RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Faber 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 past producer for Lead, Zinc. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Magnetite, Pyrite, Fluorite, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 37.837, -78.706. 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?
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
6 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
3 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
3 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
3 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
2 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
2 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
2 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
2 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Pyrite 2Magnetite 2Gold 1Pyrrhotite 1Malachite 1Barite 1Graphite 1Goethite 1Ilmenite 1Chalcopyrite 1Sphalerite 1Commodities
Iron 11Gold 2Barium-Barite 2Graphite 2Lead 2Zinc 2Slate 2Dimension 2Copper 2Sulfur-Pyrite 1Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culpeper Branch Prospect | Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 38.019, -78.431 |
| Faber Mine | Lead, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.837, -78.706 |
| North Garden Mine | Iron | Goethite, Ilmenite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.943, -78.648 |
| Ivy Creek Prospect | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 37.806, -78.695 |
| Naylor-Bruce Prospect | Graphite | Graphite | Occurrence | 38.201, -78.598 |
| Stony Point Mine | Iron | Malachite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.119, -78.344 |
| Proffit Mine | Sulfur-Pyrite | Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Past Producer | 38.112, -78.427 |
| County Line Branch Prospect | Iron | — | Past Producer | 38.167, -78.319 |
| Red Hill Quarry | Granite | — | Past Producer | 37.959, -78.590 |
| Look Mountain Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.941, -78.649 |
| Cox Quarry | Slate, Dimension | — | Past Producer | 37.982, -78.396 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 38.090, -78.248 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Gemstone | — | Occurrence | 37.985, -78.448 |
| Esmont Quarry | Slate, Dimension | — | Past Producer | 37.829, -78.611 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Barium-Barite | — | Occurrence | 38.019, -78.431 |
| Youngs Farm Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 37.737, -78.654 |
| Unnamed Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 38.168, -78.318 |
| Stony Point Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 38.370, -78.345 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.921, -78.419 |
| Unnamed Mine | Graphite | — | Past Producer | 38.202, -78.599 |
| Faber Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Past Producer | 37.837, -78.706 |
| J.D. Burton Farm | — | — | Occurrence | 37.833, -78.641 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 38.075, -78.261 |
| E J Wright Occurrence | Gold | — | Occurrence | 37.912, -78.636 |
| Ohio Sulphur Mining Co. Mine | Sulfur | — | Past Producer | 38.111, -78.427 |
| Alberene Stone Quarry No 6 | Talc-Soapstone | — | Past Producer | 37.796, -78.689 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 38.121, -78.346 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Lead, Zinc | — | Prospect | 37.882, -78.665 |
Nearby counties
Fluvanna County · Greene County · Goochland County · Nelson County · Buckingham County
Virginia mineral guides
- Beryl in Virginia
- Tourmaline in Virginia
- Quartz in Virginia
- Garnet in Virginia
- Gold in Virginia
- Mica in Virginia
Back to all Virginia 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