Weisburg: Fossil Hunting in Dearborn County, Indiana

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Dearborn County

State

Indiana

Nearest road

Weisburg Road

Postcode

47041

Coordinates

39.22221, -85.04841

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

Land & collecting status

Generally open to casual rockhounding

Most public-tagged spots sit on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, or other federal land where reasonable hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed. Confirm posted rules and active mining claims before you dig.

Access note: Surface collecting of loose, already-fallen fossils along public road cuts is generally tolerated but not formally authorized: collect fallen float, do not dig or pry the cut face, do not climb the walls, and do not block traffic. Creek and private-land access requires the landowner's permission, and Versailles State Park nearby prohibits 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 Weisburg

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 83°F in midsummer and 37°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 19°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, MILAN 5 NE station (4 mi away).

Geology at Weisburg

This spot sits on Whitewater Formation, mapped as limestone and shale that formed roughly 485 to 445 million years ago. Limestone like this typically forms in ancient seas, so marine fossils such as brachiopods, corals, and crinoids tend to weather out of fresh exposures.

Mapped unit

Whitewater Formation

Age

485–445 Ma (Ordovician)

Rock types

limestone and shale

Elevation

980 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.

• Indiana Geological and Water Survey
• Hoosier National Forest
• Indiana DNR property rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules