RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Presidio Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Silver) and 5 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 2 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 Silver, Lead, Gold, Zinc. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Pyrite, Galena, Silver. Approx. location 29.813, -104.329. 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.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
46 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
18 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
16 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
11 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
9 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
8 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
6 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
3 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Galena 11Sphalerite 10Chalcopyrite 5Anglesite 4Limonite 4Cinnabar 3Fluorite 3Smithsonite 3Malachite 3Pyrite 2Cerargyrite 2Chrysocolla 2Commodities
Lead 47Silver 45Zinc 35Gold 16Manganese 8Fluorine-Fluorite 6Copper 6Uranium 6Mercury 3Molybdenum 3Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Mine | Lead, Silver | Acanthite, Cerargyrite, Limonite | Past Producer | 29.816, -104.387 |
| Burney Mine | Zinc, Fluorine-Fluorite, Silver, Lead | Acanthite, Galena, Malachite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 29.901, -104.512 |
| Presidio Mine | Silver, Lead, Gold, Zinc | Anglesite, Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Covellite, Descloizite, Endlichite, Galena, Hemimorphite, Iron, Plumbojarosite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 29.813, -104.329 |
| Chinati Mine | Silver, Zinc, Lead | Anglesite, Galena, Hemimorphite, Limonite, Smithsonite | Past Producer | 29.810, -104.361 |
| Montezuma Mine | Lead, Zinc, Silver | Anglesite, Galena, Limonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 29.809, -104.364 |
| Perry Mine | Silver, Lead, Zinc, Gold | Anglesite, Jarosite, Limonite, Smithsonite | Past Producer | 29.808, -104.357 |
| Quebec Siding Prospect | Uranium | Carnotite | Occurrence | 30.511, -104.402 |
| Mammoth Prospect | Uranium | Carnotite | Occurrence | 30.447, -104.805 |
| Red Hills Prospect | Copper, Molybdenum | Chalcopyrite, Chalcocite, Sphalerite | Prospect | 29.804, -104.402 |
| Papaloti South Prospect | Molybdenum, Lead, Zinc, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Molybdenite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 29.961, -104.329 |
| Ojo Bonito Prospect | Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 29.975, -104.358 |
| Unnamed Mine | Lead, Silver, Zinc, Gold, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Malachite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 29.429, -103.797 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Copper | Chrysocolla, Malachite | Occurrence | 29.904, -104.570 |
| Whit-Roy Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.343, -103.818 |
| Contrabando Dome Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.319, -103.819 |
| Fresno Mine | Mercury | Cinnabar | Past Producer | 29.344, -103.812 |
| Casa Piedra Deposit | Zeolites | Clinoptilolite | Occurrence | 29.739, -104.042 |
| Unnamed Occurrence | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Occurrence | 29.391, -103.822 |
| Unnamed Occurrence | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Occurrence | 29.455, -103.812 |
| Fluorspar Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead, Zinc, Silver | Fluorite, Galena, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 29.908, -104.506 |
| Carr Mine | Lead, Silver | Galena | Past Producer | 29.804, -104.356 |
| Macdaniel Prospect | Silver, Lead | Galena | Occurrence | 29.799, -104.356 |
| Sullivan Mine | Gold, Silver, Lead | Galena, Lead, Sphalerite, Vanadinite | Past Producer | 29.804, -104.419 |
| San Antonio Mine | Silver, Lead, Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 29.895, -104.477 |
| Unnamed Occurrence | Manganese | Pyrolusite | Occurrence | 30.029, -104.612 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Lead, Zinc, Silver | Smithsonite | Occurrence | 29.436, -103.808 |
| Shely Prospect | Uranium | Tyuyamunite | Occurrence | 30.004, -104.498 |
| Capote Creek Mine | Nitrogen-Nitrates | — | Past Producer | 30.204, -104.576 |
| Unnamed Occurrence | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Occurrence | 29.374, -103.823 |
| Gleim Mine | Silver, Lead | — | Past Producer | 29.799, -104.331 |
| Stauber Mine | Silver, Lead | — | Past Producer | 29.803, -104.347 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Zinc, Lead, Silver | — | Occurrence | 29.806, -104.365 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Lead, Silver | — | Occurrence | 29.799, -104.351 |
| Last Chance Mine | Silver, Lead | — | Past Producer | 29.820, -104.391 |
| Cibolo Prospect | Lead, Silver | — | Occurrence | 29.819, -104.386 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Silver, Lead, Zinc | — | Occurrence | 29.898, -104.489 |
| New Camp Prospect | Silver, Lead, Zinc | — | Occurrence | 29.889, -104.497 |
| Loma Plata Mine | Silver, Lead | — | Past Producer | 30.109, -104.568 |
| Motor Prospect | Silver, Lead, Zinc | — | Occurrence | 29.903, -104.514 |
| Rock House Area Prospects | Silver, Lead, Zinc, Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Occurrence | 29.909, -104.514 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 52 fossil collection records in Presidio County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Brewster County · Jeff Davis County · Hudspeth County · Culberson 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