Crystals have a uniform look due to their consistent molecular structure. People look for crystals to add to their rock collection.
Crystals can be a treasure for people who like to collect rocks and rock climbers who like to collect crystals.
It is crucial to learn where to find crystals to increase your chances of growing the crystal collection. We will give you a detailed guide to help you find the perfect locations to find the crystals.
Where to Find Crystals? 9 Best Places to Dig and Find Crystals
The best types of places to dig and find crystals are listed below.
- Creek and River Beds
- Abandoned Quarries
- Pay-to-Dig Sites
- Hot Springs
- Mine Tailings
- Road Cuts
- Private Land
- Areas with Volcanic Activity
- Public Land
1. Creek and Riverbeds
You can find crystals in the creeks and riverbeds if your local conditions are perfect for it. Crystals can come from the rocks in the mountains and move in the rivers.
These crystals can travel long distances to reach your area. It is better to confirm the location is suitable for the creek crystal hunting. You can check online resources to find details about the river beds.
You can go to the river and look for the perfect spot for crystals. Crystals accumulate in areas where water flow is slower. You can look near the tree roots as water flows slowly there, and you can look at the extended parts of the river.
You can get in the water with a safety rope and dig to look for the crystals. It can get some round crystals from the creek because water polishes the edges.
Related Article: Where to Find Rocks?
2. Abandoned Quarries
There is no better place to find crystals than the abandoned quarries. This place has done hard work by cutting the rocks. You need to find the crystals by identifying the type of rocks.
Different crystals accumulate in specific pieces of land. If you can locate that rock, you can dig in it to find the crystals. It is more rewarding to find the crystals from the quarries because you will do the hard work.
It is also beneficial because you are the first to see the crystal. It is unlike mine tailings where all others have gone through it before you.
There are more chances of finding a suitable crystal in this place. You may need to get permission to enter some of these sites too. It is better to get information from the locals.
Related Article: Why Are River Rocks Smooth?
3. Pay-to-Dig Sites
Pay-to-dig sites are the sites with the most crystals. If you have never found a crystal, you can go to the pay-to-dig sites because you have a higher chance of finding a crystal there.
Some pay-to-dig places only have one type of crystal. Most of these sites have quartz crystals because it is the second most abundant mineral after the feldspar.
People prefer sites with many types of crystals because they can add them to their collections. It is better to work in a location where you can add many crystals to your collection instead of one type.
They do not charge high fees. You can dig on these sites all day and keep whatever you find there.
The charges may look small when you compare them with the price of the crystals in the market. You can also get a jackpot by getting cluster crystals on the pay-to-dig sites.
4. Hot Springs
You can find a variety of crystals in the hot springs. These springs bring the water from the deepest parts of the earth to the surface. It can bring crystals with the pressure.
You can look for the parts of the land near the hot springs. Opals and agates are some of the crystals you can find in the hot springs.
You can also look inside the water channels produced by the hot water of the springs. Hot springs can produce boiling water also.
You can burn your hands if you do not care about it. You need to look in the natural hot springs only as some commercial hot springs use heaters to provide hot water.
Related Article: Can Rose Quartz Go in Water?
5. Mine Tailings
Mine tailings sites are hard to find because most mine tailings are owned by private firms. You cannot go to these lands and find crystals. You can find some of them by looking in the online groups.
Many groups on social media can help you. Most mine tailings famous in the online groups do not have a pipe of crystals because many searched it before you. It does not mean that you cannot find anything.
Many crystals left by other collectors are easy to find. You can also ask the local crystal shops about these sites. It is crucial to get permission from the landowner to avoid trespassing charges.
Some mine tailings have security staff who can catch you. You need to avoid going to the mineshafts. Mining equipment is essential to work there. These places can have toxic gases. Some mineshafts are weak as they can collapse.
6. Road Cuts
You can find some crystals from the road cuts. It is better to start from one side of the road to locate the road cuts and move in one direction.
You need to look for the crystal veins in the road cuts. Once you find the crystal vein, you can go to the other side of the road to locate more crystals.
You need to stay careful, as spending an entire day on the side of the road is unsafe.
7. Private Land
Private land can be the perfect place for crystals because everyone does not have access. Most private landowners do not allow the public to access their land for crystal hunting.
These lands are exclusive to some particular persons. You need to meet the landowners to get permission for crystal hunting. Some may charge a fee to allow access.
You can find these lands by asking locals, as they do not advertise them online.
8. Areas with Volcanic Activity
You should look for the Kimberlite near the volcanos. Kimberlite is the result of the magma deposits. You can find valuable crystals from the Kimberlite.
You can find the highest quality crystals in the areas with volcanic activity. Magma can bring crystals from the deepest parts of the earth to the ground.
It can also produce some crystals. Obsidian is one of the examples of the frequently found material near the volcanos.
These are the glass pieces made by the heat of the magma. These are shiny black glass pieces. Most collectors collect it with the crystal collection.
