Killen Pond: Fossil Hunting in Kent County, Delaware
- Mineral reported
- 1
- Elevation
- 20 ft
- Best months
- February to December
Killens Pond, the centerpiece of Killens Pond State Park near Felton, is the twin of Coursey Pond in the Delaware Geological Survey's fossil-site list, with the same poorly preserved Miocene shells and marine fragments eroding from the pond banks. The 66-acre millpond and its trail-ringed shoreline make it the most pleasant of the state's fossil-pond settings to explore. It anchors the honest inland-fossil side of Delaware rockhounding. 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
- Killens Pond Road
- Postcode
- 19943
- Coordinates
- 38.98253, -75.53780
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: This is a Delaware State Park, and state-park rules (7 DE Admin Code 9201) prohibit removing rocks, minerals, or fossils without written authorization; an entrance fee applies in season. Come to observe the geology and the fossils weathering from the banks rather than to collect, and ask the park office about any authorized educational collecting. No digging.
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 Killen 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 Killen 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 Killen 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 Killen 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 Killen Pond.
- Coursey PondKent County, Delaware · 1 mi awayFossil
- Bowers BeachKent County, Delaware · 9 mi awayQuartz
- Slaughter BeachSussex County, Delaware · 14 mi awayQuartz, Jasper
- Fowler BeachSussex County, Delaware · 16 mi awayQuartz
- Pickering BeachKent County, Delaware · 21 mi awayQuartz
- Cape HenlopenSussex County, Delaware · 27 mi awayQuartz
- Deauville BeachSussex County, Delaware · 31 mi awayQuartz
- LaurelSussex County, Delaware · 31 mi awayIron Ore
Across the state line from Killen Pond
Killen 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 · 31 mi awayQuartz, Chalcedony
- Cape MayCape May County, New Jersey · 34 mi awayQuartz, Chalcedony
- Salem CountySalem County, New Jersey · 38 mi awayAmber
- Ocean CityWorcester County, Maryland · 47 mi awayQuartz
- Elk MillsCecil County, Maryland · 49 mi awayBeryl, Garnet
- Oldman’s CreekSalem County, New Jersey · 50 mi awayAmber
Killen Pond FAQ
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More rockhounding in Delaware
See all 13 Delaware spots →
Open Killen Pond on the map
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