South Dakota has a surprising range of things to find for the intrepid rockhound.

Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz is the state mineral of South Dakota, and the state contains some of the greatest places in the world to find it.

Selenite

The selenite from South Dakota is  clear, large enough to be remarkable, and can be found in decent amounts.

Tourmaline

South Dakota primarily bears schorl, but green, blue and pink crystals can also be found in some locations.

Agate, Jasper & Chalcedony

South Dakota has a surprising variety of these stones spread throughout the state. The ever-popular Fairburn agates are found here

Calicite

South Dakota has two main forms of interesting calcite. There are yellow crystals that display fluorescence under UV light, and a form unique to South Dakota known as sand calcite.

Beryl

Beryl found in South Dakota tends to be opaque and white. They’re less dull than they seem, however, since they also tend to be formed into distinctive octagonal crystals.

Sphalerite

South Dakota sphalerite is generally in the form of grey, cubic crystals. These are opaque and differentiated from the clear, red crystals that are found in some other locations.

Carnelian

Carnelian can occur as chunks of translucent material or as parts of an agate. The so-called carnelian agate is generally banded with orange and white

Amethyst

Amethyst is a purple form of quartz. The amethyst samples from South Dakota often display a blue tinge and lack clarity.

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