
Rockhounding New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a good state for rockhounding. The state is known as the ‘Granite State’ in part because of its many granite formations and quarries. In fact, the state’s official emblem is the ‘Old Man of the Mountain’ – a legacy formation on a mountain formed of Jurassic Conway granite. New Hampshire’s pegmatite occurrences provide great opportunities for recreational rockhounders.
State Rocks, Gemstones, Minerals, Fossils, & Dinosaurs
Rockhounding Tip: Knowing state rocks, gemstones, minerals, fossils, and dinosaurs often can be very useful information for rockhounders. Ordinarily, states with significant mineral deposits, valuable gemstones, fossils, or unusual or significant rock occurrences will designate an official state mineral, rock/stone, gemstone, fossil, or dinosaur to promote interest in the state’s natural resources, history, tourism, etc. Accordingly, such state symbols often are a valuable clue as to potential worthwhile rockhounding opportunities.

The 'Old Man' before and after
State Rock: Granite (1985)
New Hampshire designated granite as its
official state rock in 1985. New
Hampshire’s iconic ‘Old Man of the Mountain’ was composed of Jurassic Conway granite. On May 3, 2003, however, the forces of
erosion overcame the mountain and the Old Man collapsed.

Smoky Quartz
State Gem:
Smoky Quartz (1985)
New Hampshire designated smoky quartz
as its official state gem in 1985. Smoky
(or smokey) Quartz is a brown to black variety of quartz and is found in many
types of rocks, including granite. In
New Hampshire, the White Mountain National Forest includes a famous smoky
quartz site. Cairngorm is a variety of
smoky quartz found in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland and often has a
yellow-brown color.

Beryl
State
Mineral: Beryl (1985)
New Hampshire designated beryl as its
official state mineral in 1985. Beryl is
a gemstone commonly found in the granite rocks abundant in New Hampshire. Beryl refers to a family of minerals that
includes emerald (green), aquamarine (aquamarine blue), morganite (pink),
heliodore (yellow-green), golden beryl (yellow) and goshenite (colorless). The word beryl is from the Greek word beryllos, which means "precious
blue-green stone" and was originally applied to green gemstones. Beryl, when not used as a gemstone, is the
major ore of beryllium, which greatly enhances the strength, and hardness of
copper when alloyed together.
Rockhounding Resources

State-specific rockhounding books (including the books listed here as well as other books), regional rockhounding site guides, and other helpful rockhounding resources are identified - by category - in the Books & Gear section of Gator Girl Rocks with a link to the Gator Girl Rocks Amazon Store where you may easily browse selected resources and securely place an order. Your order will benefit Charity Rocks!

New Hampshire Geological Survey

U.S. Forest Service
White Mountain National Forest
The White Mountain National Forest includes
several historic rock collecting sites.
The Forest Service regulates recreational (and other) rockhounding
within the White Mountain National Forest.
- Bradford B. Van Diver, Roadside Geology of Vermont & New Hampshire (1987).
- Allan W. Eckert, Earth Treasures Vol.- Northeastern Quadrant (1985; reprint in 2000).
- James Martin Monaco & Jeannette Hathway Monaco, Fee Mining & Mineral Adventures in the Eastern U.S. (2d ed. 2010).
- Kathy J. Rygle & Stephen F. Pedersen, Northeast Treasure Hunter's Gem & Mineral Guide (4th ed. 2008).
Museums of Interest to Rockhounders

Woodman Institute Museum
Dover, New Hampshire
The museum claims to have the largest American rock and mineral collection north of Boston.

The Little Nature Museum at Gould Hill Farm
Contoocook, New Hampshire
The museum exhibits rocks, minerals, and fossils.
Places to Visit - Interesting Sites To See

The 'Old Man' before its collapse in 2003
Franconia Notch State Park
Franconia Notch State Park is home to the
granite rock formation that was known as The Old Man of the Mountain. In 2003, the formation collapsed.

Madison Boulder
Madison Boulder Natural Area
Madison, New Hampshire
Madison Boulder Natural Area is
home to the largest known erratic in New England, and among the largest in the
world. Madison Boulder is a huge granite
rock measuring 83 feet in length, 23 feet in height above the ground, 37 feet
in width, and weighs upwards of 5,000 tons. In 1970 Madison Boulder was designated a
National Natural Landmark because the enormous erratic, "is an outstanding
illustration of the power of an ice sheet to pluck out very large blocks of
fractured bedrock and move them substantial distances."
Rockhounding Sites for Children & Families

Smoky Quartz
White Mountain National Forest –
North of Conway, New Hampshire
The Moat
Mountain Smokey Quartz Collecting Area, managed by the U.S. Forest Service, is
a famous rockhounding site. Small smoky
quartz crystals are embedded in the Conway granite. The collecting site is subject to applicable
federal laws.
Amethyst
White Mountain National Forest
The Deer
Hill Mineral Collecting Area, managed by the U.S. Forest Service, is a famous
rockhounding site. This
location has produced a large amount of amethyst (purple quartz) along with
many other minerals, including feldspars of many varieties, beryl, garnet,
columbite, pyrite, and muscovite. The
collecting site is subject to applicable federal laws.
Mineral Specimens
White Mountain National Forest
The Lord
Hill Mineral Collecting Area, managed by the U.S. Forest Service, is a famous
rockhounding site. Lord Hill
is a pegmatite that is not very different from the Deer Hill pegmatite, except
the bulk composition is different and contains many more rare elements that
lead to forming rare minerals. There are
many rare minerals found at Lord Hill including Triplite, Uraninite, Vivianite,
Zircon, Gahnite, Fluorapatite, Bertrandite, and the list goes on. The more common minerals that are found there
are varieties of feldspar, quartz, topaz, phenakite, and garnet. The collecting site is subject to applicable
federal laws.

Ruggles Mine
Grafton, New Hampshire
Commercial
(fee access) business. Although it is
famous for its mica deposits, a variety of minerals occur at the Ruggles
Mine. Historically, it operated as a
commercial mine. Today, visitors can
purchase access to collect specimens.