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Utah_Rockhound
United States
Приєднався 29 вер 2010
I've been collecting rocks for the last 15+ years and would like to share some highlights of my adventures! I am not a Geologist or expert, just a hobbyist that loves the thrill of the hunt, exploring to find nature's hidden (and not so hidden) treasures. From exploring to collecting to polishing and displaying my finds, I hope you find enjoyment in this content!
I began making spheres in 2022 and am very much still learning the craft. I love being able to turn a rock from the ground into a piece of art!
Any GPS locations provided are to general areas, and give you a good starting point for exploring, although I try to be as accurate in providing locations as possible.
I began making spheres in 2022 and am very much still learning the craft. I love being able to turn a rock from the ground into a piece of art!
Any GPS locations provided are to general areas, and give you a good starting point for exploring, although I try to be as accurate in providing locations as possible.
Exploring and Rockhounding the Western Edge of the San Rafael Swell!
Exploring the Western edge of the San Rafael Swell in Utah! From UFO "crash site" art installations to incredible Native American rock art panels to colorful agates along Last Chance Road, there is no shortage of things to explore along the western part of the San Rafael Swell! This video is just scratching the surface of things to see and explore in the area.
GPS:
UFO Landing Site: 39°07'38.8"N 111°06'27.7"W
Rochester Rock Art Panel: 38°54'11.1"N 111°11'52.8"W
Last Chance Road Agates: 38°39'00.5"N 111°16'57.4"W
GPS:
UFO Landing Site: 39°07'38.8"N 111°06'27.7"W
Rochester Rock Art Panel: 38°54'11.1"N 111°11'52.8"W
Last Chance Road Agates: 38°39'00.5"N 111°16'57.4"W
Переглядів: 486
Відео
Making a Petrified Wood Sphere!
Переглядів 403День тому
This is the second sphere from the large chunk of Arizona petrified wood I purchased in the Spring. The wood was quite fractured, and required stabilization throughout the process. The final product is a fantastic multi-colored 2 1/2 inch sphere!
Rockhounding Amazing Agates and Geodes in Utah's San Rafael Swell!
Переглядів 1,2 тис.21 день тому
Collecting jasper geodes and grape agates in the San Rafael Swell of Utah! This is such a fun area to explore, and the ground is covered with material. GPS: 38°50'48.3"N 110°24'11.0"W - This is the general coordinates of this VAST area. There is agate scattered all over the area.
Rockhounding Agate Near Looking Glass Road South of Moab, Utah!
Переглядів 757Місяць тому
Looking Glass Rock is located south of Moab, Utah and just outside of the town on La Sal. The agate is found on a little spur road off Looking Glass Road. While not exceptional compared to other Agate found in Southern Utah, there are large chunks littering the ground. I thought it would be fun to cut a sphere out of one. GPS: Looking Glass Rock: 38°16'30.4"N 109°24'22.9"W Agate: 38°17'30.0"N 1...
Rockhounding Calcite Onyx near Nephi, Utah!
Переглядів 1,6 тис.Місяць тому
Rockhounding Calcite Onyx near the Ponderosa Campground East of Nephi, Utah. This area is along the Nebo Loop scenic byway and does not have a shortage of spectacular views, especially in late Spring (this was filmed early June) when the wildflowers are in bloom! The onyx from this location can have some really neat patterns and is a fun stone to work. I made a sphere and a couple of cabs from ...
Searching for Santaquin's Fossil Shells!
Переглядів 1,8 тис.Місяць тому
Rockhounding South of Santaquin, Utah for fossil shells! This location is much more accessible than the Nebo Loop location, although the shells seem a bit less abundant (but there are plenty out there, I found a dozen or so in a couple hours of walking around). Still an awesome place for a rock hunting adventure! GPS: 39°55'17.6"N 111°48'12.2"W - The last stretch of dirt road will require 4WD o...
Collecting Fossil Shells in Utah's Nebo Loop!
Переглядів 2,9 тис.2 місяці тому
Rockhounding fossil shells along the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway in the southern part of Utah County. This particular spot is found along the Mt. Loafer trail (between 1-3 miles up the trail) in the surrounding hills. It takes a bit of work to find a spot and get an eye for them, but once you do, they are pretty abundant. These shells can be found in many different locations in the Wasatch range inc...
