RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Barrett Prospect
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Silver) and 6 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as prospect. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Pyrite, Galena, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 44.969, -67.226. 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?
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status not recorded.
Was producing when the record was made.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
45 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
35 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
23 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
22 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
17 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
2 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
1 site
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Chalcopyrite 17Galena 16Sphalerite 13Molybdenite 4Gold 4Pyrrhotite 3Chalcocite 2Arsenopyrite 1Scheelite 1Magnetite 1Fluorite 1Hematite 1Commodities
Granite 36Lead 30Copper 29Silver 23Zinc 16Gold 14Molybdenum 7Iron 3Nickel 2Cobalt 2Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion & Gardner Prospects | Copper | Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 44.776, -67.338 |
| Cooper Mine | Molybdenum | Chalcopyrite, Fluorite, Molybdenite | Producer | 44.967, -67.449 |
| Harrington Mine | Lead, Copper, Silver, Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 44.639, -67.796 |
| Britton Mine | Silver, Lead, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Chalcocite | Past Producer | 44.595, -67.880 |
| Pillsbury-Stevens Mine | Copper, Silver, Zinc, Lead, Gold | Chalcopyrite, Sphalerite, Galena | Past Producer | 44.988, -67.958 |
| Barrett Prospect | Zinc, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Sphalerite, Gold, Galena | Occurrence | 44.966, -67.222 |
| Young's Point Prospect | Lead | Galena | Past Producer | 44.889, -67.096 |
| Jonesport Mine | Copper, Silver, Lead, Gold | Galena | Past Producer | 44.613, -67.555 |
| Eagle Island | Lead | Galena | Past Producer | 44.501, -67.754 |
| Horan Head Prospect | Copper, Lead | Galena, Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 44.863, -67.065 |
| Pembroke Mine | Copper, Lead, Silver, Zinc | Galena, Chalcopyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 44.963, -67.211 |
| Lubec Lead Mine | Lead, Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite, Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 44.837, -67.053 |
| Denbow Point Mine | Zinc, Lead | Galena, Sphalerite, Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Past Producer | 44.891, -67.102 |
| Bub Bailey Gold Prospect | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 45.635, -67.785 |
| Edwards & Walker Gold Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 44.883, -67.619 |
| Smith Iron Mine | Iron | Hematite | Past Producer | 44.810, -67.098 |
| Marshfield Granite Quarry | Molybdenum | Magnetite, Molybdenite | Occurrence | 44.742, -67.491 |
| Burke Hill Molybdenite Occurrence | Molybdenum, Arsenic | Molybdenite, Arsenopyrite | Occurrence | 44.607, -67.979 |
| Frost Prospect | Nickel, Copper | Pyrrhotite, Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 45.088, -67.482 |
| Cooper Mine (1903-1906) | Molybdenum | Scheelite, Molybdenite | Past Producer | 44.982, -67.455 |
| Bacon & Snow Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite, Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 44.903, -67.618 |
| Johnson Silver and Copper Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite, Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 44.654, -67.195 |
| Petit Manan Mine | Copper, Lead, Silver, Zinc | Sphalerite, Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 44.437, -67.896 |
| Denbow Neck Vein | Silver, Lead, Zinc | Sphalerite, Galena | Occurrence | 44.877, -67.087 |
| Bradley Prospect | Zinc | Sphalerite, Galena, Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 44.821, -67.089 |
| Big Hill Lead Mine (1906) | Lead, Zinc | Sphalerite, Galena, Chalcopyrite, Pyrrhotite, Chalcocite | Past Producer | 44.960, -67.210 |
| Cherryfield Mine (1878-1909) | Zinc, Lead | Sphalerite, Gold, Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 44.596, -67.909 |
| Rollins Gold Mine | Lead, Copper, Silver, Zinc | Sphalerite, Pyrrhotite | Unknown | 44.953, -67.681 |
| Alexander Area | Nickel, Cobalt, Copper | — | Occurrence | 45.117, -67.466 |
| Tunk Pond Prospect | Tungsten | — | Occurrence | 44.752, -68.486 |
| Horan Head Prospect | Copper, Lead | — | Prospect | 44.841, -67.053 |
| Narraguagus Prospect | — | — | Unknown | 44.665, -67.932 |
| Millbridge Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 44.551, -67.874 |
| Cherryfield Mine Prospect | — | — | Prospect | 44.599, -67.909 |
| Unnamed Mine | Silver | — | Prospect | 44.590, -67.860 |
| Frost Prospect | — | — | Prospect | 45.089, -67.484 |
| Calais Molybdenite Prospect | — | — | Unknown | 44.986, -67.455 |
| Wakefield Prospect | Iron, Silver | — | Occurrence | 44.649, -67.989 |
| Hardwood Island Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 44.514, -67.660 |
| Bradley Prospect | — | — | Prospect | 44.822, -67.091 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 3 fossil collection records in Washington County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Hancock County · Penobscot County · Waldo County · Knox County · Piscataquis County
Maine mineral guides
Back to all Maine counties.
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