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.

Sketch map

Hollingsworth Pit + 3 more nearby (Producer)Wyatt Pit + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Cole Pit + 5 more nearby (Producer)Kerr-Mcgee Deposit + 1 more nearby (Prospect)#7 Sullins Pit + 4 more nearby (Producer)Ragsdale Pit + 12 more nearby (Producer)#5 Bond Pit + 1 more nearby (Producer)Hardy and Nunnley Pit + 8 more nearby (Producer)Kee Pit + 5 more nearby (Producer)Manleyville-Camden Placer (Producer)Wright Pit #4 + 1 more nearby (Producer)Benton Cut (Past Producer)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
12 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. 6 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

Silica Mine

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 2 gem or collectible minerals (Tourmaline, Quartz) and 2 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as producer for Silica. Minerals mentioned: Tourmaline, Quartz. Approx. location 36.040, -88.177. 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?

30
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

25
Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

3
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

1
Plant

A processing plant site.

Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.

Mineral cards

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

Minerals recorded here

Sand 18Ilmenite 3Monazite 2Rutile 2Zircon 2Kyanite 1

Commodities

Silica 50Titanium 5Zirconium 5Metal 3Thorium 2REE 1Fullers Earth 1Iron 1Kyanite 1

Sites (first 40)

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Natchez TraceZirconium, Titanium, MetalIlmeniteProspect35.833, -88.200
Manleyville-Camden PlacerTitanium, MetalIlmenite, Kyanite, Monazite, Rutile, ZirconProducer36.133, -88.133
Kerr-Mcgee DepositTitanium, Metal, Zirconium, REE, ThoriumIlmenite, Monazite, Rutile, ZirconProspect36.117, -88.183
Kee and Furr PitSilicaSandProducer36.183, -88.172
Wyatt PitSilicaSandProducer36.044, -88.151
Higdon & Cole PitSilicaSandProducer36.003, -88.204
Bell PitSilicaSandPast Producer36.006, -88.198
Hollingsworth PitSilicaSandPast Producer36.045, -88.189
Furr Pit #6SilicaSandPast Producer36.182, -88.171
Wyatt PitSilicaSandPast Producer36.037, -88.196
Smith PitSilicaSandProducer36.045, -88.179
Stigall PitSilicaSandProducer36.039, -88.198
Bonds PitSilicaSandProducer36.034, -88.162
Hollingsworth PitSilicaSandProducer36.041, -88.193
Furr Pit #7SilicaSandProducer36.183, -88.169
Wright Pit #4SilicaSandProducer36.046, -88.139
Cole PitSilicaSandProducer36.013, -88.209
Wright Pit #3SilicaSandProducer36.045, -88.143
Hardy and Nunnley PitSilicaSandProducer36.045, -88.147
Kee PitSilicaSandProducer36.025, -88.164
Ragsdale PitSilicaSandProducer36.045, -88.188
#7 Sullins PitSilica—Producer36.063, -88.165
#8 Bobitt PitSilica—Producer36.025, -88.161
Dunning PitSilica—Producer36.015, -88.210
Porter Warner PitSilica—Producer36.046, -88.182
Malin PitSilica—Producer36.046, -88.189
Wills PitSilica—Producer36.049, -88.172
#5 Bond PitSilica—Producer36.030, -88.180
#12 Sullins PitSilica—Producer36.063, -88.165
Jordan PitSilica—Producer36.040, -88.158
Porter Warner PitSilica—Past Producer36.046, -88.182
Sullins Pit Number 1Silica—Past Producer36.039, -88.165
Mill Number 3Silica—Plant36.043, -88.181
Silica MineSilica—Producer36.040, -88.177
Bonds Pit——Past Producer36.034, -88.162
Smith PitSilica—Past Producer36.045, -88.179
Bell PitSilica—Past Producer36.006, -88.198
Kee Pit——Past Producer36.025, -88.164
Sullins Sand Company, Inc.Silica—Past Producer36.030, -88.180
Malin PitSilica—Past Producer36.046, -88.189

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 3 fossil collection records in Benton County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Carroll County · Humphreys County · Henry County · Stewart County · Weakley County

Tennessee mineral guides

Back to all Tennessee counties.

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