Summary:

Fairburn Agates are a coveted treasure of rockhounding trips across the Southwest corner of South Dakota. Known for their intricate bands and elusiveness to find, a good hunt for a Fairburn can lead you to some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the Great Plains.

This was a spot I chose to explore somewhat arbitrarily - Fairburn Agates are distributed irregularly across the Badlands region of South Dakota. This spot is on the way to a well-known spot called Indian Creek just to the South. I decided to stop and explore, but I was here in the Winter and it was brutally cold. Still, about 50% of the ground was uncovered by snow so I explored and found an absolutely beautiful red agate, known as a prairie agate. It’s far more common than a Fairburn, but some of the more colorful ones can have quite a bit of beauty.

I also came across a little bit of rose quartz out here as well and I’m sure there’s some nice pieces to be found if you poke around here for long enough.