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Bear Butte Quarry

Meade County, South Dakota
Directions
Next site in South DakotaWhitewood Creek · 14 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.
Read the collecting rules by land type

Based on our latest records, with claims updated from the BLM on Oct 3, 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 South Dakota
14 miWhitewood CreekAmethyst, geode, chalcedony, silicified wood17 miPiedmontSelenite18 miMeade CountyYellow Barite, amber barite, whewellite

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About Bear Butte Quarry

Bear Butte Quarry is a fossil collection site in Meade, South Dakota, cataloged in the Paleobiology Database. Fossils here come from the Morrison Formation, dated to the Tithonian (149.2–143.1 million years ago). The depositional environment is recorded as dry floodplain. Documented finds include Apatosaurus.

Geologic setting

Formation
Morrison
Geologic interval
Tithonian
Age
149.2–143.1 Ma
Depositional environment
dry floodplain
Recorded occurrences
1
Geology notes

well-drained floodplain

Locality notes

W slope of Bear Butte, NE of Sturgis

Fossils found here

Apatosaurus
Saurischia · Diplodocidae

Records and references

Data: Paleobiology Database collection 49625 (CC BY 4.0) — view the source record

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Questions about Bear Butte Quarry

Can you collect at Bear Butte Quarry?

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 Bear Butte Quarry?

Fossil.

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What to bring

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Source: Paleobiology Database.