Black Mountain: Albite & Amethyst Rockhounding in Catron County, New Mexico

Plan your visit

Permission required before collecting

County

Catron County

State

New Mexico

Nearest road

Sam Martin Trail #23

Coordinates

33.38071, -108.28991

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

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 Black Mountain

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 49°F in winter to 82°F in summer. At about 7,700 ft, snow can block access from late fall well into spring, so check conditions outside of summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, GILA HOT SPRINGS station (14 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Black Mountain

This spot sits on Upper middle Tertiary basaltic andesites and andesites of the Mogollon Group, mapped as basaltic andesite and andesite that formed roughly 28 to 20 million years ago. Cavities and seams in volcanic rock like this are the kind of setting where quartz and amethyst crystals tend to grow.

Mapped unit

Upper middle Tertiary basaltic andesites and andesites of the Mogollon Group

Age

28–20 Ma (Late Oligocene to Early Miocene)

Rock types

basaltic andesite and andesite

Elevation

7,700 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.

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