Fire agate is a brown agate has a botryoidal (grape-like) form. it, this is an excellent time and place to get started. On your left, you can see the mountains. As weathering of the andesite bedrock continues over time, the bedrock and large blocks of andesite found higher up on the ridge are broken down into smaller and smaller pieces and loose mineral soil which are gradually transported further and further downslope by Monsoon rain runoff. Agate is a semi-precious gemstone formed by relatively recent invites exploration for the hardy. Sierrita Mts(Old Mines)- Pyrite, Copper, and Melanterite. Its private land. Great primitive camping - Lots of chalcedony. This particular spot is considered to be among the richest areas in the world for this gem. The mining is again in operation for Rock Hounds that hope to find some fire agates and opals by hard rock mining. Be careful not to get pierced when you try to grab some lovely specimen that has your eyes glittering! The Saddle Mountain Arizona Fire agate spot. $39.99. Its even better if youre an amateur rock collector because youre always guaranteed to collect a few gems, even along some roadways. Gradually, this process will produce a thick, wedge shaped deposit of successive layers of transported sedimentary material surrounding the bedrock core of the ridge. $79.95. Fire agate. S of Apache Nat. A lock ( Fountain Hills Sami Fine Jewelry is one such choice. Most importantly, have fun collecting, and feel free to email us about your trip. without restrictions to what or where you can Dig. Keep in mind, though, that it is important to find out if the property is private and obtain permission or if the state has limitations on how much you can collect at a specific location. var year = today.getFullYear() Best fire agate location in CA is in Christopher's back yard!!!! The location is ideal for a mine tour, but the number of specimens available is restricted. You need no digging gears, just lunch (if you plan to stay all day), water, gloves, and skin protection. However, the agate in the area is beautiful. Clifton, Arizona, is a little town northeast of Tucson in proximity to the New Mexico border with promising rockhounding prospects. stones; the BLM simply asks that you help prevent hazardous If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. graded dirt road two miles to the fire agate digs. During the Tertiary Period, these particular regions experienced massive volcanic activity that created these gemstone deposits. difficult to cut. The tour is only provided twice a year, in the spring and fall, due to the remoteness and limited conveniences. Safford, AZ - Fire Agate. In the New Mexico-Arizona border country, chalcedony is typically found in shades of translucent white to pink and light grays and blues. See current wildfires and wildfire perimeters in Arizona using the Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center Wildfire Map. The rough outside of agate will block all light, so you'll have to get it open in order to test the transparency. Keep reading to gain a little more knowledge on rocks, gemstones, and minerals of Arizona and where you can go find some yourself if you are feeling adventurous. Near the town of Safford, Arizona lies your ticket to finding fire agate, a brilliant gemstone found only in the southwest. As a matter of fact, the cleansing of this stone is potent at any level. Tugtupite: Meanings, Properties and Powers. If course Lol !! This National Park offers an unsurpassed viewing opportunity, while the collection of specimens is strictly prohibited. the know to make beautiful jewelry. I highly recommend visiting Arizona to utilize our public lands and engage in some serious rockhounding. Items: 18 . Delivered right as the newspaper goes to print on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Many eastern Arizona campers are accustomed to We are obsessed with the outdoors, and work constantly to bring you the information you need to enjoy the rocks and minerals you've added to your collection. Historically the site has been associated with the Rattlesnake Mining District which is now part of the Coronado National Forest. MOUNTAIN BIKING, MEMBERS Accessibility guidelines and restrictions change. If you're not, be sure to consider and take Click the image for driving directions and a KML file. Mesa, Arizona. Youll spend most of your time picking up Agates right off the ground, theyre covered with it. Like other chalcedony quartz gemstones, fire agate has a hardness of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale; a specific gravity of 2.59 to 2.67; and a refractive index of 1.530 to 1.540.It has no cleavage and can be identified by its silicon dioxide composition. The clear purple gemstone mined from this specific mine is characterized by its unique red flash when observed through light. Ph# 1 (928)565-4145. It has a specific gravity of 2.60 to 2.64, and a refractive index of 1.530 to 1.543. I really hope youre able to get out and explore the unique natural resource treasures my home state of Arizona possess. There are areas where you can metal detect, pan for gold, and sluice for gold. A half mile past milepost 5 (in great wide-open area for primitive camping. Round Mountain Rockhound Area is a prime collecting spot for Rockhounding Reports, Locations, Trips and Shows, forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/57708/surface-collecting-west-phoenix. Arizona, The Grand Canyon State, is obviously no stranger to rocks and gemstones. This location is part of the Arizona Mineral Industry Location System (AzMILS), an inventory of mineral occurences, prospects and mine locations in Arizona. So in the meantime, good luck in your quest and enjoy the chase! any rock collecting, gemstone hunting or have just thought about The site is open to casual collection of a reasonable number of specimens for personal use. This beautiful mineral is very collectable and a prize for any serious hunter. After passing through the tiny community of Mule Creek dont blink or youll miss it! Arizona is one of America's leading mining States, although the primary focus in the past has been on the heavy metals rather than the other beautiful gemstones and minerals. The May 27, 2014 Blog Seeking Chalcedony and Jasper in Southwest New Mexico includes numerous photos on the various forms and shapes of chalcedony and fire agate that have been found at or near the Casitas over the years, and presents more details on their various modes of formation. "In an article he penned back in 1977, Jones states that he began to work it in 1941. . This can be very informative to collectors of all experience levels. The material is dispersed over a large area, so finding good pieces can take some time. Fire agate. From here, drive 4.3 miles past the railroad crossing. such tremendous rewards for so little effort. Saddle Mountain, Arizona, Fire Agate Mineral Location Page: This popular outdoor recreation and fire agate rockhounding area is located outside of Phoenix, Arizona. If you've never done Fire agate document.write(year) highway, turn left onto the road to Round Mountain, where you also The Four Peaks Amethyst Mine produces some of the highest quality of the gemstone and is the only active mine in the United States. The public is not permitted to visit this mine unless prior arrangements have been made. The mine must have been known to early Native Americans, asamethyst arrowheadshave been found. Once you enter Tonopah take a left on 411th Ave and then drive about 2.80 miles until you hit W Salome Hwy, turn right. Create a password that only you will remember. At Three Way, Highway 78 ends and the journey continues straight ahead on U.S. Highway 191 to once again cross the Gila River and for the next 13 miles passes through a fascinating Sonoran Desert landscape of weathered and dissected volcanic hills, mountainous ridges, mesas, and sharp pinnacles or buttes, almost all of which is public BLM or State of Arizona land. However, it must be kept in mind that it is this very same question that has perplexed every prospector in the American Southwest for over a hundred years, and in most cases it is only after much personal experience and perseverance that Mother Nature will even consider beginning to answer the question. We have been collecting and working Fire Agate for many years! . The agate formation, size, color and fire layer thickness all vary within these different geographic locations. For the next 5.6 miles the road winds through a Ponderosa-shaded mountain roadway within the Apache National Forest before reaching an amazing overlook and parking area at the edge of a major topographic, physiographic, geologic, biologic, and ecologic boundary that marks the abrupt transition from the southwestern extent of the High Chihuahuan Desert of the Mogollon-Datil Volcanic Field into the eastern edge of the High Sonoran Desert of the Basin and Range Province. Overall,rockhounding near Phoenix, Arizona, is a big deal because the availability of locations and actual gems is mind-blowing. THE 5 CASITAS Master Faceter, Avid Rock Hound, World Traveler, Fanny pack is the ultimate way to collect these Agates. agate. Mineral specimens such as bismuth, beryl, and microcline have been found in a number of pegmatite veins. Translucency, patterns of color, or moss-like inclusions may distinguish this stone from other forms of chalcedony. Below is a map of fires that are currently burning in Arizona, as compiled by thewildfire tracking website InciWeb, operated by the U.S. Forest Service. primitive campsites only, with no tables, water, trash removal or The 7 year old we were with found the best piece!!! A great photo opportunity location is adjacent to the shop. Fire Agates . The mine is contained fully within a National Forest Wilderness area and the only access for miners is by foot or helicopter. Theres a reason that one of the largest gem and mineral shows in the world is held in Arizona. Copyright 1998- The Deer Creek Fire Agate Mine is in Graham, Arizona. Traveling to the mine, located at a cool 7200 feet elevation, is no simple task. Such a chakra can be found at the base of the spine. The desert regions of Arizona, southern California, and central Mexico are the only areas of the world where fire agate is known to occur. The stones are plentifully found on the surface of the ground at S of Apache Nat. 