Northfield: Fluorite & Garnet Rockhounding in Franklin County, Massachusetts

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Franklin County

State

Massachusetts

Nearest road

Mount Hermon Station Road

Postcode

01360

Coordinates

42.69301, -72.47751

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 Northfield

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: April to November. Typical highs run 82°F in midsummer and 32°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 14°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, GREENFIELD #3 station (10 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Northfield

This spot sits on Partridge Formation (includes Brimfield Schist of Emerson, 1917), mapped as mica schist that formed roughly 455 to 445 million years ago. Metamorphic belts like this often host pegmatite dikes, the coarse-crystal bodies that typically carry beryl, tourmaline, and sheet mica.

Mapped unit

Partridge Formation (includes Brimfield Schist of Emerson, 1917)

Age

455–445 Ma (Late Ordovician)

Rock types

mica schist

Elevation

390 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.

• Massachusetts Geological Survey
• Massachusetts DCR rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules