Big Pine Creek: Sphalerite & Barite Rockhounding in Warren County, Indiana
Updated July 2026
Big Pine Creek carves a wooded bluff-and-ravine landscape in west-central Warren County, where glaciated stream gravels mix quartz, chert, and jasper with sulfide and sulfate minerals such as sphalerite, barite, and marcasite. Its gentle banks make it an accessible creek-bed hunting ground away from the southern geode belt. The setting near the Fall Creek Gorge "Potholes" adds geological interest. Reported finds include sphalerite, barite, fossilized wood, siderite, marcasite, and more. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Big Pine Creek photos
Public image records connected to this spot or its reported material.
Map showing Big Pine Creek in Warren County, Indiana
Quick details
- Access
- Public area
- County
- Warren County
- State
- Indiana
- Nearest road
- West Briscoe Road
- Postcode
- 47993
- Coordinates
- 40.41000, -87.34330
Geology at Big Pine Creek
This spot sits on Raccoon Creek Group, mapped as shale and sandstone that formed roughly 325 to 300 million years ago. Sedimentary beds like these are the typical host for petrified and silicified wood, which weathers out as durable float on slopes and in washes.
- Mapped unit
- Raccoon Creek Group
- Age
- 325–300 Ma (Pennsylvanian)
- Rock types
- shale and sandstone
- Elevation
- 640 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.
Best time to visit Big Pine Creek
Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 84°F in midsummer and 32°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 16°F.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, BOSWELL 4WNW station (10 mi away).
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.
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.
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.
Sources: RockHoundR public spot dataset, app land overlays, and local agency review before each trip.
Found at Big Pine Creek
Each chip 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 Big Pine Creek.
- Parke CountyParke County, Indiana · 45 mi awayGoethite, Marcasite, Pyrite
- LogansportCass County, Indiana · 60 mi awayApatite, Calcite, Pyrite
- Williams CreekMarion County, Indiana · 73 mi awayAmethyst, Quartz
- IndianapolisMarion County, Indiana · 77 mi awayMoonstone
- Highland CreekMorgan County, Indiana · 78 mi awayBrown Sapphire
- Morgan CountyMorgan County, Indiana · 80 mi awayQuartz, Corundum, Topaz
- ErieWabash County, Indiana · 80 mi awayGeode
- SpencerTop pick in IndianaOwen County, Indiana · 84 mi awayBarite, Celestite, Siderite
Across the state line from Big Pine Creek
Big Pine Creek is close enough to the Indiana border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
Big Pine Creek FAQ
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More rockhounding in Indiana
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