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.

Sketch map

Tannehill (Unknown)Wastepond-Kellerman Mines (Occurrence)Pinckard (Unknown)Big Sandy Area + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Vance Red Ore Mines + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Gulf States Paper Corp Prospect (Occurrence)Bucksville Area Prospect (Occurrence)Unnamed Mine + 3 more nearby (Past Producer)Unnamed Prospect + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Giles (Unknown)Unnamed Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Woodstock District + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Unnamed Prospect (Occurrence)Unnamed Mine + 3 more nearby (Past Producer)Rice Brothers Prospect (Occurrence)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
15 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. 9 site(s) with USGS coordinates outside the outline are not pinned. County outline: US Census Bureau cartographic boundary file (2023). Locations approximate.

Woof’s favorite find

Big Sandy Area

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Quartz) and 1 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 1 other site(s), so we broke the tie by mine status (past producers first), then USGS record quality, then name. USGS lists it as past producer for Iron. Minerals mentioned: Quartz. Approx. location 33.139, -87.288. USGS record.

Ask first: a USGS record doesn’t mean you can visit. Find out who owns the land and get permission before collecting.

Field cards: what kind of sites?

14
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

12
Unknown

Status not recorded.

8
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

1
Plant

A processing plant site.

Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.

Mineral cards

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

Minerals recorded here

Illite 1Kaolinite 1Hematite 1Limonite 1

Commodities

Iron 21Aluminum 1Sulfur 1

Sites

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Vance Red Ore MinesIronHematitePast Producer33.135, -87.290
Wastepond-Kellerman MinesAluminumIllite, KaoliniteOccurrence33.314, -87.400
Woodstock DistrictIronLimonitePast Producer33.250, -87.111
Gulf States Paper Corp ProspectIron—Occurrence33.175, -87.264
Standiford——Unknown33.125, -87.108
Unnamed ProspectIron—Occurrence33.258, -87.145
Unnamed MineIron—Past Producer33.228, -87.166
Greeley——Unknown33.130, -87.110
Giles——Unknown33.234, -87.150
(Facility) Tuscaloosa RefinerySulfur—Plant33.205, -86.567
Talford——Unknown33.220, -87.175
Unnamed MineIron—Past Producer33.263, -87.103
Tannehill——Unknown33.139, -87.900
Unnamed ProspectIron—Occurrence33.260, -87.143
Martaban MineIron—Past Producer33.244, -87.122
Unnamed MineIron—Past Producer33.263, -87.096
Unnamed ProspectIron—Occurrence33.130, -87.286
Unnamed MineIron—Past Producer33.265, -87.094
Big Sandy AreaIron—Past Producer33.139, -87.288
Pinckard——Unknown33.180, -87.285
Unnamed MineIron—Past Producer33.257, -87.116
Mcnath——Unknown33.140, -87.990
Rice Brothers ProspectIron—Occurrence33.248, -87.078
Unnamed MineIron—Past Producer33.265, -87.096
Unnamed MineIron—Past Producer33.223, -87.167
Unnamed MineIron—Past Producer33.256, -87.119
Goethite——Unknown33.142, -87.900
Bush——Unknown33.145, -87.112
Shamblin——Unknown33.135, -87.125
Dago Hollow——Unknown33.136, -87.112
Unnamed MineIron—Past Producer33.225, -87.174
Unnamed ProspectIron—Occurrence33.278, -87.098
Big Sandy No. 1 MineIron—Past Producer33.142, -87.283
Bucksville Area ProspectIron—Occurrence33.161, -87.239
Tannehill——Unknown33.143, -87.800

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 1 fossil collection records in Tuscaloosa County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Bibb County · Jefferson County · Shelby County · Fayette County · Chilton County

Alabama mineral guides

Back to all Alabama counties.

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