Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Arizona rockhounding near Lake Pleasant can uncover remarkable botryoidal chalcedony, translucent nodules, and lapidary material hidden in volcanic desert washes. In this Arizona chalcedony hunt north of Phoenix, I follow float across BLM land, compare chalcedony with common lookalikes, and uncover a large mystery nodule that may contain solid agate or a crystal-lined cavity.
The volcanic terrain west of Lake Pleasant contains silica-rich rock where chalcedony can form inside cavities and fractures. As erosion carries material into the washes, small pieces of milky white chalcedony—known as float—can provide clues that larger seams, clusters or nodules may be nearby.
In this video, you’ll see:
• How to recognize chalcedony float in the desert
• What waxy luster and translucent edges look like
• How chalcedony differs from rougher quartz lookalikes
• How float concentration can help guide a rockhound
• A botryoidal chalcedony specimen with bubbly formations
• A large mystery chalcedony nodule
• The cleaned specimens back in the workshop
• A final UV-light look at the material
The large nodule from this Arizona rockhounding trip will eventually be cut open in a future Random Rock video. It may be solid chalcedony, banded agate or a hollow cavity lined with quartz crystals.
The collecting shown in this video took place outside Lake Pleasant Regional Park on BLM-managed land. Always verify current land ownership, active mining claims, closures and local collecting restrictions before removing material.
Chapters
00:00 Arizona Chalcedony Rockhounding
01:29 Collecting Outside Lake Pleasant Park
02:10 How Chalcedony Forms
03:33 Finding Chalcedony Float
04:57 Chalcedony Lookalikes
05:44 Botryoidal Chalcedony Find
07:17 Large Chalcedony Nodule
08:33 Cleaned Finds in the Workshop
10:08 UV Fluorescence Reveal
What do you think is inside the large nodule: solid agate, a crystal-lined geode or mostly host rock? Leave your prediction before I cut it open.
#ArizonaRockhounding #Chalcedony #Rockhounding #Lapidary #WillORocks
Arizona rockhounding near Lake Pleasant can uncover remarkable botryoidal chalcedony, translucent nodules, and lapidary material hidden in volcanic desert washes. In this Arizona chalcedony hunt north of Phoenix, I follow float across BLM land, compare chalcedony with common lookalikes, and uncover a large mystery nodule that may contain solid agate or a crystal-lined cavity.
The volcanic terrain west of Lake Pleasant contains silica-rich rock where chalcedony can form inside cavities and fractures. As erosion carries material into the washes, small pieces of milky white chalcedony—known as float—can provide clues that larger seams, clusters or nodules may be nearby.
In this video, you’ll see:
• How to recognize chalcedony float in the desert
• What waxy luster and translucent edges look like
• How chalcedony differs from rougher quartz lookalikes
• How float concentration can help guide a rockhound
• A botryoidal chalcedony specimen with bubbly formations
• A large mystery chalcedony nodule
• The cleaned specimens back in the workshop
• A final UV-light look at the material
The large nodule from this Arizona rockhounding trip will eventually be cut open in a future Random Rock video. It may be solid chalcedony, banded agate or a hollow cavity lined with quartz crystals.
The collecting shown in this video took place outside Lake Pleasant Regional Park on BLM-managed land. Always verify current land ownership, active mining claims, closures and local collecting restrictions before removing material.
Chapters
00:00 Arizona Chalcedony Rockhounding
01:29 Collecting Outside Lake Pleasant Park
02:10 How Chalcedony Forms
03:33 Finding Chalcedony Float
04:57 Chalcedony Lookalikes
05:44 Botryoidal Chalcedony Find
07:17 Large Chalcedony Nodule
08:33 Cleaned Finds in the Workshop
10:08 UV Fluorescence Reveal
What do you think is inside the large nodule: solid agate, a crystal-lined geode or mostly host rock? Leave your prediction before I cut it open.
#ArizonaRockhounding #Chalcedony #Rockhounding #Lapidary #WillORocks
