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

Unnamed Iron Mines + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Franklin Co. Prospect (Occurrence)Saint Rock Iron Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Sheldon Iron Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Unnamed Iron Mine (Occurrence)Franklin Co. Prospect (Occurrence)Unnamed Iron Occurrence (Occurrence)Orange Phelps Mine (Past Producer)Unnamed Talc Occurrence (Occurrence)Berkshire Copper Mine + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)Unnamed Iron Occurrence (Occurrence)Unnamed Iron Occurrence (Occurrence)Joyal Marble Quarry (Past Producer)Unnamed Manganese Prospect (Occurrence)Ledge Mine (Occurrence)Richford Copper Prospect (Occurrence)Montgomery Center Talc Prospect (Occurrence)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
17 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. County outline: US Census Bureau cartographic boundary file (2023). Locations approximate.

Woof’s favorite find

Franklin Co. Prospect

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 2 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Silver) and 5 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as occurrence for Zinc. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Pyrite, Galena, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 44.978, -72.950. 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?

11
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

9
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

1
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

1
Unknown

Status not recorded.

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

Hematite 8Limonite 5Chalcopyrite 3Steatite 3Rhodonite 1Silver 1Galena 1Sphalerite 1Bornite 1Marble 1Calcite 1Magnetite 1

Commodities

Iron 11Copper 3Talc-Soapstone 3Zinc 2Marble 1Dimension 1Lead 1Calcium 1Manganese 1

Sites

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Berkshire Copper MineCopperBornite, ChalcopyritePast Producer44.998, -72.765
Richford Copper ProspectCopperChalcopyriteOccurrence45.008, -72.643
Sheldon Iron MineIronHematitePast Producer44.883, -72.924
Saint Rock Iron MineIronHematitePast Producer44.864, -72.951
Unnamed Iron OccurrenceIronHematiteOccurrence44.946, -72.775
Unnamed Iron MineIronHematiteOccurrence44.733, -72.918
Unnamed Iron OccurrenceIronHematiteOccurrence44.997, -72.811
Unnamed Manganese ProspectIronHematite, RhodoniteOccurrence44.999, -72.706
St Rock Iron MineIronLimonitePast Producer44.865, -72.951
Orange Phelps MineIronLimonitePast Producer44.974, -72.825
Sheldon Iron MineIronLimonitePast Producer44.883, -72.923
Unnamed Iron OccurrenceIronLimonite, HematiteOccurrence45.000, -72.738
Unnamed Iron MinesIronMagnetite, Hematite, LimonitePast Producer44.917, -73.125
Joyal Marble QuarryMarble, DimensionMarble, CalcitePast Producer44.827, -72.732
Franklin Co. ProspectZincSilver, Galena, Chalcopyrite, SphaleriteOccurrence44.978, -72.950
Unnamed Talc OccurrenceTalc-SoapstoneSteatiteOccurrence44.938, -72.818
Ledge MineTalc-SoapstoneSteatiteOccurrence44.841, -72.688
Montgomery Center Talc ProspectTalc-SoapstoneSteatite, TalcOccurrence44.867, -72.634
Franklin Co. ProspectZinc, Lead—Occurrence45.000, -72.908
Berkshire Copper MineCopper—Past Producer44.995, -72.764
Berkshire Mine——Prospect44.993, -72.775
Swanton Lime Works/ Swanton, Vt.Calcium—Unknown44.919, -73.120

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 7 fossil collection records in Franklin County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Orleans County · Lamoille County · Grand Isle County · Chittenden County · Washington County

Vermont mineral guides

Back to all Vermont 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