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.

Sketch map

Mica Mill (Unknown)Goat's Point Prospect (Prospect)Oro Grande Co. of Pennsylvania + 1 more nearby (Prospect)Goats Point Prospect + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)Champion Mine + 5 more nearby (Past Producer)Harding Pegmatite + 4 more nearby (Past Producer)Mickelsen Prospect (Prospect)Blue Feather Claims (Occurrence)The Tungsten Mine + 3 more nearby (Past Producer)Owens-Roybal Group (Past Producer)Hondo Canyon Sillimanite-Kyanite Prospect + 2 more nearby (Occurrence)Paul Burch Pegmatite (Past Producer)Guadalupe Placer (Prospect)Upper Hondo Canyon Prospects (Prospect)M.I.C.A. Mine (Producer)Picuris (Past Producer)Taos Mill (Unknown)Tojo Mine + 2 more nearby (Producer)Revelation Manganese Deposit (Occurrence)Williams' Claims + 2 more nearby (Occurrence)Log Cabin Prospect + 2 more nearby (Occurrence)Garrapata (Occurrence)Iowa Group + 1 more nearby (Prospect)Esperanza Claim + 2 more nearby (Prospect)Questa Mine + 2 more nearby (Producer)Bear Canyon Prospect + 3 more nearby (Occurrence)Cedros Prospect (Prospect)Hornet Prospect + 4 more nearby (Past Producer)Silver King Prospect + 4 more nearby (Prospect)Nickel Plate + 3 more nearby (Prospect)Amizette Prospects + 2 more nearby (Occurrence)South Fork Mine + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)South Fork Peak Deposit (Prospect)Red River (Past Producer)Spanish Main Prospect + 1 more nearby (Prospect)Tenderfoot Creek Prospects (Prospect)Caribel Group + 7 more nearby (Past Producer)Bunker Hill Group (Prospect)Frazer Mine + 8 more nearby (Past Producer)Lake Fork Prospect (Prospect)Fairview Mountain Prospects (Prospect)Copper King Mine + 12 more nearby (Past Producer)Silver Tip Group + 19 more nearby (Past Producer)Golden Goose (Prospect)Highline Prospect + 6 more nearby (Past Producer)Baldy Peak Claim + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)Mem Phis Mine + 10 more nearby (Past Producer)Jacks and Sixes Prospect + 9 more nearby (Occurrence)Ragged Pants Dick Prospect (Prospect)Black Copper Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Cashier Mine (Past Producer)Snyder Tunnel (Prospect)Independence Mine + 6 more nearby (Past Producer)Edison Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
54 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. 1 site(s) with USGS coordinates outside the outline are not pinned. County outline: US Census Bureau cartographic boundary file (2023). Locations approximate.

Woof’s favorite find

Black Copper Mine

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Silver) and 6 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 past producer for Silver, Gold. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Pyrite, Galena, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 36.637, -105.371. 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?

93
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

56
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

21
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

7
Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

5
Unknown

Status not recorded.

Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.

Mineral cards

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

Minerals recorded here

Gold 19Chalcopyrite 10Malachite 9Molybdenite 9Chrysocolla 6Argentite 5Galena 5Sphalerite 5Chalcocite 4Cuprite 3Beryl 2Wolframite 2

Commodities

Gold 98Copper 38Silver 32Molybdenum 25Lead 17Mica 13Zinc 12Beryllium 8Tantalum 5Graphite 5

Sites (first 40)

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Hondo Canyon Sillimanite-Kyanite ProspectKyaniteAndalusite, Kyanite, SillimaniteOccurrence36.296, -105.731
Champion MineCopperArgentite, Chalcocite, Chrysocolla, Cuprite, Gold, Malachite, TetrahedritePast Producer36.219, -105.796
Silver Tip GroupSilver, GoldArgentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Molybdenite, SphaleritePast Producer36.697, -105.421
Mem Phis MineGold, SilverArgentite, Chalcopyrite, GoldPast Producer36.734, -105.342
Jay Hawk MineGold, SilverArgentite, Galena, Gold, Pyrargyrite, SphaleritePast Producer36.677, -105.423
Buffalo MineGold, SilverArgentite, Gold, SilverPast Producer36.678, -105.416
Harding PegmatiteBeryllium, Lithium, Tantalum, Niobium (Columbium)Beryl, Calcite, Lepidolite, Microlite, SpodumenePast Producer36.193, -105.797
Owen-Roybal GroupBerylliumBeryl, Columbite, TantalitePast Producer36.184, -105.778
Goats Point ProspectBismuthBismutitePast Producer36.249, -105.811
Frazer MineCopperBornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Cuprite, Gold, Malachite, MolybdenitePast Producer36.595, -105.440
Highline ProspectCopperBornite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Cuprite, MalachitePast Producer36.602, -105.424
Black Copper MineSilver, GoldChalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, SphaleritePast Producer36.637, -105.371
Wilson ProspectCopperChalcocite, Chrysocolla, Gold, MalachiteOccurrence36.219, -105.789
South Fork MineSilver, Gold, CopperChalcopyriteOccurrence36.575, -105.509
Amizette ProspectsGold, Copper, Lead, ZincChalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite, SphaleriteOccurrence36.597, -105.482
Independence MineGoldChalcopyrite, Gold, PetzitePast Producer36.741, -105.337
Bear Canyon ProspectMolybdenumChalcopyrite, Huebnerite, MolybdeniteOccurrence36.697, -105.553
Copper King MineMolybdenum, CopperChalcopyrite, Malachite, Molybdenite, TenoritePast Producer36.702, -105.407
Green Mountain GroupCopper, TungstenChrysocolla, Gold, Malachite, WolframiteOccurrence36.238, -105.743
The Tungsten MineCopper, TungstenChrysocolla, Malachite, WolframitePast Producer36.226, -105.772
Log Cabin ProspectMolybdenumFerrimolybdite, MolybdeniteOccurrence36.688, -105.571
Hornet ProspectLead, ZincFluorite, Galena, Pyrolusite, Rhodochrosite, Sphalerite, WadPast Producer36.737, -105.479
Caribel GroupGold, SilverGoldPast Producer36.675, -105.451
Midnight MineGoldGoldPast Producer36.764, -105.353
Keystone TunnelGoldGoldPast Producer36.392, -105.338
Edison MineGoldGoldPast Producer36.388, -105.339
Red RiverGoldGoldPast Producer36.500, -105.501
Elizabeth-BaldyGoldGoldPast Producer36.500, -105.251
Cashier MineGoldGoldPast Producer36.385, -105.346
Inferno ProspectGoldGoldPast Producer36.680, -105.443
PicurisGoldGoldPast Producer36.582, -105.621
Cabresto Lake ProspectGraphiteGraphiteOccurrence36.751, -105.499
Questa MineMolybdenumMolybdeniteProducer36.717, -105.517
South Fork Peak DepositMolybdenumMolybdeniteProspect36.552, -105.479
Molycorp GroupMolybdenumMolybdeniteProspect36.683, -105.569
Jacks and Sixes ProspectMolybdenumMolybdeniteOccurrence36.710, -105.352
M.I.C.A. MineMicaMuscoviteProducer36.176, -105.669
Tojo MineMicaSericiteProducer36.205, -105.614
Harding Pegmatite Ext.Beryllium, Tantalum—Occurrence36.183, -105.792
Scarlet ProspectGold—Occurrence36.672, -105.418

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 3 fossil collection records in Taos County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Colfax County · Rio Arriba County · Mora County · San Miguel County · Harding County

New Mexico mineral guides

Back to all New Mexico counties.

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