Rockhounding Location Guide & Map

Rockhounding Location Guide & Map

Arizona is one of the most prolific and exciting states in the country for rock and mineral collectors. Famous for its turquoise and copper deposits, Arizona is one of the first destinations everyone thinks of when it comes to rockhounding. Thousands of old mining dumps, productive stream beds, and pegmatite veins continue to draw collectors and adventurers from all over the country.

Arizona is incredibly geologically diverse. The northern part of the state is part of the Colorado Plateau and is home to the world famous Grand Canyon. Most of the state is desert, and slopes gradually down to near sea level. Wherever you are in the state you aren’t far from some interesting geology and prospective collecting sites.

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. These locations offer a diverse array of rock and mineral specimens such as agate, jasper, petrified wood, turquoise, and copper.

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State Symbols

State Mineral Wulfenite

State Metal Copper

State Gemstone Turquoise

State Fossil Petrified wood

Arizona: Source

Turquoise

If you’ve already found a rock and you’re not sure what it is, I would highly recommend checking out my Practical Rock Identification System. This bundle of information includes a book, videos, and online tools. It is, simply put, the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand rock identification system you’ll find anywhere.

You can also read through my free rock identification guide and mineral identification guide which are filled with useful information and tools.

Through quite a bit of research and cross-referencing, I have compiled this list of some prospective locations in Arizona which I would recommend to people looking to do some rockhounding. These are mostly comprised of old mines, mineral prospects, and historically known rock and mineral collecting sites.

Kingman, AZ

Location Rocks & Minerals

Emerald Isle Mine

Gold-colored Chrysocolla, Tenorite

BiMetal Gold Mine

Placer Gold

Kingman Feldspar Mine

Allanite, Microcline, Quartz crystals

15 mi. NW of Kingsman, multiple mines

Arsenopyrite, Dufrenoysite

Golden Gem & Vanderbilt Mines

Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Stibnite

Area of Mineral Park & Cerbat

Kaolin minerals & Turquoise

Area near Meadow Creek Pass

Fire Agate, Grape Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper

The area around the city in western Arizona is littered with old mines and prospects. There is an even greater variety of minerals here than in other parts of the state. There are also quite a few pegmatite veins that have yielded specimens of minerals like bismuth, beryl, and microcline. If you choose to check out any of these old mining locations be sure to, as always, get permission from landowners, don’t go underground, and exercise caution at all times.

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https://rockhoundresource.com/arizona-rockhounding-location-guide/