RockWoofBest regions by county
Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.
- Independence County: 197 sites; most recorded: Braunite, Hausmannite, Manganite
- Marion County: 176 sites; most recorded: Sphalerite, Smithsonite, Galena
- Pike County: 79 sites; most recorded: Cinnabar, Metacinnabar, Calomel
- Saline County: 78 sites; most recorded: Bauxite, Gibbsite
- Pulaski County: 77 sites
Top minerals
- Cinnabar: 47 sites
- Sphalerite: 44 sites
- Smithsonite: 33 sites
- Galena: 14 sites
- Metacinnabar: 13 sites
- Stibnite: 12 sites
- Calomel: 12 sites
- Stibiconite: 11 sites
Mineral cards
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
53 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
23 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
17 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
12 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
5 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
4 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
3 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
2 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
1 site
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals most often recorded
Cinnabar 47Sphalerite 44Smithsonite 33Galena 14Metacinnabar 13Stibnite 12Calomel 12Stibiconite 11Hemimorphite 5Bauxite 4Rutile 3Mercury 3Counties
| County | Sites |
|---|---|
| Independence County | 197 |
| Marion County | 176 |
| Pike County | 79 |
| Saline County | 78 |
| Pulaski County | 77 |
| Boone County | 66 |
| Izard County | 64 |
| Montgomery County | 48 |
| Garland County | 45 |
| Hot Spring County | 42 |
| Sharp County | 39 |
| Newton County | 38 |
| Polk County | 35 |
| Sevier County | 31 |
| Lawrence County | 31 |
| Baxter County | 23 |
| Searcy County | 22 |
| Howard County | 21 |
| Nevada County | 14 |
| Union County | 10 |
| Columbia County | 9 |
| Clark County | 8 |
| Stone County | 7 |
| Lonoke County | 5 |
| Lafayette County | 5 |
| Fulton County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Carroll County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Perry County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Hempstead County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Cleveland County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Faulkner County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Randolph County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Ouachita County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Franklin County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Crawford County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Dallas County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Pope County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Sebastian County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Madison County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Benton County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Bradley County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Clay County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Scott County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Logan County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Yell County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| White County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Jefferson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Miller County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Little River County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Van Buren County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
Mineral guides
- Quartz in Arkansas (53)
- Pyrite in Arkansas (23)
- Galena in Arkansas (17)
- Copper in Arkansas (12)
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