West Mineral: Pyrite & Calcite Rockhounding in Cherokee County, Kansas

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Cherokee County

State

Kansas

Nearest road

Northwest 70th Street

Coordinates

37.24331, -94.96624

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.

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 West Mineral

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: February to December. Typical highs run 90°F in midsummer and 44°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 23°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, COLUMBUS station (9 mi away).

Geology at West Mineral

This spot sits on Cherokee Group, mapped as sandstone and shale that formed roughly 325 to 300 million years ago. Sedimentary rock like this erodes unevenly, so the most productive collecting is typically along fresh cuts, badland slopes, and active drainages.

Mapped unit

Cherokee Group

Age

325–300 Ma (Pennsylvanian)

Rock types

sandstone and shale

Elevation

900 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.

• Kansas Geological Survey
• Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks rules
• Cimarron National Grassland
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules