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

J F Mitchell Deposit (Prospect)Gully Mine (Past Producer)Old Cardinal Gem Mine (Producer)Van Alston Deposit (Occurrence)Alston Mine (Past Producer)Portis Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)C M Wright Mine (Prospect)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
7 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

Portis Mine

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Silver) and 7 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Gold. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Mica, Magnetite, Pyrite, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 36.200, -78.016. 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?

5
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

2
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

1
Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

1
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

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

Chalcopyrite 1Gold 1Pyrite 1Pyrrhotite 1

Commodities

Mica 4Gold 3Sapphire 1Ruby 1Silver 1

Sites

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Portis MineGoldChalcopyrite, Gold, Pyrite, PyrrhotitePast Producer36.200, -78.016
Nick Arrington MineGold—Past Producer36.203, -77.784
Gully MineMica—Past Producer36.085, -78.516
C M Wright Mine——Prospect36.192, -78.017
Old Cardinal Gem MineSapphire, Ruby—Producer36.100, -78.466
J F Mitchell DepositMica—Prospect36.061, -78.525
Van Alston DepositMica—Occurrence36.192, -78.164
Portis MineGold—Past Producer36.196, -78.016
Alston MineMica—Past Producer36.222, -78.140

Nearby counties

Warren County · Nash County · Halifax County · Edgecombe County · Vance County

North Carolina mineral guides

Back to all North Carolina 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