RockWoofFound alongside
Tourmaline
Mohs 7–7.5. Long striated crystals, often black (schorl) or green and pink (elbaite). Mindat
14 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. 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
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
4 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
4 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Riverside County (7) · Plumas County (2) · San Diego County (1) · Imperial County (1) · Siskiyou County (1) · Kern County (1) · Nevada County (1)
Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temescal Tin Mine | Tin | Cassiterite | Producer | 33.848, -117.481 |
| Blue Ledge | Copper, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Limonite, Malachite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 41.950, -123.101 |
| Francho Copper | Copper | Chrysocolla, Malachite | Occurrence | 33.054, -114.815 |
| Meadow Lake (Excelsior) | Gold | Gold, Quartz, Tourmaline, Epidote, Calcite | Past Producer | 39.396, -120.507 |
| Tourmaline King Pegmatite | Tantalum, Lithium, Gemstone | Microlite, Tourmaline | Producer | 33.367, -117.084 |
| South Black Rock Deposit | Tin | Tourmaline | Occurrence | 33.800, -117.444 |
| Moore Deposit | Tin | Tourmaline | Occurrence | 33.814, -117.468 |
| Black Rock Deposit | Tin | Tourmaline | Occurrence | 33.811, -117.444 |
| Holmes Ranch Deposit | Tin | — | Occurrence | 33.840, -117.463 |
| Chief of the Hills Group | Tin | — | Occurrence | 33.672, -117.293 |
| Temescal Tin Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 33.848, -117.481 |
| Upper Butler Prospect | — | — | Prospect | 34.840, -118.729 |
| Lights Creek Copper Deposits | Copper | — | Past Producer | 40.217, -120.784 |
| Walker Mine | Copper, Gold, Silver | — | Past Producer | 39.962, -120.669 |
Back to Rockhounding in California.
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