RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Sweetwater
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 2 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Silver) and 5 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 3 other site(s), so we broke the tie by mine status (past producers first), then USGS record quality, then name. USGS lists it as past producer for Lead. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Pyrite, Galena, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 37.360, -91.148. USGS record.
Ask first: a USGS record doesn’t mean you can visit. Find out who owns the land and get permission before collecting.
Field cards: what kind of sites?
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Was producing when the record was made.
Status not recorded.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
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
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
5 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
4 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
4 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Galena 3Sphalerite 3Chalcopyrite 3Bornite 2Covellite 2Digenite 2Linnaeite 2Bravoite 1Chalcocite 1Dickite 1Gersdorffite 1Marcasite 1Commodities
Iron 29Manganese 11Lead 6Copper 5Zinc 5Silver 5Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fletcher | Lead | Bornite, Bravoite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Dickite, Digenite, Galena, Gersdorffite, Linnaeite, Marcasite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tennantite, Tetrahedrite, Enargite, Siegenite | Producer | 37.466, -91.110 |
| Brushy Creek Division | Lead | Galena, Sphalerite, Chalcopyrite | Unknown | 37.538, -91.129 |
| Sweetwater | Lead | Galena, Sphalerite, Chalcopyrite, Linnaeite, Bornite, Covellite, Digenite | Past Producer | 37.360, -91.148 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.082, -90.945 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.230, -90.955 |
| W M Sutterfield Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.244, -90.869 |
| Missouri Lumber & Mining Co Land #2 | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.232, -90.930 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.569, -91.069 |
| Unknown Manganese | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.210, -91.021 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.121, -90.933 |
| Brooks Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.415, -90.988 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.125, -90.922 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.296, -90.947 |
| Collins Prospect Number 2 | Iron | — | Prospect | 37.473, -90.847 |
| Mccaw-Nash Prospect | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.202, -91.022 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.127, -90.937 |
| Coleman Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.407, -91.093 |
| Lone Star Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.129, -90.921 |
| Evans Prospect | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.205, -90.971 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.122, -90.919 |
| Unknown Copper | Copper | — | Past Producer | 37.585, -90.916 |
| Ellington Manganese Deposit | — | — | Prospect | 37.199, -91.026 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.075, -90.881 |
| Unknown Manganese | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.120, -90.881 |
| Frank R. Milliken Mill | Lead | — | Producer | 37.360, -91.148 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.264, -90.875 |
| Unknown Manganese | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.117, -90.879 |
| Evans-Johnson Prospect | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.209, -90.966 |
| Carter-Buford Prospect | Manganese | — | Prospect | 37.167, -91.024 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 36.224, -90.945 |
| Kipp Prospect | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.483, -90.848 |
| Unknown Lead | Lead | — | Past Producer | 37.495, -90.832 |
| Unknown Manganese | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.143, -90.811 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.083, -90.947 |
| Red Ore Bank | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.456, -91.183 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.093, -90.905 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.148, -90.810 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.119, -90.878 |
| Unknown Manganese | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.118, -90.875 |
| Unknown Iron | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.104, -90.824 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 9 fossil collection records in Reynolds County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Carter County · Shannon County · Wayne County · Iron County · Butler County
Missouri mineral guides
- Quartz in Missouri
- Feldspar in Missouri
- Magnetite in Missouri
- Pyrite in Missouri
- Galena in Missouri
- Fluorite in Missouri
Back to all Missouri counties.
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