Found alongside
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
170 sites
Scheelite
Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat
122 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
91 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
37 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
32 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
28 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Kern County (45) · Inyo County (25) · San Bernardino County (18) · Tulare County (12) · Riverside County (11) · San Diego County (8) · Imperial County (8) · Mono County (7) · El Dorado County (5) · Calaveras County (3) · Nevada County (3) · Fresno County (3) · Alpine County (3) · Tuolumne County (2) · Plumas County (2) · Shasta County (2) · Madera County (2) · Los Angeles County (2) · Siskiyou County (1) · Monterey County (1) · Del Norte County (1) · Mariposa County (1) · Trinity County (1) · Santa Clara County (1) · Sonoma County (1) · Lake County (1) · Amador County (1)
Sites (first 60)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Trail | Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 35.392, -115.485 |
| Trio Group | Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 35.280, -115.256 |
| Pine Creek | Tungsten, Copper, Molybdenum, Gold | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Gold, Molybdenite, Powellite, Scheelite | Producer | 37.362, -118.704 |
| Cosumnes | Gold | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Powellite, Silver | Past Producer | 38.610, -120.601 |
| Lower Butler Prospect | Tin | Cassiterite | Occurrence | 34.836, -118.724 |
| Bishop Concentrate and Cleaning Co. | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Scheelite | Past Producer | 37.274, -118.400 |
| Walker | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Galena, Jamesonite, Pyrrhotite, Stibnite, Tetrahedrite | Producer | 39.960, -120.669 |
| Gray Eagle Prospect | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.348, -118.244 |
| Powell | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.231, -118.650 |
| Hirz Mountain | Iron | Chalcopyrite, Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 40.902, -122.244 |
| Pioneer - Lilyama | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Idocrase, Pyrite | Producer | 38.835, -120.968 |
| Black Diamond Group | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Pyrrhotite | Past Producer | 40.745, -122.302 |
| Major Mine | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Molybdenite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 35.741, -118.579 |
| Garnet Dike | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Molybdenite, Pyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 36.883, -119.018 |
| Black Rock Mine | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Molybdenite, Scheelite | Producer | 37.683, -118.518 |
| Moore Creek | — | Chalcopyrite, Molybdenite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 38.467, -120.251 |
| High Peak Mine | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 35.683, -117.884 |
| Garnet Hill | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 38.483, -120.251 |
| Last Chance Mine | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 35.610, -118.291 |
| Mineralite-Azurite Group | — | Chalcopyrite, Scheelite | Occurrence | 35.617, -118.238 |
| R & R Claims | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 37.348, -118.246 |
| Sonny Boy Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite, Scheelite | Occurrence | 35.574, -118.249 |
| Crescent City Beach | Gold | Chromite, Gold, Ilmenite, Magnetite | Producer | 41.744, -124.171 |
| Riley | Tungsten, Copper, Gold, Silver | Chrysocolla, Malachite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 35.361, -115.543 |
| Wonder | Silver, Lead | Galena, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.285, -117.577 |
| Lemont Group | — | Galena, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 37.774, -119.093 |
| Unnamed Prospect | — | Garnet | Occurrence | 32.663, -115.992 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Tungsten, Marble, Dimension, Garnet | Garnet, Marble | Occurrence | 32.664, -115.986 |
| Agnew Meadows Deposits | — | Garnet, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite | Occurrence | 37.682, -119.083 |
| Roark Mine | Tungsten | Garnet, Scheelite | Past Producer | 32.667, -115.967 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Tungsten | Garnet, Scheelite, Tremolite | Past Producer | 32.655, -115.986 |
| Monte Cristo | Gold, Silver | Gold | Past Producer | 37.604, -118.994 |
| Camanche District | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 38.213, -120.934 |
| French Corral District | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 39.304, -121.152 |
| Red Schist Prospect | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 32.698, -115.993 |
| Jenny Lind District | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 38.095, -120.871 |
| Homer Ranch | Tungsten | Gold, Scheelite | Past Producer | 36.533, -118.968 |
| Valpine Mine | Gold, Tungsten | Hematite, Pyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 38.717, -119.884 |
| Cal-Pine Mine | Tungsten, Gold | Hematite, Pyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 38.729, -119.887 |
| Myers Valley | Marble, Dimension | Marble | Occurrence | 32.672, -116.054 |
| Chain Prospect | — | Marble | Occurrence | 32.684, -116.042 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Marble, Dimension | Marble | Occurrence | 32.676, -116.034 |
| Tower Peak | Molybdenum | Molybdenite | Occurrence | 38.164, -119.622 |
| Panyo | Tungsten | Molybdenite, Powellite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 36.195, -117.609 |
| Naja Mine | Tungsten | Molybdenite, Pyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 35.433, -118.384 |
| Phelps Hilton Creek Mine | Tungsten | Molybdenite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 37.517, -118.768 |
| Strawberry Mine | Tungsten | Powellite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 37.550, -119.289 |
| Redwood Canyon | Tungsten | Powellite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 36.650, -118.868 |
| Cadillac Mine | Tungsten | Pyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 35.766, -118.583 |
| Williams Prospect | Tungsten | Pyrite, Scheelite | Occurrence | 38.667, -120.718 |
| Lucky Hit Deposit | Tungsten | Pyrite, Scheelite | Producer | 35.744, -118.579 |
| Schober and Merrill | Tungsten | Pyrrhotite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 37.233, -118.534 |
| Blue Dipper Group | Tungsten | Pyrrhotite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 37.348, -118.246 |
| Ridge Prospect | Tungsten | Scheelite | Occurrence | 36.950, -119.251 |
| Cottonwood | — | Scheelite | Occurrence | 33.733, -116.451 |
| Tulare County Tungsten | Tungsten | Scheelite | Past Producer | 36.283, -118.918 |
| Keogh | Tungsten | Scheelite | Past Producer | 36.217, -117.601 |
| Grizzley Flat | — | Scheelite | Occurrence | 38.667, -120.568 |
| Tungstore | Tungsten | Scheelite | Past Producer | 35.783, -118.668 |
| Starbright | Tungsten | Scheelite | Past Producer | 35.117, -116.901 |
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