RockWoof
Check access before you go. Most sites listed here are old mines, quarries or prospects, and many are on private land or active mining claims. Get the landowner's permission, check the rules of the agency that manages any public land, and never enter mine workings. Locations are approximate.

Best regions by county

Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.

  1. Barbour County: 337 sites; most recorded: Bauxite, Ilmenite
  2. Clay County: 242 sites; most recorded: Gold, Pyrolusite, Graphite
  3. Henry County: 163 sites
  4. Cherokee County: 158 sites; most recorded: Limonite, Hematite, Wad
  5. Calhoun County: 147 sites; most recorded: Limonite, Barite, Galena

Top minerals

  • Gold: 134 sites
  • Limonite: 93 sites
  • Hematite: 46 sites
  • Goethite: 45 sites
  • Quartz: 13 sites
  • Barite: 10 sites
  • Wad: 10 sites
  • Pyrite: 10 sites

Mineral cards

  • Gold

    Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat

    289 sites

  • Mica

    Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat

    246 sites

  • Quartz

    Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat

    154 sites

  • Copper

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat

    76 sites

  • Pyrite

    Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat

    67 sites

  • Feldspar

    Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat

    26 sites

  • Garnet

    Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat

    19 sites

  • Fluorite

    Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat

    14 sites

  • Galena

    Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat

    12 sites

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    8 sites

Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.

Minerals most often recorded

Gold 134Limonite 93Hematite 46Goethite 45Quartz 13Barite 10Wad 10Pyrite 10Chalcopyrite 9Pyrolusite 9Kaolinite 8Bauxite 7

Counties

CountySites
Barbour County337
Clay County242
Henry County163
Cherokee County158
Calhoun County147
Randolph County143
Jefferson County135
Cleburne County125
Pike County123
Coosa County116
Butler County90
Talladega County87
Blount County83
Tallapoosa County83
Franklin County78
Etowah County75
Crenshaw County69
Covington County63
DeKalb County62
Bibb County51
Chilton County47
Tuscaloosa County35
St. Clair County34
Shelby County30
Coffee County26
Colbert County18
Houston County17
Mobile County11
Geneva County8
Clarke County7
Limestone County7
Lee County6
Washington County5
Chambers County5
Lauderdale County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)4
Jackson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)4
Wilcox County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Choctaw County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Marshall County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Baldwin County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Montgomery County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Sumter County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Lowndes County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Marion County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Fayette County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Dale County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Madison County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Escambia County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Dallas County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Monroe County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Marengo County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1

Mineral guides

Related articles

How we built this page: we counted named sites in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for this area, left out sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay pits and unnamed sites, grouped them by Census county, and linked every site to its USGS record. We did not visit these sites, and MRDS does not tell you who owns the land or whether collecting is allowed.

Source: USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS). USGS ceased systematic updates to MRDS around 2011, so status and details may be out of date. Each site links to its USGS record.

Updated