RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Mottini Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 4 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Silver) and 8 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Gold, Silver. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Magnetite, Pyrite, Galena, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 39.668, -118.216. 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.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Was producing when the record was made.
A processing plant site.
Status not recorded.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
389 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
386 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
140 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
121 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
60 sites
Scheelite
Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat
31 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
25 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
18 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Gold 42Scheelite 28Argentite 26Stibnite 24Cerargyrite 23Chalcopyrite 18Tetrahedrite 16Galena 11Magnetite 11Pyrite 10Cinnabar 10Silver 10Commodities
Gold 337Silver 263Copper 66Lead 63Tungsten 60Antimony 43Diatomite 39Zinc 25Molybdenum 24Iron 21Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corral Canyon Titanium | Gold | Anatase, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 39.933, -117.868 |
| Chalk Mountain Silver-Lead Mine | Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Cerargyrite, Copper, Plumbojarosite, Vanadinite, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 39.319, -118.117 |
| West Side Mines Co Mine | Lead, Silver, Zinc, Arsenic, Iron, Vanadium, Gold | Anglesite, Cerargyrite, Copper, Plumbojarosite, Wulfenite | Occurrence | 39.330, -118.129 |
| Cottonwood Canyon Nickel Deposit | Nickel, Cobalt | Annabergite | Past Producer | 39.997, -117.913 |
| Lovelock | Nickel, Cobalt | Annabergite, Brochantite, Erythrite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 39.997, -117.913 |
| Fred Branch Property | Silver, Gold | Argentite | Occurrence | 39.187, -118.373 |
| Fred Branch Property | Gold, Silver | Argentite | Occurrence | 39.209, -118.192 |
| Gold Coin #2 Mine | Gold, Silver | Argentite | Past Producer | 39.180, -118.197 |
| Nevada Hills Mine | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Bromyrite, Cerargyrite, Electrum, Galena, Polybasite, Pyrargyrite, Silver, Sphalerite, Stephanite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 39.241, -118.170 |
| Afterthought | Lead, Iron, Copper, Gold, Zinc, Molybdenum | Argentite, Calcite, Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Graphite, Hematite, Limonite, Malachite, Molybdenite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silver, Stilbite, Tourmaline | Past Producer | 39.167, -118.784 |
| Gold Bug Mine | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Cerargyrite | Past Producer | 39.203, -118.118 |
| Black Butte Mine | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Iron | Past Producer | 39.089, -118.712 |
| Williams Mine | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 39.494, -117.857 |
| Kinney Prospect | Gold | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 39.271, -118.334 |
| Windlass Mine | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 39.499, -117.868 |
| Healy Prospect | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 39.509, -117.868 |
| Mizpah Mine | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Gold, Silver, Stephanite | Past Producer | 39.202, -118.183 |
| Nevada Hills Florence Mine | — | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Gold, Stephanite | Occurrence | 39.240, -118.184 |
| Ohio Group | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Gold, Stephanite | Occurrence | 39.240, -118.182 |
| Big Ledge Mine | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Stephanite | Past Producer | 39.197, -118.182 |
| Nevada Wonder Mine | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Stephanite, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 39.449, -118.052 |
| Nevada Wonder Mine | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Stephanite, Wulfenite | Producer | 39.449, -118.053 |
| Dromedary Hump Mine | Silver | Argentite, Embolite, Gold | Past Producer | 39.252, -118.167 |
| Bell Mountain Mine | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Gold | Past Producer | 39.180, -118.132 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Gold | Past Producer | 39.497, -117.870 |
| Jack Pot Mine | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Gold | Past Producer | 39.468, -118.060 |
| Gold Basin Mine | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Gold | Past Producer | 39.210, -118.127 |
| Wonder Gold Property | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Gold, Cerargyrite, Stephanite, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 39.450, -118.068 |
| Grand Central Mine | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Stephanite | Past Producer | 39.208, -118.187 |
| Bernice Mine | Antimony, Silver | Arsenopyrite, Gold, Jamesonite, Pyrite, Stibnite | Past Producer | 39.765, -117.753 |
| NBMG Sample Site 3883 | Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 39.290, -118.142 |
| Green Prospect | Antimony | Bindheimite, Stibnite | Past Producer | 39.874, -118.734 |
| Green Prospect | Antimony | Bindheimite, Stibnite | Producer | 39.833, -118.668 |
| Salt Wells | Boron-Borates | Borax, Brine, Potash, Ulexite | Past Producer | 39.333, -118.501 |
| Copper Kettle Prospect | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Cuprite, Gold, Malachite | Past Producer | 39.926, -118.165 |
| Lovelock Mine | Cobalt, Nickel | Brochantite, Copper, Erythrite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 39.997, -117.915 |
| Scotia Mine | Silver | Cerargyrite | Past Producer | 39.090, -118.701 |
| Water Shaft Mine | Silver | Cerargyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 39.090, -118.698 |
| Gold King Claim and Valley King Claims | Silver, Gold | Cerargyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 39.947, -118.880 |
| Antimony King Mine | Antimony | Cervantite, Gold, Sphalerite, Stibnite | Producer | 39.757, -117.780 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 123 fossil collection records in Churchill County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Pershing County · Lyon County · Mineral County · Storey County · Washoe County
Nevada mineral guides
Back to all Nevada 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