Coursey Pond: Fossil Hunting in Kent County, Delaware
- Mineral reported
- 1
- Elevation
- 20 ft
- Best months
- February to December
Coursey Pond, a millpond on the Murderkill drainage southeast of Felton, is one of the few inland Delaware spots where fossils turn up: poorly preserved Miocene shells and marine fragments, roughly 15 million years old, weather from the banks at the water line, mixed with quartz pebbles, feldspar, and mica in the sand and gravel. The Delaware Geological Survey lists Coursey and nearby Killens Pond together as the state's classic pond fossil localities. It is a change of pace from Delaware's beaches, a woodland pond where the material erodes out along the shore. Reported finds include fossil. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Plan your visit
Permission required before collecting
- County
- Kent County
- State
- Delaware
- Nearest road
- Coursey Mill Road
- Postcode
- 19943
- Coordinates
- 38.98950, -75.51738
Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.
Land & collecting status
Permission required before collecting
Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.
Access note: Coursey Pond is a DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife public fishing area, so it is state land where collecting is not authorized without permission from DNREC. Treat it as a look-and-learn spot: study what erodes out at the water's edge, take only loose surface material if you have confirmed it is allowed, and never dig into the banks. Contact DNREC about current rules before collecting.
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 Coursey Pond
Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)
Best months: February to December. Typical highs run 87°F in midsummer and 44°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 28°F.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, DOVER station (11 mi away).
Geology at Coursey Pond
This spot sits on Chesapeake Group, mapped as silt that formed roughly 66 to 3 million years ago. Reworked sediments like these can carry fossils eroded from older beds upstream, typically as rolled bone fragments, teeth, and shell material.
- Mapped unit
- Chesapeake Group
- Age
- 66–3 Ma (Tertiary)
- Rock types
- silt
- Elevation
- 20 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.
Today's weather
Is today a good day to go?
The app shows live weather, recent rain, and a daily rockhounding score for Coursey Pond.
Get the appSources & 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.
- Delaware Geological Survey
- Delaware State Parks rules
- Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules
Found at Coursey Pond
Each name opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of Coursey Pond.
- Killen PondKent County, Delaware · 1 mi awayFossil
- Bowers BeachKent County, Delaware · 8 mi awayQuartz
- Slaughter BeachSussex County, Delaware · 13 mi awayQuartz, Jasper
- Fowler BeachSussex County, Delaware · 15 mi awayQuartz
- Pickering BeachKent County, Delaware · 21 mi awayQuartz
- Cape HenlopenSussex County, Delaware · 27 mi awayQuartz
- Deauville BeachSussex County, Delaware · 30 mi awayQuartz
- LaurelSussex County, Delaware · 32 mi awayIron Ore
Across the state line from Coursey Pond
Coursey Pond is close enough to the Delaware border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
- Higbee Beach Wildlife Management AreaCape May County, New Jersey · 30 mi awayQuartz, Chalcedony
- Cape MayCape May County, New Jersey · 33 mi awayQuartz, Chalcedony
- Salem CountySalem County, New Jersey · 37 mi awayAmber
- Ocean CityWorcester County, Maryland · 47 mi awayQuartz
- Elk MillsCecil County, Maryland · 49 mi awayBeryl, Garnet
- Oldman’s CreekSalem County, New Jersey · 49 mi awayAmber
Coursey Pond FAQ
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More rockhounding in Delaware
See all 13 Delaware spots →
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