RockWoofFound alongside
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
37 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
19 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
14 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
12 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
7 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
6 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Smyth County (8) · Wythe County (6) · Russell County (5) · Rockbridge County (3) · Scott County (3) · Mecklenburg County (3) · Grayson County (2) · Amelia County (2) · Albemarle County (2) · Shenandoah County (1) · Amherst County (1) · Norfolk (City) County (1)
Sites
| 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 |
| Ivanhoe Lead Zinc Mine | Zinc, Lead, Dolomite | Anglesite, Galena, Goethite, Hemimorphite, Hydrozincite, Limonite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.834, -80.962 |
| Austinville East Lead Zinc Mines | Zinc, Lead | Anglesite, Galena, Goethite, Hemimorphite, Hydrozincite, Limonite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.847, -80.953 |
| Austinville Flatwood Pb Zn Mine | Zinc, Lead | Anglesite, Galena, Hemimorphite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.862, -80.898 |
| Eller Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite | Past Producer | 36.850, -81.477 |
| Counts Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite | Past Producer | 37.001, -81.947 |
| Poole Prospect | Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 36.652, -81.035 |
| Cornett-Hull Mines | Barium-Barite | Barite, Calcite, Fluorite | Past Producer | 36.817, -81.550 |
| Henderlite Mine | Barium-Barite, Copper | Barite, Chalcopyrite, Malachite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.855, -81.460 |
| Farts Prospect #1 | Barium-Barite | Barite, Fluorite | Occurrence | 36.848, -81.589 |
| Vaught, F. Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite, Galena | Past Producer | 36.755, -81.131 |
| Hubbard Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite, Limonite | Past Producer | 36.989, -81.977 |
| Myers - L. Copenhaver Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.840, -81.593 |
| Irish Creek Mine | Tin | Beryl, Cassiterite, Scheelite, Wolframite | Past Producer | 37.850, -79.163 |
| Taylor Prospect | Tungsten | Bindheimite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Huebnerite, Pyrite, Pyromorphite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 36.562, -78.456 |
| Burwell Prospect | Tungsten | Bindheimite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Huebnerite, Pyrite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 36.546, -78.454 |
| Kimball Prospect | Tungsten | Bindheimite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Huebnerite, Pyrite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 36.555, -78.450 |
| Snowflake Fluorite Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite, Calcium | Calcite, Fluorite | Occurrence | 36.704, -82.509 |
| Faber Mine | Lead, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.837, -78.706 |
| Rye Valley Lead/Zinc District | Zinc | Dolomite, Fluorite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.781, -81.417 |
| Scott Prospect #2 | Fluorine-Fluorite, Zinc | Fluorite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.773, -81.471 |
| Rye Valley Mining Company Mine | Lead, Zinc | Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.779, -81.422 |
| Simmerman Prospects | Zinc, Iron | Galena, Hemimorphite, Limonite, Pyrite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.839, -80.941 |
| Cedar Springs Zinc Mine | Zinc, Lead | Galena, Hemimorphite, Pyrite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.828, -81.283 |
| Osborn Mine | Zinc | Galena, Hemimorphite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.799, -82.264 |
| Tusing Prospect | Zinc | Pyrite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 38.736, -78.730 |
| Buck Mountain Mine | Gold, Silver | — | Past Producer | 37.746, -79.242 |
| V D Harris Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Prospect | 36.704, -82.508 |
| No.1 Workings Irish Creek | — | — | Past Producer | 37.849, -79.164 |
| No.2 Workings | — | — | Past Producer | 37.849, -79.165 |
| Borden Chemical Co. Norfolk Plant | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Past Producer | 36.835, -76.284 |
| Hubbard Mine | Barium-Barite | — | Past Producer | 36.987, -81.977 |
| Faber Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Past Producer | 37.837, -78.706 |
| Rutherford No.3 | — | — | Past Producer | 37.358, -77.981 |
| Snowflake Fluorite Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Occurrence | 36.704, -82.509 |
| Counts Barite Mine | Barium-Barite, Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Past Producer | 37.000, -81.948 |
| Austinville-Ivanhoe Mine | Zinc, Lead | — | Past Producer | 36.847, -80.920 |
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