Abandoned Mines (Yellville area): Smithsonite & Calcite Rockhounding in Marion County, Arkansas

Plan your visit

Confirm rules before collecting

County

Marion County

State

Arkansas

Nearest road

Frog Hollow Lane

Coordinates

36.13024, -92.55293

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Confirm rules before collecting

Land status here is not confirmed. Verify with the managing agency before collecting, federal, state, and tribal rules differ.

Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.

Best time to visit Abandoned Mines (Yellville area)

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 48°F in winter to 90°F in summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, GILBERT station (13 mi away).

Geology at Abandoned Mines (Yellville area)

This spot sits on Cason Shale and Fernvale Limestone (Upper Ordovician) and Kimmswick Limestone, Plattin Limestone, and Joachim Dolomite (Middle Ordovician), mapped as limestone that formed roughly 470 to 445 million years ago. Carbonate rock like this dissolves and weathers readily, so fresh road cuts, quarries, and creek exposures are typically the most productive ground.

Mapped unit

Cason Shale and Fernvale Limestone (Upper Ordovician) and Kimmswick Limestone, Plattin Limestone, and Joachim Dolomite (Middle Ordovician)

Age

470–445 Ma (Middle Ordovician to Late Ordovician)

Rock types

limestone

Elevation

600 ft

Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.

Sources & verification

Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.

State guidance last verified: April 1, 2026

• Ouachita National Forest, Mineral Collecting
• Crater of Diamonds State Park, Rules and finds
• Arkansas Geological Survey
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules