Rock hunting Montana agates: Rockhounding the Yellowstone River near Billings 

LOL, this was such a silly hunt! I can't believe I got so turned around.

:D

Unfortunately, they are coming along SLOWLY. I'll for sure put something up when I finally get it figured out. Thanks for watching!

I have enjoyed watching NZ vids. :)

I have found massive stumps - but they aren't agatized. :)

@@KatyDidRocks in the upper Yellowstone river there are logs of agatized wood dating from late eocene times. They are however about 40 miles in and in the wilderness area. I just visit them when I can.

Actually, I think they are! At least, that's what I've read. The Yellowstone volcano was BIG - and of course the rivers and seas have ebbed and flowed over millions of years to distribute them. But weirdly, if you look at Montana Agate web sites (where to find, etc.), they mainly list from Forsyth to Glendive as prime hunting spots. Where are you from, fellow Montanan? :)

@@KatyDidRocks All over! Originally Frenchtown but I'm in Great Falls now. That's interesting and Glwndive agates are freon the same source! Very neat!

Some agates and jaspers were also brought down from Canada in glaciers, but believe most of them came from the Yellowstone caldera as well. If you're able to find an outcrop of basalt, you may find the host of those beauties! Just bring a rock hammer and chisel. A cordless hanmer drill would come in handy too, if you have access to one ...and don't forget your PPE (dust mask, safety glasses, etc). Happy hounding!!! 😁

:D I have a compass on my phone - but the real problem with this one is that I got one campground confused with another. :)

Hello. :)

Ha, Cherry, I really was just "misplaced." :D

Chocolate Cherry Coins there are SO many different kinds of rocks - and there all fun to find. 😊 I’m just glad I didn’t have to dig them out of a foot of snow, like you did!

Interesting!

LOL, I am so happy you are enjoying them. I DO have a silly amount of videos...

:D I was only a little misplaced.

The neighboring states to Montana have lots of treasures of their own - check them out! :)

I must say that I have experienced all of those. :)

I see another road trip in our future! Looking for gems is addictive.

I am so pleased you enjoyed it! :) My dad was a rockhound, and I inherited the passion from him. We spent many family vacations on rock hunting adventures. Now I have his rock saw in my garage, and am using it daily. My "rock pile" is growing alarmingly large, but hey - winter is coming, I'll have nothing to do but cut, cut, cut! :D Thanks again for watching.

Pyrite nodules, really?! I'll check it out next summer. :)

And yes, Montana is crazy rich in rocks. It's not called the Treasure State for nothing!

@@KatyDidRocks The pyrite nodules look like flattened eggs made of rusty iron and they have a skin on the outside of them about a quarter of an inch thick (sometimes with little leopard spots on them). They don't look like the typical fools gold pyrite, but I think they're really cool looking and I have one of mine displed with my nicest fossils and crystals. Also, the skin is usually broken in at least one area exposing the core. They come in a few different varieties though.

@@truckerenoch8824 I think I've seen those! I just thought they were rusty iron. Thanks for the heads up!

Ha, right? :D

Pretty much none! But it's always a beautiful day on the river.

Glad you enjoyed it. If you have any IDs you want to share, I'd be glad to hear them!

Jim can track my phone on his, and vice versa. Very handy. :)

@@KatyDidRocks i only have a land line so i didnt think about them cell phones ..

I have thought about that - but often the gravel bars are vast, and I would run out of water far too quickly.

I was between the river and the city - so while I was “lost,” I really was just misplaced. 😊 I did wonder about the lack of agates - I’ll have to go back now trust I’m back in practice.

Hmmm. That's an interesting question. I'll have to look it up.

Great idea! I also have found that looking in the harder areas, such as where the silt covers the rocks, can be productive, as long as I have plenty of time and patience. :)

I find that in areas that get pick over pretty good that I do so much better if I try to focus on the second layer of gravel after a quick scan of the top layer. If I know I am going to an area that's been pounded by rockhounders I will bring a rake. Most people will just do a quick search and cherry pick the obvious stuff. I am glad they do because agates will work there way down because they are heavier that most other material. If you ever find fishing lead or fishing weights then your in the right layer. If you find any magnetite go ahead and take that with you but the gold nuggets go ahead and leave those for me please. Oh you know what? Time is tight for me right now. If you wouldn't mind grabbing those gold nuggets and sending them to me that would even be better. I am just trying to help you out, by doing this your not giving up your super secret agate hunting area to me. Thank you in advance for all the gold nuggets, also please ship those overnight. It will cost you more but it's a small price you'll pay for me not telling everyone your secret agate hunting spots. Take care.

