Agate Hunting!?

[Burchoid]

My wife, sister, and her fiance want to go agate hunting sometime soon, maybe even this weekend.

We always used to go agate hunting as kids around new construction areas in the cities after the rain washed some of the newly exposed substrate... great times.

We want try somewhere near Duluth, but we have no idea where to start. Are there any places to hunt agates around Duluth that are worthwhile? I've poked around the web and haven't found anything helpful.

If you don't want to share information on the public forums here but are willing to help a guy out, please email me at [email protected].

Thanks

[gooty]

Try the shores of lake superior. it gets hit hard, but its been windy the last few days, stirs things up a little bit!

[Burchoid]

I would, but... the more I read around the more I am hearing that the lake superior shores aren't all that great unless you go up by Grand Marais... Is this true?

[pumper317]

Yeah, dont waste your time. Look on any dirt road with rocks on it. No real big ones, but plenty to keep you busy for a while. I used to venture north of Duluth towards island lake, lots of roads up that way.

[canman]

I was at lake Superior over the 4th. On the beaches we found many agates. The biggest were the size of quarters. Fun to be there on the lake as we looked. If you are looking for big ones, this is likely not the place unless you go into the water or spend a lot of time.

[gooty]

yeah ive got a couple jars full from the north shore...lots of em, everywhere! Lots of rocks, lots of agates...the gravel roads are good up here too

[PGE-Hound]

I would try to find gravel pits and stream/river banks with gravel/till exposure, the DNR may have a Till exposure or gravel pit map or something of that type. I believe what you would be looking for is the Superior Lobe Till. It is a coarse-textured till of basalts, gabbro, granite, iron formation, red sandstone, slate, and greenstone (taken from the DNR HSOforum). It would be reddish in color. If you are at a gravel pit there maybe other till of grey and yellow color but look for the reddish stuff, that indicates it came from the superior basin which is rich in iron (red from oxidation) and would more than likely house superior agates.

[DARK30]

I picked up a few little tumblers last Sunday...I looked at a few million rocks too. Nothin worth putting on the scale this year tho (YET)

[Ferny]

Hey Burch, most of the gravel roads in the metro have agates. The things you did as a kid still work. Any time they do any digging it opens up new rocks. How'd you do up north? I do pretty good in the metro but you need to hit the farmers fields after harvest to find the pounders.

Ferny.

[reinhard1]

can someone tell me the value of an agate. is it by the size? thank you. good luck.

[DARK30]

Size is one thing, content and appearance are major. Google "lake superior agate for sale" to get an idea.

[reinhard1]

thank you dark. i have some that i picked on the north shore back in the 70's. one is a good size one about like a lime. i will look up the site. thank you and good luck.

[BOUNCED]

Size is one thing, content and appearance are major. Google "lake superior agate for sale" to get an idea.

I must have a few hundred bucks worth in my landscape rock? I might have to start pulling them out.

[Rick G]

I must have a few hundred bucks worth in my landscape rock? I might have to start pulling them out.

[DARK30]

I found a few tumblers lately. It sure would be nice to put the grab on a nice tater! I haven't gone to post office to weight anything for a while now.

[ramjam]

Here's one I found back in June while mushroom hunting in the south metro. Weighs in at 1.25#. Not much for banding but it has a nice, rich color. You don't have to go far to find the nice ones.

[TonkaBass]

nice one ramjam!

[Captain B.R.K]

I was up on the Northshore in August and picked up a handful of rocks that I think have one or two agates in em'. Is there anyone in the metro that I could bring my rocks to and they could tell me what I've got? Could anyone give me some tips other than what I've read on-line on how to identify an agate?

I'll be up on the Northshore again in several weeks and would like to do a little more searching.

Thanks!

[DARK30]

Yup, Thats a hefty one ramjam...you found it in the woods?

Heres a small one I picked up this weekend...

[ramjam]

Dark-

Found it half-buried on a hiking trail. Had the rain not washed it off, I never would've noticed it. I've learned to always keep an eye on the ground.

Captain-

I've always found it easier to find agates immediately after a rain. The agates tend to pop out when they're wet. Banding is the most obvious characteristic, but not all agates are banded. Look for a waxy appearance and concoidal fractures(like a chip in glass). I also try not to look at each individual rock. Glance over a general area and try to pick out rocks that just look a little different.

There's a good book called "The Other Lake Superior Agate" written by John Marshall that gives a lot of insight into the not-so-obvious agates.

[DARK30]

I scored one nice one this weekend anyway...

That rain was good for something.

[Captain B.R.K]

I'll pick up the book and get some hints. I was searching for that book but cannot find it on Barnes and Nobles HSOforum. It's by John Marshall right?

[ramjam]

According to the author John Marshall, "The Other Lake Superior Agate" is out of print. There may be a few copies available at some of the small rock shops or their web sites. You can download a free pdf copy of this book from a link on the Facebook page "Lake Superior Agate Collectors". Good book. Lots of pictures and even a geology lesson.

[DARK30]

There are a few lake superior agate books on eebay right now....some darn nice agates too!

[DARK30]

A few from this am.