Saddle Mountain Fire Agates - Rockhounding Southern AZ
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- Опубліковано 17 вер 2024
- #thefinders #rockhounding #saddlemountain
I took a quick trip out to a BLM area west of Mesa, AZ called Saddle Mountain. It is well known for fire agates. I may not have gotten anything with fire but I still found some pretty rocks. :)
I’m nursing an injury to my hand that has me sidelined from rock hounding. Thanks for letting me tag along with you today. I really like your attitude about what makes any rock worthwhile. If you like a rock, then it’s worthwhile to you. ❤❤❤
@@raygay3375 I hope your hand gets better soon!
Thank you I enjoyed that
One of my absolute favorite places ever❤
Nice thanks 😊 👍 🙏
I have been there several times. The clear ones I clean and just flatten the backs or tumble and flatten the backs. It makes beautiful jewelry. I look for the dark patches of basalt and have better luck in those areas. It looks like you were having fun and that's what it was all about. Keep the goodness coming. Be happy, safe and stay healthy 😷⚒
I know it's late to comment on this video, but the noise you mention (and we can hear in the video at 3:04) is grasshoppers in flight, so you were right, it is a bug. "Prime snake time" in the desert in the summer is after sunset when it cools down a bit. The holes are dug by mammals, as snakes cannot dig holes. Snakes only make use of existing holes. The hole visible at 6:12, which goes vertically down instead of at an angle, is the kind I see tarantulas coming out of at sunset or just after. I don't know what digs these vertical holes, but I'm sure the tarantulas don't.
I have collected in the area of this video and found that some of the pieces I brought home fluoresce under short UV light, some green, some orange.
Thanks for the videos.
I love these cute little agates, quite pretty. What a gorgeous place.
a butterfly ❤
Just wanted to say that I really enjoy your videos. Informative and relaxing. Keep doing what you're doing 👍🏻
Thank you so much! 😊
My wife and i found herds of fire Agate at this location!
You're standing in my spot! :)
Do you go out there often?
@@RocksForBrains I used to go out there often, but no longer live in Arizona 😞 I’m planning a vacation in April to come visit though! I think there’s a video on my page for Saddle Mountain? I think.
I see a farm feed bucket! Those are awesome! That location would be awesome to visit after a rain.
I have some of those fire agates and they can light up with a UV light, I would love to be out there after sunset.
Haha yeah, I stole that idea from you. Though to me it’s just a horse bucket. 🤷🏼♀️😁 Dude, I’m so far behind on your videos lol.
I know this is a year old video, and not sure if anyones has told you what those holes are? The are ground squirrels/Prairie dog holes. Snakes do go in them. I went out there today. But wasn’t actually at saddle mountain. I also don’t know if I got anything of value to others. But certainly got pretty rocks for me and granddaughter.
Oh cool! Yeah I wasn’t sure if the snakes made them or not. It does make more sense that the rodents do it. Glad you found some cool rocks. 🥰
Petrified wood there if you dig!!!
The fire agate covers the whole are that washes down from the higher rocks. The whole flat area with shallow washes will be covered in desert roses and fire agates, all the way west down to the paved road and beyond. There is fire agate in situ up one of the canyons on the south side of Saddle Mountain, but the best pieces I've found were float, out on the flatter areas. The best pieces required no grinding: the fire is right on the surface. Sadly, The fire agate at saddle mountain is not as colorful as the material from other areas like Deer creek. But it's a fun place to hunt anyway, and very convenient to Phoenix, and to anyone traveling along Interstate 10 west of Phoenix.
I've never seen a snake, but we found a big desert tortoise last time I was there!
Cool! I would have lost it if I had seen a tortoise. I love them. 😁👍🏻
If you ever return to this area bring a rake.
Rake down a few inches where you find some on the surface.
Good tip thanks!
Also, look for areas that go from that lighter desert colors to very dark volcanic rock. These are the volcanic flows, fire agate easy to spot next to dark rock, usually plentiful in these flow areas, good size specimens on surface. Live 10 min from Saddle Mtn for few years. This area is beautiful, go rock hounding right from house(have wayy to many rocks), and hounding after a monsoon may be my favorite time. That or late summer nights😅. Happy hounding!
So cool and thanks for sharing!
Was just here mid February and found a lot. Climbed up to escarpment on Saddle Mountain and chiselled some good ones out.
Nice! I'm hoping to go back before it gets too hot and spend some more time. :)
Good finds! I hope we get to see 'em cleaned up in the future.
I’ve worked a few already. ☺️
Wow way Cool 😎👍💯🇺🇲
Thanks! 😁
Beautiful landscape, the buttes, cactus, and the openness. I purchased some fire agate once and not very good quality that looks a lot like what you are picking up. I extract the pieces with color and tumble them and now I call them gems. They're pretty nice. Very nice finds at that location. Thanks for sharing a great video.
Yeah it’s unlikely any of what I got this time will have good fire but I still like them. I’ve had much better luck with the Black Hills BLM area near Safford.
Love that agates, the color of some are killer!
What makes a rock better to tumble more than others?
Hardness and uniformity typically. Rocks that are harder than 5 on the Mohs scale and that don’t have a lot of fractures or uneven formations are easier to tumble and get a better polish. 😊
Great location adding it to my bucket list, thanks for the video.
Hi Lauren. I got bit on my hand by a rattlesnake when I reached down to the ground! I saw you pick up a rock right next to a hole, just put your bucket over the hole and you will be cool. I put my hand next to a hole and startled a baby snake and it got me!
Good tip thanks!
@@RocksForBrains Oh my gosh, I hope you don't think I was, in any way, implying that you don't know what you are doing! It was such a bad experience that I can't even describe the agony that I went through! It happened so fast that I felt like it was my fault and really wanted to die. I should know better! I wish no one would ever have to go through that.
