Found alongside
Agate
Mohs 6.5–7. Banded, translucent chalcedony. Mindat
114 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
42 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
23 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
21 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
13 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
9 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Harney County (25) · Crook County (23) · Douglas County (14) · Jackson County (12) · Josephine County (7) · Curry County (6) · Grant County (5) · Lake County (5) · Jefferson County (4) · Baker County (3) · Lane County (3) · Malheur County (2) · Clackamas County (2) · Klamath County (1) · Multnomah County (1) · Wheeler County (1)
Sites (first 60)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Hay Creek | Mercury | Andesite | Occurrence | 44.420, -120.443 |
| O'Keefe | Mercury, Copper | Barite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Cinnabar, Malachite | Occurrence | 42.317, -118.718 |
| Lucky Star | Mercury, Copper, Barium-Barite | Barite, Chrysocolla, Cinnabar, Malachite | Occurrence | 42.322, -118.677 |
| Unnamed Beryllium Claims | Beryllium | Beryl, Phenacite | Occurrence | 42.643, -122.687 |
| Blue Bull | Mercury, Copper, Arsenic | Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Cinnabar, Malachite | Occurrence | 42.172, -118.668 |
| Fisher | Mercury | Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Cinnabar, Malachite | Past Producer | 42.388, -118.653 |
| Mother Lode Mine | Copper, Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Gold, Malachite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 44.917, -117.475 |
| Harmony | Mercury, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.215, -118.689 |
| Quartz Mountain Gold Deposit | Mercury, Gold | Chalcopyrite, Cinnabar, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Stibnite, Tetrahedrite | Prospect | 42.322, -120.794 |
| Spring Creek | Mercury | Chalcopyrite, Cinnabar, Malachite | Occurrence | 42.186, -118.554 |
| Apache | Mercury, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Cinnabar, Pyrite | Occurrence | 42.113, -118.651 |
| Katmai | Gold, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Pyrite | Occurrence | 43.631, -122.639 |
| Meathead | Copper, Gold, Silver, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Pyrite | Occurrence | 42.679, -123.256 |
| Nickel Mountain | Nickel | Chlorite, Chromite, Garnierite, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Sepiolite, Spinel | Producer | 42.961, -123.440 |
| Paramount | Mercury | Chromite, Cinnabar | Occurrence | 44.706, -118.509 |
| Connor Creek Prospect | Mercury, Chromium, Gold, Nickel | Chromite, Cinnabar | Occurrence | 44.569, -117.181 |
| Double Link | Mercury, Copper | Chrysocolla, Cinnabar, Malachite | Occurrence | 42.013, -118.669 |
| Arizona | Gold, Copper, Manganese | Chrysocolla, Malachite | Occurrence | 42.128, -118.651 |
| Long Branch | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.600, -122.887 |
| James R. | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 43.012, -122.923 |
| Buena Vista | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 43.017, -122.933 |
| Jolly Prospect | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.368, -123.082 |
| Devil's Food | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 44.352, -120.330 |
| Maud S. | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 43.015, -122.933 |
| Barnes Butte | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 44.326, -120.819 |
| Eickemeyer Prospect | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 44.113, -120.435 |
| Drew | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.879, -122.893 |
| Dave Force Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 42.606, -122.957 |
| War Eagle | Mercury | Cinnabar | Producer | 42.621, -122.963 |
| Salt Creek | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 44.037, -120.677 |
| Donaldson | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.651, -122.781 |
| Phillips | Mercury | Cinnabar | Prospect | 42.222, -122.761 |
| Last Chance | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.559, -118.558 |
| Eldorado Group | Mercury, Copper | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.344, -118.673 |
| Lost Cinnabar | Mercury | Cinnabar | Producer | 44.105, -120.430 |
| Oregon Technical Institute | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.255, -121.783 |
| Bretz Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 42.044, -117.902 |
| Red Hill | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.298, -118.672 |
| Lucky Strike | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.292, -118.699 |
| Ash Prospect | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 42.649, -122.774 |
| Alexander | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 42.563, -118.553 |
| Poor Boy | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 43.051, -122.833 |
| Ribelin | Mercury | Cinnabar, Limonite | Occurrence | 44.480, -120.363 |
| Woodson Long | Mercury | Cinnabar, Limonite | Occurrence | 43.762, -118.380 |
| Champion | Mercury | Cinnabar, Limonite | Past Producer | 44.387, -120.441 |
| Jack Pot | Mercury | Cinnabar, Limonite | Occurrence | 42.559, -118.558 |
| Humboldt | Mercury | Cinnabar, Limonite | Past Producer | 44.567, -120.411 |
| Oronogo | Mercury | Cinnabar, Limonite | Past Producer | 44.048, -120.743 |
| Amity Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar, Limonite, Marcasite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 44.350, -120.322 |
| Pike | Mercury | Cinnabar, Limonite, Mercury | Occurrence | 42.559, -118.558 |
| Pinkey | Mercury | Cinnabar, Limonite, Pyrite | Occurrence | 44.023, -120.717 |
| Blair Group | Mercury, Barium-Barite, Copper | Cinnabar, Malachite | Occurrence | 42.303, -118.714 |
| Nellie B | Mercury | Cinnabar, Malachite, Pyrite | Occurrence | 42.299, -118.694 |
| Jimmy Ann | Mercury | Cinnabar, Marcasite | Past Producer | 44.367, -120.489 |
| Nonpareil Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar, Mercury | Past Producer | 43.413, -123.164 |
| Maury Mountains Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar, Mercury | Past Producer | 44.104, -120.431 |
| Currier | Mercury, Barium-Barite | Cinnabar, Mercury | Past Producer | 42.749, -120.765 |
| Opalite | Lithium, Mercury, Uranium | Cinnabar, Mercury | Past Producer | 42.052, -118.035 |
| Bonanza Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar, Mercury, Metacinnabar | Past Producer | 43.394, -123.185 |
| Black Butte Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar, Mercury, Metacinnabar | Past Producer | 43.574, -123.063 |
Back to Rockhounding in Oregon.
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