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Rick Irwin Site

Keya Paha County, Nebraska
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Next site in NebraskaKeya Paha River · 14 mi

Can I collect here?

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Based on our latest records, with claims updated from the BLM on Oct 9, 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 Nebraska
14 miKeya Paha RiverAgatized Wood, opalized wood, silicified mastodon tusk, arrowhead21 miAbove Lost ChanceFossil46 miValentineAgatized Wood, opalized wood, agate, jasper

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About Rick Irwin Site

Rick Irwin Site is a fossil collection site in Keya Paha, Nebraska, cataloged in the Paleobiology Database. The depositional environment is recorded as channel. Documented finds include Promimomys mimus, Microtoscoptes disjunctus, Eucyon davisi, Vulpes stenognathus, Machairodus, Pliotaxidea nevadensis.

Geologic setting

Geologic interval
Late Hemphillian
Age
9.4–4.7 Ma
Depositional environment
"channel"
Recorded occurrences
11
Geology notes

"channel fill"

Locality notes

"discovered during highway construction"; coordinate based on Wyman Creek

Fossils found here

Promimomys mimus
Mammalia · Cricetidae
Microtoscoptes disjunctus
Mammalia · Cricetidae
Eucyon davisi
Mammalia · Canidae
Vulpes stenognathus
Mammalia · Canidae
Machairodus
Mammalia · Felidae
Pliotaxidea nevadensis
Mammalia · Mustelidae
Martinogale alveodens
Mammalia · Mephitidae
Pliogale furlongi
Mammalia · Mephitidae
Carpocyon limosus
Mammalia · Canidae
Mustela
Mammalia · Mustelidae
Mustelidae
Mammalia · Mustelidae

Records and references

Data: Paleobiology Database collection 35430 (CC BY 4.0) — view the source record

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Questions about Rick Irwin Site

Can you collect at Rick Irwin Site?

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 Rick Irwin Site?

Fossil.

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Meteorite nearbyA 80.7 kg iron meteorite was found at Ainsworth in 1907, 16 miles from here.

Source: Paleobiology Database.