Rockhounding Petrified Wood at Hurricane Mesa Near St. George!
Переглядів 1,4 тис.2 місяці тому
Back in Southern Utah rockhounding petrified wood. Hurricane Mesa is located just north of St. George, Utah, and has an abundance of petrified wood, some of it lined with quartz! Everything from small shards of wood to large trees can be found in this area. Be aware that the road to the location does require high clearance/4WD. A visit here will reward you with some great petrified wood and sup...
Rockhounding the Centennial Eureka Mine in the Rain!
Переглядів 1,7 тис.3 місяці тому
The Centennial Eureka Mine is located on private property just outside of Eureka, Utah. This location is typically closed to collecting, but I was fortunate to be able to go with a rock club that had permission from the land owner to collect. The rainy weather worked to our advantage as it made the rocks "glow" when they were wet, making them easy to spot and collect. I was able to collect mine...
Rockhounding the Dugway Geode Beds and Finding a Large Amethyst Geode!!
Переглядів 3,1 тис.3 місяці тому
I spent a day rockhounding the Dugway Geode Beds along the old Pony Express Trail in Western Utah. This was my first trip out in several years and was expecting the area to be pretty picked over, but was pleasantly surprised that I was able to fill a bucket in just a few hours and found several large geodes as well. There are two main pits at the geode beds, and I have found that the first main...
Rockhounding Utah's Black Rock Desert for Obsidian!
Переглядів 2,2 тис.3 місяці тому
Exploring the Black Rock Desert of Utah for Obsidian! This is a remote area but definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. The majority of what I found this trip is mahogany obsidian (the brown/red banding) which I prefer, but I have found snowflake obsidian here in the past. I was happy to find a really glassy piece that was big enough to cut into a cab that shows the really neat flow pat...
Rockhounding the Searle Canyon Red Beryl Mine, Thomas Range Utah!
Переглядів 1,4 тис.4 місяці тому
Had the opportunity to rockhound the Searle Canyon Red Beryl mine in the Thomas Range of Utah. This is a private claim that offers rockhounding opportunities through thegemtours.com. Though known for the red beryls that are found here, there is a large variety of minerals to be found. This is a list of the gems collected during our trip: Red Beryl Topaz Bixbyite Hematite after Garnet (pseudomor...
Making a Sphere with Arizona Petrified Wood!
Переглядів 2,3 тис.4 місяці тому
I purchased a large chunk of Petrified Wood from a rock shop just outside of Petrified Forest National Park with the hopes of making a couple of spheres. The wood was very fractured and required stabilization multiple times (I used Starbond on this piece). It certainly took some extra effort and patience, but the final result turned out pretty good. The colors and patterns on this piece are awe...
Exploring Sego Ghost Town & Rockhounding Yellow Cat for Agate!
Переглядів 6 тис.4 місяці тому
The Ghost Town of Sego, Utah is located within Sego Canyon, just north of Thompson Springs. It is an old coal mining town that was inhabited until about 1955. The Sego Canyon rock art site is incredible, and has styles of rock art from the Fremont, Ute, and Barrier Tribes! Yellow Cat, Utah, is a well known rockhounding spot that produces beautiful red agates and petrified wood. I like to find t...
Rockhounding & Exploring Green River, Utah!
Переглядів 6 тис.5 місяців тому
Rockhounding for Pigeon-Blood Agates and Corprolites in the Floy area southeast of Green River. This is a vast area with many places to explore. After rockhounding, I visited Crystal Geyser just south of Green River. I wasn't there long enough to watch it erupt, but it was still neat to see the orange travertine deposits left behind from years of eruptions! Afterwards, I went to Fossil Point, a...
Rockhounding and Polishing Salina Wonderstone!
Переглядів 1,2 тис.5 місяців тому
Rockhounding and Polishing Salina Wonderstone!
Exploring Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona!
Переглядів 6386 місяців тому
Exploring Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona!
Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2024 Main Show Highlights!
Переглядів 1,5 тис.6 місяців тому
Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2024 Main Show Highlights!
Exploring the 2024 Tucson Gem & Mineral Satellite Shows!
Переглядів 9 тис.6 місяців тому
Exploring the 2024 Tucson Gem & Mineral Satellite Shows!
