Tijeras Canyon: Fluorite Rockhounding in Bernalillo County, New Mexico

Quick details

Access

Public area

County

Bernalillo County

State

New Mexico

Nearest road

Mountain Ridge

Postcode

87509

Coordinates

35.07172, -106.39778

Geology at Tijeras Canyon

This spot sits on ground mapped as Upper arkosic limestone member of the Madera Formation that formed roughly 315 to 300 million years ago. Carbonate rock like this is the classic host for lead, zinc, and fluorite mineralization, which typically follows old cavities and replacement zones.

Mapped unit

Upper arkosic limestone member of the Madera Formation

Age

315–300 Ma (Middle Pennsylvanian to Late Pennsylvanian)

Elevation

6,370 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.

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.

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.

State guidance last verified: April 1, 2026

• Rockhound State Park — Collection rules
• BLM New Mexico
• New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules

Found at Tijeras Canyon

Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.

• FluoriteEncyclopedia →