RockWoofFound alongside
Tourmaline
Mohs 7–7.5. Long striated crystals, often black (schorl) or green and pink (elbaite). Mindat
20 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
14 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
11 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
8 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
7 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
6 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Gaston County (7) · Yancey County (4) · Avery County (2) · Mitchell County (1) · Swain County (1) · Cherokee County (1) · Randolph County (1) · Cleveland County (1) · Ashe County (1) · Alexander County (1)
Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Healing Springs Southern Barite Prospect | Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 35.242, -81.270 |
| All Healing Springs Northern Barite Prospect | Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 35.242, -81.271 |
| Lawton Barite Property Northern Workings | Barium-Barite | Barite, Galena, Sericite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 35.227, -81.266 |
| Lawton Barite Property Southern Shaft | Barium-Barite | Barite, Galena, Sericite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 35.223, -81.270 |
| Lawton Barite Property Southern Workings | Barium-Barite | Barite, Galena, Sericite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 35.220, -81.270 |
| Lawton Barite Property Mid-Southern Workings | Barium-Barite | Barite, Galena, Sericite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 35.222, -81.270 |
| Lawton Barite Property Northern Shaft | Barium-Barite | Barite, Galena, Sericite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 35.194, -78.304 |
| Camp Creek Monazite Placer S Tributary | REE, Thorium | Cassiterite, Corundum, Garnet, Ilmenite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Monazite, Rutile, Staurolite, Tourmaline, Zircon | Past Producer | 35.190, -81.688 |
| Ore Knob Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.399, -81.328 |
| Deep Creek No. 1 Kaolin and Feldspar Mine | Feldspar | Feldspar, Kaolin | Past Producer | 35.453, -83.455 |
| Charles Stamey Feldspar Mine | Feldspar | Feldspar, Muscovite | Past Producer | 36.023, -82.108 |
| Allred Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 35.800, -79.679 |
| Carson Rock Mine | Mica | Muscovite | Past Producer | 35.780, -82.205 |
| Joe Young Mine | Mica | Muscovite | Past Producer | 35.825, -82.214 |
| Gaston Mcdowell Mine | Mica | Muscovite | Past Producer | 35.836, -82.173 |
| Cora Mine | Mica | Muscovite | Past Producer | 35.894, -82.170 |
| Nancy Jordan Talc Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Talc | Producer | 35.082, -84.051 |
| Powdermill Roughs Mine | Mica | — | Past Producer | 36.058, -82.042 |
| Powdermill Creek Mine | Mica | — | Past Producer | 36.060, -82.043 |
| Adams Hiddenite and Emerald Mine | Emerald | — | Past Producer | 35.903, -81.103 |
Back to Rockhounding in North Carolina.
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