Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, South Dakota, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Gap National Grasslands | Protected Area |
| South Dakota | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
43° 43' 57'' North , 102° 54' 15'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hermosa | 392 (2017) | 25.9km |
| Green Valley | 928 (2017) | 37.5km |
| New Underwood | 672 (2017) | 40.5km |
| Rapid Valley | 8,260 (2017) | 41.5km |
| Buffalo Gap | 121 (2017) | 42.4km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Western Dakota Gem & Mineral Society | Rapid City, South Dakota | 47km |
The Buffalo Gap National Grasslands are managed by the National Forest Service and cover about 596,000 acres in southwestern South Dakota including parts of Fall River, Pennington, Jackson, and Custer counties. The grasslands developed over sediments that were deposited from the erosion of the Black Hills Uplift. Breaks in the sod reveal massive amounts of alluvial gravels that contain many specimens that interest collectors. Many agates have been found in the gravel, the most sought after is the Fairburn agate. In some areas of the grasslands there are deep washes that expose sections of the White River Oligocene Badlands. Petrified “drift” wood is sometimes found with well-preserved growth rings in shades of brown, black, gray and tan.
Starting from Kadoka in the east, The Buffalo Gap National Grasslands extends westward surrounding the Badlands National Park thru Interior and Scenic to the Fairburn agate beds just east of the village of Fairburn. From there a wide swath drops south to the Nebraska border then westward to the Wyoming border (see the attached map). Search Kadoka, Badlands, Interior, Scenic, Fairburn, Oelrichs, and Ardmore for more information.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
2 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Quartz var. Agate Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony Formula: SiO2 |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Quartz var. Agate | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | var. Chalcedony | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 | |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| C | Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Agate | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Agate | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
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Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, South Dakota, USA