IDAHO, USA — Rockhounding in the Gem State can reveal some beautiful wonders buried in the ground, remnants of eras long gone. Dr. Virginia Gillerman is a research geologist with the Idaho Geological Survey and she said Idaho has a long geologic history, some of the oldest rocks in the state are about two billion years old.
"[The state is] extremely rich, complex, and really very diverse, which creates a number of different minerals that are good for rockhounding," Gillerman said. "Especially in southern Idaho, we have a lot of Thundereggs, Agates and Jaspers."
Rockhounding is the practice of searching for and collecting rocks, fossils, or minerals. A Thunderegg is a rock, similar to a geode, but without the hollow center. These rocks form in the gas cavities of volcanic chambers. Thundereggs usually look like ordinary rocks with a bubbly texture on the outside, but slicing them open and polishing them may reveal dazzling designs.
Craig Branham is field manager for Earth Brite Rock Shops. He and his family operate the shops together and have a claim in Marsing, where he said there are a lot of Thundereggs.
"I started to see volcanic ash everywhere and Opal chips on the surface and Thunderegg chips," Branham said. "So, I knew that this was a deposit, so I started digging and sure enough it paid off."
The sizes of Thundereggs can vary. Normally, they are about the size of a baseball or a potato, but a Thunderegg can be anywhere from a half an inch to over 3-feet-across.
"You can get real big ones and you can get little ones, we've dug up 30 pound eggs out here," Branham said. "This is another egg that I found. This is from a new deposit that I located just a few miles away, and this is at least 200 pounds, and it's full of Agate and it's full of Opal."
The Thundereggs Branham had were filled with Blue Opal. He showed KTVB's Sophia Bliss how to dig them up at his claim in Marsing.
"Okay, so we're down here in the trench," Branham said. "This is the volcanic ash I was talking about. This is what you look for. That's a sign of a healthy Thunderegg bed. This is all part of the eruption. We've got a nice blue egg right here we're working on."
He said your eyes are your best tool.
"So, you always want to look for the shape and the texture, Branham said. "You want to dig around it and then use the leverage of the hammer to get to pop it out."
Branham and Bliss successfully got a Thunderegg out of the ground and opened it up. In Idaho, people can find Opal, Quartz, Agate, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Jasper and Garnet…just to name a few.
Many of those are on display at this year's Gem and Mineral Show, hosted by the Idaho Gem Club. The club's President, Rick Corbett, said he dove into the rock world because of a gem show just like this one.
"In 2009, I came through the doors, and stood up there, walked around, bought a few rocks and peeked around the corner," Corbett said. And I asked 'hey, what are you doing on that machine' and the old the fella doing it said, 'oh grinding rocks.' And I said, 'that looks like fun.' He goes, 'it's pretty fun... Unless you want a new habit or a new hobby, you better not try it.' And so, I came to a workshop and I've been hooked ever since."
Corbett said it's not uncommon for people to get hooked on this hobby.
"Rocks, jewels, gems. It isn't just us, it's everybody," Corbett said. "Everybody has an interest in things from the earth in one form or another. We're all drawn to it. We don't know why, but we love rocks and gems and shiny things."
For rockhounders, the search for precious stones is just as enjoyable as finding them. Jay Rasgorshaek said he's been rockhounding for two years.
"It's my hobby on the weekends so I can get out of my house, otherwise I'll go crazy," Rasgorshaek said. "There's a reason why we're called the Gem State, right? Yeah, I think it's just a phenomenal hobby. And it's a way of like, just loving nature and geology and just admiring our landscape in a different context."
Landon Huter said he started rockhounding in 2020, also as a way to get outside. He said, that now, his house is covered in rocks because anywhere he goes, he picks up interesting looking rocks.
"To me, it's like just finding treasures on the ground. I mean, like if you were to just, you know, be walking on the street and you see $100 bill on the ground," Huter said. "It's the same feeling."
Even though hunting down rocks may sound like a lonely pursuit, there is a local community of people to learn from.
"We're always looking for new members," Corbett said, "everybody's welcome. And as long as they're a good person, and they like rocks, we want them."
Since the Gem State does have quite a few gems to be found, you may not even have to take a designated trip to find them.
"If you're just at your grandma's house and you're going for a walk, you can rockhound there, it really doesn't matter," Huter said. "Anything cool that you find on the ground can qualify. It doesn't have to be something life changing."
Before you head out on your rock hounding trip, there are a few things to consider.
1. Make sure you're not trespassing. You can check with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Idaho Department of Lands to make sure that you are on public lands. If it's not public land, make sure you have permission from the landowner or claim holder.
2. Once you get permission to be there, make sure to fill any holes that you dig.
3. Don't leave any trash behind.
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