![]() ![]() ![]() Regardless of whether specimen collecting is referred to as rock hunting, rockhounding, or amateur geology, the legal issues associated with collecting remain the same. Not following applicable laws when rock, mineral, and fossil collecting can result in serious consequences. Depending on a host of factors including the exact type, weight, and location of the specimens taken, someone may have subjected himself or herself to criminal and civil legal actions. Would someone be doing something illegal in keeping one of the found specimens? Quite possibly. Nonetheless, the question of legality underscores the legal framework in which such simple activities take place. These questions evoke fairly common and seemingly innocuous scenarios. Is it legal for you to put them in your pack to show your non-climbing friends? In keeping these specimens, would the individuals have done something wrong? Can your spouse wade into the water to retrieve the stones and take them home as a souvenir? You and some friends are having a great day rock-climbing in a nearby state park when your activities reveal several interesting crystalline minerals. Are your children able to take them home? Picture yourself strolling on a long, sandy beach when your spouse's attention is caught by several beautiful stones gleaming under the shallow water. Do you own them? As you hike with your family in a national park on vacation, your children happen upon several small pieces of petrified wood. Is it yours to keep? Imagine digging in your backyard to install a new deck and unearthing several fossils. While fishing in a mountain stream, you find a small gold nugget. Much more valuable than a common pebble - if you are caught removing this without permission from almost any property that you do not own, and in some cases even a property that you do own, it could result in criminal or civil problems. Part 3: Additional Conditions, Limitations, and Prohibitions on Rock Collecting ![]() with a tour guide just drive right into the old mine site.Part 2: Determining Rock, Mineral, or Fossil Ownership and Possession
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