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Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
18 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
16 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
15 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
12 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
10 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
10 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Polk County (11) · Monroe County (5) · Unicoi County (2)
Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millsap Adit | — | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Occurrence | 35.444, -84.248 |
| Copperhill Mine | Copper, Iron, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Silver, Sphalerite | Producer | 35.032, -84.366 |
| Unnamed Copper Prospect | Copper, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite | Occurrence | 36.046, -82.455 |
| Isabella Mine | Copper, Iron, Sulfur, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 35.034, -84.363 |
| Eureka Mine | Iron, Copper, Sulfur, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Producer | 35.032, -84.365 |
| Calloway Mine | Zinc, Iron, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 35.013, -84.373 |
| Boyd Mine | Iron, Zinc, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 35.026, -84.379 |
| Burra Burra Mine | — | Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 35.035, -84.379 |
| Peck Prospect | Gold | — | Past Producer | 35.293, -84.247 |
| Hotwater Placer | Gold | — | Past Producer | 35.265, -84.308 |
| Big Branch Placer | Gold | — | Past Producer | 35.269, -84.262 |
| Cherokee Mine | Copper, Iron, Zinc | — | Past Producer | 35.009, -84.394 |
| South Pit | Zinc, Copper | — | Past Producer | 35.009, -84.397 |
| Unnamed Copper Prospect | Copper | — | Occurrence | 36.046, -82.455 |
| Millsap Adit | — | — | Occurrence | 35.264, -84.088 |
| North Pit | Zinc, Copper | — | Past Producer | 35.012, -84.395 |
| Eureka Mine | Zinc, Copper | — | Past Producer | 35.032, -84.366 |
| Ducktown District | Lead, Sulfur, Iron, Copper | — | Producer | 35.036, -83.036 |
Back to Rockhounding in Tennessee.
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