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Geode Beds LbNA #26833

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Oct 14, 2006
Location:
City:Tooele
County:Juab
State:Utah
Boxes:1
Found by: CW Sun Seeker
Last found:Sep 28, 2009
Status:FFFFF
Last edited:Oct 14, 2006
Approximately 6 to 8 million years ago volcanic activity occured in western Utah and deposited an extrusive igneous rock callyed rhyolite. Trapped gasses formed cavities within the rhyolite, and millions of years of ground-water circulation allowed minerals to precipitate into the cavities. The result is geodes with spherical shapes and crystal-lined cavities. Roughly 32,000 to 14,000 years ago, a large body of water known as Lake Bonneville covered most of western Utah. The lake's wave activiy eroded the geode-bearing rhyolite and redeposited the geodes several miles away in the Dugway geode bed area as lake sediments.

DIRECTIONS TO THE DUGWAY GEODE BEDS: From Salt Lake City take I-80 westbound until you reach the Tooele turnoff (exit 99). Travel south on Highway 36 for about 40.5 miles to the Pony Express Road (which is the dirt road just past Faust). Turn west (right) and proceed 50.1 miles on the Pony Express Road to the Dugway geode bed turnoff.

CLUES: East of the "Dugway Geode Bed" sign, you will see a lone juniper. Behind the juniper is one large rock surrounded by smaller rocks. The box (actually - bags - as we accidentally left our box home and have not made it back out there to put it all in a box) is hidden under the smaller rocks. Be sure to re-seal all the bags carefully!

TIPS FOR FINDING GEODES: As you turn in to the area, proceed until the road forks. You will be facing a small hill with motorcycle trails going up it. Turn right. Follow the road for a few miles. It will wind around, and have a few forks in it. This can be a little confusing, but keep searching until you find an area that has been dug up by bull-dozers. There are several large hills here, and geodes are very plentiful. Take shovels and picks. If you dig into the hills you can find large, unbroken geodes. This is a fun trip - well worth the time to get out there!