RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
(Facility) Asarco Refinery/ Perth Amboy, N.J.
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Silver) and 2 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as plant for Copper. Minerals mentioned: Copper, Silver. Approx. location 40.512, -74.268. 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.
A processing plant site.
Status not recorded.
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
8 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
2 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Chrysocolla 2Copper 1Cuprite 1Commodities
Copper 8Iron 2Talc-Soapstone 2Silver 2Sulfur 1Vermiculite 1Silica 1Titanium 1Platinum 1Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menlo Park Mine | Copper | Chrysocolla | Past Producer | 40.564, -74.333 |
| New Brunswick Mines | Copper | Chrysocolla, Copper, Cuprite | Past Producer | 40.512, -74.457 |
| Raritan Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 40.458, -74.488 |
| New Brunswick French Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 40.501, -74.458 |
| Stony Brook Mines | Copper | — | Past Producer | 40.600, -74.366 |
| Menlo Park Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 40.570, -74.320 |
| Morrison Steel/ New Brunswick, N.J. | Iron | — | Past Producer | 40.493, -74.466 |
| Metropolitan Talc Co,Inc | Talc-Soapstone | — | Unknown | 40.586, -74.400 |
| (Facility) Chevron Refinery/ Perth Amboy, N.J. | Sulfur | — | Plant | 40.533, -74.258 |
| The Schundler Co. | Vermiculite | — | Past Producer | 40.542, -74.354 |
| (Facility) Asarco Refinery/ Perth Amboy, N.J. | Copper | — | Plant | 40.512, -74.268 |
| Metz Metallurgical/South Plainfield | Silver | — | Plant | 40.586, -74.400 |
| Menlo Park Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 40.576, -74.339 |
| Cyprus Indus Minerals/S. Plainfield | Talc-Soapstone | — | Plant | 40.538, -74.397 |
| New Jersey Steel/Sayreville, N.J. | Iron | — | Past Producer | 40.458, -74.363 |
| Fels Refractories/ Edison, N.J. | Silica | — | Unknown | 40.534, -74.376 |
| N L Industries/ Sayreville, N.J. | Titanium | — | Unknown | 40.461, -74.358 |
| Raritan Fire Clay Belt | — | — | Unknown | 40.344, -74.490 |
| Engelhard Minerals & Chem/ Carteret | Platinum | — | Plant | 40.577, -74.223 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 31 fossil collection records in Middlesex County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Union County · Somerset County · Essex County · Hudson County · Bergen County
New Jersey mineral guides
- Quartz in New Jersey
- Garnet in New Jersey
- Mica in New Jersey
- Feldspar in New Jersey
- Magnetite in New Jersey
- Pyrite in New Jersey
Back to all New Jersey 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