Tombigbee River: Fossil Hunting in Itawamba County, Mississippi
- Mineral reported
- 1
- Elevation
- 270 ft
- Best months
- Year-round
The Tombigbee River in Itawamba County flows past Cretaceous chalk and sand of the Coffee Sand, Demopolis, and Prairie Bluff units, the same fossil-bearing belt exposed farther south. Gravel bars along the river yield shark teeth, Exogyra oysters, and fragments of marine reptiles and fish weathered from the bluffs. The river's public accesses give collectors a legal way to reach this fossil-rich section. Reported finds include shark tooth. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Plan your visit
Generally open to casual rockhounding
- County
- Itawamba County
- State
- Mississippi
- Nearest road
- Beans Ferry Road
- Postcode
- 38858
- Coordinates
- 34.21196, -88.40715
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: Loose material on gravel bars below the ordinary high-water mark of the navigable river is collectible from public boat ramps and river accesses under Mississippi's public-trust rules. Do not cross or dig into private banks and bluffs. Vertebrate fossils on state-owned bottomland are protected, so keep to loose surface finds and report anything of scientific value.
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 Tombigbee River
Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)
Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 51°F in winter to 90°F in summer.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, FULTON 3 W station (4 mi away).
Geology at Tombigbee River
This spot sits on Eutaw formation, mapped as sand and clay that formed roughly 100 to 66 million years ago. Reworked sediments like these can carry fossils eroded from older beds upstream, typically as rolled bone fragments, teeth, and shell material.
- Mapped unit
- Eutaw formation
- Age
- 100–66 Ma (Late Cretaceous)
- Rock types
- sand and clay
- Elevation
- 270 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.
Today's weather
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Get the appSources & 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
Found at Tombigbee River
Each name 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 Tombigbee River.
- PadenTishomingo County, Mississippi · 27 mi awayAmber
- Twentymile CreekPrentiss County, Mississippi · 29 mi awayFossil, Petrified Wood
- LukaTishomingo County, Mississippi · 42 mi awayRed Ocher, Yellow Ocher
- Holly Springs National ForestMarshall County, Mississippi · 63 mi awayPetrified Wood
Across the state line from Tombigbee River
Tombigbee River is close enough to the Mississippi border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
- BrilliantMarion County, Alabama · 39 mi awayPetrified Wood, Quartz
- Tennessee River (Muscle Shoals)Colbert County, Alabama · 56 mi awayChert, Fossil, Chalcedony
- Bankhead National ForestWinston County, Alabama · 58 mi awayQuartz, Chert, Fossil
- Coffee BluffHardin County, Tennessee · 74 mi awayAmber
Tombigbee River FAQ
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More rockhounding in Mississippi
See all 14 Mississippi spots →
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