Florissant Fossil Quarry: A "Split" Decision

The prospect of finding a perfectly preserved insect that was trapped in ancient tree sap is a fossil collector's dream.

Unfortunately, the opportunities for bugs-in-amber aren't too plentiful in the good old USA.

What's the next best thing?

The Florissant Fossil Quarry in Florissant, Colorado.

Geologists aren't settled on the question of how this layered formation actually came to be. Some think that the thousands of paper-thin layers of sediment were laid down by the action of a moderately active volcano near a large lake, but others aren't so sure. But regardless of the origin story, this superhero of a collecting site is a must-see for all rockhounds traveling near Colorado Springs.




The quarry is a fee dig site, but the price is very reasonable. The operators of the quarry will deliver cardboard boxes of large chunks of the layered sediment to you at a smattering of picnic tables around the area. Using standard kitchen knives or other sharp objects, the idea is to split each rock, layer by thin-layer, to discover a wealth of hidden treasures.

The overwhelming majority of fossils contained in this formation are plant-related, but the fortunate finder may discover insects. My son, Chase, and I spent about two hours, and we found several well-preserved leaves and stems...but alas...no bugs. A fossil hunter at the table next to us discovered a nice bee, and everyone around was pretty excited. The paperwork that you must sign gives the owners of the quarry the right to keep any of your discoveries (if they are a truly valuable or unique find) but I do not recall that they asked to see any of our treasures as we departed.

While in the area, do not forget to visit the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, just a short distance away.

Click the link below for a detailed Google Map locator for the quarry:
LINK TO GOOGLE MAP

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A Healthy Check-up at The Rock Doc

In the shadow of famous Mt. Antero, nestled in the heart of one of the richest mineral collecting locales in the nation, and planted just a few miles south of Nathrop, Colorado is a business that bills itself as the "Largest Mineral and Rock Shop in the Rockies"---The Rock Doc.

The long building (which sits unassumingly along the western shoulder of Highway 285) certainly isn't short on interest for the diehard rockhound or the casual collector. Open 7 days a week, and filled with everything from gold prospecting gear to gems and beyond, The Rock Doc was the carefully chosen first stop on a two-day collecting tour that I embarked on with my son, Chase, on August 5th and 6th, 2015.

We arrived fairly soon after the doors opened, and already there were several patrons from teens to middle-aged couples meandering about the displays. I immediately caught the attention of Donna, and she was a wealth of stories, information, and rock-wisdom.

From anecdotal memories about many of the (now) nationally-recognized rockhounds from the hit TV show Prospectors, to the best places to hunt for our buried treasure, she was helpful and affable as she bounced around between the interested patrons.

I should've had a rag to wipe the drool as Chase and I hunched over along the expansive glass case that runs nearly the entire length of the long and low business. Each section was packed with everything from Amazonite clusters to Aquamarine crystals, from dark, pointed Smokeys to a variety of fossils and more. Behind the register at the north end of the main room, part of the owner's personal mineral and fossil collection is on display against the back wall (sorry, not for sale!).

We purchased a handful of Amazonite crystals, raw turquoise, a gold pan, glass bottle, sniffer, and a mineral collecting guide. Donna gave us information regarding some abandoned mines near Mount Taylor (in the Monarch area along Highway 50 West out on County Road 228) and the famous blue barite in Hartsel, Colorado (Bayou Salado Trading Post).

I highly recommend any casual or serious rockhounds to swing just south of Nathrop, Colorado. You may leave with a lighter wallet, but your heart and mind will be heavy with treasures and enthusiasm.

Here is direct link to a Google Maps locator for The Rock Doc:
CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK

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There's (Petrified) Wood in Them-Thar Hills!

There has always been a special place in my heart for soft wood that has been transformed into hard rock. As a child I loved dinosaur bones, but even those huge hunks of monstrous marrow couldn't compete with my attraction for petrified wood. I have perpetually been drawn to the detail, the color, the texture, and the many varieties of fossilized wood.

In 2009, on a family trip to my boyhood home of Santa Cruz, California, I dragged my wife and kids to the outskirts of Woodruff, Arizona in my quest to acquire chucks of petrified wood (I have included directions to this collecting site at the end of this article). An impending rainstorm cut that expedition to just under a half-hour of hunting, but I still drove away with several nice specimens. For six years I had been yearning for another chance to scan the soil for my favorite fossils.

The August 8th wedding of my nephew in Colorado Springs provided the prime opportunity to slake my rockhound's thirst. We traveled to Colorado a week before the marriage nuptials to allow time for some visits with friends, sight-seeing, and (of course) rockhounding. As the sun rose upon the cloud-crowned mountains surrounding the tourist-haven of Winter Park, Colorado on the morning of August 4th, 2015, my faithful sidekick, Chase, and I headed west by northwest along Highway 40 to Kremmling.

It was a cool 51 degrees in Winter Park as we departed at 7:00am, but the thermometer had plummeted to an unseasonable 35 degrees by the time we reached Fraser, Colorado (known as "The Icebox of the Nation"). We grabbed a couple of sodas and snacks and then continued several more miles west to Kremmling.

We stopped in town to purchase supplies for the trip, including a collecting bucket, small shovel, a pair of garden trowels, hammer, chisel, and bug spray.

The petrified wood collecting site is located a few miles east of Kremmling, about 3.6 miles north along County Road 2 off of Highway 40. The low hills adorning the area has been aptly nicknamed the Badlands of Colorado, Thousands of years of erosion has transformed the multicolored sandstone into a fitting geologic twin of that famous region of South Dakota.

The area to the east of County Road 2 is federal land, under the supervision and care of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Once you turn north onto County Road 2, drive approximately 3.6 miles (this is a very well-maintained and level gravel road) and then park on the right shoulder of the road.

Small pieces of petrified wood can be found in the sandy, chalky soil just to the right (east) of the road among the hills and ravines. Our best specimens were found at least three hundred yards to the east, far from the road. The closer we were to County Road 2, the fewer fossils we would find.

There is a tremendous amount of smaller fossilized chips of wood, but in about 2.5 hours of hunting, we landed a couple dozen larger pieces (up to 5 inches long). I have seen reports of larger pieces (up to 10 inches) but we were not fortunate enough to discover any on that scale.

We just used our eyes and small hand-trowels. Obviously, areas of recent erosion and areas of densely packed rocks were prime candidates for searching.

 Oftentimes if we found a larger piece, then there would be smaller chips nearby. The detail and the color of the petrified wood from this hotspot is gorgeous. The only downside on this trip to Kremmling was that I was so absorbed in my hunt that I forgot to apply sunscreen.

The deep, bright reds in the petrified wood was more than matched by the crimson dome of my nearly-bald head.

Here is a direct link to a Google Maps locator for this collecting site:
LINK TO THE COLLECTING SITE

The view looking west towards Kremmling

For those interested in collecting near Woodruff, Arizona, here are some directions I found years ago:

Take Arizona 77 south from Holbrook to the Woodruff turnoff.
Go east to the town of Woodruff. You will pass a large church, and the road will end at a "T".
Turn right (south). You will go over a single-lane bridge.
Continue until the road branches in a "Y".
Take the left-hand branch.
At mile post #2(three miles from the bridge), you will see a windmill and a dirt road on your left. Turn left at this road.
Drive approximately 1.3 miles. You will pass some "farm" buildings on your left.
A short distance further you will come to a "Y" in the road. Turn right and stop.
You can collect petrified wood on the hill immediately to your left or drive about 1/4 mile further and collect on the hill to the right of the road.

MAP OF ARIZONA COLLECTING SITE:

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