Where to Find Amber in New Jersey

New Jersey amber comes from the Raritan Formation, a Cretaceous coastal plain unit exposed in clay pits along the lower Raritan River. The Sayreville and South Amboy pits in Middlesex County are the type localities, with amber pieces ranging from millimeter chips to baseball-sized blocks. The amber is often dark and resin-rich, and insect inclusions (gnats, beetles, plant material) are among the oldest preserved arthropods in North America. Cliffwood Beach in Monmouth County yields tide-tumbled amber after storms. Most pit ground is privately owned and access depends on club arrangements or museum partnerships; beach collecting at Cliffwood is open with normal storm-window timing.