RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Idol Comstock
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Fluorite) 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 for Zinc. Minerals mentioned: Pyrite, Fluorite. Approx. location 36.376, -83.402. 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?
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
Was producing when the record was made.
Status not recorded.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
5 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
2 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Sphalerite 9Pyrite 2Marble 1Commodities
Zinc 5Manganese 4Marble 2Dimension 2Stone 1Crushed/Broken 1Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Black Marble Quarry | Marble, Dimension | Marble | Producer | 36.375, -83.440 |
| Thorn Hill Prospect | — | Pyrite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.362, -83.430 |
| Dalton Prospect | Zinc | Pyrite, Sphalerite | Prospect | 36.386, -83.378 |
| Washburn Station Occurrence | — | Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.301, -83.595 |
| W.S. Mallicoat Prospect | — | Sphalerite | Prospect | 36.340, -83.504 |
| L.L. Mallicoat Prospect | — | Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.400, -83.344 |
| Beech Grove Zinc Occurrence | — | Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.366, -83.471 |
| Owl Hole Gap Occurrence | — | Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.233, -83.584 |
| Puncheon Camp Zinc Occurrence | — | Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.341, -83.508 |
| Idol Comstock | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.376, -83.402 |
| Rutledge Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 36.253, -83.486 |
| Waller Prospect | Manganese | — | Occurrence | 36.331, -83.522 |
| Rutledge Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 36.263, -83.493 |
| Imperial Black Marble Quarry | Marble, Dimension | — | Producer | 36.375, -83.440 |
| Washburn Station | — | — | Prospect | 36.302, -83.595 |
| Frye Prospect | — | — | Prospect | 36.306, -83.608 |
| Young Prospect | Manganese | — | Occurrence | 36.215, -83.279 |
| Swann Prospect | Manganese | — | Occurrence | 36.244, -83.570 |
| Clinch Valley | Zinc | — | Producer | 36.373, -83.407 |
| Harmon Prospect | — | — | Prospect | 36.267, -83.479 |
| Richland | Zinc | — | Prospect | 36.116, -83.638 |
| Owl Hole Gap | — | — | Unknown | 36.233, -83.584 |
| Idol Mill | Zinc | — | Past Producer | 36.368, -83.402 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 27 fossil collection records in Grainger County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Hamblen County · Claiborne County · Jefferson County · Hancock County · Union County
Tennessee mineral guides
- Quartz in Tennessee
- Gold in Tennessee
- Mica in Tennessee
- Magnetite in Tennessee
- Pyrite in Tennessee
- Galena in Tennessee
Back to all Tennessee 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