RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Arrowood Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 2 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Agate) and 4 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Kaolin, Mica, Feldspar. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Mica, Feldspar, Agate. Approx. location 35.779, -82.501. 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.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Was producing when the record was made.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
10 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
9 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
5 sites
Agate
Mohs 6.5–7. Banded, translucent chalcedony. Mindat
3 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
2 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
1 site
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
1 site
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Feldspar 6Chromite 5Olivine 5Talc 4Marble 4Asbestos 3Garnierite 3Mica 1Magnetite 1Halloysite 1Ilmenite 1Allanite 1Commodities
Feldspar 7Mica 6Marble 5Dimension 5Chromium 5Vermiculite 4Olivine 3Nickel 2Granite 2Kaolin 1Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed Allanite Occurrence | — | Allanite | Occurrence | 35.761, -82.503 |
| Unnamed Sample Locality & Nearby Trench | — | Asbestos, Chromite, Garnierite, Olivine, Talc | Occurrence | 35.778, -82.502 |
| Unnamed Sample Locality | Olivine, Talc-Soapstone, Asbestos, Chromium, Nickel | Asbestos, Chromite, Garnierite, Olivine, Talc | Occurrence | 35.770, -82.507 |
| Morgan Hill Chromite Prospect | Chromium, Olivine | Asbestos, Chromite, Garnierite, Olivine, Talc | Past Producer | 35.772, -82.507 |
| Democrat Olivine Deposit | Feldspar | Chromite, Feldspar, Olivine, Talc | Occurrence | 35.786, -82.498 |
| Newfound Gap Olivine Deposit | — | Chromite, Olivine | Occurrence | 35.576, -82.770 |
| Stocksville Mica Mine | — | Feldspar | Past Producer | 35.770, -82.538 |
| Lovin Feldspar Mine | Feldspar | Feldspar | Past Producer | 35.760, -82.516 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Prospect Southern Nofat Mountain | Feldspar | Feldspar | Occurrence | 35.798, -82.503 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Sample Locality | — | Feldspar | Occurrence | 35.498, -82.286 |
| Arrowood Mine | Kaolin, Mica, Feldspar | Feldspar, Halloysite | Past Producer | 35.779, -82.501 |
| Titanium Occurrence | — | Ilmenite | Occurrence | 35.790, -82.538 |
| Unnamed Magnetite Occurrence | — | Magnetite | Occurrence | 35.805, -82.516 |
| Pinner Creek Quarry | Marble, Dimension | Marble | Past Producer | 35.445, -82.496 |
| Unnamed Marble Occurrence | — | Marble | Occurrence | 35.470, -82.450 |
| Cane Creek-Brush Creek Occurrence | — | Marble | Occurrence | 35.499, -82.422 |
| Gravelly Creek Quarry | Marble, Dimension | Marble | Past Producer | 35.481, -82.441 |
| Burton Mica Prospect | — | Mica | Occurrence | 35.478, -82.468 |
| Groves Lake Quarrya | Marble, Dimension | — | Past Producer | 35.466, -82.469 |
| Groves Lake Quarryb | Marble, Dimension | — | Past Producer | 35.466, -82.470 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Mine Southern Nofat Mountain | Feldspar | — | Past Producer | 35.799, -82.503 |
| Wilson Road | — | — | Occurrence | 35.600, -82.517 |
| Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 35.511, -82.380 |
| Enka Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 35.542, -82.672 |
| Cane Creek | Zirconium, Thorium, Gold, Titanium, Metal | — | Occurrence | 35.520, -82.403 |
| Swannanoa River | — | — | Occurrence | 35.600, -82.450 |
| Robinson Creek Quarry | Marble, Dimension | — | Past Producer | 35.459, -82.481 |
| Mica Prospect | Mica | — | Prospect | 35.641, -82.392 |
| Biltmore Plant | Mica | — | Producer | 35.571, -82.535 |
| Western No Carolina Nickel Lateri | — | — | Occurrence | 35.650, -82.790 |
| Newfound Gap Olivine Deposit | Magnesite | — | Prospect | 35.577, -82.770 |
| Mica Prospect | Mica | — | Prospect | 35.635, -82.408 |
| Democrat Chromite Prospect | — | — | Past Producer | 35.785, -82.491 |
| Leicester Chromite Prospect | Chromium | — | Prospect | 35.654, -82.691 |
| Arrowood Mine | Feldspar | — | Past Producer | 35.775, -82.504 |
| Mine No. 2 | Vermiculite | — | Past Producer | 35.639, -82.395 |
| Black Mountain Prospect | Lead | — | Prospect | 35.605, -82.302 |
| Vermiculite Prospect | Vermiculite | — | Prospect | 35.633, -82.410 |
| Morgan Hill Chromite Prospect | Chromium | — | Past Producer | 35.772, -82.507 |
| Vermiculite Prospect | Vermiculite | — | Prospect | 35.640, -82.391 |
Nearby counties
Madison County · Henderson County · Polk County · Yancey County · Mitchell 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