![]() ![]() ![]() Heading east from California, you’ll find a famous agate mine that’s known to unearth opals. Over in Klamath County, you’ll find Opal Creekand Klamath Falls, a small but active opal mine. The leading supplier of Oregon opals is the Juniper Ridge Opal mine, a “fee dig” site where visitors and miners can pay a fee, undergo training, and start mining! Any findings unearthed are yours to keep!Īnother prominent locality is the Opal Butte mine in Morrow County that’s been active since 1988. Where can you find opals in Oregon? Counties across the state have small opal mines. In addition to thundereggs, Oregon supplies a variety of fire opals as well as common opals, rainbow opals, centra luz opals, blue opals, and dendritic opals. Oregon has its very own variety of opals called “Thunderegg.” These opals are found in stunning geodes, rocks that look unassuming outside but explode with color and diversity within. ![]() Opals hide in rhyolite geode mineraloids that form in low-temperature silicon dioxide cracks in the earth. Since Nevada’s opal boom straddles the Oregon border, let’s look at “the beaver state” next. That said, they make for stunning display gems sold to museums and rock shops for collectors and home decor. These fragile stones cannot be cut or polished. Additionally, the world’s largest precious opal was unearthed in the Royal Peacock Mine!ĭespite Nevada’s surplus of common opal, most are unsuitable for gems due to their crazing and cracking. If you’re wondering what makes Nevada’s opals so prestigious, it's their vivid array of colors. Tourists can visit this opal mecca during the mining season, from May to November. The region teems with common opal, but a few small deposits supply precious black opal, known as some of the finest opals in the world. While Nevada tends to be associated with gambling and the famous Las Vegas strip, there’s much more to be discovered! The vast 68,000-acre valleys encompass the heart of the Old West and its rich prospecting history. In Northern Nevada nestled against the border of Oregon, a conglomeration of three high-producing Virgin Valley opal mines line the high desert valleys along the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, including: NevadaĬan you find black opal in the US? You bet! It’s clear that Nevada is the best place to find opal in the US, thanks to the world-famous Virgin Valley opal, a remote, fruitful mining district supplying some of the world’s finest black opals. Next, we’ll look at the mines dotting the Western regions of the US. Most of these opals are found in western USA, with many opal mines open to the public. ![]() On the whole, the United States produces around $90,000 of opal annually. However, Nevada is the leading American supplier for opals. Types of Opals Found in the USAĪmerican opals come from several states in western USA, where volcanic rocks in remote mountains and valleys along the Western Trail from California to Washington supply varieties like black opal, fire opal, common opal, and more. Here’s a quick overview of where to find American opals in the USA:īefore we dive into each of these states, let’s go over some of the opal varieties you’ll encounter in the US. Today, many mines are still active while others have long since closed, but their treasures still sell in the market. The US supplies only a fraction compared to other sources like Australia, Ethiopia, Brazil, and Mexico, but the western canyons and valleys are lined with small opal mines. While it’s true that Australia is the leading source for opals worldwide, followed by Ethiopia, the US has a humble but steady supply, too. When early settlers migrated west to pan for gold in early American boomtowns, they may have also encountered another treasure hidden in the earth: opals! That’s right, if you thought opals were confined to the abundant deposits in Australia, think again. ![]()
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