Choose a country before choosing an activity. These guides keep mineral collecting, gold prospecting and recreational metal detecting separate because permission for one activity does not establish permission for another.
USA rockhounding
Explore the 50-state atlas, material filters, access statuses and state guides.
Explore map and guide →USA metal detecting
Find the detecting map, state rules and permission-aware research guidance.
Explore map and guide →Canada
Explore Canadian rockhounding, general metal detecting and gold-prospecting guides.
Explore map and guide →Australia
Choose fossicking or gold prospecting, with state rules and official evidence links.
Explore map and guide →India
Explore rockhounding, metal detecting and gold research in separate activity guides.
Explore map and guide →Europe
Explore country guides, mineral localities and the European rockhounding map.
Explore map and guide →Find places near me
Open the country and activity map, then use Near Me or search by place. Location permission is optional. Distance does not establish legal access, collecting permission or an open route.
Plan with the right evidence
Review the record status, date, land manager and exact site conditions. Check current closures before leaving. Pins marked as regional or research context must not be treated as exact collecting destinations.
Pakistan
Explore Pakistan rockhounding, gemstone and mineral localities alongside a separate metal-detecting research map, protected no-go sites, provincial guides and current legal-source references.
China
Explore China jade, gemstone and mineral localities with a separate metal-detecting research map, protected cultural-relic no-go markers, regional guides and current mineral/cultural-relic law.
Choose the right activity before opening a map
Rockhounding, fossicking, recreational metal detecting and gold prospecting can look similar on a map, but each activity may have different legal requirements. A recorded mineral occurrence is evidence that material has been reported; it does not establish a right to enter a site or remove anything. Choose the country and activity that match your intended trip.
Rockhounding and mineral research
Use the United States rockhounding map to compare places, status classifications, materials and state guides. The European rockhounding directory provides country-level geological locality research, while the India guides distinguish documented occurrences from places with verified collecting access. Check mineral tenure, ownership, conservation rules and current collecting limits independently.
Metal detecting
Use the U.S. metal detecting map for detecting-specific filters and records, or find places near you without assuming that a map pin is a permission boundary. Recreational detecting, excavating targets and keeping recovered objects may require different approvals. Historical and archaeological resources can have additional protections.
Europe: Browse the Europe Metal Detecting Explorer for country-by-country detector laws, archaeological safeguards, landowner consent and finds-reporting requirements. This is a separate dataset from the Europe rockhounding map, and no detecting-access sites have been verified open.
Gold prospecting and fossicking
The gold prospecting country directory separates historical goldfield evidence from current access conditions. For Australian gemstone and mineral research, start with the Australia guides and confirm the rules of the relevant state or territory. Do not assume that fossicking permission authorizes gold detecting or work on an active mining claim.
How to judge an individual record
- Evidence: Look for the source and review date, and distinguish an official management notice from historical geological reporting.
- Map precision: Determine whether the marker identifies an exact verified public access point or only a district, county or geological feature.
- Current access: Confirm private-property rights, mineral claims, restricted zones, permits and any protected-resource rules before travel.
- Practical conditions: Check closures, operating hours, reservations, road conditions and equipment limitations.
For public-land planning in the United States, read the rules and access guide. Missing or uncertain permission is a reason to continue researching, not permission to collect.