Rockhounding Map & Sites in Florida: 114 Locations for Crystal Hunting, Gem Mining & More

Florida is the best state in the US for collecting fossil shark teeth. The Peace River in central Florida and Venice Beach on the Gulf Coast produce teeth ranging from Miocene (10+ million years old) to Pleistocene age. Species include megalodon, great white, mako, bull shark, and dozens of others. The teeth are preserved by phosphate replacement and range from black to gray to brown.

Top sites:

• Venice Beach, Sarasota County — "Shark Tooth Capital of the World." Teeth wash up on the beach year-round. Best after storms. Free, public beach access. No tools needed — walk the tide line and look for dark triangular shapes.
• Peace River, DeSoto and Hardee counties — Wade the river and screen gravel from the bottom. Produces large teeth including occasional megalodon fragments. Canoe/kayak access from public launches.

Megalodon teeth are the prize — they are triangular, serrated, and 2 to 6+ inches in length. Most common finds are smaller teeth (1/4 to 1 inch) from bull sharks, lemon sharks, and makos. Bring a Florida-style shark tooth scoop (basket on a handle) for Venice Beach, and a screen/classifier for the Peace River.

Florida's state stone is agatized coral — Oligocene and Miocene coral colonies replaced by chalcedony (agate). The Tampa Bay area and the Withlacoochee and Suwannee river systems are the primary sources. The replacement process preserved the original coral structure in fine detail, now visible as patterns in the agate.

Top sites:

• Ballast Point, Tampa — Agatized coral in the Hillsborough River and Tampa Bay shoreline. Collecting from the waterline at public access points.
• Withlacoochee River, Citrus and Levy counties — Coral heads and fragments in river gravel. Canoe or kayak the river and screen gravel bars.

Agatized coral shows the original colony structure — radiating polyp patterns, branching forms — but in chalcedony. Colors range from white and gray to tan and pale blue. The best pieces show sharp polyp definition and take a high polish. Look for heavy, dense stones with a waxy luster. Coral-shaped rocks that feel light are likely unsilicified limestone, not agate.

Florida's limestone bedrock produces calcite crystals in solution cavities and quarries throughout the state. The Ocala Limestone (Eocene) and younger formations contain voids where groundwater deposited calcite as dogtooth spar, scalenohedral crystals, and stalactitic formations.

Top sites:

• Ruck's Pit, Fort Drum (Okeechobee County) — Famous for calcite-replaced clam shells (Mercenaria) with golden to amber calcite crystals lining the interior. Fee collecting site. Check current operating status.
• Ocala area quarries, Marion County — Calcite and fossil-bearing limestone. Active quarries may allow collecting by arrangement — contact quarry operators.

Ruck's Pit calcite clams are distinctive: the exterior is rough shell material, but when cracked open, the interior reveals sparkling golden calcite crystals. They are heavy for their size. Bring a crack hammer to open shells in the field (though many collectors prefer to open them at home for a clean break). Wrap specimens in newspaper — calcite scratches at hardness 3.