About this location
Lithonia, Georgia — its name literally Greek for "stone" — sits at the center of a historic granite-quarrying district east of Atlanta, in the Stone Mountain-Lithonia Mining District. The bedrock here is Lithonia gneiss, an older metamorphic rock intruded by the younger Stone Mountain granite, and a 1954 Georgia Geological Survey bulletin documents a real, diverse mineral suite in the area's quarries: epidote, garnet, fluorite, thulite (a pink zoisite), tourmaline, calcite, and zeolites, concentrated in exposures like Rock Chapel Quarry on the north side of Arabia Mountain. The problem for a visiting rockhound is access — this specimen list belongs to a landscape now split between an active Martin Marietta industrial quarry and the protected Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, and neither is a documented open collecting site. Treat this as a real, well-studied mineral district, not a place to show up and dig.
Always seek permission where required, follow local laws, and practice Leave No Trace. Locations and details are community-submitted and may be inaccurate. Not sure what's legal here? Read our full guide to rockhounding laws by land type.
Found Here
- Epidote, garnet, thulite — documented in the Stone Mountain-Lithonia district's gneiss and associated pegmatite/vein material, notably at Rock Chapel Quarry.
- Fluorite, tourmaline, zeolite, calcite — part of the same documented 22-mineral suite from Georgia Geological Survey Bulletin 61 (1954).
Difficulty
Getting there
Lithonia sits in DeKalb and Rockdale counties, east of Atlanta, reached via I-20 and GA-278. Rock Chapel Quarry lies on the north side of Arabia Mountain, within or near the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve in the city of Stonecrest. The batch coordinates for this listing land on Rogers Lake Road in Stonecrest — in the general Arabia Mountain vicinity but not confirmed to match a specific quarry parcel.
Collecting here
UNVERIFIED whether any collecting is currently permitted. The Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve's public materials emphasize a strict Leave No Trace ethic ("stay on the gray," avoid disturbing solution pits) with no confirmed allowance for mineral collecting, and Lithonia Quarry itself is an active Martin Marietta Materials operation — private industrial land, closed to the public by default.
Know before you go
This area splits between two land types that both argue against casual collecting: an active commercial quarry (Martin Marietta) and a DeKalb County nature preserve with conservation rules. Confirm current status with DeKalb County Natural Resources Management or the preserve directly before assuming any part of this district is open: arabiaalliance.org.
Location on Map
Coordinates: 33.72969, -84.09963
Nearby rockhounding locations
- Arabia Mountain — TourmalineGA · 3 mi
- Stone Mountain — QuartzGA · 5.9 mi
- Morrow — DiamondGA · 17.3 mi
- Autry Mill Nature Preserve — CorundumGA · 21.5 mi
- Hard Labor Creek — Corundum, RutileGA · 25.1 mi
- Cumming — RubyGA · 32.7 mi
Frequently asked questions
Can you collect rocks at Lithonia, Georgia?
Not confirmed. The historic Stone Mountain-Lithonia mining district's productive ground now falls within either an active Martin Marietta industrial quarry or the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, neither of which is documented as open to public mineral collecting.
What minerals are found near Lithonia, Georgia?
A 1954 Georgia Geological Survey bulletin documents epidote, garnet, fluorite, thulite, tourmaline, calcite, and zeolites in the Stone Mountain-Lithonia mining district, notably at Rock Chapel Quarry on the north side of Arabia Mountain.
Is Arabia Mountain near Lithonia, Georgia open to the public?
The trails of the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve are open to the public from dawn to dusk with no fee, but the preserve emphasizes leaving the granite surface undisturbed — mineral collecting is not confirmed as an allowed activity.
⚠️ Always verify current regulations, weather conditions, and access requirements before visiting any location. Information provided is based on community submissions and may not be current or accurate.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithonia,_Georgia — Lithonia gneiss vs. Stone Mountain granite geology, quarry railroad history.
- Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Bulletin 61, "Geology of the Stone Mountain-Lithonia District, Georgia" (1954), epd.georgia.gov (via search synthesis) — primary geological survey source for the mineral suite.
- mindat.org, "Stone Mountain-Lithonia Mining District" locality page (via search synthesis, mindat blocks direct fetch) — confirms 22 valid minerals including epidote, fluorite, garnet, thulite.
- https://martinmarietta.com/locations/east/north-georgia-district/lithonia-quarry — confirms Lithonia Quarry is an active company operation.
- https://arabiaalliance.org/places-to-see/davidson-arabia-mountain-nature-preserve/ (via search synthesis; direct fetch of rules subpage 404'd) — preserve visitor rules, Leave No Trace emphasis, no fee for trails.
- nominatim.openstreetmap.org reverse geocode of 33.72969, -84.09963 — places coordinates on Rogers Lake Road, Stonecrest, DeKalb County.
Recommended Gear for Georgia
Estwing E3-22P Rock Pick
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Clear Anti-Fog Safety Glasses (4 Pack)
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Watertight Medical Kit
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Southeast Treasure Hunter's Gem & Mineral Guide
Whether you're digging for the first time or are an experienced rockhound or "prospector," with a simple rock hammer and...
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