Together they make up Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which Nevada shares with Arizona. A scarcity of vegetation in this arid state and a lack of agriculture and other industries promote mining. Nevadans proudly proclaim their love for Earth s treasures. They share their official semiprecious gemstone, turquoise, with Arizona and New Mexico. More unique is Nevada s official precious gemstone, Virgin Valley black fire opal.
Sandstone is Nevada s state rock.
And the official metal is silver, the obvious choice for the Silver State . Lying beyond the Colorado Plateau, Nevada is not dinosaur country. Nevada s best fossil grounds are generally in the east. Nevada s most abundant fossils are marine invertebrates, such as brachiopods, pelecypods, gastropods, and cephalopods, a reminder of its marine heritage. Shonisaurus N evada s state fossil is a fishy lizard that may have been the blue whale of its day and now resides in a ghost town more than a mile above sea level.