I think so too!

Yes, I hunted states over in Livingston and Bozeman.

Agates

Maybe common opal? It has a bluish tinge. But I'm not overly familiar with the rocks in that area, so I could be wrong.

@@KatyDidRocks I don't think so, it is a very hard quartzite that has a sheen to it. I have one seen it in Montana... the biggest piece I found... I am guessing, is it Grand Falls, about 30 minutes east of Livingston? Very light, silvery pastel blue... thanks for answering!

Blue quartz is a thing, actually. The blue color can be caused by mineral inclusions or by tyndall scattering, but if it looks like quartz and it's blue, it's probably blue quartz.

It looks like Montana has epidote, at least in some areas. Thanks for the new knowledge!

Will have to hunt the Yellowstone someday!!

And I will have to hunt for Lake Superior agates. Perhaps we will pass each other on the interstate. :D

@@KatyDidRocks hope so! Swap stories and agates haha!

Well, if you ever get out Montana way, let me know - I'll point you to all the hot spots. :D

I have not, at least not yet - but summer is coming, and sometime soon we should be able to move about again. What kind of rocks are there? Thanks for watching, and be well. :)

@@KatyDidRocks well I'm new to picking rocks needed a hobby to get my mind off a couple bad habits so I'm going say alot of agate I'm just learning so I don't know the difference I wish I knew how to post a picture on here

@@forddave5728 You can't post a pic on RU-vid - but if you go to my FB page you can post pictures there! facebook.com/KatyDid-Rocks-102919797994370

An excellent plan. I even had cell service for this one.

Amusingly, I have a Fitbit, so all those extra steps just make me feel good about myself. :'D Thanks for watching... take care.

Glad you enjoyed it!

:D I never was actually "lost," just misplaced.

Wow, 40 pounds of agates - amazing! What a great gift. :) I live about the same distance to either Miles City or Billings, and have hunted agates all along the say. I haven't hunted near Pompey's Pillar, yet, although I bet it would be gorgeous. I keep reading that the best hunting is between Glendive and Sidney, but that's quite a trek for me, so I haven't made the trip yet. As of now, I am settling for slabbing the rocks and admiring their beauty. I may get my hands on a polisher/grinder over Christmas, and then I can begin to do some lapidary work. Your wire wrapped pendants are GORGEOUS, btw. I've tried wire wrapping, but I think I need to watch a few more RU-vid videos on the subject and try again - my stones kept falling out! Anyway, welcome to the channel, and thanks for subscribing.

Thank you so much! And.. yeah, I really wasn't lost, just misplaced. :D

Temulent 406 I recently went to Mystic Park and found an incredible jasper, and a teeny agate. It was beautiful. 😊

@@KatyDidRocks I have all sorts of rocks and fossils I have found in the billings area id like to show you do you have a face book?

It was so funny when I thought I'd found the campground and was really trespassing on a different one! The lady who saw me crawl over the fence must have been very puzzled. :D

LOL, not for me!

:D

Ha!

😊

Thank you, Michael! This hunt in Billings wasn't too fruitful - but I've since discovered that there ARE agates there, I just didn't spot them. :)

@@KatyDidRocks , I lived in Roundup for many years, now living in Oregon (rock heaven) here too. . We head to Montana every other year to visit family and hound rocks and fossils.

Check out my RU-vid videos on rockhounding.... Your very welcome to look....

@@KatyDidRocks up between Big Timber to upstream of Springdale, along the Yellowstone there is Montana Blue Sky agate, jasper & petrified wood...Stay away from the fishing accesses; cuz that's where most people rockhound, and they have always seemed pretty well picked over, over the years.... Float if you can; we were floating on a Cataraft from Livingston to Big Timber one day; fishing for browns & also rock hounding islands & gravel bar's on the way down; we did pretty good w/ about 30 lbs. of nice material each that we found...Along w/ some beautiful fish....

I plan on floating next summer. Thanks! 😊