Stafford County: Vivianite Rockhounding in Stafford County, Virginia

Quick details

Access

Public area

County

Stafford County

State

Virginia

Nearest road

Mount Hope Church Road

Postcode

22554

Coordinates

38.38776, -77.40582

Geology at Stafford County

This spot sits on Aquia Formation, mapped as sandy silt that formed roughly 66 to 3 million years ago. Loose deposits like these are float-collecting ground: erosion keeps moving durable rocks and minerals into gravel bars, cutbanks, and washes.

Mapped unit

Aquia Formation

Age

66–3 Ma (Tertiary)

Rock types

sandy silt

Elevation

200 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.

Best time to visit Stafford County

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 45°F in winter to 88°F in summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, FREDERICKSBURG SEWAGE station (7 mi away).

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.

Sources: RockHoundR public spot dataset, app land overlays, and local agency review before each trip.

Found at Stafford County

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

• Vivianite