Wesson: Banded Agate & Chalcedony Rockhounding in Copiah County, Mississippi

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Copiah County

State

Mississippi

Nearest road

Cecil Reeves Road

Postcode

39191

Coordinates

31.71572, -90.32352

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: The most productive gravel exposures are private commercial pits, so ask permission before entering. Roadside and creek gravel finds are legal only with landowner consent or at genuine public access points. This is a permission-based locality, not open public 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 Wesson

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: September to June. Typical highs run 91°F in midsummer and 59°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 40°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, HAZLEHURST 5 SW station (11 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Wesson

This spot sits on Catahoula formation, mapped as sand that formed roughly 23 to 5 million years ago. Petrified wood typically travels as tough float, and worked gravels like these are exactly where weathered pieces tend to collect.

Mapped unit

Catahoula formation

Age

23–5 Ma (Miocene)

Rock types

sand

Elevation

360 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