Polishing Honeycomb Calcite from the Uinta Mountains of Northeast Utah!
Переглядів 7877 місяців тому
Polishing Honeycomb Calcite from the Uinta Mountains of Northeast Utah!
Rockhounding Petrified Wood in Southern Utah!
Переглядів 2,1 тис.8 місяців тому
Rockhounding Petrified Wood in Southern Utah!
Collecting Agates and Geodes, and Visiting Black Dragon Canyon in the San Rafael Swell of Utah!
Переглядів 6 тис.8 місяців тому
Collecting Agates and Geodes, and Visiting Black Dragon Canyon in the San Rafael Swell of Utah!
Rockhounding and Polishing Wonderstone Found Near Vernon, Utah!
Переглядів 1,6 тис.9 місяців тому
Rockhounding and Polishing Wonderstone Found Near Vernon, Utah!
Rockhounding for Gems at Topaz Mountain!
Переглядів 2,5 тис.10 місяців тому
Rockhounding for Gems at Topaz Mountain!
Searching for Petrified Wood in the Hanksville, Utah Area!
Переглядів 4,4 тис.11 місяців тому
Searching for Petrified Wood in the Hanksville, Utah Area!
Rockhounding Garnet Hill Outside of Ely, Nevada and Exploring Great Basin National Park!
Переглядів 2,4 тис.11 місяців тому
Rockhounding Garnet Hill Outside of Ely, Nevada and Exploring Great Basin National Park!
Collecting Fossils at Mounds Reef, Utah!
Переглядів 2,5 тис.Рік тому
Collecting Fossils at Mounds Reef, Utah!
Making a Large Cab With a Slab of Picasso Marble From Utah! #Lapidary
Переглядів 1 тис.Рік тому
Making a Large Cab With a Slab of Picasso Marble From Utah! #Lapidary
I found the coordinates you posted. Thanks! I hope we have luck.
Perfect. Good Luck!
I'm coming to Utah next month to visit my daughter. We both love rockhounding! Can you please, please, please give me a location for grape agates? I hate going out and am clueless where to look and come back empty- handed and frustrated. Any tips on locations would be very, very much appreciated as the San Rafael Swell encompasses a large area. We mainly enjoy surface finds.
100% Floy Wash. For anyone saying pigeon blood / Floy Olive is not agate.. Mindat says it is, that’s good enough for me. The latter half of the video, I’m suspecting mid Brushy Basin formation in Agate Wash. possibly North of the Peace Heart “art installation”. Or North of Agate Switch.
Beautiful material
What kind of glue are you using to stabilize your rocks?
I use Starbond.
what a chunk, awesome colors!
Very cool! We love the San Rafael Swell area. There are so many hidden areas and roads to exolore!
My husband and I just explored San Rafael Swell Labor Day weekend! We went towards Black Dragon canyon. Such a beautiful area. Great vid!
Thank you for posting the coordinates! I finally found some! I went shortly after you posted this and got all the wrong rocks. Like you said, once you get an eye for them, you cant miss them, if you find the right spot. Same with the calcite onyx! I am curious, how can you find these all around the Wasatch range? are you looking by elevation or a certain kind of rock? Or is this just years of hiking and exploring and knowing the spots? My kids were about dead (or so they thought) when we hiked to this spot.
Glad you found them! Most of my experience comes from following the old rockhounding guides. The first book I bought was the Utah Gem Trails book, and I found a bunch of spots that way. I found the fossil shell location by complete dumb luck as I stumbled on that spot while hunting a few years back. When I went back the next year to explore, I found a few spots up there with the fossil shells.
That is an awesome process holy crap.
I'm in taylorsville and have too much rock. Would you be willing to meet up and talk to me about spheres? I have a lot of questions. Thank you.
Vernal has awesome fossils as well.
Another really good video. Thanks for posting your beautiful finds and cutting them open.
BEAUTIFUL 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
Newly subscribed, wondering: who are you, and do you live in Utah? Might seem silly questions , but I kinda like to know a little about the people I follow.
My name is Mark, and I live in Salem, Utah!
I’m here to see more of your beautiful finds. Love see the fun stuff you gather. 72, Spanish fork
I’m old & have mobility problems, so watching you- I van vicariously find cool things like you! Subscribed
Glad to have you along for the ride!
Woah is that a homemade sphere machine?
Yep. I actually inherited it about 3 years ago from the person that built it. I've made a few tweaks to it, but it has been a great machine to learn on!
I’m headed down from Canada next week, are you headed anywhere that a random Canadian could follow you to?
Not a dude and not a serial killer…would just be fascinating to wander along with you =}
lol, unfortunately no, I won't be getting out again until the end of September. My next 'rockhounding' will be at the Denver Gem Show!
@@utah_rockhound …bummer!
Careful of that crust please
You certainly make it look fun !
Love your content!! You make beautiful pieces! Do you charge to cut large rocks/ make spheres for people who bring you their own finds?
Thank you!! I actually don’t do commission work or anything because I just don’t have the time. This is strictly hobby for me…
@@utah_rockhound yeah, that’s totally understandable! Thanks for the response, can’t wait to see more of your videos!
Muito bonito
I live in Chicago and we try to get to Utah every other year. We will be there next summer. I don’t know if I can wait!! I want to jump in my car right now, no stops!🤩 Thank you for sharing :)
One of my faves for cabbing!!!
Looking glass rock, where all the hill people Mormons live in the rock lol. They are really cool homes dug into the red rock hills.
Another great video, so jealous of those geodes, what's inside at 33 and 1:21🔥
I’m not 100% sure but I believe it’s a pink variation of Celestine. Either that or selenite.
Love those geodes!! Aftet all the storms and heat, maybe we will have to head to the swell again. It's an addiction! 😂
It really is one of my favorite places to collect! Totally an addiction!
🤝🤝🤝A wonderful channel! Colorful, high-quality shots.There are many interesting videos about minerals. I love agates.I collect. Subscribed!👍👍👍👍👍3:20 The last geode with amethyst. Beauty. It's better, of course, to cut it off, it's a pity to break it
Thank you so much 👍
I was just there today and searched everywhere. I did not see any whole ones out there. You found some amazing stuff!
Another great video you’re always very helpful in giving us a few breadcrumbs, to follow. Thanks again
I’ve been to those exact spots. I couldn’t find a whole one for the life of me. The solid red jasper polishes super well. Good finds!
They are certainly tough to find. Most of the geodes break up as they weather out, so the majority of the whole ones I find are solid or mostly solid. Every now and again I get a good one though!
what kind of saw is that your using?
you're
I use an old Spatran lapidary saw (20 inch). I got it used several years ago and it has run like a champ for me with very little maintenance.
Really amazing stuff. I wish i was a little closer to the area. I always feel bad hitting stuff with a hammer instead of cutting it. Lol
Lol I agree, but I have always preferred the look of these geodes broken than cut and polished. Just a preference thing for me!
മനോഹരമായ സ്റ്റോണുകൾ 👌👌👌
Good video ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you!!
Weird cool stuff! Going to check it out tomorrow! Please let me know if you have any tips you care to divulge. Thanks for your video!
It's such a big area, be sure to get out and explore. Geodes can be tricky to find out there, but I tend to find them along the small ridge lines that weather out (you'll see when you're out there). They are mostly broken pieces, but now and then you will see the whole ones. Good luck and have fun!
@utah_rockhound Thanks a million for your information and good luck wishes! I greatly appreciate it!
Nice found
This one is new to me. Cool. Has anyone tried faceting these?
I haven't seen any faceted, but if anyone has, I'd love to see it!
Love to rock/ fossil hunt! Thanks for sharing.
Those are some big ones! Very nice.
Oh wow I really wasnt expecting the dogtooth calcite! Great finds!
There are a couple places up there that have beautiful specimens. ❤ Love your spheres! Im just up the road from here and love the location ❤❤❤.
Thanks! It really is a cool area!
Beautiful... Nicely done😎
Thank you!
Awesome!
Jackpot
You're videos are very inspiring. Perfect length, no goofy or lengthy narration... the photos and rocks speak for themselves. Thanks!! Have you found any sign of the "Nebo Loop fossil shells" in this area?
💓👁️👍
Some of those looked like Mahogany Obsidian.
Thanks for the location. The stone polishes up to a gorgeous sheen. Is that location on private land?
It’s a public Rockhounding spot!