No no it’s ok, I totally get it. I wouldn’t want to get bitten either that’s sounds awful. 😳
Did you taste like chicken?
Very cool material! Will have to check that area out sometime for sure! Thanks for sharing!
I need to go back too. An hour was not nearly enough time. 😋
Those holes look like what those mice that have kangaroo like legs live in. I was camping at Picacho Point between Tucson and Phoenix over 20 years ago and my friend and I walked into a den of rattlesnakes. We watched a diamondback eat one of those mice in the morning in our campsite.
Kangaroo rats! That would have been cool to see. 😁
@@RocksForBrains They are neat to see. I grew up in Ohio and you don’t come across anything like them at all. We do have rattlesnakes and scorpions here in WA state though, but you need to be east of the cascades.
@@mwilson14 oh for sure. I grew up in VA. Very different there too. I think I’m staying in AZ though. 😉
Awesome stuff! Paradise on Pennies sent me a few of those, super cool!
There are more the on mountain called that which one?
I go there in the winter and walk in the dry washes.I find some pretty big fire agates in them.Be careful of snakes,there's alot of them around Saddle mountain.And don't forget to check the wind rows of rock and ruble on both sides of the roads.I've found some nice ones in that stuff.
I usually go into the ditches and use a geopick to uncover what is unseen.
Good idea!
I was there a month ago for a couple days detecting ! Just a lot of hot rocks very beautiful area !!! 🙂🙂😉
My daughters and I LOVE your videos:) we are going to check this place out this weekend. We can’t wait! Thank you for saying where your videos are made. I reached out to another yt rock-hounder” and she flat out refused to disclose any locations. My girls were super bummed. We just started and I’m trying to make the most of it:) your videos are amazing! I love reminders in this one, choose rocks you like … make sure you don’t take everything… it should be fun:)
Yeah I never really understood that mentality of not giving locations. These are public places and there’s plenty of rocks to go around. For this spot I just drove down the next road from the Saddle Mountain trailhead and randomly stopped. I know there are other places with better specimens in the area but it’s a BIG area. 😊
The black rock around the 10:54 mark looks like a piece of meteorite, so if you remember where that was, you should check it out. I know it isn’t likely, nor possible to identify anything for certain from pictures and video, but it stood out to me and thought I would mention it.
What are the quardenets to saddle mtn fire agot please
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I’m so glad I found your channel! It’s always been a dream to make it to AZ for some of your gorgeous petrified wood. However, you are showing a lot of materials that are now going on the bucket list. So not to be a pest but I have a random/strange question. My hiking boots have officially died and can not be repaired. I would like to obtain rocks not blisters. Do you have a particular type or brand you like hounding in?
I’m go glad you found me! I hope you can get out to AZ sometime. There is so much here to see and do and lots of wonderful rocks. I do prefer Asolo brand boots. Their fabric (not leather) style are very comfortable and flexible. They are pretty expensive but totally worth it. Though you might hear in the videos, the ones I have are squeaky lol. This is what I’m currently wearing. www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/198767/asolo-landscape-gv-lth-hiking-boots-womens?CAWELAID=120217890012205468&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=118345902459&CATCI=pla-938416275484&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_1987670004%7C92700061455318091%7CNB%7C71700000080221772&gclid=CjwKCAjwgviIBhBkEiwA10D2j2ZlYkuAfyOJxJilmqtdUIUuNnBZ6y2YYzigho93ydJEfrXPHUpr7hoCcckQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
I've found petrified wood there you need to dig.
Hope I go there again in a couple of weeks. Found some nice one the last time I was there, about a month ago.
Awesome! 😁👍🏻
Question, are you more likely to find good fire aggets on the surface or if you dug a little you would find more?
Also do fire aggets also indicate other minerals will be around like gold or silver, or gem stones?
Probably in this area you’d find more if you dug down since it’s a popular area and is surface picked a lot. I’d have to look at the regulations though and see if that’s even allowed. Another idea is to go look in the washes a day after it’s rained (and there’s no flood danger) because fresh rocks will be deposited. Since agates are typically associated with volcanic rocks you probably won’t find gold or gem stones unless there is an assortment of things from a river for example.
@@RocksForBrains So you are saying unlike quartz, aggets are not a good indicator of other precious metals like gold or silver? I am guessing digging for aggets would be less fruitful than just scanning the ground for them? Unless you find an area that has a lot of aggets bundled together, it could be a lot of wasted energy with minimal results? Do aggets bundle together or since they come from a volcanic event (you pointed to a mountain in the distance) they would be pretty evenly spread out away from where the volcano was?
@@chrisyanover1777 I think it depends on how the agate was formed. It’s often associated with volcanic rock but not always. I’m not familiar with the geology surrounding the type of quartz that occurs with gold. This is a good video explanation for how agate forms. ua-cam.com/video/gAZB93OjnmE/v-deo.html If they are eroded out of volcanic rock then there usually is a larger quantity in a smaller area nearby the host rock.
So do you hunt on the south side from Gila Bend or the North side from Palo Verde ?
I’m not sure. I drove in from the east to Tonopah. A little past the saddle mountain trail. www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/saddle-mountain-trail--2
Based on the All Trails info I’d say that was on the North side of Saddle Mountain off of Courthouse Road. I had two trips to Saddle Mountain this winter and filled a 5 gallon bucket with Chalcedony. Most of the rocks were found on the South side of the mountain but very few had any fire. The Chalcedony has some really unique layers and swirls. It also fluoresces in colors ranging from burnt orange to a bright green using a shortwave UV light.