I recently became enamored with amber, and I’d love for some tips on finding it in the Bladen/Tar Hell exposures along the Neuse river. Not looking for specific locations or anything like that, but more so recommendations on how to search for amber there.
I’ve done plenty of creek hunting where I’m digging in gravel beds and sifting to find teeth and bones, but not sure if that is a good option for the Neuse river amber or if I should plan on doing something else.
Hi Adam, The amber site along the Neuse River cutoff in Goldsboro is no longer productive, and there are no other sites along the Neuse that I know of. But I encourage you to explore creeks and streams between Princeton and Goldsboro. Amber is found in a matrix of lignite (aka black soft coal) and in some areas, including NC, lignite is layered in with heavy grey clay. So if you find grey clay in a creek, you should explore for black lignite. Amber is very light, so when it weathers out of lignite into water it moves downstream quickly. So loose amber isn’t going to concentrate unless there is a significant blockage in a water environment. It’s also possible that deep trenching construction sites may uncover lignite, but these are typically inaccessible to anyone but site workers.