Rockhounding in Cumberland County, PA: 72 USGS Mineral Sites (2026)

Check access before you go. Most sites listed here are old mines, quarries or prospects, and many are on private land or active mining claims. Get the landowner's permission, check the rules of the agency that manages any public land, and never enter mine workings. Locations are approximate.

Sketch map

Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown

42 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. 1 site(s) with USGS coordinates outside the outline are not pinned. County outline: US Census Bureau cartographic boundary file (2023). Locations approximate.

Woof’s favorite find

Unnamed Pge Occurrence

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Gold) and 2 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as occurrence for Copper, Platinum, Palladium, Nickel, Thorium, Gold, Tellurium. Minerals mentioned: Gold, Copper. Approx. location 40.197, -76.865. 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?

Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.

Mineral cards

Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. 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 recorded here

Limonite 26

Commodities

Iron 67Manganese 2Copper 1Platinum 1Palladium 1Nickel 1Thorium 1Gold 1Tellurium 1Phosphorus-Phosphates 1

Sites (first 40)

Site	Commodity	Minerals recorded	Status	Approx. location
Calico Mine	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.106, -77.518
Thomas Iron Co. Banks	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.036, -77.264
Beltzhoover & 3 Additional Banks	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.138, -77.112
Number 1 Bank	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.029, -77.290
Wild Cat Bank	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.014, -77.333
New Cumberland Area	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.229, -76.911
Unnamed--Carlisle Area, 5 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.181, -77.132
Unnamed--Carlisle Area, 4 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.189, -77.165
Mt. Holly Springs Area, 3 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.119, -77.196
Unnamed--Carlisle Area, 5 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.161, -77.196
Unnamed--Carlisle Area, 5 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.161, -77.254
Peffer Ore Bank & 4 Additional Banks	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.113, -77.239
Yellow Breeches Creek Area, 5 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.115, -77.289
Carlisle Area, 4 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.164, -77.287
Grove Peach Orchard Area Banks, 4 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.081, -77.341
Unnamed--6 Banks In Cumminsville Area	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.121, -77.330
Unnamed, 2 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.153, -77.334
West Hill Area	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.201, -77.322
Gutthart Mine	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.147, -77.389
Unnamed, 4 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.108, -77.384
Unnamed, 4 Banks Represented	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.068, -77.391
G.H. Clever Bank & 3 Additional Banks	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.039, -77.441
Unnamed--Shippensburg Area	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.072, -77.497
J. Bridges Mine/I.H. Cresslar	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.044, -77.496
Koenuz & Meyers & 4 Additional Banks	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.063, -77.222
Medler & Saylors Banks & 3 Additional Banks	Iron	Limonite	Past Producer	40.103, -77.171
Unnamed Pge Occurrence	Copper, Platinum, Palladium, Nickel, Thorium, Gold, Tellurium	—	Occurrence	40.197, -76.865
Mc Carrick Mn Prospect	Manganese	—	Past Producer	40.107, -77.203
Old Clippinger Bank	Iron	—	Past Producer	40.032, -77.490
Strickler Bank	Iron	—	Past Producer	40.111, -77.150
Medlar Iron Ore Mine	Iron	—	Past Producer	40.093, -77.184
Coover Mine	Iron	—	Past Producer	40.100, -77.523
Peacock Bank	Iron	—	Past Producer	40.033, -77.461
Reading Ore Banks Pit	Iron, Manganese	—	Past Producer	40.134, -77.109
Red Bank	Iron	—	Past Producer	40.028, -77.310
Mary Ann Furnace Mine	Iron	—	Past Producer	40.014, -77.461
Ege Bank	Iron	—	Past Producer	40.122, -77.130
Wild Cat Pits	Iron	—	Prospect	40.010, -77.350
Helm Bank	Iron	—	Past Producer	40.049, -77.436
Chestnut Hill Mine	Iron	—	Past Producer	40.071, -77.218

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 1 fossil collection records in Cumberland County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Adams County · Franklin County · York County · Perry County · Dauphin County

Pennsylvania mineral guides

Back to all Pennsylvania counties.

Is It Legal to Collect Rocks on Public Land? BLM, Forest Service and National Park Rules

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 October 2026

Rockhounding in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania