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. Hancock County: 352 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrrhotite
  2. Oxford County: 210 sites; most recorded: Beryl, Spodumene, Columbite
  3. Washington County: 115 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite
  4. Aroostook County: 90 sites; most recorded: Manganese Ox-Hydrous, Iron Oxides-Hydrated, Chalcopyrite
  5. Sagadahoc County: 75 sites; most recorded: Wolframite, Muscovite, Beryl

Top minerals

  • Chalcopyrite: 75 sites
  • Galena: 60 sites
  • Sphalerite: 39 sites
  • Manganese Ox-Hydrous: 35 sites
  • Iron Oxides-Hydrated: 32 sites
  • Pyrrhotite: 28 sites
  • Molybdenite: 23 sites
  • Arsenopyrite: 14 sites

Mineral cards

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    278 sites

  • Copper

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat

    272 sites

  • Feldspar

    Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat

    191 sites

  • Gold

    Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat

    137 sites

  • Mica

    Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat

    114 sites

  • Pyrite

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

    103 sites

  • Galena

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

    63 sites

  • Garnet

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

    46 sites

  • Quartz

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

    24 sites

  • Beryl

    Mohs 7.5–8. Six-sided crystals; aquamarine and emerald are beryl. Mindat

    20 sites

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

Minerals most often recorded

Chalcopyrite 75Galena 60Sphalerite 39Manganese Ox-Hydrous 35Iron Oxides-Hydrated 32Pyrrhotite 28Molybdenite 23Arsenopyrite 14Beryl 13Pyrite 13Gold 11Spodumene 9

Counties

CountySites
Hancock County352
Oxford County210
Washington County115
Aroostook County90
Sagadahoc County75
York County65
Piscataquis County65
Knox County56
Penobscot County37
Cumberland County36
Somerset County25
Waldo County22
Androscoggin County22
Franklin County19
Kennebec County10
Lincoln County8

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