RockWoof
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.

Best regions by county

Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.

  1. Nye County: 1,975 sites; most recorded: Gold, Galena, Cinnabar
  2. Elko County: 1,575 sites; most recorded: Gold, Chalcopyrite, Galena
  3. Pershing County: 1,500 sites; most recorded: Gold, Scheelite, Cinnabar
  4. Esmeralda County: 1,318 sites; most recorded: Gold, Galena, Chalcopyrite
  5. Humboldt County: 1,173 sites; most recorded: Gold, Cinnabar, Scheelite

Top minerals

  • Gold: 1,021 sites
  • Galena: 844 sites
  • Chalcopyrite: 593 sites
  • Scheelite: 502 sites
  • Pyrite: 494 sites
  • Sphalerite: 425 sites
  • Cinnabar: 376 sites
  • Malachite: 364 sites

Mineral cards

  • Gold

    Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat

    7,773 sites

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    7,100 sites

  • Copper

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat

    3,532 sites

  • Quartz

    Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat

    1,934 sites

  • Pyrite

    Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat

    1,626 sites

  • Galena

    Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat

    965 sites

  • Scheelite

    Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat

    555 sites

  • Fluorite

    Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat

    354 sites

  • Garnet

    Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat

    233 sites

  • Magnetite

    Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat

    179 sites

Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.

Minerals most often recorded

Gold 1021Galena 844Chalcopyrite 593Scheelite 502Pyrite 494Sphalerite 425Cinnabar 376Malachite 364Argentite 263Stibnite 257Silver 240Tetrahedrite 237

Counties

CountySites
Nye County1,975
Elko County1,575
Pershing County1,500
Esmeralda County1,318
Humboldt County1,173
Lander County1,129
Mineral County1,060
White Pine County787
Lincoln County769
Clark County707
Churchill County705
Washoe County492
Eureka County491
Lyon County369
Storey County158
Douglas County150
Carson City74

Mineral guides

Related articles

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