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

Woof’s favorite find

Strickland-Cramer Quarry

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 5 gem or collectible minerals (Beryl, Tourmaline, Quartz, Garnet, Fluorite) 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 Mica, Feldspar. Minerals mentioned: Beryl, Tourmaline, Quartz, Garnet, Mica, Feldspar, Pyrite, Fluorite. Approx. location 41.592, -72.592. 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?

75
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

11
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

7
Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

4
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

Quartz 31Feldspar 20Beryl 12Muscovite 12Plagioclase 10Perthite 5Mica 4Tantalite 4Columbite 4Niccolite 2Tourmaline 2Lepidolite 2

Commodities

Feldspar 59Mica 27Beryllium 9Granite 5Tantalum 4Niobium (Columbium) 4Flagstone 4Nickel 3Cobalt 3Lead 2

Sites (first 40)

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Rock Landing Feldspar QuarriesFeldsparBeryl, Quartz, FeldsparPast Producer41.509, -72.523
Bordonaro Beryl Prospect and Feldspar and Mica MineFeldsparBeryl, Quartz, Muscovite, PlagioclasePast Producer41.622, -72.597
Chatham Great Hill Cobalt Nickel Arsenopyrite MineArsenic, Iron, Nickel, CobaltCobaltite, Erythrite, Galena, Niccolite, Siderite, Smaltite, SphaleritePast Producer41.577, -72.550
Hale MineFeldsparFeldsparPast Producer41.566, -72.623
Feldspar Pegmatite Prospects No. Cj-054—Feldspar, QuartzOccurrence41.519, -72.531
Feldspar Pegmatite Dike Quarry No. Cj-047FeldsparFeldspar, QuartzPast Producer41.503, -72.560
Andrews Pegmatite QuarryFeldsparFeldspar, QuartzPast Producer41.631, -72.600
Feldspar Pegmatite Dike No. Cj-049FeldsparFeldspar, QuartzPast Producer41.548, -72.543
Feldspar Pegmatite Quarry No. Cj-045FeldsparFeldspar, QuartzPast Producer41.519, -72.596
Feldspar Pegmatite Quarry No. Cj-044FeldsparFeldspar, QuartzPast Producer41.528, -72.598
Feldspar Pegmatite Quarry No. Cj-062FeldsparFeldspar, QuartzProducer41.500, -72.528
Feldspar Pegmatite Quarry No. Cj-021FeldsparFeldspar, QuartzPast Producer41.626, -72.596
Feldspar Pegmatite Quarry No. Cj-033FeldsparFeldspar, QuartzPast Producer41.571, -72.571
Feldspar Pegmatite Quarry No. Cj-025FeldsparFeldspar, QuartzPast Producer41.605, -72.572
Reeb Mica MineMicaMica, Plagioclase, QuartzPast Producer41.547, -72.536
Markham Mica MineMicaMica, QuartzPast Producer41.549, -72.535
Slocum Beryl Feldspar MineFeldsparMuscovite, Beryl, Quartz, Plagioclase, PerthitePast Producer41.538, -72.466
Roberts Mica ProspectFeldspar, MicaMuscovite, Plagioclase, QuartzPast Producer41.491, -72.621
White Rock Pegmatite QuarriesFeldsparMuscovite, Quartz, Beryl, FeldsparProducer41.553, -72.606
Mt. Tom Beryl ProspectBerylliumMuscovite, Quartz, Plagioclase, BerylOccurrence41.494, -72.476
No Name GivenNickelNiccolitePast Producer41.567, -72.550
Great Hill State Forest No. 1 Mica QuarryMicaPerthite, Beryl, Plagioclase, Quartz, MuscovitePast Producer41.596, -72.541
Anderson Mica Mines and Swanson Lithia MineMica, LithiumPerthite, Muscovite, Plagioclase, Quartz, Cleavelandite, LepidolitePast Producer41.515, -72.522
Gotta-Walden Feldspar Prospect QuarryFeldsparPlagioclase, QuartzPast Producer41.619, -72.594
Beryl Feldspar Pegmatite Prospect No. Cj-035FeldsparQuartz, Beryl, FeldsparOccurrence41.564, -72.599
State Forest No. 2 Mica MineMicaQuartz, Beryl, Feldspar, MicaPast Producer41.575, -72.552
Hale Pegmatite QuarryFeldsparQuartz, Beryl, Tourmaline, Muscovite, MicroperthiteProducer41.629, -72.598
Case Beryl and Feldspar Prospect QuarriesFeldsparQuartz, FeldsparPast Producer41.625, -72.582
Enegren (Power) Mica MineMicaQuartz, Perthite, MuscoviteProducer41.517, -72.522
Gillette Gem Tourmaline, Mineral Specimens, Mica, Feldspar Mine (AlsoGemstone, Mica, FeldsparQuartz, Perthite, Plagioclase, Muscovite, TourmalinePast Producer41.493, -72.511
Middletown Lead-Silver MineSilver, LeadSphalerite, Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Galena, Fluorite, Barite, Anglesite, Hydrozincite, MarcasitePast Producer41.559, -72.612
Hale-Walker Beryl Prospect and Feldspar MineBeryllium, Tantalum, Niobium (Columbium), FeldsparTantalite, Columbite, Monazite, Quartz, Beryl, FeldsparPast Producer41.587, -72.588
East Selden Mica, Beryl, Feldspar QuarryMica, Feldspar, Tantalum, Niobium (Columbium)Tantalite, Columbite, Quartz, Feldspar, Beryl, Plagioclase, MuscovitePast Producer41.530, -72.529
Tollgate Mica-Feldspar MineNiobium (Columbium), Feldspar, Mica, TantalumTantalite, Columbite, Quartz, Feldspar, MuscovitePast Producer41.532, -72.611
Strickland-Cramer Feldspar-Mica QuarriesTantalum, Niobium (Columbium), Beryllium, Mica, REE, FeldsparTantalite, Columbite, Quartz, Uraninite, Garnet, Lepidolite, Spodumene, Beryl, Mica, FeldsparPast Producer41.592, -72.592
Upper Triassic Copper Prospects No. Cj-053Copper—Occurrence41.526, -72.535
Slater's Feldspar Pegmatite QuarriesFeldspar—Past Producer41.531, -72.471
Arnold Pegmatite QuarryFeldspar—Producer41.472, -72.507
Chatham Great Hill MineCobalt, Nickel—Past Producer41.577, -72.550
Chatham Cobalt MineCobalt—Past Producer41.583, -72.549

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 10 fossil collection records in Middlesex County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Hartford County · New Haven County · New London County · Tolland County · Windham County

Connecticut mineral guides

Back to all Connecticut 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