RockWoofBest regions by county
Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.
- Bartow County: 463 sites; most recorded: Manganese Ox-Hydrous, Gold, Hollandite
- Floyd County: 141 sites; most recorded: Limonite, Manganese Ox-Hydrous, Bauxite
- Cherokee County: 111 sites; most recorded: Gold, Pyrite, Chalcopyrite
- Washington County: 99 sites
- Twiggs County: 86 sites
Top minerals
- Gold: 347 sites
- Pyrite: 46 sites
- Limonite: 44 sites
- Hematite: 25 sites
- Chalcopyrite: 18 sites
- Manganese Ox-Hydrous: 18 sites
- Pyrrhotite: 14 sites
- Galena: 14 sites
Mineral cards
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
505 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
260 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
87 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
55 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
36 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
21 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
14 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
13 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
11 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
9 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals most often recorded
Gold 347Pyrite 46Limonite 44Hematite 25Chalcopyrite 18Manganese Ox-Hydrous 18Pyrrhotite 14Galena 14Sphalerite 8Ilmenite 6Rutile 4Bauxite 4Counties
| County | Sites |
|---|---|
| Bartow County | 463 |
| Floyd County | 141 |
| Cherokee County | 111 |
| Washington County | 99 |
| Twiggs County | 86 |
| Polk County | 76 |
| Lumpkin County | 73 |
| Wilkinson County | 69 |
| Upson County | 59 |
| Paulding County | 55 |
| White County | 53 |
| Murray County | 46 |
| Elbert County | 41 |
| Hart County | 39 |
| Pickens County | 39 |
| Monroe County | 38 |
| Rabun County | 37 |
| Fannin County | 36 |
| Hall County | 36 |
| Haralson County | 34 |
| Oglethorpe County | 32 |
| Walker County | 32 |
| Gilmer County | 31 |
| Towns County | 29 |
| Dawson County | 25 |
| Habersham County | 24 |
| Macon County | 22 |
| Lincoln County | 20 |
| Lamar County | 19 |
| Sumter County | 18 |
| Cobb County | 18 |
| Union County | 18 |
| Carroll County | 16 |
| Meriwether County | 16 |
| Gordon County | 15 |
| Forsyth County | 14 |
| Wilkes County | 14 |
| Whitfield County | 14 |
| Chattooga County | 12 |
| Warren County | 11 |
| Fulton County | 11 |
| Dade County | 11 |
| Jasper County | 11 |
| McDuffie County | 10 |
| Madison County | 10 |
| DeKalb County | 10 |
| Troup County | 9 |
| Coweta County | 8 |
| Douglas County | 7 |
| Thomas County | 7 |
| Taliaferro County | 6 |
| Baldwin County | 5 |
| Greene County | 5 |
| Walton County | 5 |
| Spalding County | 5 |
| Houston County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Decatur County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Schley County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Randolph County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Camden County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Jefferson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Chatham County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Morgan County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Richmond County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Pike County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Glascock County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Glynn County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Henry County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Charlton County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Fayette County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Quitman County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Heard County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Oconee County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Franklin County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Stewart County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Stephens County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Bibb County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Newton County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Echols County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Catoosa County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Columbia County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Bleckley County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Berrien County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Talbot County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| McIntosh County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Rockdale County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Baker County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Gwinnett County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Cook County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Telfair County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Calhoun County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
Mineral guides
- Quartz in Georgia (87)
- Garnet in Georgia (11)
- Gold in Georgia (505)
- Mica in Georgia (260)
- Feldspar in Georgia (13)
- Pyrite in Georgia (55)
- Galena in Georgia (14)
- Copper in Georgia (36)
- Silver in Georgia (21)
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