General Area: Fossil Hunting in Ellis County, Texas

Quick details

Access

Public area

County

Ellis County

State

Texas

Nearest road

West US Highway 287

Coordinates

32.49294, -97.03925

Geology at General Area

This spot sits on Eagle Ford Formation, mapped as black shale and siltstone that formed roughly 100 to 66 million years ago. Sedimentary layers like these are where fossils are typically preserved, and fresh exposures after rain or in active cuts tend to produce best.

Mapped unit

Eagle Ford Formation

Age

100–66 Ma (Late Cretaceous)

Rock types

black shale and siltstone

Elevation

620 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

• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
• Bureau of Economic Geology — Texas geology
• Big Bend National Park — Rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules

Found at General Area

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

• Fossilized Shark TeethEncyclopedia →