9. Public Land
Most land owned by government agencies is free to search for the crystal hunters. You can go to the public land and find your crystal free of cost.
There are limits to how much material you can take from these lands. It does not affect the crystal collectors because they will not take tons of material.
You need to take permission from government agencies if you want to use the land for commercial purposes. You cannot collect bulk quantities of crystals from these lands and sell them.
You should look for crystals without damaging the land structures because your acts can force the government to ban crystal collectors in the future.
How Do You Know Where to Find Crystals?
You can look for small crystals on the ground when you reach the site, as it will help you locate rocks having flat surfaces with mineral veins. It is like the game of hot and cold.
When you find a crystal, you can mark the land hot. You can continue your search in that direction. If you do not find other crystals along the way, you can mark the area cold.
Bigger crystals mean that the area is hotter. You may reach a rock with a flat surface as you continue this search. There are more chances of finding the crystals in the rocks with flat surfaces.
Mineral veins of the rocks can also have large crystals.
Look for the Rocks that Generally Form Crystals
It is easier to find crystals when you can identify different types of rocks. Some rocks have an abundance of crystals.
You need to find specific rocks with flat surfaces to increase your chances of finding a perfect crystal. People who do not learn to identify the rocks can only find crystals at the mining sites.
If you can identify different types of rocks, you will get crystals without the areas with mining operations. Granite, Pegmatite, Gabbro, Diorite, and Peridotite are some of the excellent rocks that can have crystals inside them.
Gabbro Rocks Form Crystals
You can look for the gabbro rock if searching for little crystals. Most crystals in the gabbro rocks have a size of one millimeter because you cannot find large crystals in this rock.
You can identify this rock by its color and structure. This rock has a black or dark green color. This rock has a grainy appearance.
This rock is peculiar because it does not have quartz. Feldspar is the most abundant in the Gabbro. You can also find some rare crystals in this rock.
You should learn to identify the pyroxene and amphibole crystals to get the most out of the Gabbro stones.
Granite Rocks Form Crystals
Granite is a perfect rock to search for crystals. This rock has many features that make it suitable for crystal hunters. Availability is a crucial factor.
These rocks are available in all parts of the world. You can identify the granite easily as it is made of a crystalline rock structure.
Most people can identify the granite because they have seen it more than once in their life. Granite is a famous building material. People use it for the kitchen slabs.
You can find different types of crystals in granite. We have compiled a list of the most famous crystals that are abundant in granite.
You can find the quartzes, feldspar, and micas with ease. You need to spend years to get experience to find the other crystals because they are rare.
- Quartzes
- Feldspar
- Micas
- Hornblendes
- Topaz
- Zircon
- Apatite
Pegmatite Rocks Form Crystals
Pegmatite is an igneous rock that forms from molten lava. It has a coarse crystalline structure. You cannot call every type of rock with a crystalline structure a pegmatite because these rocks have peculiar features.
Pegmatites have large quantities of crystals. If it does not have crystals, you cannot call it pegmatite. Once you find this rock, you need to identify different crystals.
You will find most crystals made of quartz, feldspar, and micas. If you look closely, some rare crystals may also appear. We have gathered the list of rare crystals found in pegmatite.
- Zircon
- Topaz
- Garnet
- Emerald
- Aquamarine
- Apatite
- Beryl
- Amazonite
Peridotite Rocks Form Crystals
These are the different classes of rocks that do not have silica as the main content. Most rocks consist of silica. The case is not the same as Peridotite.
As there is no silica in these rocks, you will find quartz in these rocks rarely. Experts like this rock because they find rare crystals in them.
You can use this rock as a source of chromium as it has an abundance of chromite. You can process it to make chromium.
Many industries buy these rocks in large quantities. We have compiled a list of rare crystals that you can find in this rock.
- Diamond
- Hornblend
- Garnet
- Pyroxene
- Spinel
Diorite Rocks Form Crystals
You can identify these rocks because of their color. They have the same appearance as mixed salt and pepper, as some white and black spots make up the entire rock.
People polish this rock and use it in jewelry due to its peculiar appearance. It is an igneous rock because it forms from molten lava due to the volcano’s action.
This rock has a composition between the basalt and the gabbro rocks. Diorites are like the gabbro rocks as they do not have quartz, as you can find many other crystals in these rocks.
Feldspar-based crystals are abundant in these rocks. We have compiled a list of some other crystals frequently found in these rocks.
- Biotite
- Horniblend
- Pyroxene
- Plagioclase
Final Thoughts on Where to Find Crystals and Dig Them Yourself
There are many places to find crystals. You need to learn to identify these crystals first. If you do not know about different rocks, you need to go where everyone goes to find the crystals.
People who can identify rocks can find rare gems in these rocks. Your luck and knowledge of crystals and rocks will play a crucial role in finding perfect crystals.