RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
South Mountain Prospect
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 of the minerals on our cards and 1 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 3 other site(s), so we broke the tie by mine status (past producers first), then USGS record quality, then name. USGS lists it as prospect for Copper. Minerals mentioned: Copper. Approx. location 39.665, -77.524. 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.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
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
4 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Limonite 9Commodities
Iron 27Copper 4Manganese 1Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geeting Ore Bank/Wyand Ore Bank | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 39.477, -77.702 |
| Appletown Ore Bank/Boonsboro Ore Bank | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 39.492, -77.649 |
| Unnamed, Boonsboro Area | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 39.525, -77.666 |
| Kohler Ore Bank | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 39.616, -77.597 |
| Mclaughlin Ore Bank | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 39.689, -77.884 |
| Wheatstone Ore Bank | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 39.658, -77.982 |
| North Mt. Area | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 39.636, -77.975 |
| Lane Property Ore Bank | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 39.586, -77.602 |
| Maryland Banks | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 39.342, -77.750 |
| Potomac Refining Co. Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 39.369, -77.739 |
| North Green Spring Furnace Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.635, -77.978 |
| Mclaughlin Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.685, -77.889 |
| Wilson Farm Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.701, -77.908 |
| South Mountain Prospect | Copper | — | Prospect | 39.665, -77.524 |
| Appletown Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.490, -77.649 |
| Charles Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.642, -77.957 |
| Northwest Boonsboro Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.524, -77.666 |
| Dargan Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 39.374, -77.740 |
| Green Spring Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.629, -77.971 |
| Boonsboro Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.507, -77.651 |
| Kohler Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.614, -77.594 |
| Barton Deposit | Iron | — | Occurrence | 39.718, -78.221 |
| Wheatstone Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.673, -77.977 |
| Southeast Indian Springs Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.636, -77.993 |
| South Mountain Prospect | Copper | — | Prospect | 39.639, -77.537 |
| Potomac Refining Company Deposit | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.376, -77.745 |
| South Mountain Prospect | Copper | — | Prospect | 39.679, -77.516 |
| Northeast Green Spring Furnace Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.649, -77.962 |
| Wyand Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.483, -77.712 |
| Lane Property Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.592, -77.602 |
| Geeting Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.472, -77.708 |
| South Mountain Prospect | Copper | — | Prospect | 39.627, -77.551 |
| Maryland Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.346, -77.752 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 12 fossil collection records in Washington County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Frederick County · Carroll County · Howard County · Montgomery County · Allegany County
Maryland mineral guides
- Quartz in Maryland
- Gold in Maryland
- Mica in Maryland
- Feldspar in Maryland
- Magnetite in Maryland
- Pyrite in Maryland
Back to all Maryland 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