RockWoofFound alongside
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
66 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
45 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
38 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
22 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
21 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
21 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Buckingham County (11) · Amherst County (11) · Louisa County (6) · Fluvanna County (6) · Spotsylvania County (4) · Henry County (4) · Pittsylvania County (3) · Carroll County (3) · Floyd County (3) · Appomattox County (3) · Goochland County (2) · Patrick County (2) · Albemarle County (2) · Fairfax County (1) · Culpeper County (1) · Northampton County (1) · Nelson County (1) · Campbell County (1) · Prince Edward County (1)
Sites (first 60)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Friar Mountain Mine | REE | Allanite, Fergusonite, Microcline | Past Producer | 37.767, -79.100 |
| Burley Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Anatase, Apatite, Ilmenite, Rutile | Occurrence | 37.622, -79.126 |
| Buffalo River Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.664, -79.173 |
| Smith Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.669, -79.105 |
| American Cyanimid Wood Pit | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite, Rutile | Past Producer | 37.709, -79.070 |
| Hamner Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite | Past Producer | 37.114, -79.371 |
| Cofer Prospect | Copper, Zinc, Lead | Bismuth, Bornite, Boulangerite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Digenite, Electrum, Galena, Hematite, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Marcasite, Molybdenite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Rutile, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 38.050, -77.875 |
| Johnson Mine | Copper, Iron | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Goethite, Gold, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.693, -78.301 |
| McKenna Mine | Iron | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Limonite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.696, -78.298 |
| Boyd-Smith Mine | Sulfur-Pyrite | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Goethite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.045, -77.891 |
| London and Virginia Mine | Gold | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Silver, Sphalerite, Tennantite | Past Producer | 37.551, -78.464 |
| Hogan Prospect | Copper, Iron, Sulfur-Pyrite, Iron, Pig Iron | Chalcocite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 36.886, -80.320 |
| Sulphur Mine | Sulfur-Pyrite, Iron | Chalcopyrite, Copper, Cuprite, Galena, Goethite, Hematite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.061, -77.882 |
| Lightfoot Mine | Gold, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Copper, Gold | Past Producer | 37.703, -78.375 |
| Goad Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Copper, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.783, -80.600 |
| Sutphan Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Copper, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.800, -80.583 |
| Gardner Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Copper, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.783, -80.600 |
| Grindstone Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.194, -77.766 |
| New Grindstone Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.198, -77.777 |
| Allah Cooper Mine | Gold, Lead, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.074, -77.859 |
| Arminius Mine | Copper, Sulfur-Pyrite | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Marcasite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 38.036, -77.900 |
| Valzinco Mine | Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.176, -77.797 |
| 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 |
| Faber Mine | Lead, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.837, -78.706 |
| Jenkins Farm Prospect | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Occurrence | 38.984, -77.327 |
| North Garden Mine | Iron | Goethite, Ilmenite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.943, -78.648 |
| Bumpus Property Prospect | Iron, Manganese | Goethite, Magnetite, Pyrolusite | Occurrence | 37.700, -78.383 |
| Hughes Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.788, -78.287 |
| Embrey Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 38.371, -77.711 |
| Rawlings Prospect | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 38.200, -77.774 |
| Fountain Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.821, -78.137 |
| Buckingham Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.550, -78.466 |
| Turpin Creek Mine | Gold | Gold, Limonite, Magnetite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.569, -78.478 |
| Bertha and Edith Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.786, -78.125 |
| Bondurant Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.453, -78.590 |
| Bowles Mine Tellurium Vein Sys. | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.847, -78.097 |
| Bowles Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.864, -78.091 |
| Cassell's Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.838, -78.143 |
| Mcgloam Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.854, -78.103 |
| Scotia Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.831, -78.113 |
| Railroad Iron Property | Iron | Hematite, Limonite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.396, -79.041 |
| Lewis Tunnel and Price Shaft | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.597, -78.847 |
| Greenway Mines and Church Tunnel | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.556, -78.866 |
| Ice Cliff Tunnel, Et Al. | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.486, -78.990 |
| Unnamed Tunnels, Open Cuts & Shafts | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.542, -78.887 |
| Herter Magnetite Mine | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.981, -79.470 |
| Riverville Hematite Mines | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.540, -78.901 |
| Canal Tunnel Hematite Magnetite Prospect | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.531, -78.900 |
| Hart Tunnel | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.513, -78.929 |
| Riverville Hematite Mines | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.532, -78.910 |
| Johnson Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.817, -78.939 |
| Virginia Placer | Titanium, Metal | Ilmenite, Kyanite, Rutile, Zircon | Occurrence | 37.417, -75.333 |
| Baker Mountain Mine | Kyanite | Kyanite, Quartzite | Producer | 37.204, -78.651 |
| Willis Mountain Mine | Kyanite | Kyanite, Quartzite | Producer | 37.474, -78.464 |
| Pittsville | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.992, -79.483 |
| Hauston Mine | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.813, -80.141 |
| Hairston Branch Prospect | Iron | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.725, -79.856 |
| Hairston Mine | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.792, -80.120 |
| Reds Creek Prospect | Iron | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.616, -79.829 |
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