RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Boylston Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 2 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold) and 5 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, Pyrite, Galena, Copper. Approx. location 35.353, -82.627. 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?
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
3 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
3 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
2 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
2 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
2 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
2 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
2 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Chalcopyrite 2Galena 2Pyrite 2Zircon 2Bournonite 1Sphalerite 1Tetrahedrite 1Molybdenite 1Feldspar 1Gold 1Commodities
Zirconium 4Copper 1Lead 1Zinc 1Granite 1Gold 1Aluminum 1Manganese 1Molybdenum 1Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pardo Prospect | Copper, Lead, Zinc | Bournonite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 35.361, -83.312 |
| Boylston Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 35.353, -82.627 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Sample Locality | — | Feldspar | Occurrence | 35.406, -82.280 |
| Molybdenite Occurrence | — | Molybdenite | Occurrence | 35.239, -82.433 |
| Freeman Zircon Mine | Zirconium | Zircon | Past Producer | 35.229, -82.438 |
| Jones Zircon Mine | Zirconium | Zircon | Past Producer | 35.228, -82.418 |
| Pace Zircon Mine | Zirconium | — | Past Producer | 35.205, -82.453 |
| Hendersonville | — | — | Occurrence | 35.333, -82.450 |
| Hendersonville Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 35.363, -82.452 |
| Lake Summit | — | — | Occurrence | 35.217, -82.450 |
| Unnamed Saprolite Pit | Aluminum | — | Past Producer | 35.403, -82.405 |
| Ztrconia Mine | Zirconium | — | Past Producer | 35.226, -82.421 |
| Tom Miller Prospect | Manganese | — | Occurrence | 35.346, -82.604 |
| Pardo Prospect | — | — | Prospect | 35.361, -82.317 |
| Molybdenite Occurrence | Molybdenum | — | Occurrence | 35.239, -82.433 |
Nearby counties
Polk County · Buncombe County · Transylvania County · Haywood County · Rutherford 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