Oak Springs Trilobite Site
Trilobites in the shale near Oak Springs Summit, a short stop off US 93
- What you find
- Fossils of six kinds of trilobites in shale
- Rock
- Pioche Shale, Cambrian, more than 500 million years old
- Getting there
- US 93 about 12 miles west of Caliente; turn north at mile marker 81
- Fee
- None
- Collecting
- Common invertebrate fossils in reasonable amounts, for personal use only (BLM)
- Facilities
- Parking lot, trail register, interpretive sign, picnic table
- Restrooms
- None on site
- Managed by
- BLM Ely District
Public area set aside for recreational collecting
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Season: Year-round; spring and fall are the most comfortable.
Make a weekend of it
2 fossil and meteorite spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.
About Oak Springs Trilobite Site
The Oak Springs Trilobite Area lies just off US Highway 93 in the southeastern corner of Nevada, a few miles west of Caliente. The shale beds near Oak Springs Summit are full of the fossil remains of six kinds of trilobites, the long-extinct sea creatures with segmented shells that are among the most sought-after fossils for collectors.
The shale belongs to the Pioche Shale, a formation laid down on the floor of a shallow sea in the Cambrian period, more than 500 million years ago. According to Travel Nevada, most of the trilobites here are olenellids, early forms whose shell recalls a small horseshoe crab. Paleontologists know the place too: a 1998 paper in the Journal of Paleontology on the disappearance of the olenellids at the end of the Early Cambrian illustrated a section at Oak Springs Summit, and a 2000 study of the trilobites that mark the boundary between the Early and Middle Cambrian used a measured section at Oak Springs.
To get there, drive west from Caliente on US 93 for about 12 miles. At mile marker 81 turn north, following the large sign for the trilobite site, to a parking lot with the trailhead and information boards.
Travel Nevada says the fossils are exposed in a trench at the south end of the area, below the trailhead, and that an hour or so of careful searching almost always turns up at least part of a trilobite. The shale splits easily with a rock pick. Under BLM rules, common invertebrate fossils such as trilobites may be collected in reasonable quantities for personal use; selling or bartering them is not allowed.
The BLM describes the site as a little off the beaten path but well worth the stop for anyone crossing this part of the state. Facilities are simple: a parking lot, a trail register, an interpretive sign and a picnic table, with no restrooms. There is no fee. Sign the register and read the interpretive sign at the trailhead before heading up to the shale.
Clubs and places nearby
- Utah Friends of Paleontology, Southwest ChapterClub · 72 mi
- Southern Utah Rock ClubClub · 91 mi
- Ore Car Mining Claim (SNGMS)Free public dig · 97 mi
- Southern Nevada Gem & Mineral SocietyClub · 102 mi
- GPAA Las Vegas ChapterClub · 102 mi
- Fossil MountainFree public dig · 110 mi
Access
Drive about 12 miles west of Caliente on US-93. At mile marker 81 turn north at the large sign for the trilobite site and follow the short dirt road to the parking lot and trailhead.
Technique
Hand tools: a rock hammer and a small chisel to split the shale along its layers, plus safety glasses and gloves. Search the loose shale on the slopes and in the wash bottoms. Personal collection only, in reasonable amounts: trilobites may not be sold or bartered.