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New Jersey is known for its remarkable range of gemstones, crystals, and minerals, making it one of the greatest rockhounding destinations in the United States. New Jersey’s rockhounding location is equally diverse as its mineral and gemstone collection.
The state’s northern and central regions are the greatest rockhounding areas, including abandoned quarries, seashore beaches, and mining wastes. Geodes, rubies, amethyst, Cape May Diamonds, jasper, corundum, axinite, gold, silver, copper, datolite, citrine, amber, and other minerals, rocks, gemstones, crystals, and fossils are all available.
The state’s southern section is particularly worth seeing, as the gravels of streams, rivers, and granite outcrops. Amber is common in New Jersey, and you could discover some trapped creatures inside it! Check out the most excellent rockhounding spots in New Jersey and see what you can find!
If you want to check out the best book about rockhounding in New Jersey, you can find it here (Amazon link).
Best Rockhounding Sites in New Jersey
The best rockhounding sites in New Jersey are Pennington Mountain, Manasquan Beach, Burlington County, Higbee Beach, Cape May, Stirling, Franklin Furnace, Pompton River, Bergen County, Snake Hill, The Palisades, Bayonne to Edgewater, Mine Hill, Prospect Quarry Park, Bound Brook, and many others.
The northern, southern, and central parts of New Jersey are generally among the most abundant regions.
The northern parts are usually the richest and where most of the best rockhounding locations are situated. Let’s look at some of these rockhounding sites and see what you can find!
Bergen County
Bergen County might be the best location for a rockhound in New Jersey. Several noteworthy specimens are found in the basalt, diabase outcrops, and road cuts. You can find some things: amethyst, agates, geodes, crystals, carnelian, chalcedony, datolite, natrolite, and standard and fire opals.
At Bergen Hill by Hudson River, in all the tunnels, exposures, and road cuts, you can find banded agates, albite, amethyst, analcime, apatite, calcite crystals, datolite, epidote, galena, malachite, fire, common opals, quartz crystals, siderite, and many other specimens.
Mine Hill
In mining dumps of Mine Hill, northern New Jersey, you can find bornite, tremolite, calcite, chalcopyrite, chlorite, garnet, hematite, magnetite, pyrite crystals, quartz crystals, spinel, sunstone, and many other specimens.
Near the summit, you can find feldspar and sunstones as well.
Prospect Park Quarry
The Prospect Park Quarry is also among the best rockhounding locations in New Jersey. Here, you can find chalcedony, banded agates, amethyst, barite, calcite, cuprite, datolite, dolomite, galena, goethite, hematite, opals, prehnite, quartz, silver, and various other minerals, even fluorescent ones.
Bound Brook
In central New Jersey, enthusiasts should visit Bound Brook. Here, in the area quarries, you can find tourmaline, malachite, cuprite, quartz crystals, prehnite, silver, copper, chalcocite, calcite, bornite, and agate specimens.
BTW: Do you want to know more about rock and mineral identification? The books listed below are the best ones you can find on the internet (Amazon links):
- Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals
- Gemstone & Crystal Properties (Quick Study Home)
- Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Rocks and Minerals (National Geographic Kids)
Types of Rocks in New Jersey
New Jersey has a wide variety of rocks that you can collect. Some of the most famous specimens include geodes, flint, obsidian, agate, serpentine, sunstone, marble, jasper, soapstone, amphibole, augite, microcline, diabase, basalt, slate, quartzite, gneiss, shale, sandstone, limestone, dolomite, or franklinite.
| Rock | Location |
|---|---|
| Geodes | Bergen County, Barnardsville |
| Flint | Rockaway River, Hudson River, Delaware River |
| Obsidian | Essex County, Morrison County, Passaic County |
There isn’t a wide variety of geodes that you can find in New Jersey. And the locations where these beautiful rocks are present are few. However, if you head to Bergen County, northern New Jersey, you might find some beautiful amethyst geodes in the basalt and diabase outcrops or road cuts.
In central New Jersey, you might be able to find geodes in Barnardsville. Head towards the area quarries in this region and search for them. Various geodes have been found here.
Finding Flint in New Jersey is relatively easy. Most of the time, you can find it in the washes caused by floods or river beds. Rockaway River is a great place to find native flint. You can also try the Hudson River or Delaware River.
New Jersey’s geologic history is rich and complicated; however, you might find obsidian here as well. Obsidian may be found in the riverbed area of Essex County.
You can also try your luck at Green Pond Mountain, Northern Passaic County, the western parts of Morisson County, or its southern parts at Peapack Kipple. The Jutland Kipple south of Musconetcong Mountain is also an excellent place to start.
TIP: Acquiring a piece of obsidian that needs to be cut and polished can be stressful if you have never done it before. Check out the step-by-step guide on how to cut and polish obsidian:
How to Cut & Polish Obsidian: Follow These 7 Simple Steps
Where Can I Dig for Gems in New Jersey
The state of New Jersey is filled with various beautiful and even rare gemstones that you can find.
