RockWoofFound alongside
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
41 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
36 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
30 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
28 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
20 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
Buckingham County (8) · Fluvanna County (6) · Carroll County (4) · Floyd County (3) · Amelia County (3) · Bedford County (3) · Goochland County (2) · Prince Edward County (2) · Prince William County (1) · Stafford County (1) · Louisa County (1) · Fairfax County (1) · Hanover County (1) · Northampton County (1) · Powhatan County (1) · Amherst County (1) · Henry County (1) · Albemarle 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 |
| 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 |
| Buffalo River Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.664, -79.173 |
| Champion Mine | Mica | Beryl, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Marcasite, Microlite, Muscovite, Pyrite, Pyrochlore | Past Producer | 37.382, -77.966 |
| Johnson Mine | Copper, Iron | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Goethite, Gold, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.693, -78.301 |
| Margaret Mine | Iron | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Hematite, Limonite, Pyrite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.696, -78.298 |
| McKenna Mine | Iron | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Limonite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.696, -78.298 |
| Fairmont Copper Mine | Copper | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Copper, Covellite, Cubanite, Cuprite, Galena, Goethite, Malachite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.806, -80.777 |
| Brown and Stephenson Mine | Copper | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Copper, Cuprite, Galena, Goethite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.806, -80.776 |
| Cranberry Copper Mine | Copper | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Cubanite, Cuprite, Galena, Goethite, Malachite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.803, -80.784 |
| Toncrae Mine | Copper, Iron, Iron, Pig Iron | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Limonite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Past Producer | 36.830, -80.376 |
| Belcher Prospect | Iron, Copper | Chalcocite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Past Producer | 36.798, -80.395 |
| Moss Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Pyromorphite, Sphalerite, Vanadinite | Past Producer | 37.848, -78.085 |
| Arminius Mine | Copper, Sulfur-Pyrite | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Marcasite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 38.036, -77.900 |
| Cabin Branch Mine | Sulfur-Pyrite | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.575, -77.348 |
| Whitmore Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Goethite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.700, -80.633 |
| Snead Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Hemimorphite, Pyrite, Pyromorphite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.780, -78.257 |
| Morrow Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | 37.496, -78.493 |
| Sutherland Prospect | Iron | Chalcopyrite, Limonite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.803, -80.384 |
| Austin Run Mine | Sulfur-Pyrite | Chalcopyrite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.463, -77.422 |
| Schist Prospect | — | Garnet, Quartz | Occurrence | 38.766, -77.405 |
| North Garden Mine | Iron | Goethite, Ilmenite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.943, -78.648 |
| Jennings Property Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.836, -78.117 |
| Prospect B Fluvanna Co. | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 37.828, -78.117 |
| Prospect A Fluvanna Co. | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 37.832, -78.116 |
| Greeley Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.579, -78.389 |
| Buckingham Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.550, -78.466 |
| Scotia Mine Tellurium Vein | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.841, -78.109 |
| Scotia Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.831, -78.113 |
| Bowles Mine Tellurium Vein Sys. | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.847, -78.097 |
| Virginia Placer | Titanium, Metal | Ilmenite, Kyanite, Rutile, Zircon | Occurrence | 37.417, -75.333 |
| Baker Mountain Mine | Kyanite | Kyanite, Quartzite | Producer | 37.204, -78.651 |
| Chestnut Knob Prospect | Iron | Magnetite, Monazite, Zircon | Occurrence | 36.618, -79.908 |
| Mitchell Mine | Feldspar | Plagioclase, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.272, -79.439 |
| Anaconda Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 37.610, -78.449 |
| Spring Creek Occurrence | Tantalum, Niobium (Columbium) | — | Occurrence | 37.217, -78.550 |
| Hudgins Prospect | Zinc, Copper | — | Occurrence | 37.680, -78.308 |
| Hales Ford Prospects | Feldspar | — | Prospect | 37.151, -79.662 |
| Rutherford No.3 | — | — | Past Producer | 37.358, -77.981 |
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