RockWoofBest regions by county
Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.
- Cuyahoga County: 22 sites; most recorded: Halite
- Tuscarawas County: 9 sites
- Scioto County: 7 sites
- Coshocton County: 7 sites
- Lake County: 6 sites; most recorded: Halite
Top minerals
- Calcite: 9 sites
- Halite: 2 sites
Mineral cards
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
6 sites
Tourmaline
Mohs 7–7.5. Long striated crystals, often black (schorl) or green and pink (elbaite). Mindat
4 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
4 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
3 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. 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 most often recorded
Calcite 9Halite 2Counties
| County | Sites |
|---|---|
| Cuyahoga County | 22 |
| Tuscarawas County | 9 |
| Scioto County | 7 |
| Coshocton County | 7 |
| Lake County | 6 |
| Sandusky County | 6 |
| Hamilton County | 6 |
| Mahoning County | 5 |
| Trumbull County | 5 |
| Ottawa County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Lucas County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Jefferson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Ashtabula County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Stark County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Franklin County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Seneca County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Knox County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Columbiana County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Washington County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Muskingum County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Summit County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Guernsey County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Butler County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Lorain County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Monroe County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Erie County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Jackson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Carroll County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Van Wert County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Belmont County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Allen County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Lawrence County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Holmes County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Champaign County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Morrow County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Defiance County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Richland County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
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