RockWoofFound alongside
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
24 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
19 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
15 sites
Tourmaline
Mohs 7–7.5. Long striated crystals, often black (schorl) or green and pink (elbaite). Mindat
8 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
7 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
7 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
St. Louis County (9) · Koochiching County (5) · Cook County (4) · Lake County (3) · Beltrami County (1) · Yellow Medicine County (1) · Redwood County (1)
Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spruce Road deposit | Copper, Nickel, Platinum, Palladium | Bornite, Bravoite, Chalcocite, Copper, Cuprite, Digenite, Galena, Magnetite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tenorite, Troilite | Prospect | 47.830, -91.681 |
| Maturi Nokomis Deposit | Copper, Nickel, Palladium, Platinum | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Cubanite, Cuprite, Digenite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite, Tenorite | Prospect | 47.801, -91.756 |
| South Filson Creek deposit | Nickel, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Cubanite, Digenite, Galena, Millerite, Niccolite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite, Sperrylite, Sphalerite | Prospect | 47.822, -91.674 |
| Dunka Road | Nickel, Platinum, Palladium, Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Gold, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Prospect | 47.666, -91.900 |
| Birch Lake | Copper, Nickel, Platinum, Palladium | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Prospect | 47.750, -91.818 |
| Little America Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 48.602, -93.168 |
| Vermilion River Mines | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Unknown | 48.241, -92.603 |
| Rove Slate Area Prospect Pits | — | Cubanite, Pentlandite | Unknown | 47.983, -90.919 |
| Lyle Mine | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 48.620, -93.117 |
| Delhi Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 44.622, -95.196 |
| Ely Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 47.906, -91.921 |
| Lake Saganaga-Gold Island Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 48.202, -90.939 |
| Granite Falls Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 44.799, -95.544 |
| Kelliher Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 47.937, -94.542 |
| Old Spaulding Mine | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 48.049, -90.214 |
| North American Mine | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 47.797, -92.278 |
| Grassy Island Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 48.618, -93.215 |
| Steamboat Islet Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 48.610, -93.046 |
| Bushyhead Island Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 48.606, -93.118 |
| Cranberry Islet Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 48.611, -93.043 |
| Gold Island Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 47.889, -92.440 |
| Indus Prospect | Gold | Gold, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Unknown | 48.621, -93.851 |
| Mcfarland Lake Prospect | Silver, Gold | Gold, Silver | Occurrence | 48.064, -90.103 |
| Birch Point Prospect | Gold | — | Unknown | 47.870, -92.386 |
Back to Rockhounding in Minnesota.
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