RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Ore Knob Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 5 gem or collectible minerals (Tourmaline, Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Silver) and 11 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Copper. Minerals mentioned: Tourmaline, Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Mica, Feldspar, Magnetite, Pyrite, Galena, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 36.399, -81.328. 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?
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
27 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
8 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
7 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
4 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
4 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
3 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
3 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
2 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Magnetite 21Pyrite 4Malachite 2Chalcopyrite 2Copper 1Ilmenite 1Bornite 1Chrysocolla 1Gold 1Limonite 1Galena 1Pyrrhotite 1Commodities
Iron 37Copper 7Gold 3Granite 2Silver 2Titanium 1Metal 1Mica 1Zinc 1Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap Creek Mine | Copper, Gold, Silver | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Gold, Limonite, Malachite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.277, -81.495 |
| Ore Knob Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.399, -81.328 |
| Lichtenstein Prospect | Copper, Titanium, Metal, Iron | Copper, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Malachite | Occurrence | 36.481, -81.341 |
| Graybeal Mines | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.473, -81.499 |
| Poison Branch Mine | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.519, -81.447 |
| King Magnetite Prospect | — | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.485, -81.501 |
| Piney Creek Magnetite Mine | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.493, -81.505 |
| Lunceford Magnetite Prospect | — | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.518, -81.391 |
| U. Ballou Magnetite Prospect | — | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.512, -81.411 |
| Calloway Magnetite Prospects | — | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.508, -81.415 |
| Kirby Magnetite Prospect | — | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.569, -81.516 |
| Hampton Knob Magnetite Prospects | — | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.501, -81.517 |
| J. L. Pugh Magnetite Prospect | — | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.555, -81.356 |
| Blevins Magnetite Prospects | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.543, -81.422 |
| McClure's Knob Magnetite Deposits | Iron | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.535, -81.442 |
| Piney Creek Mine | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.497, -81.477 |
| Sam Mc Clure Magnetite Prospects | Iron | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.515, -81.464 |
| Francis Magnetite Mine and Henninger Prospects | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.500, -81.488 |
| Turkey Knob Magnetite Prospects | — | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.509, -81.497 |
| John Black Magnetite Mine | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 36.548, -81.406 |
| L. A. Pugh Magnetite Prospect | — | Magnetite | Occurrence | 36.565, -81.359 |
| Red Hill Mines | Iron | Magnetite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 36.538, -81.425 |
| Ballou Home Place Magnetite Prospect | — | Magnetite, Pyrite | Occurrence | 36.514, -81.406 |
| Ashe Mining Company Magnetite Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 36.493, -81.505 |
| Pennington | — | — | Occurrence | 36.550, -81.500 |
| Mccarter | — | — | Occurrence | 36.550, -81.500 |
| Smithport Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 36.439, -81.488 |
| Granite Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 36.402, -81.628 |
| Cap Creek Mine | Copper, Gold | — | Past Producer | 36.277, -81.495 |
| Bauguess | — | — | Occurrence | 36.550, -81.500 |
| Young | — | — | Occurrence | 36.550, -81.500 |
| Mccarter Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 36.574, -81.461 |
| Calloway Property Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 36.513, -81.416 |
| Jefferson-Boone Pegmatite | Mica | — | Past Producer | 36.350, -81.600 |
| Graybeal Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 36.507, -81.504 |
| Hampton Knob Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 36.497, -81.517 |
| W.H. Brown Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 36.525, -81.380 |
| John Black Prospect | Iron | — | Past Producer | 36.552, -81.410 |
| George Caborn Prospect | Copper | — | Prospect | 36.499, -81.326 |
| Barnard Jones Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 36.500, -81.491 |
Nearby counties
Alleghany County · Watauga County · Wilkes County · Caldwell County · Avery County
North Carolina mineral guides
- Beryl in North Carolina
- Tourmaline in North Carolina
- Quartz in North Carolina
- Garnet in North Carolina
- Gold in North Carolina
- Mica in North Carolina
Back to all North Carolina 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