RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Durfee Hill Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 2 gem or collectible minerals (Gold, Silver) and 2 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Gold. Minerals mentioned: Gold, Silver. Approx. location 41.892, -71.741. 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.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
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
3 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
2 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
2 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
2 sites
Scheelite
Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat
2 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
1 site
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Scheelite 2Magnetite 2Chalcopyrite 1Molybdenite 1Commodities
Granite 11Iron 4Molybdenum 2Copper 2Graphite 2Gold 2Tungsten 1Garnet 1Titanium 1Arsenic 1Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Hill | Molybdenum | Chalcopyrite, Molybdenite, Scheelite | Occurrence | 42.000, -71.449 |
| Iron Mine Hill Deposit | Iron | Magnetite | Past Producer | 42.000, -71.466 |
| Copper Mine Hill | Tungsten, Copper, Garnet, Molybdenum, Iron | Magnetite, Scheelite | Occurrence | 42.000, -71.449 |
| Iron Mine Hill Deposit | Iron | — | Past Producer | 42.000, -71.466 |
| Penners Ledge Mine | Graphite | — | Past Producer | 41.807, -71.453 |
| Iron Mine Hill | Iron, Titanium | — | Prospect | 42.005, -71.458 |
| Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.992, -71.747 |
| Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.949, -71.702 |
| Foster Black Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.736, -71.749 |
| Foster Prospect | Arsenic | — | Prospect | 42.004, -71.426 |
| Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.987, -71.670 |
| Durfee Hill Gold Mine | Gold | — | Past Producer | 41.885, -71.742 |
| Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.972, -71.719 |
| Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.951, -71.702 |
| Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.901, -71.684 |
| Cranston Mine | Graphite | — | Past Producer | 41.768, -71.458 |
| Quarries | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.974, -71.660 |
| Sneech Pond Prospect | Manganese | — | Prospect | 41.979, -71.428 |
| Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.991, -71.748 |
| Copper Mountain Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 41.983, -71.440 |
| Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.950, -71.702 |
| Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 41.951, -71.668 |
| Durfee Hill Mine | Gold | — | Past Producer | 41.892, -71.741 |
Nearby counties
Washington County · Newport County
Back to all Rhode Island 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