Clear Hills: Rockhounding in Clear Hills County, Alberta
- Mineral reported
- 1
Clear Hills is a mapped rockhounding spot in Clear Hills County, Alberta, Canada. Reported finds include opal. Below: coordinates, access notes, and nearby spots.
About Clear Hills
The Clear Hills of northwestern Alberta, roughly 480 km northwest of Edmonton, expose flat-lying beds of oolitic ironstone 1.5 to 9 m thick along their southeastern slopes. The Alberta Geological Survey estimates more than a billion tonnes of iron-bearing rock here, the largest potential iron ore source in the four western provinces. The opal is common opal rather than precious: silica occurs in the ironstone both as quartz grains and as an intergranular opal cement binding the goethite ooliths. Despite extensive processing tests, the deposits have never been brought into production, and this remains an undeveloped upland area rather than an established collecting site.
Plan your visit
Permission required before collecting
- County
- Clear Hills County
- Province
- Alberta
- Postal code
- T0H 3Y0
- Coordinates
- 56.66333, -118.64244
Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground and access before you head out.
Land & collecting status
Permission required before collecting
Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.
Collecting rules in Canada are set provincially and by land owner. Crown land and many public beaches allow casual hand collecting, while provincial and national parks are off-limits. Confirm the rules for this site before you dig.
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Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots in Alberta within driving distance of Clear Hills.
- Kleskun Hill Natural AreaCounty of Grande Prairie, Alberta · 156 km awayFossil, Dinosaur Bone
- Pipestone Creek BonebedCounty of Grande Prairie, Alberta · 182 km awayFossil, Dinosaur Bone
- Emily Murphy ParkAlberta · 476 km awayGold, Platinum
- Terwillegar ParkAlberta · 478 km awayGold, Platinum
- Gold Bar Creek MouthAlberta · 480 km awayGold, Platinum
- Prospector's Point (Devon)Parkland County, Alberta · 480 km awayGold, Platinum, Petrified Wood
Clear Hills FAQ
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