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. Yavapai County: 1,654 sites; most recorded: Gold, Chalcopyrite, Galena
  2. Pima County: 1,625 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Malachite, Galena
  3. Mohave County: 1,277 sites; most recorded: Gold, Galena, Pyrite
  4. Cochise County: 1,025 sites; most recorded: Gold, Silver, Chalcopyrite
  5. Gila County: 921 sites; most recorded: Chrysotile, Chalcopyrite, Galena

Top minerals

  • Chalcopyrite: 849 sites
  • Gold: 675 sites
  • Galena: 651 sites
  • Malachite: 522 sites
  • Pyrite: 479 sites
  • Sphalerite: 451 sites
  • Chrysocolla: 335 sites
  • Chalcocite: 321 sites

Mineral cards

  • Copper

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

    5,120 sites

  • Gold

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

    4,985 sites

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    4,674 sites

  • Pyrite

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

    1,345 sites

  • Quartz

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

    1,244 sites

  • Galena

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

    688 sites

  • Fluorite

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

    426 sites

  • Scheelite

    Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat

    206 sites

  • Mica

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

    185 sites

  • Feldspar

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

    158 sites

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

Minerals most often recorded

Chalcopyrite 849Gold 675Galena 651Malachite 522Pyrite 479Sphalerite 451Chrysocolla 335Chalcocite 321Silver 316Bornite 204Molybdenite 191Scheelite 191

Counties

CountySites
Yavapai County1,654
Pima County1,625
Mohave County1,277
Cochise County1,025
Gila County921
Pinal County767
La Paz County668
Maricopa County601
Santa Cruz County589
Apache County400
Graham County352
Coconino County259
Yuma County236
Greenlee County166
Navajo County131

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