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.

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Woof’s favorite find

Southford Quartz Pegmatite Quarry

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 4 gem or collectible minerals (Beryl, Tourmaline, Quartz, Garnet) and 7 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as producer for Quartz. Minerals mentioned: Beryl, Tourmaline, Quartz, Garnet, Mica, Feldspar, Pyrite. Approx. location 41.449, -73.176. 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?

53
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

7
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

3
Plant

A processing plant site.

2
Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

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

Barite 9Malachite 7Chalcocite 7Chalcopyrite 4Pyrite 4Bornite 2Calcite 1Chrysocolla 1Cuprite 1Hematite 1Stilpnomelane 1Marcasite 1

Commodities

Copper 19Barium-Barite 14Granite 13Sulfur 7Iron 5Flagstone 4Arsenic 3Marble 3Dimension 3Silver 2

Sites (first 40)

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Barite Occurrence No. Dj-010Barium-BariteBaritePast Producer41.551, -72.899
New Haven Mineral Co. Barite MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer41.550, -72.895
Cheshire Mining and Manufacturing Co. Barite MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer41.544, -72.904
Nathan Booth and William Hinman Barite MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer41.533, -72.908
Cheshire Barytes Co. MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer41.519, -72.912
Jinny Hill Barite MineBarium-BariteBarite, Bornite, Calcite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Cuprite, Hematite, Malachite, StilpnomelanePast Producer41.479, -72.893
Cross-Rock Copper MineSulfur, Copper, Barium-BariteBarite, Malachite, ChalcocitePast Producer41.470, -72.879
Tallman's Copper MineSulfur, Copper, Barium-BariteBarite, Malachite, ChalcocitePast Producer41.443, -72.899
Bellamy Copper Valley MineSulfur, Copper, Barium-BariteBornite, Barite, Malachite, ChalcocitePast Producer41.487, -72.868
Bassett's Arsenopyrite MineArsenicGalena, Pyrite, SphaleriteOccurrence41.342, -73.099
Stony Creek Pink Granite QuarryGraniteGranitePast Producer41.271, -72.728
Copper Prospect No. Dk-008Sulfur, CopperMalachite, ChalcocitePast Producer41.384, -72.965
Gaylord Copper ProspectSulfur, CopperMalachite, ChalcocitePast Producer41.473, -72.878
Copper Prospect No. Dk-006CopperMalachite, ChalcociteOccurrence41.438, -72.901
Copper Prospect No. Dj-012CopperMarcasite, Pentlandite, Chalcopyrite, Pyrrhotite, PyriteOccurrence41.543, -72.884
Southford Quartz Pegmatite QuarryQuartzMuscovite, Plagioclase, QuartzProducer41.449, -73.176
Copper Occurrences No. Ek-003CopperPyrite, ChalcopyriteOccurrence41.412, -73.071
Copper Prospect No. Ek-002CopperPyrite, ChalcopyriteOccurrence41.429, -73.074
Silver Prospect No. Dk-019Silver—Occurrence41.301, -72.849
Copper Mine No. Dj-038Copper—Past Producer41.520, -72.824
Seymour Nickel Mine Brook Arsenic and Nickel Mine.Nickel, Arsenic—Past Producer41.377, -73.084
Stevenson Bowers Hill Copper MineCopper—Past Producer41.393, -73.169
Stevenson MineCopper—Past Producer41.393, -73.169
Naugatuck PlantIodine—Plant41.496, -73.050
Opie QuarryGranite—Past Producer41.286, -72.758
Stony Creek Granite Gneiss QuarriesGranite—Past Producer41.286, -72.742
Maltby Lakes MineLead—Past Producer41.302, -72.986
Seymour Arsenic & Nickel Mine——Past Producer41.378, -73.086
Bellamy-Copper Valley MineCopper—Past Producer41.487, -72.867
Barite Mine No. Dj.010Barium-Barite—Past Producer41.554, -72.893
Old Stony Creek QuarryGranite—Past Producer41.291, -72.754
Bridgeport Steel/ Milford, Ct.Iron—Plant41.221, -73.053
Silver MineSilver—Past Producer41.386, -73.054
Copper MineCopper—Past Producer41.561, -72.786
Sandstone QuarryFlagstone—Past Producer41.536, -72.807
Copper Valley Mine——Past Producer41.491, -72.862
Jinny Hill MineCopper—Past Producer41.483, -72.883
Cheshire Barite ProspectBarium-Barite—Past Producer41.519, -72.912
Townsend PropertyCopper—Occurrence41.440, -72.908
Brownstone QuarryFlagstone—Past Producer41.284, -72.871

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 22 fossil collection records in New Haven County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Middlesex County · Hartford County · Fairfield County · Litchfield County · New London 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