks in Mexico, this has led to a lot of Agave being found in the state of Chihuahua. You can usually get the landowners name and address by visiting the county records office. Plus, other rock hunters may have been to that same location at high tide so they will have missed anything that was underwater at the time. It is a lapidary favorite because of its . There are very specific spots that are known to have agates and those are the locations you need to start from. Some are private but offer a pay to dig service where you pay an entrance fee and are given permission to rockhound in that area. As a general rule of thumb you should search places where agates have previously been found, but other than that here are a couple of tips to remember: When you look is also very important storms have a tendency to uncover rocks and minerals by removing large portions of sand from beaches and changing the topography. Posted on Published: September 13, 2020- Last updated: July 13, 2022. Here are some of the most well-known and popular beaches on Lake Superior for agate hunting. Agates, quartz crystals, and opals have even been collected from here in the past. Once the fragile gypsum erodes it leaves scattered outcrops of Pecos Diamonds throughout the Pecos River Valley. Try to find areas that have had recent digging activity if you are not quite sure where to start. This article is about specific types of agate without regard to their locality. Many of these old mine sites offer the chance for rockhounds to collect specimens of fluorite. In its heyday, it was a rich mining town. 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. Simple Explanation. The officially named "Baker Egg Mine" (NOT "Baker Ranch") Mine was opened by Lindburgs and then mined by Paul "GeodeKid" Calburn. . Plumes are one of the more complex forms found inside agates, and there are dozens of distinct varieties. In Mexico, you can find both fire agates and Laguna agates. It has a blue/blue-grey color and is often used in jewelry. 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. Of course, beaches arent the only places you can find agates. Petrified Wood. The entire rock may not present the distinctive banding it depends on how it has eroded over time. Iris agate is sometimes used in jewelry but only displays well in earrings due to the nature of the optical qualities. Check out the complete guide on cutting and polishing agates in the article below:How to Cut and Polish Agates? Catron County, Unpolished Facecut Rough. Not only are they beautiful and unique, but theyre also one of the most abundant rocks on Earth. 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. A guide to New Mexico rockhounding is hardly complete without mentioning the eponymous state park of the hobby. . BTW: Do you want to know more about rock and mineral identification? Agate New Mexico - Etsy 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. 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. The rock picker than Id personally recommend is this one on Amazon, which has a detachable scoop on the end so you can use it as a walking stick when youre not picking up rocks. The trick is in knowing what actually makes up each type of agate. Many have well-defined, regular banding, but some, such as Mexican Crazy Lace . W on S side of road, Nacimieto Mountains, area draws and washes, Jemez National Recreation Area, area near Battleship Rock, NW San Juan County, in Ojo Alamo formation exposures, Mount Chalchihuitl, area slopes and draws, Belen to Los Lunas, area gravels and washes, Pecos, mining dump near Willow Creek campground, Lee Russell & Kerr Canyons, area surfaces, Plains of San Agustin, volcanic tuff exposures. Fire agates are found in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Pecos Diamonds, like Herkimer Diamonds, are double-terminated quartz crystals. Including a smorgasbord of rockhounding opportunities. It is the responsibility of each rockhound to obtain permission from a landowner to search and/or collect on a piece of property. In Mexico, you can find both fire agates and Laguna agates. Waterline agate tends to not have vivid colors. I'm Mike Rhea, and I'm a professional Geologist with a passion for rocks, minerals, and everything related to Geology. Agates can actually be found in almost every European country and the chart below shows regions where agates have been previously found (this chart shows only a small amount of the locations for the whole list of agates found all over the world and more details, check out this site. Northeast New Mexico is "where the plains meet the mountains." Visit Capuln Volcano National Monument, an extinct volcanic cone (inactive now for 10,000 years) and you can say you saw the plains of Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. The best places to rockhounding in Southwestern New Mexico include many localities in Gila National Forest, Rockhound State Park, Kilbourne Hole, and the countless old mining dumps that dot the landscape. New Mexico: The thundereggs of the Bear Mountain are known for many decades and widely visited by local rock clubs, but they still can be found even today despite the complains by local rockhounds about not finding anything except small ones. Rockhounding in New Mexico: Free Guide, Maps, Locations Gravel roads are especially bad about this because dust gets kicked up and coats the agates. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Here are the most useful tools to take agate hunting: A spray bottle is one of the most useful tools for agate hunters. The best rockhounding sites in New Mexico are in the states many National Forests and wilderness areas, including mining dumps, stream gravels, and rocky surfaces. The igneous stone is what holds the treasures. Rockhounding in Central New Mexico - YouTube Rockhounding just outside Albuquerque! Hello, I am John.As a little boy, I was fascinated by stones and liked to take them home. Thats definitely not the case every time, however, and there are some vivid reds and oranges to be found. Some of the links on our website are affiliate links. Turquoise is one of the first things that most people think of when it comes to New Mexico. 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. If youre searching in an area other than a beach then the agates will likely not be as shiny and easily recognizable. Including paid digs if you prefer. New Mexico Regions & Cities | Places to Visit | New Mexico True The only facet-quality dolomite in the United States is colorless material recovered from a deposit in New Mexico. When looking for agates keep your eye out for any rock that appears a bit more colorful or radiant than surrounding rocks. 3 x 3 x 3 Geode with stalactites. It is your responsibility to know the rockhounding laws and regulations for each site you visit. The patterns in this agate also varies greatly however it is most often swirling layers of different colors. Montana is actually quite famous for its agates which have been one of their official state gemstones since 1969, along with sapphire. Rockhounds can also hope to find other mineral specimens including aragonite, onyx, jasper, and even some gold. It comes in light blues and earth tones. It can be found in numerous locations, some of which are private mines and cannot be accessed whereas others are public rockhounding sites where you can go digging whenever you want. As you can guess, its found on the shores of Lake Superior. This website also participates in Google Adsense. Area-specific regulations may be different and may restrict the collection of fossils in specific areas. Its main color is reddish-brown but it features a beautiful play of orange, gold, or green when viewed from different angles. Its usually found alongside copper ore in small quantities. There are dirt roads that run along the edge of the crater, allowing you easy access to many areas within. Feel free to bookmark and/or link to this site so you can see the agates gallery grow and change over time. Australia is well-known for producing a number of unique agates with brilliant colors and patterns, many of which come from Agate Creek in Northern Queensland.