Here are a few of my favorite finds — just to give you an idea of what’s out there. Each of these rocks was picked up in Georgia, and when you think about how much natural history is wrapped up in all of it, sitting in the palm of your hand, it’s awe-inspiring. I don't want to nerd out too much. Let's just say that some of this stuff is really, really old.
Staurolite is just the coolest thing, and it happens to be Georgia's state mineral! Staurolite is particularly abundant in Cherokee, Gilmer, Pickens and Fannin counties. In fact, I have bags of staurolite crystals. All of mine came from Jasper, which is just a stone’s throw (yes, I said it) from Tate, Marble Hill and Ball Ground — all great places to explore. One cool thing about staurolite crystals is that they have a habit of “twinning,” meaning they grow in an X or cross shape. This twinning is what earned the crystals the nickname “Fairy Crosses” (or sometimes “Fairy Stones”), which has an added bit of folklore and mythology around it. You may have to dig around for the crystals, but their distinctive diamond shape makes them simple to identify by touch alone, and when you find one that’s twinned, it’s even more exciting.
Unable to resist most shiny objects, I have more than my share of mica. Mica can be found all over, but the specimens above came from the Warwoman Road area around Pine Mountain. Books of mica can be spotted easily on the ground and in some of the crystal-clear mountain streams and rivers as they reflect sunlight like tiny mirrors. There are lots of little falls and scenic places to visit in the area, making it worth a drive whether you are looking to find rocks or not.
The Summerville Crazy Lace Agate above is mesmerizing, right? There’s so much going on, with the druzy, the lace, the geodic features. As the name suggests, this agate comes from Summerville, Georgia, specifically from a working quarry that graciously allows visitors on Sundays — if you sign a waiver promising not to sue them if injured. Perhaps not coincidentally, acquiring these beautiful pieces involved one of the scariest but funniest experiences I’ve had while rockhounding. My partner was doing his own thing, and I decided to make my way down a nearby hill. When I got to the bottom where the ground leveled out, I took a step…and promptly fell into what turned out to be thick mud and/or clay all the way up to one knee. It was so thick it sucked off my shoe. Thankfully, I was rescued quickly. My shoe was extricated, and my panic soon turned into hysterical laughter. I still laugh thinking about how solid that definitely not hard ground appeared at first. It was a good reminder to pay close attention to my surroundings!
Elberton, Georgia, is renowned for its granite deposits. Did you know there are literal mountains of marble in Tate, Georgia, right up the road from Jasper? You may not be able to get very close to them because they are on the property of the Georgia Marble Company, but there’s still plenty of marble and other cool rocks to be found all over. Seriously, they use fancy marble for gravel in these parts. Where do you think we got the terrazzo slab chunks? It’s a really fun area to explore. Hills beside railroad tracks and bridges are good places to start.
On this trip, I kind of made a boo-boo. We had not yet come across any kyanite, but I knew from research it can be found in Rabun County, which happens to be a place we like to visit anyway. Based on historical information and current maps, I thought I had a few promising public spots we could try. Unfortunately, after getting turned around a couple of times looking for a forest road, we inadvertently ended up on someone’s property. Luckily, the owner was sweet when she discovered us wading through her creek, warning us about snakes and inviting us up to her house for iced tea. We actually left thinking we hadn’t found anything at all. It was only later when we got home that we realized we had snagged a honeydew-sized chunk of what we think is blue calcite. It's not kyanite, but we’ll get our pocketful of that one day!
I just don’t know enough to be fully confident about these. Some of the sandstone pieces I have are wild. One reminds me of vertebrae, though I do know enough to know it isn't that. There may be a prehistoric underwater plant embedded in the rectangular one pictured above on the left. Georgia was once covered in ocean water so it’s not out of the question. What about the white thing? That mysterious little rock was acquired somewhere around Tate and Jasper. It looks kind of like coral, but it is so smooth. The last one, possibly chert, came from the same creek in Jasper where we found most of our staurolite. Considering the Native American history of that region, it's reasonable to wonder if this one is an ancient man-made tool. It’s sharp and pointy. It fits perfectly in my hand and seems like it would be great for scraping or poking. Even if it is just a naturally formed rock, it’s a unique and interesting one worth keeping.