Rockhounding in Benton County, MS: 69 USGS Mineral Sites (2026)

Check access before you go. Most sites listed here are old mines, quarries or prospects, and many are on private land or active mining claims. Get the landowner's permission, check the rules of the agency that manages any public land, and never enter mine workings. Locations are approximate.

Sketch map

Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown

47 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. County outline: US Census Bureau cartographic boundary file (2023). Locations approximate.

Field cards: what kind of sites?

Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

Unknown

Status not recorded.

Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.

Minerals recorded here

No individual minerals are listed in these records.

Commodities

Iron 49Kaolin 11Aluminum 9

Sites (first 40)

Site	Commodity	Minerals recorded	Status	Approx. location
Unnamed Prospect	Aluminum	—	Prospect	34.655, -89.108
Unnamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.893, -89.101
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.700, -89.156
J. R. Hunter Prospect	Kaolin	—	Occurrence	34.709, -89.097
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.925, -89.093
Unnamed Prospect	Kaolin	—	Prospect	34.650, -89.113
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Prospect	34.605, -89.204
Unamed Prospect	Aluminum	—	Occurrence	34.715, -89.098
H. A. Mcgill Prospect	Aluminum	—	Prospect	34.843, -89.036
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.635, -89.218
West Finger Deposit	Aluminum	—	Prospect	34.837, -89.042
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Prospect	34.872, -89.039
J. W. Tapp Prospect	Kaolin	—	Prospect	34.617, -89.129
L V Fowler Prospect, South	Aluminum	—	Prospect	34.692, -89.126
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.605, -89.177
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.674, -89.255
J. Q. Hunter	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.653, -89.103
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.706, -89.181
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.835, -89.047
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.678, -89.139
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.939, -89.159
Unnamed Prospect	Iron	—	Prospect	34.656, -89.096
Jim Hill Prospect	Kaolin	—	Prospect	34.665, -89.099
Morehood Prospect	Iron	—	Prospect	34.615, -89.239
Unamed Prospect	Kaolin	—	Occurrence	34.729, -89.098
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Prospect	34.962, -89.149
Unamed Prospect	Aluminum	—	Occurrence	34.716, -89.095
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.790, -89.266
Unamed Prospect	Kaolin	—	Occurrence	34.723, -89.089
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.602, -89.174
Unnamed Prospect	Iron	—	Prospect	34.612, -89.241
Unamed Prospect	Kaolin	—	Occurrence	34.637, -89.096
Unnamed Prospect	Iron	—	Prospect	34.918, -89.335
Unnamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.720, -89.238
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.726, -89.233
J. M. Gunter Prospect	Iron	—	Prospect	34.665, -89.098
L.V. Fowler Prospect, North	Aluminum	—	Prospect	34.707, -89.131
Unnamed Prospect	Kaolin	—	Prospect	34.650, -89.111
Unamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.615, -89.139
Unnamed Prospect	Iron	—	Occurrence	34.700, -89.237

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 1 fossil collection records in Benton County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Tippah County · Marshall County · Union County · Lafayette County · Pontotoc County

Back to all Mississippi counties.

Is It Legal to Collect Rocks on Public Land? BLM, Forest Service and National Park Rules

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 October 2026

Rockhounding in Benton County, Mississippi