Summerville Agate, Red and Yellow Ochre, 'Cave Rock'
You may find the so-called Summerville Agate two and one quarter south of Summerville, GA, on highway US 27. The site is a quarry, or borrow pit on the right going toward Rome. So far, we have been able to collect there with bo trouble on weekends -- but don't overdo it. It might be closed.This agate is light colored, though some approaches red. Red and yellow ochre can be found on the same site. Also, bits of cave rock.
Graves Mountain near Lincolnton, Georgia
Lava, Lazurite, Quartz, Rutile
Augusta, Georgia
A real neat dig! It is located about 5 miles outside of Lincolnton, Ga. It is a free dig, but you must schedule your trip in advance and sign a release form from the owner, Combustion Engineering.
The Mt. was an open pit mine ~ two pits, actually, but we have only seen one -- two weeks ago. We are going again this Sunday, so we intend to try the other pit. Several clubs were present the day we went - - Probably 70-80 people - - but there is plenty of space to hunt.
Can't tell you much about what's there, but we saw some Lava and plenty of quartz. Everyone was concentrating on Lazurite or Rutile crystals - - we were especially lucky in finding a rather large rutile crystal (3 in x 2 in) which we are hoping will be museum quality. One guy said he had been digging there 20 years and had never seen one as big!
Our monthly meeting of the Augusta Gem/Mineral Society is this Friday night. Will obtain a copy of the release form for you and name/address of contact in Lincolnton who has the key to the site. Sunday we will get the exact mileage's and highway numbers for you. Send us your snail mail address so we can forward the form.
You need to be in good physical health for this dig! Rocks get heavy going up out of the pit and the sides are steep. Also, it's so awesome, once you get in there you tend to over-do it -- stay too long digging. You will certainly get a good night's sleep after!
Northwest Georgia's Paleozoic sedimentary rock hosts many fossils from Cambrian through Pennsylvanian (late Carboniferous) time. Black shale in waste dumps near abandoned coal mines may yield Pennsylvanian plants; most other fossils are marine, including trilobites, crinoids, and brachiopids.
Please respect private property when collecting fossils!
Some rewarding sites:
Durham Road mine dumps
Atop Lookout Mountain, east of Cloudland Canyon, Durham Road connects Georgia Highways 157 and 189. About 0.6 miles (1 km) west of its intersection with Highway 157, on the north side of the road, a heap of black shale -- removed many years ago from nearby coal mines -- contains abundant Pennsylvanian plant fossils.
I-24 roadcuts
Connecting Chattanooga and Nashville, I-24 traverses extreme northwest Georgia. Here and farther north (toward Nashville), massive limestone roadcuts offer convenient fossil-hunting sites. Drive and park carefully!
Shale banks
At many roadcut banks in tan Conasauga shale, you may find fingernail-size trilobites.