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

Point Sal Placer (Unknown)Alexander Villa + 2 more nearby (Occurrence)Unnamed Diatomite Deposit (Occurrence)Unnamed Diatomite Deposit + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Betteravia Plant (Producer)Casmalia (Occurrence)Unnamed Diatomite Quarry (Past Producer)Graciosa Ridge (Occurrence)Dibble Pit + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)Unnamed Diatomite Deposits + 3 more nearby (Occurrence)Unnamed Diatomite Deposit (Occurrence)Unnamed Diatomite Deposits + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Great Lakes Carbon Corp. (Past Producer)Palos Colorados Quarry + 2 more nearby (Producer)Unnamed Diatomite Deposits (Occurrence)Las Cruces Quarry + 1 more nearby (Producer)Colson Summit Quarry (Producer)Unnamed Diatomite Deposits (Occurrence)American Chrome Deposit + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Unnamed Diatomite Deposit + 1 more nearby (Prospect)Bentonite Prospect (Occurrence)White Elephant + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Malachite (Prospect)La Laguna Rancho + 3 more nearby (Occurrence)Laguna Ranch + 3 more nearby (Occurrence)Unnamed Diatomite Deposits + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Morey Prospect (Occurrence)Davis + 3 more nearby (Occurrence)Byrne and O'Donnell Prospect + 20 more nearby (Occurrence)Unnamed Location (Occurrence)Red Rock + 18 more nearby (Past Producer)Roberts Claim (Producer)Cachuma (Producer)Cuyama Phosphate Mine (Past Producer)Gibraltar + 4 more nearby (Producer)Unnamed Location (Occurrence)Lemo Blanco Lith Stone Co (Occurrence)Los Prietos (Producer)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
38 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. 1 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

Figueroa Deposit

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 2 gem or collectible minerals (Gold, Silver) and 3 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as prospect for Gold. Minerals mentioned: Gold, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 34.723, -119.977. 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?

45
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

23
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

17
Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

15
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

6
Unknown

Status not recorded.

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

Chromite 13Cinnabar 7Malachite 1Chalcopyrite 1Pyrite 1

Commodities

Chromium 27Mercury 20Diatomite 20Copper 5Flagstone 4Gold 3Manganese 2Magnesite 2Calcium 2Bentonite 2

Sites (first 40)

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Copper KingCopperChalcopyrite, PyritePast Producer34.717, -119.953
Eagle MineChromiumChromiteOccurrence34.703, -119.921
Zaca Lake ProspectChromiumChromitePast Producer34.774, -120.028
Scrub Oak ClaimChromiumChromiteOccurrence34.731, -119.975
Red Bluff ProspectChromiumChromiteOccurrence34.731, -119.958
Point Sal ProspectChromiumChromiteOccurrence34.892, -120.622
Montinero ProspectChromiumChromiteProducer34.712, -119.992
Mesa ClaimChromiumChromiteOccurrence34.701, -119.957
Fairview ProspectChromiumChromiteProducer34.689, -119.928
Roberts ClaimChromiumChromiteProducer34.641, -119.860
Bull Run ProspectChromiumChromiteOccurrence34.716, -119.958
Bacon MineChromiumChromitePast Producer34.705, -119.981
American Chrome DepositChromiumChromiteOccurrence34.653, -120.183
Chicken Spring ClaimChromiumChromiteOccurrence34.683, -119.929
Los PrietosMercuryCinnabarPast Producer34.534, -119.689
GibraltarMercuryCinnabarProducer34.524, -119.658
Sulfur Dome—CinnabarOccurrence34.714, -119.917
Lost Chord—CinnabarOccurrence34.729, -119.905
Davis—CinnabarOccurrence34.772, -119.983
Lion DenMercuryCinnabarPast Producer34.724, -119.912
Red RockMercuryCinnabarPast Producer34.722, -119.913
Laguna Ranch—MalachiteOccurrence34.712, -120.009
Byrne and O'Donnell Prospect——Occurrence34.697, -119.960
La Laguna Rancho——Occurrence34.734, -120.042
Morey Prospect——Occurrence34.684, -119.981
Alexander Villa——Occurrence34.906, -120.626
Welch MineManganese—Producer35.267, -120.768
Los PrietosMercury—Producer34.467, -119.618
CachumaMercury—Producer34.717, -119.834
Red Rock MineMercury—Producer34.721, -119.913
Unnamed Diatomite DepositsDiatomite—Occurrence34.613, -120.478
Figueroa DepositGold—Prospect34.723, -119.977
Las Cruces QuarryFlagstone—Producer34.940, -120.227
Laguna Ranch DepositCopper—Prospect34.714, -120.010
Red Bluff ClaimChromium—Occurrence34.725, -119.962
Cuyama Phosphate MinePhosphorus-Phosphates—Past Producer34.875, -119.704
Unnamed Diatomite DepositsDiatomite—Occurrence34.644, -120.415
Lost Chord ClaimMercury—Occurrence34.728, -119.906
Johns-Manville QuarriesDiatomite—Past Producer34.599, -120.443
Happy Canyon Magnesia ClaimMagnesite—Occurrence34.684, -119.924

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 398 fossil collection records in Santa Barbara County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Ventura County · San Luis Obispo County · Kings County · Los Angeles County · Kern County

California mineral guides

Back to all California 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