RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Phoenix Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Fluorite, Silver) and 6 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 2 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. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Pyrite, Galena, Fluorite, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 40.101, -75.520. 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.
Was producing when the record was made.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
A processing plant site.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
8 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
7 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
6 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
5 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
4 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
4 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
4 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
3 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Magnetite 6Limonite 6Wulfenite 1Quartz 1Chromite 1Commodities
Iron 17Lead 9Chromium 5Zinc 3Copper 3Granite 3Flagstone 3Mica 3Graphite 3Silver 3Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Chester District-Thomas Webb Farm | Chromium | Chromite | Past Producer | 39.890, -75.741 |
| Buchanan's Bank/White Hall/Fisher Banks | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 40.064, -75.486 |
| Jacobs Bank/Maguire/Evans Banks | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 40.031, -75.600 |
| Neal Ore Bank | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 40.028, -75.633 |
| Trimble Mine/Coffman/Whiteman Mines | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 40.061, -75.570 |
| Unnamed, Windsor Area | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 40.078, -75.687 |
| Worth & Co. Iron Mines | Iron | Limonite | Past Producer | 39.997, -75.887 |
| French Creek Mines | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 40.188, -75.733 |
| J.B. Latshawharvey Mine & 4 Additional | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 40.092, -75.625 |
| Fegley Mine & 2 Additional | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 40.111, -75.608 |
| Green's Iron Mines | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 40.108, -75.816 |
| Warwick Mine/Leighton/Steels/Hopewell Mines | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 40.165, -75.781 |
| Stauffer Mine/Mosteller Mine | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 40.163, -75.658 |
| Golden Green Parksburg Quarry | Quartz | Quartz | Past Producer | 39.964, -75.915 |
| Wheatley, Chester, Phoenixville | Molybdenum, Zinc, Copper, Lead | Wulfenite | Occurrence | 40.100, -75.516 |
| Phoenixville Area | Lead, Zinc, Vanadium | — | Occurrence | 40.167, -75.500 |
| Devault Quarry and Mill | Granite | — | Past Producer | 40.081, -75.535 |
| Pennsylvania Granite Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 40.169, -75.754 |
| Montgomery County Mine | Lead | — | Past Producer | 40.106, -75.530 |
| Wheatley Mine &3 Additional Pb-Zn Mines and the Morris Cu Mine | Lead, Zinc | — | Past Producer | 40.107, -75.508 |
| Unnamed, Coatesville Area | Iron | — | Past Producer | 39.969, -75.829 |
| Warwick Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 40.164, -75.775 |
| Avon Grove Quarry | Flagstone | — | Producer | 39.835, -75.791 |
| Newlin Township Deposit | Corundum | — | Past Producer | 39.911, -75.710 |
| Lukens Steel Co Property Prospect | Mica | — | Occurrence | 39.975, -75.826 |
| Pine Swamp Schoolhouse Pits | — | — | Past Producer | 40.198, -75.759 |
| Atglen Quarries Inc | Granite | — | Producer | 39.936, -75.957 |
| Just Graphite Mine | Graphite | — | Past Producer | 40.078, -75.633 |
| Hartman Property Prospect | Graphite | — | Occurrence | 40.091, -75.605 |
| Leighton Iron Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 40.163, -75.771 |
| Carlson Inc--Thorndale, Pa. | Iron | — | Producer | 39.994, -75.745 |
| Pennypacker Mine | Lead | — | Past Producer | 40.088, -75.519 |
| Reisler Placer | — | — | Prospect | 39.739, -75.931 |
| Montgomery County Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 40.439, -75.524 |
| Buckwater Mine | Lead | — | Past Producer | 40.109, -75.537 |
| Hillside Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 39.727, -76.112 |
| Stence Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 39.740, -76.013 |
| Yingling Bros. Sand-Chrome Prop. | — | — | Prospect | 39.734, -76.092 |
| Collom Pits | — | — | Past Producer | 39.746, -75.952 |
| Moro Phillips Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 39.738, -76.015 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 2 fossil collection records in Chester County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Montgomery County · Delaware County · Lancaster County · Berks County · Philadelphia County
Pennsylvania mineral guides
- Mica in Pennsylvania
- Magnetite in Pennsylvania
- Pyrite in Pennsylvania
- Copper in Pennsylvania
- Silver in Pennsylvania
Back to all Pennsylvania 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