Morley, The Ore. A description of some of Oregon rocks and minerals , by Hollis M. Dole , Lawrence L. Brown 2nd rev.
Dake, Sunstone color relates to the amount of copper in the stone — 20 parts per million for yellow, parts per million for red. It may be collected on BLM land near Lakeview. Collecting on mining claims is prohibited. Learn more about Oregon Sunstone from Oregon Geology, v.
Agate and jasper are part of the chalcedony family, a variety of quartz. Distinctly banded specimens that differ in color and in degree of translucency are called agate; and mottled yellow, red, brown or green chalcedony is called jasper. These semiprecious gemstones can be collected at many sites along the Oregon coast, including Agate Beach at Newport, in some of the streams draining the Western Cascade, near the town of Antelope and around Prineville in central Oregon, near Hart Mountain and Lakeview in south-central Oregon, and at Succor Creek in southeastern Oregon.
The thunderegg geode was named state rock by the Legislature after rockhounds throughout Oregon voted it first choice. Agates can also be found in the gravels of rivers and streams all across Oregon, especially in the central part of the state. Oregon is one of the premier locations to find thundereggs in the entire world. These unique and attractive quirks of nature are popular collectors items for rockhounds and tourists.
The best places to find thundereggs in Oregon are in the creeks and hills of the central part of the state, especially in Crook County. There are several fee-to-dig sites where you can find thundereggs. Areas in Ochoco National Forest are best for collectors hoping to find thundereggs on their own.
One of the most common questions rockhounds have is whether or not they are allowed to collect at a certain location. The ownership and status of land can and does change frequently, making it impossible to document accurate information on this page. However, I have compiled a list of resources here so that you may investigate and obtain permission for any locations found here or elsewhere for yourself.
I have written entire articles which cover the rockhounding laws and regulations for nearly every type of public land you can think of. I encourage you to check them out if you are curious about the legalities of rock and mineral collecting.
As with most states, each county in Oregonwill have records of who owns each piece of property. Unfortunately for rockhounds, the law prohibits them from publishing their names or contact information online. Agate Beach. Nehalem River. Priday Agate Beds. White Rock. Carey Agate Beds. Glass Butte Recreational Rockhound Area. Opal Butte. Agate sagenitic , Chalcedony, Jasper orbicular , Moonstone, Geodes. Pacific Ocean beaches W of Astoria.
Nehalem River gravels, all the way to ocean. Columbia River shore gravels. Clear Creek, in gravels. Ocean beach gravels. Bob Straub State Park, Ocean beach gravels. Chandler Mt. Willamette River, gravel bars and tributaries. Agate Beach, in gravels. All area beach gravels near Newport.
All area beach gravels near Yachats. All beach gravels btwn Yachats and Florence. Pisgah, Area. Cedar Springs Mt. All area beach gravels N of Winchester Bay. All area beach gravels S of Winchester Bay.
Umpqua River, area gravels and bars. N Umpqua River, area gravels and bars. S Umpqua River, area gravels and bars. Ocean beach gravels, length of Coos County. Beach sands of park. Beaches N and S of Rogue River. Beaches N and S of Chetco River. Gravel bars in Rogue R. The gemstone has been known for hundreds of years and was discovered by Native Americans who treasured it. These Native Americans also widely traded the crystals would even bury the stones with their dead.
The common use of the gemstone for lapidary in US began in the early s. Tiffany and Company at that time acquired mining claims near the community of Plush, Oregon. They opened a commercial sunstone mine there that was the first in the United States of America and produced jewelry with sunstone cabochons and faceted sunstone.
New deposits of the stone were discovered in the early s. These new deposits were capable of sustaining commercial mining operations. These new discoveries witnessed a renewed interest in the beautiful stone for the people of Oregon, and it soon got the official declaration as the state gemstone by the Oregon legislatures. Oregon Sunstone is well known even among innovative jewelry designers. The stones themselves are a translucent to transparent feldspar that gives flashes of metal bright colors when light rays interacts with tiny plate-like mineral inclusions that is deposited within the stone.
These mineral inclusions that are found within the stone usually have common orientation, and a light ray that penetrates the stone reflects at a common angle. In the eyes of an observer who views the crystal from a proper angle, flashes of light are generated. There was an increase in patronage of the crystal produced especially in the state of Oregon due to this development.
The Oregon Sunstone is very popular and common in the stores of Oregon, while in jewelry stores in most part of the world it is rarely seen. Jaspers There are a wide variety of jaspers in Oregon that you can collect. Biggs jasper is one of the most popular found in the state. Located near Biggs in Sherman County, it is stunning dark picture jasper that displays beautifully when polished.
Deschutes jasper is another fine mineral that comes from the same general area and has a similar appearance to Biggs jasper. It is found near the Deschutes River east of Biggs Junction. The main collecting sites are located just south of Homedale along Highway 95 and near Owyhee Reservoir.
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