RockWoofFound alongside
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
47 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
24 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
22 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. 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
6 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
St. Louis County (27) · Itasca County (8) · Koochiching County (4) · Cook County (4) · Redwood County (2) · Crow Wing County (2)
Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blankenburg-Whiteside Prospect | Cobalt | Arsenopyrite, Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 48.074, -90.742 |
| 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 |
| Morton Pit | Kaolin | Gibbsite, Illite, Kaolinite, Montmorillonite, Quartz | Producer | 44.546, -95.042 |
| Lyle Mine | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 48.620, -93.117 |
| Cranberry Islet Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 48.611, -93.043 |
| Bushyhead Island Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 48.606, -93.118 |
| Steamboat Islet Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 48.610, -93.046 |
| Grassy Island Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 48.618, -93.215 |
| North American Mine | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 47.797, -92.278 |
| Old Spaulding Mine | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 48.049, -90.214 |
| Gold Island Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 47.889, -92.440 |
| Lake Saganaga-Gold Island Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 48.202, -90.939 |
| Ely Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 47.906, -91.921 |
| Delhi Prospect | Gold | Gold | Unknown | 44.622, -95.196 |
| Mcfarland Lake Prospect | Silver, Gold | Gold, Silver | Occurrence | 48.064, -90.103 |
| Birch Point Prospect | Gold | — | Unknown | 47.870, -92.386 |
| Lind-Greenway Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 47.280, -93.500 |
| Arcturus | Iron | — | Producer | 47.328, -93.322 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 19w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.525, -92.734 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 20w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.695, -92.862 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 13w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.650, -91.983 |
| Algoma-Zeno Mine | Iron, Manganese | — | Past Producer | 46.518, -94.011 |
| Plummer Group | Iron | — | Past Producer | 47.321, -93.396 |
| Minorca Mine | Iron | — | Producer | 47.561, -92.521 |
| McKinley Mine | Iron | — | Producer | 47.523, -92.403 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 18w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.539, -92.624 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 15w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.558, -92.242 |
| Hibbing Taconite Mine | Iron | — | Producer | 47.461, -92.958 |
| Mesabi Range 24w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.320, -93.385 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 22w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.399, -93.133 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 23w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.341, -93.257 |
| Thunderbird North | Iron | — | Producer | 47.486, -92.559 |
| Connie Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 47.547, -92.535 |
| Whitney Pit | Iron | — | Past Producer | 47.450, -92.877 |
| Delaware #1 & #2 | Iron | — | Past Producer | 47.329, -93.325 |
| Minntac Mine | Iron | — | Producer | 47.567, -92.638 |
| Cuyuna North Range | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 46.480, -94.017 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 12w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.695, -91.862 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 21w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.460, -92.959 |
| Northshore Mine | Iron | — | Producer | 47.663, -91.942 |
| Thunderbird Mine | Iron | — | Producer | 47.444, -92.554 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 16w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.531, -92.370 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 14w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.580, -91.690 |
| Mesabi Range 25w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.273, -93.508 |
| LTV Mine | Iron | — | Producer | 47.600, -92.142 |
| Magnetic Taconite Mesabi Range 17w | Iron | — | Prospect | 47.463, -92.537 |
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