Adams County: Banded Agate Rockhounding in Adams County, Mississippi

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Adams County

State

Mississippi

Nearest road

Humming Bird Lane

Postcode

39120

Coordinates

31.53605, -91.36943

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: Historic collecting was in private commercial gravel pits, which require permission. A legal public fallback is loose gravel below the ordinary high-water mark along the Mississippi River at public Natchez accesses. Avoid private pit property and posted land.

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 Adams County

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 57°F in winter to 90°F in summer.

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

Geology at Adams County

This spot sits on Catahoula formation, mapped as sand that formed roughly 23 to 5 million years ago. Gravels like these concentrate whatever survives the river: agate, jasper, and other tough silica typically show up as rounded, waxy stones.

Mapped unit

Catahoula formation

Age

23–5 Ma (Miocene)

Rock types

sand

Elevation

110 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.

• Mississippi Office of Geology
• National Forests in Mississippi
• Mississippi State Parks rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules