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. Monroe County: 325 sites; most recorded: Gold, Barite, Limonite
  2. Maury County: 258 sites; most recorded: Collophane
  3. Claiborne County: 169 sites; most recorded: Sphalerite, Galena, Pyrite
  4. Hickman County: 161 sites
  5. Carter County: 151 sites; most recorded: Magnetite, Limonite, Hematite

Top minerals

  • Barite: 238 sites
  • Sphalerite: 170 sites
  • Limonite: 114 sites
  • Pyrite: 104 sites
  • Galena: 100 sites
  • Gold: 46 sites
  • Shale: 45 sites
  • Smithsonite: 41 sites

Mineral cards

  • Gold

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

    224 sites

  • Pyrite

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

    219 sites

  • Galena

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

    133 sites

  • Fluorite

    Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat

    117 sites

  • Quartz

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

    62 sites

  • Copper

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

    61 sites

  • Magnetite

    Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat

    39 sites

  • Mica

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

    36 sites

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    18 sites

  • Tourmaline

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

    5 sites

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

Minerals most often recorded

Barite 238Sphalerite 170Limonite 114Pyrite 104Galena 100Gold 46Shale 45Smithsonite 41Fluorite 34Magnetite 33Hematite 32Sand 21

Counties

CountySites
Monroe County325
Maury County258
Claiborne County169
Hickman County161
Carter County151
Johnson County146
DeKalb County101
Unicoi County100
McMinn County97
Williamson County89
Giles County78
Greene County77
Knox County71
Blount County71
Cocke County71
Lewis County69
Loudon County63
Benton County59
Union County55
Wayne County53
Hardin County49
Dickson County46
Sullivan County43
Jackson County41
Polk County37
Stewart County37
Jefferson County35
Smith County35
Washington County31
Bradley County31
Sevier County29
Hawkins County27
Hancock County27
Cannon County24
Grainger County23
Clay County23
Putnam County23
Carroll County22
Roane County22
Lawrence County22
Wilson County20
Hamilton County19
Montgomery County15
Macon County14
Fentress County13
Coffee County13
Sumner County13
Henderson County11
Hamblen County11
Henry County10
Trousdale County10
Davidson County8
Pickett County8
Rutherford County7
Anderson County7
Marion County7
Humphreys County7
Moore County6
Overton County6
Cumberland County5
Campbell County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Warren County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Meigs County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Robertson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Shelby County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Marshall County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Perry County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Franklin County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Van Buren County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Bledsoe County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Grundy County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Weakley County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Lincoln County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Decatur County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Bedford County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Tipton County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Fayette County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Gibson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Cheatham 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