RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Ball Feldspar Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Beryl, Quartz, Fluorite) 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 Feldspar. Minerals mentioned: Beryl, Quartz, Mica, Feldspar, Fluorite. Approx. location 35.855, -82.568. 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
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
20 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
16 sites
Scheelite
Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat
12 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
11 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
11 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
6 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
5 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
4 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Soapstone 21Feldspar 11Scheelite 5Barite 5Talc 3Pyrite 3Fluorite 3Chalcopyrite 2Allanite 2Euxenite 2Ilmenite 2Chromite 1Commodities
Talc-Soapstone 39Barium-Barite 10Feldspar 5Iron 4Manganese 3REE 2Olivine 1Fluorine-Fluorite 1Pig Iron 1Gold 1Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ledford Allanite Prospect | REE, Thorium | Allanite, Euxenite | Occurrence | 35.788, -82.942 |
| Odell Allanite Prospect | — | Allanite, Euxenite | Occurrence | 35.783, -82.948 |
| Stackhouse Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite | Past Producer | 35.878, -82.755 |
| Betts Sandy Bottom Property | Barium-Barite | Barite, Chalcopyrite, Fluorite, Galena, Pyrite | Past Producer | 35.867, -82.755 |
| Gahagan Mine | Barium-Barite | Barite, Chalcopyrite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 35.902, -82.744 |
| Long Mountain Mines | Barium-Barite | Barite, Fluorite | Past Producer | 35.842, -82.853 |
| Mine Ridge Prospects | Barium-Barite, Fluorine-Fluorite | Barite, Fluorite | Occurrence | 35.920, -82.905 |
| Holcombe Branch Olivine Deposit | Olivine | Chromite, Corundum, Olivine, Talc | Past Producer | 35.807, -82.484 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Occurrence | Feldspar | Feldspar | Occurrence | 35.802, -82.532 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Occurrence | — | Feldspar | Occurrence | 35.790, -82.553 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Occurrence | — | Feldspar | Occurrence | 35.788, -82.597 |
| Sam Cox #2 | Feldspar | Feldspar | Past Producer | 35.842, -82.502 |
| Sam Cox #1 | Feldspar | Feldspar | Past Producer | 35.840, -82.502 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Mine West of Bailey Gap | Feldspar | Feldspar | Past Producer | 35.831, -82.585 |
| Ball Feldspar Mine | Feldspar | Feldspar | Past Producer | 35.855, -82.568 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Occurrence | — | Feldspar | Occurrence | 35.822, -82.544 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Occurrence | — | Feldspar | Occurrence | 35.798, -82.614 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Occurrence | — | Feldspar | Occurrence | 35.790, -82.546 |
| Unnamed Feldspar Occurrence | — | Feldspar | Occurrence | 35.831, -82.608 |
| Shut-In Creek Pyrite Occurrence | Iron, Pig Iron, Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Occurrence | 35.918, -82.868 |
| Titanium Occurrence | — | Ilmenite | Occurrence | 35.794, -82.612 |
| Titanium Occurrence | — | Ilmenite | Occurrence | 35.796, -82.535 |
| Tennelina/Shut-In-Creek Area | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 35.903, -82.879 |
| Big Ivy Mine | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 35.776, -82.604 |
| Mars Hill Deposit | REE | Monazite | Occurrence | 35.810, -82.592 |
| Goforth Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Scheelite, Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.793, -82.717 |
| Wilson Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Scheelite, Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.818, -82.690 |
| Devils Den Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Scheelite, Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.897, -82.652 |
| George Lewis Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Scheelite, Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.903, -82.644 |
| Little Foster Creek Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Scheelite, Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.925, -82.610 |
| Shelton Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.918, -82.628 |
| Higgins Creek Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.942, -82.564 |
| Laurelton Chapel Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.925, -82.603 |
| Hamlin Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.928, -82.607 |
| Wolf Branch Soapstone Occurrence | — | Soapstone | Occurrence | 35.920, -82.632 |
| Guy Roberts Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.870, -82.665 |
| Tipton Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.818, -82.693 |
| Carver Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.942, -82.690 |
| Marshburn Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.826, -82.699 |
| Edwards #3 Soapstone Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Soapstone | Past Producer | 35.917, -82.625 |
Nearby counties
Buncombe County · Yancey County · Mitchell County · Avery County · Haywood 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