Rockhounding Alaska: A Guide to 75 of the State's Best Rockhounding Sites

by Montana Hodges

Overview

Rockhounding Alaska is a must-have book for collecting rocks, minerals, and fossils in the Last Frontier. This guidebook features an overview of the state's geologic history as well as a site-by-site guide to seventy-five collecting locations that stretch from Kodiak Island to the Arctic Circle, with treasures ranging from ancient fossilized sea creatures to precious gems and gold nuggets.

A complete and accurate guidebook to the state's vast riches, Rockhounding Alaska is the ideal resource for rockhounds of all ages and experience levels.

Look inside to find:

Maps and detailed site description with directions and GPS coordinates

Suggested tools and techniques

Land-use regulations and legal restrictions

Contact information for land managers

Additional information on rock shops, attractions, and local history

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762750849
Publisher:	Falcon Guides
Publication date:	06/15/2010
Series:	Rockhounding Series
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.54(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.57(d)

About the Author

Montana Hodges, a journalist who has worked as a backcountry guide and outdoor/geographic photographer, is the author of Rockhounding Montana, Camping Alaska, and Best Easy Day Hikes Fairbanks (all FalconGuides). An active member of the Chugach Gem and Mineral Society, she has traveled throughout Alaska, from the entire Marine Highway to thousands of roadless miles, by car, bush plane, and foot.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Alaska's Geologic Introduction 3

Collecting Regulations and Etiquette 8

How to Use This Book 9

Safety 11

Ten Vistas for Your Alaska Journey 16

Map Legend 23

Rockhounding Sites

1 Prince of Wales Fossils 25

2 Salt Chuck Copper Minerals 27

3 Wrangell's Garnet Ledge 30

4 Petersburg Garnets 33

5 Last Chance Mining Museum and Historic Park 35

6 Alaska-Gastineau Mill and Mine 38

7 Klondike Gold Fields 40

8 Kodiak Island's Fossil Beach 42

9 Sand Point Agate and Zeolites 46

10 Dutch Harbor Beachcombing 50

11 Red Mountain Chromite 52

12 Homer Micro-Amber 57

13 Salamatof Agate 60

14 Nikiski Beach Agate 63

15 Discovery Beach Agate 65

16 Crescent Creek Panning Area 67

17 Bertha Creek Panning Area 69

18 Resurrection Creek Panning Area 71

19 Sixmile Creek Panning Area 73

20 Crow Creek Mine 75

21 Indian Valley Mine 78

22 Slide Mountain Fossils 79

23 Little Nelchina Fossils 83

24 Belanger Pass Fossils 85

25 Sheep Mountain Gypsum 88

26 Glenn Highway Calcite 91

27 Caribou Creek Thunder Eggs 93

28 Anthracite Ridge Fossils 96

29 Chickaloon Fossils 98

30 Matanuska River Jasper 99

31 Wishbone Hill Fossils 101

32 Coyote Lake Petrified Wood 103

33 Buffalo Mine Road Fossils 105

34 Independence Mine Gold 107

35 Cache Creek Gold 111

36 Petersville Recreational Mining Area 116

37 Golden Zone Mine 118

38 Suntrana Fossils 122

39 Moore Creek Gold 124

40 Ganes Creek Gold 126

41 Denali Highway Gold 127

42 Paxson Mountain Copper Minerals 129

43 Gold Dredge No. 8 131

44 El Dorado Gold Mine 133

45 Pedro Dome Panning 134

46 Nome Creek Recreational Panning Area 136

47 Elliott Highway Crystals 138

48 Tolovana River Jasper 140

49 Livengood Serpentinite 142

50 Dalton Highway Chalcedony 144

51 Dalton Highway Dendrites 148

52 Dalton Highway Agate 150

53 Yukon Crossing River Rocks 152

54 Finger Rock Feldspar 154

55 Dalton Highway Gold 156

56 Jim River Jasper 159

57 Dalton Highway Pyrite 161

58 Minnie Creek Crystals 163

59 Sukapak Mountain Crystals 166

60 Chandalar River Fossils 170

61 Atigun Fossils 172

62 Galbraith Lake Fossils 175

63 Arctic Ocean Rocks 177

64 Gold Prospectors Association of America Claims 179

65 Golden Sands Beach 181

66 Kennecott Copper Minerals 185

67 Glacial Moraine Combing 189

68 McCallum Creek Marble 192

69 Rainbow Ridge Fossils 194

70 Rainbow Ridge Minerals 197

71 Coal Mine Road Fossils 199

72 Mount Fairplay Labradorite 202

73 Taylor Highway Dendrites 203

74 Chicken Gold Camp 205

75 Yukon-Charley Rivers Gold 208

Appendix A Glossary 210

Appendix B Further Reading 213

Appendix C Finding Maps, Land Managers, and Information 214

Index 217

About the Author 222