RockWoofFound alongside
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
71 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
55 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
47 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
42 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
36 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
19 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Buckingham County (10) · Louisa County (10) · Spotsylvania County (6) · Halifax County (6) · Fairfax County (4) · Fluvanna County (4) · Floyd County (3) · Carroll County (3) · Fauquier County (2) · Cumberland County (2) · Charlotte County (2) · Mecklenburg County (2) · Albemarle County (2) · Montgomery County (2) · Wythe County (2) · Prince William County (1) · Orange County (1) · Stafford County (1) · Goochland County (1) · Loudoun County (1) · Warren County (1) · Amherst County (1) · Franklin city (1) · Henry County (1) · Nelson County (1) · Patrick County (1)
Sites (first 60)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austinville East Lead Zinc Mines | Zinc, Lead | Anglesite, Galena, Goethite, Hemimorphite, Hydrozincite, Limonite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.847, -80.953 |
| High Hill Mine | Copper | Argentite, Bornite, Chalcocite, Covellite, Malachite | Past Producer | 36.660, -78.759 |
| Burwell Prospect | Tungsten | Bindheimite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Huebnerite, Pyrite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 36.546, -78.454 |
| 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 |
| Margaret Mine | Iron | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Hematite, Limonite, Pyrite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.696, -78.298 |
| McKenna Mine | Iron | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Limonite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.696, -78.298 |
| Kay Prospect | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Cuprite, Malachite | Occurrence | 36.693, -78.777 |
| Seaboard Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Malachite | Past Producer | 36.591, -78.777 |
| Barnes Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Malachite | Occurrence | 36.748, -78.684 |
| Gooney-Manor Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Copper, Malachite | Past Producer | 38.883, -78.241 |
| Epperson Prospect | Copper, Iron, Gold, Silver | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Malachite, Pyrite, Silver | Occurrence | 36.638, -80.428 |
| Tinder Mine | Gold | Boulangerite, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.064, -77.872 |
| Dalton Hill Mine | Copper | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Goethite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.794, -80.769 |
| Toncrae Mine | Copper, Iron, Iron, Pig Iron | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Limonite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Past Producer | 36.830, -80.376 |
| London and Virginia Mine | Gold | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Silver, Sphalerite, Tennantite | Past Producer | 37.551, -78.464 |
| Stith Mine | Copper, Silver | Chalcocite, Cuprite, Malachite | Past Producer | 36.646, -78.345 |
| Franklin Mine | Gold | Chalcocite, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | 38.503, -77.661 |
| Theodora Copper Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 38.950, -77.423 |
| Goose Creek Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Cuprite, Silver | Past Producer | 39.094, -77.506 |
| Hunter Prospect | Copper, Zinc, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Silver, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 38.014, -77.912 |
| Hemmer Mine | Sulfur-Pyrite, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.020, -77.909 |
| Roney Prospect | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Silver, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 38.211, -77.762 |
| Marva Prospect | Zinc, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Silver, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 38.160, -77.801 |
| Dickey, G.S., Prospect | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 37.696, -78.144 |
| 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 |
| Cabin Branch Mine | Sulfur-Pyrite | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.575, -77.348 |
| Snead Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Hemimorphite, Pyrite, Pyromorphite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.780, -78.257 |
| Morrow Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | 37.496, -78.493 |
| Young American Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Sylvanite, Tetradymite | Past Producer | 37.823, -78.089 |
| Faber Mine | Lead, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.837, -78.706 |
| North River Prospect | Silver, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Silver | Occurrence | 37.565, -78.571 |
| Brinton Mine | Arsenic | Copper | Past Producer | 37.057, -80.256 |
| Partridge Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 38.357, -77.748 |
| Bull Neck Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 38.965, -77.216 |
| Embrey Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 38.503, -77.704 |
| Brush Creek Prospect | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.053, -80.311 |
| Eagle Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.358, -77.587 |
| Lost Dutchman Mine | Gold, Silver | Gold, Silver | Occurrence | 37.602, -78.446 |
| Redwood Mine | Gold, Silver | Gold, Silver | Past Producer | 37.004, -79.797 |
| Jacks Hill Mine | Gold, Silver | Gold, Silver | Occurrence | 37.772, -79.065 |
| Falling Cliff Mine | Zinc | Hemimorphite, Hydrozincite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.902, -80.819 |
| Chantilly Prospect B | Copper | Malachite | Occurrence | 38.884, -77.416 |
| Stony Point Mine | Iron | Malachite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.119, -78.344 |
| Alleghany Springs Prospect | Zinc, Lead | Sphalerite | Occurrence | 37.100, -80.250 |
| Twin Vein Mine | Gold | — | Past Producer | 37.967, -77.933 |
| Buck Mountain Mine | Gold, Silver | — | Past Producer | 37.746, -79.242 |
| S.C. Taylor Mine | Gold, Silver | — | Occurrence | 36.572, -80.024 |
| Hudgins Prospect | Zinc, Copper | — | Occurrence | 37.680, -78.308 |
| G.S. Dickey Prospect | Gold | — | Prospect | 37.703, -78.120 |
| Tellurium Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 37.844, -78.104 |
| Kay Mine | — | — | Occurrence | 36.709, -78.776 |
| Arminius Mine | Zinc | — | Prospect | 38.035, -77.897 |
| Allah Cooper Mine | Silver, Sulfur, Zinc, Gold, Lead | — | Past Producer | 38.072, -77.846 |
| Unnamed Malachite Prospect | Copper | — | Prospect | 38.884, -77.415 |
| Haden Prospect | Mica | — | Prospect | 37.851, -78.277 |
| London and Virginia Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 37.556, -78.469 |
| New Canton Mines | — | — | Past Producer | 37.693, -78.312 |
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