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.

Best regions by county

Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.

  1. Cherokee County: 48 sites

Top minerals

  • Ilmenite: 1 sites
  • Perovskite: 1 sites
  • Pyrope: 1 sites

Mineral cards

  • Pyrite

    Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat

    45 sites

  • Galena

    Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat

    45 sites

  • Quartz

    Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat

    44 sites

  • Garnet

    Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat

    1 site

Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.

Minerals most often recorded

Ilmenite 1Perovskite 1Pyrope 1

Counties

CountySites
Cherokee County48
Reno County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Rice County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Riley County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Labette County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Graham County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1

Mineral guides

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 USGS ceased systematic updates to MRDS around 2011, so status and details may be out of date.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