RockWoofFound alongside
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
42 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
38 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
13 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
6 sites
Tourmaline
Mohs 7–7.5. Long striated crystals, often black (schorl) or green and pink (elbaite). Mindat
5 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Jo Daviess County (31) · Hardin County (6) · Madison County (2) · LaSalle County (1) · Calhoun County (1) · Grundy County (1)
Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glanville Prospect | Zinc | Barite, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.364, -90.405 |
| Hillside | Fluorine-Fluorite | Chalcopyrite, Fluorite, Galena | Past Producer | 37.435, -88.339 |
| Hughlett and Gray Mine | Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.498, -90.404 |
| Argo-Argo Fault | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Past Producer | 37.427, -88.353 |
| Baker Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Past Producer | 37.480, -88.403 |
| Stewart Mine #1 | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Past Producer | 37.469, -88.399 |
| Cave In Rock Quadrangle Mine | Zinc, Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead | Fluorite, Sphalerite | Producer | 37.517, -88.200 |
| Fairview-Blue Diggings Fault | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.420, -88.359 |
| Royal Princess Mine | Zinc | Galena, Marcasite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.305, -90.394 |
| Haggerty Mine | Zinc, Lead | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.327, -90.242 |
| Skene Mine | Lead | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.298, -90.237 |
| Bautsch Mine | Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.344, -90.392 |
| Wishon Mine | Lead | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.335, -90.242 |
| Rockford Mining and Milling Co. Mine | Lead, Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.448, -90.239 |
| Northwestern Mine | Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.499, -90.397 |
| Illinois Mine | Lead | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.313, -90.240 |
| Kansas Mine | Lead, Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.314, -90.233 |
| Little Corporal Mine | Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.423, -90.470 |
| Vinegar Hill Mine | Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.496, -90.416 |
| Waters Mine | Zinc | Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.420, -90.436 |
| Betsy Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.397, -90.479 |
| North Unity Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.503, -90.406 |
| Pittsburg Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.359, -90.400 |
| Gray Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.352, -90.396 |
| Graham-Ginte Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.467, -90.424 |
| Buck Lead Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.435, -90.426 |
| Ten Strike Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.408, -90.468 |
| Oldenburg Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.453, -90.443 |
| Marsden Black Jack Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.368, -90.410 |
| South Unity Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.498, -90.410 |
| Graham-Snyder Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.479, -90.431 |
| Appleton Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.432, -90.384 |
| Pilot Knob Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.382, -90.420 |
| Hoosier Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.462, -90.441 |
| Blewett Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.434, -90.420 |
| Birkbeck Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.486, -90.389 |
| Merry Widow Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.407, -90.472 |
| Southwestern Illinois Area Underc | — | — | Prospect | 38.632, -90.054 |
| Madison County Fireclay | — | — | Prospect | 38.700, -90.044 |
| La Salle County Fire Clay | — | — | Past Producer | 41.419, -88.634 |
| Howell Hollow Fire Clay | — | — | Prospect | 39.393, -90.805 |
| Northern Illinois Area Fireclay | — | — | Unknown | 41.459, -88.322 |
Back to Rockhounding in Illinois.
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