RockWoofFound alongside
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
14 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
11 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
7 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
6 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
5 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
4 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Chester County (4) · Lancaster County (3) · Lebanon County (3) · Berks County (2) · Lehigh County (1) · Perry County (1)
Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County | Iridium, Lead, Copper, Platinum, Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Ilmenite | Occurrence | 39.979, -76.185 |
| Gap Nickel Mine | Nickel | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 39.956, -76.083 |
| Cornwall Mine | Iron, Cobalt | Magnetite, Pyrite, Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 40.269, -76.403 |
| Grace Mine | Cobalt, Iron | Magnetite, Pyrite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Digenite | Past Producer | 40.172, -75.882 |
| Boyertown | Palladium, Gold, Lead, Platinum | Pyrite | Occurrence | 40.424, -75.572 |
| Friedensville Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite, Smithsonite, Hemimorphite, Pyrite, Limonite, Greenockite, Chalcopyrite, Goslarite, Sauconite | Past Producer | 40.554, -75.405 |
| Gap Nickel Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 39.957, -76.086 |
| Chester County Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 40.106, -75.521 |
| Wheatley Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 40.106, -75.517 |
| Phoenix Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 40.101, -75.520 |
| Bethlehem Mines Mineral Prep Plant | Sulfur-Pyrite | — | Past Producer | 40.269, -76.396 |
| Brookdale Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 40.103, -75.520 |
| Cornwall Mine and Pellet Plant | — | — | Past Producer | 40.269, -76.403 |
| Resinger Property | — | — | Prospect | 40.452, -77.393 |
Back to Rockhounding in Pennsylvania.
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