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. Grant County: 751 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite
  2. Sierra County: 591 sites; most recorded: Galena, Chalcopyrite, Gold
  3. Rio Arriba County: 467 sites; most recorded: Mica, Monazite, Microcline
  4. McKinley County: 375 sites; most recorded: Coffinite, Carnotite, Tyuyamunite
  5. Lincoln County: 354 sites; most recorded: Magnetite, Fluorite, Gold

Top minerals

  • Galena: 399 sites
  • Chalcopyrite: 378 sites
  • Gold: 322 sites
  • Fluorite: 277 sites
  • Sphalerite: 261 sites
  • Malachite: 180 sites
  • Argentite: 138 sites
  • Silver: 109 sites

Mineral cards

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    1,383 sites

  • Gold

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

    1,308 sites

  • Copper

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

    1,258 sites

  • Quartz

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

    743 sites

  • Fluorite

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

    723 sites

  • Pyrite

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

    529 sites

  • Galena

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

    416 sites

  • Mica

    Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat

    215 sites

  • Magnetite

    Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat

    117 sites

  • Garnet

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

    89 sites

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

Minerals most often recorded

Galena 399Chalcopyrite 378Gold 322Fluorite 277Sphalerite 261Malachite 180Argentite 138Silver 109Chalcocite 100Pyrolusite 90Barite 81Psilomelane 74

Counties

CountySites
Grant County751
Sierra County591
Rio Arriba County467
McKinley County375
Lincoln County354
Hidalgo County262
Socorro County241
Sandoval County231
Doña Ana County225
Catron County189
Luna County183
Taos County182
Cibola County169
Otero County111
Santa Fe County101
San Juan County78
Colfax County73
San Miguel County71
Eddy County52
Bernalillo County52
Torrance County32
Quay County22
Mora County20
Guadalupe County16
Valencia County13
Lea County9
Harding County9
Union County5
Chaves County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
De Baca County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Roosevelt County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Curry County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1

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