RockWoofFound alongside
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
515 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
451 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
357 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
347 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
280 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
259 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Inyo County (73) · Nevada County (63) · Calaveras County (45) · San Bernardino County (40) · Placer County (37) · Mariposa County (37) · Tuolumne County (34) · Shasta County (31) · Mono County (21) · Amador County (20) · El Dorado County (19) · Trinity County (17) · Sierra County (11) · Alpine County (9) · Kern County (9) · Plumas County (7) · Tulare County (7) · Los Angeles County (6) · Siskiyou County (6) · Butte County (4) · Imperial County (4) · Madera County (3) · Orange County (2) · Santa Clara County (2) · Fresno County (2) · Napa County (2) · Riverside County (1) · Marin County (1) · Alameda County (1) · Yuba County (1)
Sites (first 60)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Mine | Zinc, Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chrysocolla, Galena, Hemimorphite, Malachite, Silver, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.439, -117.610 |
| Pedry | — | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 34.965, -117.127 |
| Black Eagle | Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Cuprite, Galena | Past Producer | 33.882, -115.553 |
| Christmas Gift | Lead | Anglesite, Galena, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.300, -117.609 |
| Surprise | Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Galena, Smithsonite | Past Producer | 36.268, -117.357 |
| Surcease Mine | Gold | Antimony, Bornite, Bournonite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Gold, Limonite, Marcasite, Pyrrhotite | Past Producer | 39.691, -121.466 |
| Collier Mine | Copper, Zinc | Antimony, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.922, -120.717 |
| Iron Mountain Mine | Copper, Zinc | Antlerite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Greenockite, Hematite, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Malachite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite, Sulfur | Past Producer | 40.675, -122.528 |
| Mount Gaines | Gold | Argentite, Barite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.541, -120.173 |
| Lucky Jim | Silver, Copper | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 34.579, -115.137 |
| Silverado - Kentuck | Silver | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Magnetite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.437, -119.268 |
| Paymaster Mine | Silver, Lead | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 33.196, -114.906 |
| Silver King | Gold, Copper, Silver | Argentite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Tetrahedrite | Producer | 40.548, -122.450 |
| Alabama | Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.844, -121.158 |
| Silver Reef | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Galena | Past Producer | 37.688, -118.620 |
| Eclipse Consolidated | Gold | Argentite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.894, -121.088 |
| I X L | Gold | Argentite, Galena, Proustite, Pyrargyrite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.623, -119.771 |
| Silverado-Palisade Deposit | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Pyrargyrite, Polybasite, Proustite, Aguilarite, Gold, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite, Arsenopyrite, Pyrite, Cinnabar | Past Producer | 38.620, -122.581 |
| Blackhawk | Zinc | Aurichalcite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Hemimorphite, Malachite, Sphalerite, Zincite | Past Producer | 35.263, -118.461 |
| Gray Eagle | Copper, Gold, Silver, Zinc | Azurite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Silver, Sphalerite, Tin | Past Producer | 41.863, -123.373 |
| Mountain Pass Mine and Mill | Gold, REE, Cerium | Bastnasite, Bastnaesite, Monazite, Apatite, Barite, Celestite | Past Producer | 35.479, -115.532 |
| Newsboy | Lead, Silver | Bindheimite, Galena | Past Producer | 36.531, -117.786 |
| Penn | Copper, Zinc | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Copper, Covellite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 38.230, -120.875 |
| Big Bend | Copper, Zinc | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Silver, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 39.692, -121.432 |
| Afterthought | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Limonite, Malachite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Azurite, Tennantite, Tetrahedrite, Luzonite | Past Producer | 40.736, -122.083 |
| Engels | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Galena, Ilmenite | Producer | 40.203, -120.775 |
| Ashford Mine | Gold | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Silver, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 35.958, -116.641 |
| Corona Mine | Gold, Silver | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Cuprite, Galena, Gold, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.193, -117.179 |
| Funny Bug | Gold | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Molybdenite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Stibnite | Past Producer | 38.748, -120.893 |
| El Dorado | Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite | Past Producer | 39.901, -120.141 |
| Bully Hill | Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Producer | 40.799, -122.204 |
| Norwegian | Gold, Silver | Bornite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.005, -120.482 |
| Burcham | Lead, Silver, Gold | Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 34.950, -116.877 |
| Lead Mountain | Barium-Barite | Cerargyrite, Galena | Occurrence | 34.920, -116.936 |
| Lyford | Silver | Cerussite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrargyrite, Stephanite, Stromeyerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 37.779, -118.484 |
| Red Gap | Gold | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.662, -119.695 |
| Blue Moon | Zinc, Copper | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 37.566, -120.257 |
| Rising Star | Copper, Zinc | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 40.796, -122.209 |
| Newton | Copper | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.342, -120.887 |
| Blue Bell | Lead, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Galena, Malachite | Past Producer | 35.274, -116.226 |
| Valley View | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Copper, Cuprite, Galena, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.977, -121.258 |
| Carbonate Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite, Copper, Galena | Occurrence | 35.273, -118.043 |
| Big Oak Flat No. 1 | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Copper, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.827, -120.263 |
| Walker | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Galena, Jamesonite, Pyrrhotite, Stibnite, Tetrahedrite | Producer | 39.960, -120.669 |
| Orion | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Galena | Past Producer | 38.683, -119.707 |
| Pine Tree and Josephine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Erythrite, Galena, Niccolite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Producer | 37.596, -120.123 |
| Dodson | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 38.122, -120.499 |
| Bagdad - Chase | Gold, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 34.627, -116.169 |
| Big Horn | Gold, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 34.858, -115.532 |
| Mowry | Lead, Silver, Copper, Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena | Occurrence | 34.655, -116.425 |
| Bullion | Lead, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 35.391, -115.473 |
| Tioga | — | Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 37.936, -119.258 |
| Pyramid | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 38.726, -120.942 |
| American | Copper, Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 35.871, -116.426 |
| Adelaide and Anderson | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 37.665, -120.186 |
| Sacramento | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 37.543, -118.332 |
| Pioneer | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 38.457, -120.852 |
| Keynote Group | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 36.723, -117.940 |
| Reward Mine | Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 36.747, -118.054 |
| Osceola | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 39.215, -121.130 |
Back to Rockhounding in California.
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