Marble Mountain California Trilobites

Collecting trilobites in the marble mountains california.

Marble mountain california trilobites. The marble mountains are a rather small mountain range located in one of the harshest driest parts of the mojave desert in southeastern california near the tiny towns of chambless and cadiz. The marble mountain wilderness is a 241 744 acre 978 30 km 2 wilderness area located 60 miles 97 km southwest of yreka california in the united states it is managed by the united states forest service and is within the klamath national forest in siskiyou county. Here is the posting from the california bureau of land management website please visit the website for rules on collecting. Is located at this beautiful outcrop in a 60 foot thick formation over 550 million years old.

Take a trip to the place that first inspired my life long fascination and interest in fossils the classic trilobite quarry in the lower cambrian latham shale in the marble mountains of california s mojave desert. The fossils are approximately 518 million years old. The mountains contain a rich outcropping of the latham shale known for its diversity of lower cambrian fossils. Geology of the area.

A group of fossil seekers explores with eager attentiveness an exposure of the lower cambrian latham shale at the classic trilobite quarry in the marble mountains. The marble mountain fossil beds lie in a beautiful shale formation that is 60 feet thick and over 550 million years old. In addition to many trilobite fossils found here this rock collecting area yields green epidote dolomite chrysocolla chalcedony serpentine marble garnet and specular hematite iron and kenatite chalcedony crystals geodes. January is a great month to explore the marble mountains.

However the land has become part of a nationally. Trilobites were small marine crustaceans that resembled modern day. One of the classic cambrian trilobite fossil sites in the western u s. We left highway 40 at ludlow and drove the old national trails highway route 66 through amboy to chambless.

The latham shale borders the cadiz and chambless formations both named after the small towns nearby. Please note that this photograph was taken long before the marble mountains became part of a national monument. Here is the posting from the california bureau of land management website please visit the website for rules on collecting. Our plan was to explore them on saturday camp there then meet the yucaipa valley gem and mineral society for a trilobite fossil hunt on sunday.

Marble mountain fossil bed contains one of the classic cambrian trilobite fossil sites within the western united states. The land was first set aside in april 1931 as the marble mountain primitive area which comprised 234 957 acres 950 84 km 2. Although trilobites are the most common and most popular fossils in the latham shale they are not the only fossils that have been found there.