RockWoof
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.

Best regions by county

Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.

  1. Custer County: 597 sites; most recorded: Feldspar, Mica, Beryl
  2. Lawrence County: 447 sites; most recorded: Silver, Gold, Galena
  3. Pennington County: 398 sites; most recorded: Silver, Gold, Cassiterite
  4. Fall River County: 132 sites
  5. Harding County: 94 sites; most recorded: Coal, Carnotite, Lignite

Top minerals

  • Silver: 190 sites
  • Gold: 186 sites
  • Feldspar: 164 sites
  • Beryl: 110 sites
  • Mica: 96 sites
  • Muscovite: 84 sites
  • Cassiterite: 54 sites
  • Spodumene: 30 sites

Mineral cards

  • Feldspar

    Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat

    553 sites

  • Gold

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

    537 sites

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    519 sites

  • Mica

    Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat

    459 sites

  • Quartz

    Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat

    340 sites

  • Tourmaline

    Mohs 7–7.5. Long striated crystals, often black (schorl) or green and pink (elbaite). Mindat

    167 sites

  • Beryl

    Mohs 7.5–8. Six-sided crystals; aquamarine and emerald are beryl. Mindat

    140 sites

  • Pyrite

    Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat

    88 sites

  • Galena

    Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat

    39 sites

  • Copper

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat

    28 sites

Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.

Minerals most often recorded

Silver 190Gold 186Feldspar 164Beryl 110Mica 96Muscovite 84Cassiterite 54Spodumene 30Wolframite 27Pyrite 25Amblygonite 24Galena 22

Counties

CountySites
Custer County597
Lawrence County447
Pennington County398
Fall River County132
Harding County94
Grant County15
Jackson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Meade County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Perkins County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Butte County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Shannon County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Buffalo County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Lyman County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1

Mineral guides

Related articles

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