With its many mining and mineral rock sites, Arizona is a great state for rockhounding. Rockhounding is the hobby of collecting rocks and other minerals from gathering sites. Given the popularity of rockhounding in the state of Arizona, it is a great option for a school field trip. While many schools take trips to the museum, it is also possible to travel directly to a rockhounding site.
The Arizona Historical Society operates the Arizona Mining and Minerals Museum, which has an entire section devoted to rockhounding in the state. On display at the museum are many minerals and rocks that can be found through rockhounding in Arizona. Also, there are many references the students can look through to discover more about the topic. There is also information on the different rock and mineral clubs that can be joined, as well as upcoming mineral shows throughout the state. On this field trip students will see firsthand which minerals can be collected at various rockhounding sites.
For a hands-on field trip, or perhaps a follow-up field trip to the museum visit, students can visit the Apache Powder Plant Site near Benson, Arizona. This easily accessible site gives students the opportunity to find their own rocks and minerals. Selenite roses and stars are most commonly found at this site, typically through digging gently through the soft red sand. In addition, it is possible to find colorful rhyolite at this site as well.
A field trip to Hull Mine near Yuma provides students with the opportunity to find a greater variety of rocks while rockhounding. You will find calcite, fluorite, galena, quartz and wulfenite at the site. Students should be careful when rockhounding here because it is an abandoned mine. Strict supervision should be carried out, but it has been noted that this abandoned mine is relatively safe.
