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Drakes Beach

Marin County, California
Directions
Next site in CaliforniaPoint Reyes · 3 mi

Can I collect here?

Pro
See who owns this land and whether it is claimedPro shows the owner, the claim on this spot and every claim within a mile.
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Based on our latest records, with claims updated from the BLM on Oct 15, 2026. Land and claims can change quickly, so check before you go.

Minerals on record here

1 mineral

Recorded here: fossil.

Nearby sites

All of California
3 miPoint ReyesFossil15 miBolinas PointFossil16 miBolinas PointFossil

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About Drakes Beach

Drakes Beach is a fossil collection site in Marin, California, cataloged in the Paleobiology Database. Fossils here come from the Drakes Bay Formation, dated to the Messinian (7.246–5.333 million years ago). The depositional environment is recorded as open shallow subtidal. Documented finds include Thalassoleon macnallyae, Balaenopteridae.

Geologic setting

Formation
Drakes Bay
Geologic interval
Messinian
Age
7.246–5.333 Ma
Depositional environment
open shallow subtidal
Recorded occurrences
2
Geology notes

lithology after Pyenson et al. (2013)\r\n\r\ngradual transgression, strong currents, wave-dominated

Locality notes

1350 feet east of the end of the road to Drakes Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA

Fossils found here

Thalassoleon macnallyae
Mammalia · Otariidae
Balaenopteridae
Mammalia · Balaenopteridae

Records and references

Data: Paleobiology Database collection 59162 (CC BY 4.0) — view the source record

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Questions about Drakes Beach

Can you collect at Drakes Beach?

It depends on who owns the land and whether a mining claim covers it. BLM land usually allows hand collecting for personal use, national parks allow none, and private land needs the owner’s permission. Pro members see the owner and any claims at this spot.

What minerals are found at Drakes Beach?

Fossil.

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What to bring

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Meteorite nearbyA 314 g stony meteorite fell at Novato in 2012, 20 miles from here.

Source: Paleobiology Database.