RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Iron Mountain Deposits
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 5 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Fluorite, Silver) and 9 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, Copper, Lead, Fluorine-Fluorite. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Magnetite, Galena, Fluorite, Copper, Silver, Scheelite. Approx. location 33.469, -107.638. 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.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Was producing when the record was made.
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
263 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
241 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
233 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
106 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
95 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
80 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
79 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
10 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Galena 76Chalcopyrite 73Gold 63Sphalerite 49Malachite 38Argentite 37Fluorite 34Silver 30Chlorargyrite 28Pyrolusite 26Wad 21Psilomelane 19Commodities
Copper 255Silver 236Gold 229Lead 195Zinc 130Manganese 98Fluorine-Fluorite 70Tungsten 17Iron 14Barium-Barite 12Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Log Cabin Mine Pre 1900 | Lead, Silver, Copper, Gold | Acanthite, Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Galena, Gold, Silver, Sphalerite | Producer | 32.855, -107.678 |
| Little Granite Mine 1887 | Silver, Gold | Acanthite, Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Producer | 33.433, -107.769 |
| Ingersoll Mine | Zinc, Lead, Copper, Silver | Acanthite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Galena, Polybasite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 32.999, -107.721 |
| Big Jap Mine | Silver, Copper, Lead, Zinc | Acanthite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Producer | 32.863, -107.748 |
| Jayhawk Group | Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper | Acanthite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 32.832, -107.671 |
| Jornada Del Muerto | Gemstone | Agate | Producer | 33.133, -107.184 |
| Lady Franklin Mine | Silver, Copper, Lead, Gold | Alabandite, Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chalcocite, Galena, Gold, Silver, Sphalerite | Producer | 32.935, -107.720 |
| Black Range Wilderness Alunite Deposit | Aluminum | Alunite | Past Producer | 33.222, -107.851 |
| Jaun Peak | Aluminum | Alunite | Occurrence | 33.436, -107.557 |
| Chloride District | Gemstone | Amethyst | Occurrence | 33.636, -107.682 |
| American Flag and Flagstaff Mines 1880's | Copper, Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Argentite, Bornite, Bromyrite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Covellite, Galena, Malachite, Silver | Past Producer | 33.152, -107.721 |
| Pelican Mine | Silver, Lead, Copper | Anglesite, Argentite, Bornite, Cerargyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Pyrargyrite, Sphalerite | Producer | 33.167, -107.704 |
| Nana Mine 1880's | Silver, Lead, Gold | Anglesite, Argentite, Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Covellite, Cuprite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Silver, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Producer | 33.164, -107.701 |
| Keystone Mine 1880's | Silver | Anglesite, Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite | Producer | 32.977, -107.744 |
| Napolean-Rosa Lee Group | Lead | Anglesite, Barite, Fluorite, Galena, Vanadinite, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 33.028, -107.214 |
| Black Knife Group 1880's | Zinc, Copper, Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Cerargyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Producer | 33.353, -107.597 |
| Iron King Mine | Copper, Lead, Zinc, Silver | Anglesite, Cerargyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrolusite, Silver, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Producer | 32.932, -107.726 |
| Dictator Mine 1880's | Lead, Zinc, Copper, Silver | Anglesite, Cerargyrite, Galena, Malachite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Producer | 33.338, -107.578 |
| Vindicator-West Contact Group 1890's | Lead, Zinc, Copper | Anglesite, Chalcocite, Galena, Malachite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Producer | 33.362, -107.603 |
| Calamity Jane Mine 1890's | Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Galena, Gold, Silver | Producer | 32.916, -107.721 |
| Bald Eagle Group | Silver, Gold | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 33.273, -107.718 |
| Dewey and White Swan Mines | Vanadium | Anglesite, Cuprodescloizite, Descloizite, Fluorite, Galena, Vanadinite, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 33.050, -107.214 |
| Iron Mountain Deposits | Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead, Fluorine-Fluorite | Anglesite, Fluorite, Galena, Garnet, Gold, Helvite, Hematite, Magnetite, Malachite, Powellite, Pyroxene, Scheelite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 33.469, -107.638 |
| Old Dude Mine | Zinc, Gold, Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Galena, Hemimorphite, Sphalerite, Vanadinite, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 32.634, -107.590 |
| Palomas Chief Mine | Silver, Lead, Zinc | Argentite, Bornite, Cerargyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrargyrite, Sphalerite | Producer | 33.166, -107.703 |
| Silver Monument Mine 1880's | Silver, Copper | Argentite, Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Covellite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Producer | 33.336, -107.811 |
| New Era Mine 1880's | Silver, Copper | Argentite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Gold | Producer | 33.336, -107.805 |
| Antelope and Ocean Wave Mines | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Embolite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Silver, Smithsonite | Producer | 33.166, -107.723 |
| Cliff-L-Embolite Mines 1930's | Silver, Lead | Argentite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Embolite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 33.163, -107.704 |
| Ready Pay Mine 1880's | Gold, Silver, Copper | Argentite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Gold | Producer | 32.945, -107.542 |
| Wicks Mine 1877 | Gold, Silver, Copper | Argentite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Gold | Producer | 32.942, -107.533 |
| White Mountain Mine | Lead, Gold, Copper, Silver | Argentite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Galena, Gold, Silver | Producer | 33.336, -107.700 |
| Garfield-Butler Group 1880's | Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead | Argentite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Silver, Sphalerite | Producer | 32.953, -107.566 |
| Bonanza Mine | Gold, Silver, Copper | Argentite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Silver, Sphalerite | Producer | 32.950, -107.556 |
| Caledonia Mine 1880's | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Galena, Gold, Silver | Producer | 32.937, -107.718 |
| Bi-Metallic Mine 1920's | Silver, Lead, Copper, Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 32.841, -107.669 |
| Silver Tail Mine 1900's | Silver, Tungsten, Lead | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Galena, Scheelite, Sphalerite | Producer | 32.813, -107.669 |
| Kangaroo Mine 1880's | Copper, Lead, Silver | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Galena, Silver | Past Producer | 32.937, -107.717 |
| Nana Mine 1880's | Silver, Gold, Copper | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Gold, Malachite | Producer | 33.338, -107.707 |
| Keystone Group 1880 | Gold, Copper, Silver | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Gold, Malachite, Silver | Producer | 33.466, -107.743 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 149 fossil collection records in Sierra County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Grant County · Luna County · Doña Ana County · Catron County · Socorro County
New Mexico mineral guides
- Beryl in New Mexico
- Tourmaline in New Mexico
- Quartz in New Mexico
- Garnet in New Mexico
- Gold in New Mexico
- Mica in New Mexico
Back to all New Mexico 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