Where to Find Quartz in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania quartz comes from two settings: Appalachian metamorphic belt veins, and the famous skarn pockets of the Pennsylvania-Maryland line. Herkimer-style doubly-terminated quartz turns up around the Chestnut Hill quarry near Easton and in scattered Lehigh County dolomite quarries. Smoky and milky quartz vein material is common on roadcuts through the Reading Prong and the Susquehanna highlands. The most famous Pennsylvania quartz locality is Ellenville-style sceptre quartz near the New Jersey border, and the Chickies Rock area in Lancaster County yields tabular and acicular quartz crystals in altered quartzite. Most active collecting today depends on quarry permission or fee access. The most productive ground is in Chestnut Hill (Northampton County), Chickies Rock (Lancaster County), French Creek mines (Chester County).

Casual hand collection of common rocks and minerals like quartz is allowed on most BLM and U.S. Forest Service land in Pennsylvania, with daily and annual limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are off-limits. Always confirm rules before a trip.

Chestnut Hill (Northampton County) is the standout. Other strong ground includes Chickies Rock (Lancaster County), French Creek mines (Chester County).