RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Wonder
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 5 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Fluorite, Silver) and 8 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Silver, Lead. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Pyrite, Galena, Fluorite, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 36.285, -117.577. 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?
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Status not recorded.
Was producing when the record was made.
A processing plant site.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
748 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
621 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
553 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
197 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
73 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
70 sites
Scheelite
Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat
66 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
25 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Gold 161Galena 64Scheelite 61Colemanite 61Chalcopyrite 41Pyrite 35Sphalerite 25Hematite 18Ulexite 16Malachite 15Lead 13Tetrahedrite 11Commodities
Gold 613Silver 344Lead 320Copper 283Tungsten 177Boron-Borates 106Talc-Soapstone 81Zinc 68Iron 40Mercury 27Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoshone Mines | Zinc, Lead | Anglesite | Past Producer | 35.839, -116.102 |
| Lee Mine | Zinc, Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chrysocolla, Galena, Hemimorphite, Malachite, Silver, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.439, -117.610 |
| Christmas Gift | Lead | Anglesite, Galena, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.300, -117.609 |
| Surprise | Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Galena, Smithsonite | Past Producer | 36.268, -117.357 |
| Cerro Gordo | Lead, Silver, Zinc | Anglesite, Pyrite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 36.540, -117.792 |
| Belmont | Silver | Argentite, Stephanite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 36.533, -117.668 |
| Newsboy | Lead, Silver | Bindheimite, Galena | Past Producer | 36.531, -117.786 |
| Darwin & Other Mines | Zinc, Tungsten, Bismuth, Lead, Silver | Bismuth, Bismuthinite, Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Scheelite, Sphalerite | Producer | 36.267, -117.584 |
| Owens Lake | Bromine, Sodium | Borax, Brine, Trona | Past Producer | 36.417, -117.951 |
| Thin Dime Prospect | Copper | Bornite | Occurrence | 35.929, -117.590 |
| Ashford Mine | Gold | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Silver, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 35.958, -116.641 |
| Pine Creek | Tungsten, Copper, Molybdenum, Gold | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Gold, Molybdenite, Powellite, Scheelite | Producer | 37.362, -118.704 |
| Corona Mine | Gold, Silver | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Cuprite, Galena, Gold, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.193, -117.179 |
| Sheephead | Tungsten | Bornite, Malachite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 36.317, -117.034 |
| Lake Tecopa | Zeolites | Chabazite, Clinoptilolite, Erionite, Analcime, Phillipsite | Prospect | 35.923, -116.242 |
| Blue Jay | Copper | Chalcocite, Malachite | Past Producer | 36.639, -117.611 |
| Settle Up | — | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 36.551, -117.557 |
| Great Divide | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla | Past Producer | 35.891, -117.463 |
| Bishop Concentrate and Cleaning Co. | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Scheelite | Past Producer | 37.274, -118.400 |
| Copconis Prospect | Cobalt, Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Cobaltite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 37.147, -118.555 |
| Wisconsin | — | Chalcopyrite, Cuprite, Malachite | Occurrence | 36.253, -117.663 |
| American | Copper, Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 35.871, -116.426 |
| Keynote Group | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 36.723, -117.940 |
| Reward Mine | Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 36.747, -118.054 |
| Gold Standard Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Hematite, Malachite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 36.677, -117.887 |
| Gray Eagle Prospect | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.348, -118.244 |
| Bronco Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.698, -117.849 |
| December Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.622, -118.087 |
| Hirsh Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.751, -118.053 |
| St. George Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.214, -117.460 |
| Mountain Girl Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrrhotite, Siderite, Silver | Past Producer | 36.049, -117.076 |
| Santa Rosa | Lead, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Hemimorphite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.418, -117.723 |
| Zinc Hill | Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.314, -117.502 |
| Josephine Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 36.180, -117.638 |
| Georgia Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 37.357, -118.248 |
| Lucky Red Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 36.096, -117.631 |
| Commetti Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 37.077, -118.290 |
| Mountain Springs Canyon Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 35.944, -117.583 |
| Journigans Group of Mines | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 36.687, -117.902 |
| Gypsy Queen Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Hematite | Past Producer | 36.966, -118.182 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 523 fossil collection records in Inyo County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Tulare County · Kern County · Fresno County · Mono County · Madera County
California mineral guides
- Tourmaline in California
- Quartz in California
- Garnet in California
- Gold in California
- Mica in California
- Feldspar in California
Back to all California counties.
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