State
Fossil sites in Arkansas
Arkansas splits into two fossil provinces. The Ozark and Ouachita uplands in the north and west expose Paleozoic marine rock. The Gulf Coastal Plain in the south and east holds younger Cretaceous and Tertiary sediment.
Crowley's Ridge sits on the boundary between them, and it is the odd one out. This narrow upland runs about 200 miles from the Arkansas-Missouri border south to Helena. It rises 250 to 550 feet above the flat Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Most of the Delta lies buried too deep in young river mud to hold fossils, but the ridge is different. Its gravels carry silicified wood and plant impressions, and its gravel pits sometimes yield the teeth and bones of Ice Age mammals.
Access is the constraint here, not geology. The gravel pits are private commercial operations, so you need the owner's permission before you collect anything. Vertebrate material carries a reporting obligation as well, because Ice Age bones and teeth have real scientific value. The Arkansas Geological Survey publishes a free guide to collecting in the state. Read it before you plan a trip.
Collectors based in Arkansas often travel for a bigger day out. The Springfield Plateau crinoid ground in southwest Missouri sits within a few hours of the northern border.
1 fossil site
Updated 22 June 2026
Part of our national guide to the best places to fossil hunt in the United States.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you collect fossils in Arkansas?
- You can collect on private land with the owner's permission. The gravel pits on Crowley's Ridge are commercial operations, so ask before you arrive. State and federal land follow separate rules, and vertebrate fossils are protected on public land.
- What fossils are found in Arkansas?
- Silicified wood and plant impressions come from the ridge gravels. Pleistocene mammal remains, including mammoth, mastodon, and horse teeth, turn up in the gravel pits. The Ozark and Ouachita uplands hold Paleozoic marine invertebrates.
- Where should a beginner start in Arkansas?
- Start with the Arkansas Geological Survey guide to collecting fossils in the state. It sets out which fossil-bearing units crop out where, and what the access rules are. Then contact a pit operator on Crowley's Ridge for permission.