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How to Find Minnesota Staurolite Crystals

The name "staurolite" comes from the Greek word "stauros," which means "cross." Rock hounds believe the rare cross-shaped staurolite crystals give good luck. Luckily for Minnesotans, the Blanchard dam on the Mississippi River serves up "cross rocks" to those willing to shift through buckets of silvery sand. Strong spring floods carry the rocks to the dam, and, during spring water releases, the current deposits the crystals below. The best time of year to find crystals is during summer when the water is warm and the dam restricts the flow.

Things You'll Need

Shovel
Bucket
Screen box

Instructions

- 1
  Wade out into knee-deep water just below the Blanchard dam.
- 2
  Dig into the underwater mud with a shovel. Dump that mud into a bucket.
- 3
  Dump the mud from your bucket into a screen box. You want a thin layer of mud that's easy to work through the screen in your box.
- 4
  Dip the screen box halfway into water and shake the box back and forth. The water and shaking helps strain the mud through the screen, which leaves just rocks. Quit shifting when there's no mud left.
- 5
  Sort through the rocks looking for staurolite. Staurolite is prismatic in shape. It ranges in color from dark brown to brownish-black to red-brown. A "cross rock" looks like a crucifix with two crystals joined together at a 90-degree angle.

Rock Collecting