RockWoofCheck 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.
- Hudspeth County: 189 sites; most recorded: Talc, Fluorite, Malachite
- Karnes County: 87 sites; most recorded: Ilsemannite, Uraninite, Jordisite
- Brewster County: 84 sites; most recorded: Cinnabar, Fluorite, Carnotite
- Presidio County: 73 sites; most recorded: Galena, Sphalerite, Chalcopyrite
- Culberson County: 69 sites; most recorded: Sulfur, Chalcopyrite, Malachite
Top minerals
- Malachite: 121 sites
- Halite: 54 sites
- Talc: 53 sites
- Barite: 43 sites
- Fluorite: 41 sites
- Celestite: 38 sites
- Hematite: 37 sites
- Goethite: 33 sites
Mineral cards
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
214 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
137 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
116 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
84 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
66 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
42 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
32 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
25 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
18 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
12 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals most often recorded
Malachite 121Halite 54Talc 53Barite 43Fluorite 41Celestite 38Hematite 37Goethite 33Galena 31Cinnabar 30Chalcocite 25Bentonite 22Counties
| County | Sites |
|---|---|
| Hudspeth County | 189 |
| Karnes County | 87 |
| Brewster County | 84 |
| Presidio County | 73 |
| Culberson County | 69 |
| Llano County | 51 |
| Cass County | 47 |
| Burnet County | 39 |
| Live Oak County | 35 |
| Brown County | 35 |
| Harris County | 27 |
| Fayette County | 22 |
| King County | 17 |
| Brazoria County | 17 |
| Val Verde County | 17 |
| Stonewall County | 15 |
| Pecos County | 14 |
| Jefferson County | 13 |
| El Paso County | 13 |
| Cherokee County | 13 |
| Duval County | 12 |
| Hardeman County | 12 |
| Knox County | 12 |
| Gonzales County | 12 |
| Atascosa County | 12 |
| Fort Bend County | 11 |
| Nolan County | 10 |
| Nueces County | 10 |
| Cameron County | 10 |
| Webb County | 9 |
| Angelina County | 9 |
| Anderson County | 9 |
| Archer County | 8 |
| Foard County | 8 |
| Liberty County | 8 |
| Morris County | 8 |
| Mason County | 8 |
| Clay County | 7 |
| Galveston County | 7 |
| Rusk County | 7 |
| Lee County | 6 |
| Taylor County | 5 |
| Chambers County | 5 |
| Van Zandt County | 5 |
| Limestone County | 5 |
| Gillespie County | 5 |
| Bexar County | 5 |
| Montague County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Wichita County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Freestone County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Marion County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| McMullen County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Jeff Davis County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Orange County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| McCulloch County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Ector County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Potter County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Crane County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Andrews County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Houston County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Coke County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Haskell County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Jones County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Matagorda County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Terrell County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Gaines County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Hardin County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Blanco County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| San Patricio County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Moore County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Baylor County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Runnels County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Austin County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Bee County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Burleson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Kinney County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Henderson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Uvalde County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Jasper County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Madison County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Colorado County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Bowie County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Tarrant County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Calhoun County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Franklin County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Dimmit County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Johnson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Camp County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Hopkins County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Smith County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| McLennan County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Briscoe County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Coleman County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Throckmorton County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Tom Green County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Wilbarger County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Young County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Fisher County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Jim Hogg County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Reeves County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Schleicher County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Brazos County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Callahan County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Glasscock County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Real County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Bell County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Hill County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Walker County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Hockley County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Yoakum County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Williamson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Reagan County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Travis County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| San Saba County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Zavala County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Wharton County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Carson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Milam County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Upshur County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Wood County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Terry County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Scurry County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Maverick County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Newton County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Hutchinson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Titus County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Ward County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Nacogdoches County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Goliad County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
Mineral guides
- Quartz in Texas (116)
- Garnet in Texas (11)
- Gold in Texas (42)
- Mica in Texas (12)
- Feldspar in Texas (18)
- Magnetite in Texas (25)
- Pyrite in Texas (66)
- Galena in Texas (32)
- Fluorite in Texas (84)
- Copper in Texas (214)
- Silver in Texas (137)
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