RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Buck Mountain Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 4 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, 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 Gold, Silver. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Mica, Pyrite, Fluorite, Silver. Approx. location 37.746, -79.242. 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 not recorded.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
11 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
10 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
8 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
5 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
4 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
3 sites
Agate
Mohs 6.5–7. Banded, translucent chalcedony. Mindat
2 sites
Tourmaline
Mohs 7–7.5. Long striated crystals, often black (schorl) or green and pink (elbaite). Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Apatite 6Ilmenite 6Hematite 6Magnetite 5Rutile 3Bornite 2Chalcocite 2Chalcopyrite 2Chrysocolla 2Covellite 2Malachite 2Allanite 1Commodities
Iron 50Titanium 10Copper 8Metal 6Mineral Pigments 6Phosphorus-Phosphates 6Manganese 5Granite 3REE 2Slate 1Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Friar Mountain Mine | REE | Allanite, Fergusonite, Microcline | Past Producer | 37.767, -79.100 |
| Burley Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Anatase, Apatite, Ilmenite, Rutile | Occurrence | 37.622, -79.126 |
| Buffalo River Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.664, -79.173 |
| Smith Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.669, -79.105 |
| Gillespy Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.611, -79.144 |
| American Cyanimid Wood Pit | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite, Rutile | Past Producer | 37.709, -79.070 |
| U.S. Titanium Co. Mine | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite, Rutile | Past Producer | 37.705, -79.023 |
| Folly Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Covellite, Malachite | Past Producer | 37.561, -78.968 |
| Christian Tract Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Covellite, Malachite | Past Producer | 37.512, -79.010 |
| Riverville Hematite Mines | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.540, -78.901 |
| Unnamed Tunnels, Open Cuts & Shafts | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.542, -78.887 |
| Lewis Tunnel and Price Shaft | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.597, -78.847 |
| Canal Tunnel Hematite Magnetite Prospect | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.531, -78.900 |
| Riverville Hematite Mines | Iron | Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 37.532, -78.910 |
| Round Mountain Hematite Mines | Iron | Hematite, Martite | Past Producer | 37.471, -79.008 |
| Christian Mn-Fe Prospect | Manganese, Iron | Psilomelane | Occurrence | 37.519, -78.923 |
| Lynchburg | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.500, -78.916 |
| Snowden Quarry | Slate, Dimension | — | Past Producer | 37.589, -79.367 |
| Allen's Creek Iron Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.548, -78.884 |
| Riverville Cliff Iron Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.538, -78.895 |
| Riverville Hematite Mines | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.526, -78.911 |
| Lone Pine Hematite Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.457, -79.026 |
| Buck Mountain Mine | Gold, Silver | — | Past Producer | 37.746, -79.242 |
| Maude Hematite Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.480, -79.992 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.538, -78.905 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.524, -78.930 |
| Round Top Mountain Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.468, -79.001 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.486, -78.958 |
| Unnamed Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.534, -78.897 |
| Beulah Tunnel | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.478, -78.989 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.484, -78.961 |
| Unnamed Mine. | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.536, -78.895 |
| Glades Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 37.559, -78.962 |
| Round Top Mountain Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.466, -79.008 |
| Hobson Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 37.561, -78.466 |
| Lathrop Tunnel | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.536, -78.907 |
| Old Glades Road Deposit | Copper | — | Past Producer | 37.546, -78.962 |
| Old Shafts | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.529, -78.918 |
| Stovall Creek Prospect | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.463, -79.006 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.527, -78.906 |
Nearby counties
Appomattox County · Nelson County · Campbell County · Rockbridge 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