RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Rawhide Deposit
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 4 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Agate, Silver) and 8 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 2 other site(s), so we broke the tie by mine status (past producers first), then USGS record quality, then name. USGS lists it as producer for Gold, Silver. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Agate, Pyrite, Galena, Copper, Silver, Scheelite. Approx. location 39.014, -118.386. 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.
Status not recorded.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Was producing when the record was made.
A processing plant site.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
412 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
406 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
245 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
111 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
99 sites
Scheelite
Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat
63 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
49 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
24 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Scheelite 58Cinnabar 55Gold 53Galena 43Pyrite 33Chalcopyrite 32Malachite 31Sphalerite 20Hematite 20Chrysocolla 20Silver 18Magnetite 18Commodities
Gold 324Silver 257Tungsten 137Copper 137Mercury 84Lead 83Uranium 57Barium-Barite 35Antimony 31Iron 31Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rawhide Deposit | Gold, Silver | Acanthite, Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Copper, Covellite, Electrum, Embolite, Galena, Gold, Proustite, Pyrargyrite, Pyrite, Scheelite, Silver, Tetrahedrite | Producer | 39.014, -118.386 |
| Aurora Mine | Gold, Silver | Acanthite, Electrum, Naumannite | Producer | 38.290, -118.888 |
| Simon Mine | Silver, Lead | Adamite, Plumbojarosite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.564, -117.863 |
| Unnamed Deposit | — | Alunite | Occurrence | 38.412, -118.802 |
| Earth Sciences Fmr South | — | Alunite | Occurrence | 38.405, -119.068 |
| Ne Section 1 Deposit | Aluminum | Alunite | Occurrence | 38.412, -118.802 |
| Golden Pen Deposit | Potassium, Aluminum, Gold, Silver | Alunite, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | 38.780, -118.380 |
| Dover and Green Talc | — | Andalusite | Past Producer | 38.619, -118.506 |
| Dover and Green Talc Mines | Aluminum | Andalusite, Corundum | Past Producer | 38.618, -118.513 |
| Kenjays Claims | Aluminum | Andalusite, Corundum | Occurrence | 38.573, -118.420 |
| Deep Prospects | Aluminum, Kaolin | Andalusite, Corundum | Occurrence | 38.548, -118.485 |
| Bismark Mine | — | Andalusite, Corundum, Diaspore | Occurrence | 38.568, -118.399 |
| Green Talc Mine | Kyanite | Andalusite, Corundum, Diaspore | Past Producer | 38.617, -118.501 |
| Mabel Mine | Silver, Gold, Lead | Anglesite, Cerargyrite, Chrysocolla, Galena, Malachite, Pyrite, Silver, Sphalerite | Producer | 38.459, -118.324 |
| Mable Mine | Silver | Anglesite, Cerargyrite, Chrysocolla, Malachite, Silver | Past Producer | 38.459, -118.323 |
| Birdsong Prospect | Gold, Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Galena | Occurrence | 38.281, -118.371 |
| Northern Light Mine | Copper | Antlerite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Cuprite, Malachite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.909, -118.895 |
| Sunrise Mine | Silver | Argentite | Past Producer | 38.519, -118.078 |
| Broken Hills Mine | Silver, Lead | Argentite, Bindheimite, Cerargyrite, Galena, Proustite, Pyrargyrite, Sphalerite | Producer | 39.050, -118.034 |
| Lucky Boy Mine | Silver, Gold, Lead | Argentite, Brochantite, Galena, Linarite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 38.629, -118.676 |
| Randall Property | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Electrum, Gold, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 38.787, -118.407 |
| Nevada Rand | Gold, Silver | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Gold, Jarosite, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 38.786, -118.404 |
| Sunnyside Claims | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Chrysocolla, Malachite | Past Producer | 39.012, -118.313 |
| Silver Guardian Mine | Silver, Copper | Argentite, Galena | Past Producer | 38.512, -118.077 |
| Santa Fe Mine | Silver | Argentite, Galena | Past Producer | 38.591, -118.167 |
| Lucky Boy Mine West | Silver | Argentite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 38.460, -118.676 |
| Lucky Boy Mine | Tungsten | Argentite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 38.460, -118.665 |
| Rock Cabin Mine | Gold, Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 38.387, -118.332 |
| Barium Prospects | — | Barite | Occurrence | 38.396, -118.353 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Barium-Barite, Copper | Barite | Past Producer | 38.560, -118.403 |
| Qiroux Barite Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite | Past Producer | 38.147, -118.214 |
| Unnamed Mine | — | Barite | Past Producer | 38.145, -118.067 |
| Boo Claims | Barium-Barite, Copper | Barite | Occurrence | 38.789, -118.613 |
| Western Claim | Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 38.442, -118.383 |
| Crystal Barite Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite | Past Producer | 38.537, -118.418 |
| Santa Fe Gold Mine | Gold, Silver | Barite, Boulangerite, Calcite, Chalcedony, Chalcopyrite, Freibergite, Galena, Hematite, Jasper, Kaolinite, Limonite, Marcasite, Miargyrite, Pyrite, Quartz, Realgar, Sericite, Sphalerite, Stibnite | Producer | 38.594, -118.143 |
| Silver Star Claim ? | Mercury, Barium-Barite | Barite, Cinnabar | Occurrence | 38.147, -118.213 |
| Rex Claims | Mercury | Barite, Cinnabar, Gold | Past Producer | 38.723, -118.016 |
| Unnamed Barite Deposit | Barium-Barite | Barite, Galena | Past Producer | 38.538, -118.453 |
| Pine Crow Prospect | Tungsten | Beryl, Powellite, Scheelite | Occurrence | 38.214, -118.431 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 125 fossil collection records in Mineral County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Lyon County · Esmeralda County · Nye County · Douglas County · Churchill 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