RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Bird Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Fluorite, Silver) and 6 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as producer for Silver, Lead, Molybdenum, Copper, Zinc. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Feldspar, Pyrite, Fluorite, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 30.343, -103.517. 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.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
Was producing when the record was made.
Status not recorded.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
24 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
14 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
9 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
5 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
3 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
1 site
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Cinnabar 27Fluorite 9Carnotite 4Barite 3Iron 2Hematite 2Metacinnabar 1Bentonite 1Chrysocolla 1Chalcopyrite 1Goethite 1Pyrite 1Commodities
Mercury 37Fluorine-Fluorite 19Uranium 10Manganese 6Copper 5Bentonite 3Silver 3Barium-Barite 2Molybdenum 2Iron 2Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed Prospect | — | Barite | Occurrence | 29.557, -103.029 |
| Unnamed Occurrence | — | Barite | Occurrence | 29.581, -102.845 |
| Unnamed Occurrence | Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 30.126, -103.119 |
| Alpine Bentonite Pit | Bentonite | Bentonite | Occurrence | 30.354, -103.667 |
| Colquitt Tigner Mine | Mercury | Calomel, Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.331, -103.666 |
| Nevill Ranch Occurrence | Uranium | Carnotite | Occurrence | 30.047, -103.547 |
| Anderson Ranch Prospect | Uranium | Carnotite | Occurrence | 30.104, -103.525 |
| Adobe Walls Mine | Mercury | Carnotite, Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.473, -103.552 |
| Fizzle Flat and Green Valley Prospects | Uranium | Carnotite, Tyuyamunite | Occurrence | 29.508, -103.502 |
| Bird Mine | Silver, Lead, Molybdenum, Copper, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Goethite, Hematite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Producer | 30.343, -103.517 |
| Bissett Prospect | Copper | Chrysocolla | Occurrence | 30.380, -103.419 |
| Brown Prospects | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 29.318, -103.601 |
| Pickens Oil Prospect | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 29.381, -103.756 |
| Sample Group Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.326, -103.729 |
| Waldron Workings in Sec. 40 | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.324, -103.689 |
| Two-Forty-Eight Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.325, -103.567 |
| Tarrant Property in Sec. 39 | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.325, -103.692 |
| Fernandes Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.408, -103.438 |
| Mariposa Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.315, -103.694 |
| Tarrant Property in Sec. 18 | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.318, -103.679 |
| Rainbow Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.319, -103.624 |
| Marathon Dome Prospect | Mercury | Cinnabar | Prospect | 29.657, -103.102 |
| Star Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.316, -103.650 |
| Rio Grande Quicksilver Co. claims (Sec. 40, Block G-12) | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 29.323, -103.697 |
| Monte Cristo and Croesus Claims | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.313, -103.703 |
| Margaret D Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.321, -103.702 |
| Lone Star Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.314, -103.718 |
| Lowe Prospect | Mercury | Cinnabar | Prospect | 29.359, -103.736 |
| Le Roi Prospect | Mercury | Cinnabar | Occurrence | 29.308, -103.623 |
| Chisos Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.318, -103.620 |
| Canyon Group Prospect | Mercury | Cinnabar | Prospect | 29.341, -103.706 |
| Duncan Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.310, -103.701 |
| Mariscal Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.097, -103.190 |
| Study Butte Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.321, -103.527 |
| Maggie Sink Mine (Bobs) | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.322, -103.723 |
| Little Thirty-Eight Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar, Metacinnabar | Past Producer | 29.320, -103.655 |
| Paisano Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Past Producer | 29.461, -103.459 |
| Paisano Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Producer | 29.461, -103.459 |
| Unnamed Occurrence | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Occurrence | 29.434, -103.424 |
| Unnamed Occurrence | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Occurrence | 29.421, -103.439 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 517 fossil collection records in Brewster County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Presidio County · Jeff Davis County · Pecos County · Terrell County · Reeves County
Texas mineral guides
Back to all Texas 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