![]() ![]() Additionally, there are a few private ranches to be careful to not trespass onto. Caution though as these roads often become very rough very fast. One of the larger deposits supposedly exists southeast of Mule Creek a few miles. ![]() There are a few forest service dirt roads that head north and south from highway 78 and will offer ample camping and exploring opportunity. Mule Creek (Interior)įor a rock-hounder looking to make more of a trip out of Mule Creek trip, large deposits of obsidian in the polished Apache tear formation are to be found in the vast and remote Gila National Forest public lands. A quick roadside stop could likely lend a specimen or two in short order hidden amongst the wash bottom cobble. Near the isolated and tiny town of Mule Creek, New Mexico just a few miles from the Arizona border and the town of Clifton on highway 78, the Gila National Forest offers rockhounders vast public lands to delve into this deposit of obsidian and get their hands on some polished Apache Tears stones.įor a quick and dirty drive-by rockhounding trip, try looking in the several wash bottoms that Highway 78 crosses in and around the town of Mule Creek. In the rolling big country of the Arizona/New Mexico border, where remote desert rivers and washes have carved deep into the rocky terrain, lies one of the biggest deposits of obsidian to be found. New Mexico Mule Creek (Roadside Apache Tears) The Hot springs here are on the edge of the dry lake bed and a great spot to base your operations out of. The Fish Lake Valley Hot Well is located just 7 miles east of Highway 264 on a BLM dirt road, south of the Highway 73 Junction by about 6 miles. ![]() Here you can find chalcedony and Apache tears on the soil surface of the dry lake bed.Īlso, make it a complete trip with a stop at the nearby hot springs. East of Boundary Peak, several miles southwest of the Coaldale Junction, the dry Fish Lake Valley is almost entirely on BLM land and open to exploring. The Fish Lake Valley, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains on the Nevada/California border is said to be a great site to find scattered Apache Tears. This is a good potential pit stop to find some Apache Tears. At Scotty’s Junction, you can also hop on a dirt road that parallels Highway 95 northbound on the east side that then makes a right turn to the east and quickly dead-ends on BLM land. Just a 30 minute drive north from the town of Beatty, Nevada on Highway 95, Apache Tears are reported to be found scattered across the desert floor on both sides of the highway around this intersection with Highway 267. Scotty’s Junction is located on Highway 95 about 2 hours northwest of Las Vegas. Traveling the long open highways of Nevada can get lonely and tiresome at times, try breaking up your long drive with a quick stop to find some Apache Tears in southwest Nevada. Nevada -Scotty’s Junction Rockhounding Area. A rock pick or shovel may help if you plan on doing any excavating into the hillside. From here, descend down into the wash bottoms and chalky perlite hillsides to begin your search for obsidian nodules. This is near the top of a ridge and near an old perlite mine. If you continue down this road for about another 1 mile, you should come to a road block near a private land sign. Not barely more than 1 mile east of the Arboretum, on the way to the town of Superior, a dirt road leaves US Highway 60 to the south. ![]() For example, thinking of a potential formation being from the violent action of the eruption, raining droplets of hot lava into a cold lake. The round shape, is generally attributed to drop-like conglomerations of hot lava which then cooled rapidly. Formed when hot lava cooled far too quickly, rendering it into a brittle glass-like state. If you ask a geologist, they will probably call it an “ obsidian nodule”. The women and children who grieved the event cried tears of sorrow, which then hardened permanently, into the stones which we now call Apache Tears. Rather than face defeat, the Apache warriors took themselves and their horses leaping over the edge of a cliff to their death below, at a location now known as Apache Leap outside of the town of Superior Arizona. They are a volcanic black glass core, usually surrounded by a rough black outer surface.Īs Apache legend has it, there was a standoff between Apache warriors and a hostile outfit of the U.S. These formations of obsidian rock are rounded black pebbles that are less than a few inches across. In certain areas, they are relatively common, lending themselves well to new hobbyists and even young kids. A unique and popular formation of the glass-like obsidian, known as an Apache Tear, is a popular target amongst rockhounds, new and old alike. ![]()
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