RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Ecton Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Silver) and 2 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 1 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: Copper, Silver. Approx. location 40.129, -75.454. 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.
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
9 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
2 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
No individual minerals are listed in these records.
Commodities
Copper 5Lead 2Granite 1Zirconium 1Chromium 1Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethayres Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 40.123, -75.075 |
| Young's Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 40.319, -75.476 |
| Old Perkiomen Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 40.268, -75.473 |
| Perkiomen/Wetherill/Ecton Mines | Copper, Lead | — | Past Producer | 40.139, -75.444 |
| Pennsylvania Copper Co. Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 40.267, -75.602 |
| Ce Refrac--King of Prussia, Pa. | Zirconium | — | Past Producer | 40.083, -75.388 |
| Shannonville Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 40.126, -75.428 |
| Kaiser Alum.--Plymouth Meeting, Pa. | Chromium | — | Past Producer | 40.100, -75.276 |
| Ecton Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 40.129, -75.454 |
| Whim Shaft | Lead | — | Past Producer | 40.131, -75.439 |
| Perkiomen Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 40.138, -75.441 |
| Wetherwill Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 40.129, -75.440 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 12 fossil collection records in Montgomery County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Delaware County · Chester County · Bucks County · Philadelphia County · Berks 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