RockWoofBest regions by county
Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.
- Ottawa County: 121 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Galena, Marcasite
- Kiowa County: 70 sites; most recorded: Malachite, Cuprite, Copper
- Blaine County: 23 sites; most recorded: Malachite
- Cotton County: 19 sites; most recorded: Malachite, Chalcocite, Atacamite
- Comanche County: 18 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite
Top minerals
- Malachite: 106 sites
- Chalcocite: 30 sites
- Chalcopyrite: 12 sites
- Copper: 9 sites
- Galena: 7 sites
- Cuprite: 7 sites
- Bornite: 3 sites
- Sphalerite: 3 sites
Mineral cards
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
179 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
124 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
117 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
112 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
36 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
4 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
2 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
2 sites
Tourmaline
Mohs 7–7.5. Long striated crystals, often black (schorl) or green and pink (elbaite). Mindat
1 site
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals most often recorded
Malachite 106Chalcocite 30Chalcopyrite 12Copper 9Galena 7Cuprite 7Bornite 3Sphalerite 3Pyrrhotite 3Silver 3Covellite 2Chrysocolla 2Counties
| County | Sites |
|---|---|
| Ottawa County | 121 |
| Kiowa County | 70 |
| Blaine County | 23 |
| Cotton County | 19 |
| Comanche County | 18 |
| Greer County | 16 |
| Pawnee County | 15 |
| Noble County | 14 |
| Payne County | 14 |
| Johnston County | 12 |
| Jefferson County | 11 |
| Woodward County | 10 |
| Latimer County | 10 |
| Lincoln County | 9 |
| Garvin County | 8 |
| Caddo County | 8 |
| Jackson County | 7 |
| Cimarron County | 7 |
| McClain County | 6 |
| McCurtain County | 6 |
| Coal County | 5 |
| Woods County | 5 |
| Garfield County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Beckham County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Grant County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Pontotoc County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Seminole County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Dewey County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| McIntosh County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Stephens County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Harper County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Osage County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Ellis County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Canadian County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Haskell County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Cleveland County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Delaware County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Alfalfa County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Major County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Okfuskee County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Tillman County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Cherokee County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Harmon County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Washington County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Custer County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Creek County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Le Flore County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Marshall County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Muskogee County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Pittsburg County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Tulsa County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
Mineral guides
- Quartz in Oklahoma (112)
- Pyrite in Oklahoma (124)
- Galena in Oklahoma (117)
- Copper in Oklahoma (179)
- Silver in Oklahoma (36)
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