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. You, however, have to be mindful of claimed properties and keep in mind that information at some places may have changed recently, so always seek permission before rockhounding. light inside the stone. situations by filling in holes once you are finished and that you 29173 N Fire Agate Rd , San Tan Valley, AZ 85143-6292 is a single-family home listed for rent at /mo. Rough, windows, and finished rocks. 45-mph graveled road, headed to the Lazy B Ranch. The Black Hills Rockhound Area is one of two designated fire agate localities on BLM land in Southeastern Arizona, the other being the Round Mountain Rockhound Area, some 27 miles to the southeast near the Arizona-New Mexico border. A top-notch area in Arizona to gather rocks and minerals is near Congress Junction. Its found in Northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. see a sign indicating the area is ahead. time: 3-5 hours Traffic: Light Permit Needed: No Current Info: BLM/Phoenix F.O. ASTRONOMY There are no facilities available! (Find Of a Lifetime! They are lower to the ground. Receive the digital, interactive PDF of the newspaper in your inbox. Mexico: Fire agate, lace agate, banded agate. THINGS TO DO . Please give us a call at 928-428-2560, Copyright Some of the quartz crystals found at the Diamond Point outside of Payson, Arizona are so clear that they have been compared to herkimer diamonds. Following this breakdown of the andesite bedrock, the processes of gravity, wind (desert pavement), and running water in the form of flash floods, acting over thousands of years, will carry the altered and disintegrated clay particles, fine rock debris, and the fire agate and chalcedony further and further downslope and away from the bedrock to be redeposited in and over the surrounding lowlands, flats, valleys, and washes. The beauty of these fossilized gemstones makes them a very popular choice for rock tumbling enthusiasts. Remnants of the ancient past when the limestone was deposited by warm oceans of previous eras. Elevation here ranges from 4,100 to 4,400 feet. contains a variety of colors, highlighted by the refraction of At mile marker 141.6, a sign on the right (north) side of the road marks the entrance road to the Black Hills Rockhound Area. Luster: Waxy, dull, or vitreous (glass-like) Transparency: Semi-transparent to translucent. Discover the Beauty of Saddle Mountain Fire Agate: Your Gemstone AdventureAwaits. The Sami Fine Jewelry Four Peaks Amethyst Mine Tour comprises transportation, lunch, a 30-minute tour of the amethyst mine with the workers and operators, and an Amethyst keepsake. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The change in landscape, both topographically, geologically, biologically and ecologically over this 14 mile stretch of highway is both dramatic and amazing and for most travelers will be remembered as one highlight of the days journey. As you see, we have riverbeds and banks to mountain peaks. We have Mexican Fire Agate and Arizona Fire agate. You'll be digging for and collecting Fire Agate in Duncan, Arizona at the Lazy B Ranch. At 77-years-old Duncan . The second reason is that because of the heavy rainfall the area receives during the annual Summer Monsoon thunderstorm rains, which can exceed 2 to 3 inches in a half hour, fire agate and chalcedony buried beneath of surface of the ground is constantly being uncovered and exposed by high energy flash flood runoff every year. The fire agate and chalcedony of the Southern New Mexico-Arizona border area is formed when low pressure and low temperature epithermal hydrothermal waters (50-200C / 122-392F) carrying colloidal SiO 2 and iron oxides are injected into cavities in volcanic rocks such as gas bubbles in flow rocks, irregular-shaped vug fillings, or . Still, we have compiled a list of historically recognized locations below that have provided specimens of agate, nodules, turquoise, chalcedony, fire agate, geodes, and jasper, among other minerals for enthusiasts goingrockhounding near Phoenix. @wildlandfireAZ Twitter List (#AZFire) ADEQ Wildfire Smoke Forecasts. Additionally, jasper, agate, valuable metals, and sometimes even thundereggs are among the minerals and rocks found here.