RockWoofFound alongside
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
162 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
103 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
50 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
29 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
18 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
16 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Bedford County (51) · Amelia County (16) · Henry County (13) · Pittsylvania County (10) · Campbell County (8) · Nelson County (7) · Prince Edward County (7) · Hanover County (5) · Floyd County (4) · Fluvanna County (4) · Goochland County (4) · Grayson County (4) · Halifax County (4) · Warren County (4) · Louisa County (3) · Buckingham County (3) · Amherst County (3) · Powhatan County (2) · Patrick County (2) · Charlotte County (2) · Carroll County (1) · Page County (1) · Spotsylvania County (1) · Fairfax County (1) · Wythe County (1) · Franklin County (1)
Sites (first 60)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morefield Mine | Feldspar, Mica | Albite, Beryl, Cassiterite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Ilmenite, Manganotantalite, Microlite, Muscovite, Pyrite, Pyrolusite, Rutile, Topaz | Past Producer | 37.361, -77.914 |
| Herbb No. 2 Mine | Beryllium | Albite, Beryl, Muscovite | Past Producer | 37.556, -77.782 |
| Montpelier Mine | Feldspar | Albite, Illite, Ilmenite, Kaolinite, Microcline, Rutile, Zircon | Past Producer | 37.772, -77.712 |
| Wheatley Mine | Feldspar | Albite, Muscovite | Past Producer | 37.175, -79.598 |
| Little Friar Mountain Mine | REE | Allanite, Fergusonite, Microcline | Past Producer | 37.767, -79.100 |
| Burley Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Anatase, Apatite, Ilmenite, Rutile | Occurrence | 37.622, -79.126 |
| American Rutile Mine | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite, Rutile | Past Producer | 37.744, -78.974 |
| High Hill Mine | Copper | Argentite, Bornite, Chalcocite, Covellite, Malachite | Past Producer | 36.660, -78.759 |
| Poole Prospect | Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 36.652, -81.035 |
| Walker Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite | Past Producer | 38.062, -78.195 |
| Moore Prospect #1 | Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 36.635, -81.054 |
| Saxton-Mcmillan Mines | Barium-Barite | Barite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.361, -79.657 |
| Ramsay Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.967, -79.466 |
| Champion Mine | Mica | Beryl, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Marcasite, Microlite, Muscovite, Pyrite, Pyrochlore | Past Producer | 37.382, -77.966 |
| Pinchbeck No. 1 Mine | Mica | Beryl, Kaolin, Muscovite, Plagioclase | Past Producer | 37.391, -77.963 |
| Crews Prospect | Feldspar | Beryl, Muscovite, Plagioclase | Occurrence | 37.139, -78.676 |
| Cofer Prospect | Copper, Zinc, Lead | Bismuth, Bornite, Boulangerite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Digenite, Electrum, Galena, Hematite, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Marcasite, Molybdenite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Rutile, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 38.050, -77.875 |
| Pandora Prospect | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Cuprite, Malachite | Occurrence | 36.618, -78.752 |
| Seaboard Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Malachite | Past Producer | 36.591, -78.777 |
| Empire Mine | Copper | Bornite, Cuprite, Malachite | Past Producer | 38.790, -78.292 |
| Martin Mine | Copper | Bornite, Malachite | Past Producer | 38.809, -78.296 |
| Toncrae Mine | Copper, Iron, Iron, Pig Iron | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Limonite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Past Producer | 36.830, -80.376 |
| Boyd-Smith Mine | Sulfur-Pyrite | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Goethite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.045, -77.891 |
| Greer Place Prospect | Copper | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 36.683, -81.433 |
| Early Prospect | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Copper | Occurrence | 36.750, -80.700 |
| Moss Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Pyromorphite, Sphalerite, Vanadinite | Past Producer | 37.848, -78.085 |
| Snead Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Hemimorphite, Pyrite, Pyromorphite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.780, -78.257 |
| Sutherland Prospect | Iron | Chalcopyrite, Limonite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.803, -80.384 |
| Edenton Mine | Mica | Cleavelandite, Muscovite | Past Producer | 38.083, -77.783 |
| Ida Mine | Copper | Copper, Malachite | Past Producer | 38.603, -78.426 |
| Hudson Prospect | Feldspar | Feldspar | Past Producer | 37.205, -79.498 |
| Hatcher Prospect | Feldspar | Feldspar, Tantalite | Past Producer | 37.255, -79.451 |
| Page Mine | Gold | Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.848, -78.227 |
| Brush Creek Prospect | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.053, -80.311 |
| Morton Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.623, -78.407 |
| Bull Neck Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 38.965, -77.216 |
| Colleen Prospect | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 37.712, -78.938 |
| Laurel Creek Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.021, -80.323 |
| Greeley Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.579, -78.389 |
| Scotia Mine Tellurium Vein | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.841, -78.109 |
| Bowles Mine Tellurium Vein Sys. | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.847, -78.097 |
| Bertha and Edith Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.786, -78.125 |
| Mcgloam Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.854, -78.103 |
| Johnson Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.817, -78.939 |
| Blue Rock Farm Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.778, -78.973 |
| Giles-Hite Prospect | Mineral Pigments, Titanium, Metal | Ilmenite, Rutile | Occurrence | 37.758, -78.985 |
| Nuckols Prospect | Titanium, Metal | Ilmenite, Rutile | Occurrence | 37.681, -77.692 |
| Willis Mountain Mine | Kyanite | Kyanite, Quartzite | Producer | 37.474, -78.464 |
| Hairston Mine | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.792, -80.120 |
| Berry Mine | Mica | Muscovite | Past Producer | 37.355, -77.970 |
| Mitchell Mine | Feldspar | Plagioclase, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.272, -79.439 |
| T B Twedy Prospect | Feldspar | — | Prospect | 37.216, -79.037 |
| Saunders No. 3 Mine | Mica | — | Past Producer | 37.888, -77.576 |
| Johnson Brothers Prospect | Feldspar | — | Prospect | 37.273, -79.436 |
| H Claytor Prospect | Feldspar | — | Occurrence | 37.272, -79.434 |
| Everett Mine | Kaolin, Feldspar | — | Past Producer | 37.352, -79.316 |
| Boyer Mine | Feldspar | — | Past Producer | 37.291, -79.388 |
| Bells Mine | Feldspar | — | Past Producer | 37.287, -79.392 |
| John Patterson Mine | Mica, Feldspar | — | Past Producer | 37.370, -77.964 |
| Peaksville Mine | Feldspar | — | Past Producer | 37.418, -79.551 |
Back to Rockhounding in Virginia.
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