Found alongside
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
29 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
24 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
15 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
7 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
7 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
5 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
St. Louis County (20) · Cook County (5) · Lake County (4)
Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnamax Cu-Ni Prospect | Copper, Nickel, Palladium, Platinum | Bornite, Bravoite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Copper, Covellite, Cubanite, Digenite, Galena, Magnetite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Silver, Sphalerite, Tenorite | Prospect | 47.632, -91.883 |
| Spruce Road deposit | Copper, Nickel, Platinum, Palladium | Bornite, Bravoite, Chalcocite, Copper, Cuprite, Digenite, Galena, Magnetite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tenorite, Troilite | Prospect | 47.830, -91.681 |
| Maturi Nokomis Deposit | Copper, Nickel, Palladium, Platinum | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Cubanite, Cuprite, Digenite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite, Tenorite | Prospect | 47.801, -91.756 |
| South Filson Creek deposit | Nickel, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Cubanite, Digenite, Galena, Millerite, Niccolite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite, Sperrylite, Sphalerite | Prospect | 47.822, -91.674 |
| Gunflint Corridor East | — | Bornite, Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 48.083, -90.740 |
| Gunflint Corridor West | — | Bornite, Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 48.086, -90.847 |
| Dunka Road | Nickel, Platinum, Palladium, Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Gold, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Prospect | 47.666, -91.900 |
| Dunka Pit Cu-Ni deposit | Copper, Nickel | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Millerite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 47.721, -91.824 |
| Wyman Creek deposit | Nickel, Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Prospect | 47.553, -92.107 |
| Birch Lake | Copper, Nickel, Platinum, Palladium | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Prospect | 47.750, -91.818 |
| Susie Island Copper Veins | Copper, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Bornite, Pyrite, Covellite, Chalcocite | Past Producer | 47.977, -89.575 |
| Wet Legs Deposit | PGE, Nickel, Copper | Cubanite, Chalcopyrite, Bornite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Unknown | 47.582, -92.038 |
| Rove Slate Area Prospect Pits | — | Cubanite, Pentlandite | Unknown | 47.983, -90.919 |
| Ely Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 47.906, -91.921 |
| Section 17 Deposit | Iron, Titanium, Metal | Ilmenite, Magnetite, Bornite, Pyrrhotite, Pentlandite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite | Unknown | 47.587, -92.010 |
| Longear | Iron, Titanium, Metal | Ilmenite, Magnetite, Chalcopyrite, Bornite, Cubanite, Pyrrhotite, Pentlandite, Pyrite | Unknown | 47.565, -92.033 |
| Water Hen | Titanium, Metal, Iron | Ilmenite, Magnetite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Bornite, Maucherite, Mackinawite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Unknown | 47.399, -92.113 |
| Boulder Lake--North | Titanium, Metal, Iron | Ilmenite, Magnetite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Unknown | 47.097, -92.152 |
| Section 22 Deposit | Titanium, Metal, Iron | Ilmenite, Magnetite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Unknown | 47.499, -92.100 |
| Longnose | Titanium, Metal, Iron | Ilmenite, Magnetite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite, Cubanite, Chalcopyrite, Bornite | Unknown | 47.556, -92.008 |
| Boulder Lake--South | Iron, Titanium, Metal | Ilmenite, Magnetite, Pyrrhotite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Pentlandite | Unknown | 47.040, -92.182 |
| Central Boulder Lake | Titanium, Metal, Iron | Ilmenite, Magnetite, Pyrrhotite, Pentlandite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Sphalerite | Unknown | 47.068, -92.177 |
| Skibo Deposit | Titanium, Metal, Iron | Ilmenite, Magnetite, Pyrrhotite, Pentlandite, Cubanite, Chalcopyrite | Unknown | 47.471, -92.105 |
| Section 34 Deposit | Titanium, Metal, Iron | Ilmenite, Magnetite, Sphalerite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Pentlandite, Cubanite, Chalcopyrite, Bornite | Unknown | 47.206, -92.098 |
| Serpentine Deposit | Nickel, Copper | Pentlandite, Cubanite, Chalcopyrite, Pyrrhotite | Unknown | 47.675, -91.872 |
| Green Prospect Pit | Copper | Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite, Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 47.978, -89.763 |
| Partridge River Prospect | Copper | — | Prospect | 47.576, -92.039 |
| Birch Lake Prospect | Copper | — | Unknown | 47.817, -91.733 |
| NorthMet Project | Nickel, Copper | — | Prospect | 47.600, -91.967 |
Back to Rockhounding in Minnesota.
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