The chance of finding an opal, especially the rare black opal, is what drives many to the farthest reaches of Nevada, a small community straddling the Nevada-Oregon border and the nearly pristine ...

An advertisement on eBay earlier this month screamed the news: “WOW RARE FIND…TRUE NEVADA BLACK PRECIOUS OPAL…THE ONE YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR…YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” The bidding started at ...

Dig for rare black opals in Virgin Valley, where geology and adventure meet in the high desert. Outdoor Nevada host John Burke visits Royal Peacock Opal Mines in Nevada’s Virgin Valley to dig for rare ...

Few realize that the world’s most famous black fire opal – the official Nevada State Gem – was discovered in Nevada’s remote Virgin Valley in 1918. Col. W.A. Roebling, a civil engineer who helped ...

Mineral Monday is a weekly video series exploring the many amazing minerals, fossils, and historic objects on display at the W.M. Keck Earth Science and Mineral Engineering Museum as told by museum ...

After a long summer of barbecues, boating and baseball games, you might be ready to shake up your recreational routine. Why not try a little rockhounding in Nevada? Using Reno as a home base, you can ...