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

Shovel Creek Mine (Past Producer)Fred Nichols Mine (Past Producer)I.T. Wells Mine (Past Producer)Redmond Mine (Past Producer)Locust Gap Prospects (Prospect)W.T. Wilson Mine (Past Producer)Spruce Ridge Mine (Past Producer)Shiny Mine (Past Producer)Richland Balsam Prospects (Prospect)Big Ridge Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Camp Two Branch Mine (Past Producer)Gibson Mine (Past Producer)Ethan Cook Mine (Past Producer)Stringfield Mine (Past Producer)Bethel Mine (Past Producer)Cherry Cove Branch Prospect (Prospect)Crab Ridge Mine (Past Producer)Shining Rock Prospect (Prospect)Hominy Grove Olivine Deposit + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
19 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

Big Ridge Mine

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 of the minerals on our cards and 1 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 16 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 Mica. Minerals mentioned: Mica. Approx. location 35.417, -82.978. 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?

16
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

5
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

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

Olivine 1

Commodities

Mica 17Sapphire 1Magnesite 1Lead 1Kaolin 1

Sites

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Hominy Grove Olivine Deposit—OlivineOccurrence35.560, -82.806
W.T. Wilson MineMica—Past Producer35.432, -83.000
Ethan Cook MineMica—Past Producer35.314, -82.936
Shining Rock ProspectMica—Prospect35.356, -82.865
Crab Ridge MineMica—Past Producer35.382, -82.865
Shiny MineMica—Past Producer35.382, -82.993
Spruce Ridge MineMica—Past Producer35.407, -83.000
Richland Balsam ProspectsMica—Prospect35.368, -82.989
I.T. Wells MineMica—Past Producer35.477, -83.053
Fred Nichols MineMica—Past Producer35.489, -83.055
Shovel Creek MineSapphire—Past Producer35.511, -83.062
Hominy Grove Ocivine DepositMagnesite—Prospect35.560, -82.806
Deep Gap MineMica—Past Producer35.377, -83.037
Gibson MineMica—Past Producer35.386, -82.932
Redmond MineLead—Past Producer35.681, -83.015
Big Ridge MineMica—Past Producer35.417, -82.978
Locust Gap ProspectsMica—Prospect35.381, -83.023
Cherry Cove Branch ProspectMica—Prospect35.368, -82.887
Stringfield MineMica—Past Producer35.308, -82.907
Camp Two Branch MineMica—Past Producer35.338, -82.941
Bethel MineKaolin—Past Producer35.462, -82.885
Putnam MineMica—Past Producer35.418, -82.969

Nearby counties

Jackson County · Transylvania County · Macon County · Swain County · Henderson 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