Some of the most popular ones are amethyst, quartz gemstones, especially Cape May Diamonds, opal, pyrite, carnelian, jasper, sard, zircon, corundum, ruby, tourmaline, rhodonite, titanite-sphene, axinite, or garnet, among many others.
| Gemstone | Location |
|---|---|
| Amethyst | Warren Township, Bergen County, Snake Hill |
| Quartz | Prospect Park Quarry, Pompton Lakes, Rock Hill Quarry |
| Rubies | Sparta |
There are plenty of hot spots where you can find high-quality amethyst specimens in New Jersey. Bergen County might be the best place to find it.
You can search in the basalt and diabase outcrops or road cuts, or you can head to Begen Hill, the Hudson River region, and search in the road cuts and exposures. Snake Hill is another excellent place; in Warren Township, you can find amethyst in the brook gravels.
To find quartz gemstones in New Jersey, head towards the Prospect Park Quarry in the northern region. The area quarries near the Pompton Lakes are excellent, and so is the Rock Hill Quarry in central New Jersey.
The quarries in Barnardsville and the 3M Quarry in Belle Mead are also great places to find quartz gemstones in New Jersey.
List of Minerals Found in New Jersey
There are hundreds of mineral specimens found in New Jersey. Gold, albite, analcime, apatite, calcite, galena, malachite, magnesite, feldspar, garnet, prehnite, bornite, chalcopyrite, tremolite, allanite, chondrodite, barite, dolomite, goethite, silver, hornblende, willemite, azurite, braunite, or marcasite are among the minerals found.
| Mineral | Location |
|---|---|
| Gold | Cape May County, Sussex County, Burlington County |
| Silver | Bound Brook, Somerville, Pompton Lakes |
| Prehnite | Houdaille Quarry, Morris County, Lambertville Quarry |
You might need to enter a gold prospectors club to find gold in New Jersey. Gold isn’t so documented in this state. However, it is present in various hidden locations that are waiting to be discovered.
Panning for gold might also be rewarding. Cape May County, Sussex County, Burlington County, and Salem County are some of the best places to find gold in New Jersey.
TIP: You need to know how gold deposits occur to understand which rocks to look for when prospecting. Check the best rocks to look for in the article below:
5 Rocks You Need To Look For When Gold Prospecting (+ Why)
Where to Find Crystals in New Jersey
There are various types of crystals present in New Jersey. Some of the most beautiful and popular ones you can find include datolite, natrolite, quartz crystals, calcite crystals, epidote, pyrite crystals, spinel, diopside, coccolite crystals, citrine, cerussite, zincite, axinite crystals, apophyllite, or chrysocolla, among others.
| Crystal | Location |
|---|---|
| Quartz Crystals | Bergen County, Long Branch, Ocean County, Manasquan, Somerville |
| Axinite Crystals | Lamberville, Mine Hill |
| Citrine | Warren Township |
You can find some beautiful regular quartz crystals in Bergen County, New Jersey, or in the cavities and debris at the Palisades.
To find the giant rare quartz crystals known as Cape May Diamonds in New Jersey, head to Manasquan and search the ocean beach gravels to the south. Cape May Diamonds may be found in the entire stretch of ocean beaches in Ocean County.
Speaking of beaches, you can find some high-quality sea glass in New Jersey. Some of the best beaches to find sea glass in this state include Sunset Beach, Fortescue Beach, and Bay Head Beach. The Delaware Bay beaches are stunning and rich in sea glass.
TIP: The mineral’s hardness is one of the most helpful characteristics in mineral identification. Check out the ultimate guide on how to test the hardness of your minerals in the article below:
DIY Guide: Testing Mineral’s Hardness (Explained by Expert)
Fossils Found in New Jersey
Although New Jersey is rich in its rocks, minerals, gemstones, and crystal variety, it has its fair share of fossils. You can find trilobites, brachiopods, bryozoans, corals, crinoids, ancient shark teeth, dinosaur bones, plant fossils, and many others.
The Shark River Park is extremely popular due to its various shark teeth and megalodon teeth fossils. Various Miocene-era fossils reside here, and there are limitations regarding how much you can carry and what tools you can use.
The Big Brooke Preserve is also an excellent location to find shark teeth, megalodon teeth, and other fossils in New Jersey. Petrified wood is also common in this state.
The Warren Township, Sayreville, and Manasquan areas are excellent locations to find petrified wood in New Jersey.
When finding relics and artifacts in New Jersey, such as arrowheads, the best places to find them are the bay beaches of Cape May. Search the sand near the Sunset and Bigbee Becheas to find various arrowheads, shark teeth, sea glass, and other specimens.
Conclusion
The state of New Jersey might not seem like a good rockhounding location at first sight. However, this state is rich in its diversity of minerals, rocks, gemstones, crystals, and fossils.
There are various common and rare specimens that you can find here, and the best part is that New Jersey is filled with rock-hounding locations where enthusiasts can have some fun!
TIP: Rotary rock tumblers – the ones with a drum that turns – are the most common type of tumbler used by lapidary hobbyists. Find out the complete guide on rotary rock tumblers in the article below:
Rotary Rock Tumblers: How They Work & Which One Is Best?