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

Buffalo Gap Mines + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Raphine Bauxite & Kaolin (Occurrence)Lofton Bauxite & Kaolin (Prospect)Unnamed Mine (Past Producer)Newport Kaolin & Bauxite + 2 more nearby (Occurrence)Unnamed Prospect (Prospect)Mccomb Farm Occurance (Occurrence)Earhart Prospect + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Clarence Wilfong Tract Prospect (Occurrence)Black Rock Mine (Past Producer)Vesuvius Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Lofton Mine (Past Producer)Blue Bank Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)West Staunton Prospect (Prospect)Crozier Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Shields Mine (Past Producer)Pulaski Mine (Past Producer)Quarry (Past Producer)Shields Mine (Past Producer)Lyndhurst-Vesuvius (Past Producer)Mn Hollow Workings + 3 more nearby (Past Producer)Black Shaft Mine (Prospect)Lyndhurst Mine (Past Producer)Ore Bank Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Johns Run Prospect (Prospect)Kennedy Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Mt. Torry Tract (Past Producer)Fishersville Mine (Past Producer)Mount Torry Mine Lyndhurst-Vesuv (Past Producer)Crooks Run Prospect (Unknown)Lyndhurst Mine (Past Producer)Miller Knob Prospect (Occurrence)Inch Branch Prospect + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Hermitage Prospect (Occurrence)Rose Cliff Mountain Orchard Prospec (Prospect)Robinson Hollow Prospect (Past Producer)Anthony Tract (Occurrence)Steele Run Prospect (Occurrence)U.S. Highway 250 Prospect (Occurrence)Watt Mine (Past Producer)Ramsey Mountain Prospects + 4 more nearby (Occurrence)Meadow Run Prospect (Occurrence)Crimora Mine + 3 more nearby (Past Producer)Old Dominion Mine (Past Producer)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
44 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. 1 site(s) with USGS coordinates outside the outline are not pinned. County outline: US Census Bureau cartographic boundary file (2023). Locations approximate.

Woof’s favorite find

Old Dominion Mine

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Quartz) and 1 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 13 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 Manganese. Minerals mentioned: Quartz. Approx. location 38.133, -78.818. 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?

42
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

14
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

8
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

Limonite 12Psilomelane 9Pyrolusite 7Goethite 6Bauxite 3Manganite 2Kaolinite 2Gibbsite 1Hematite 1Lithiophorite 1Barite 1Wad 1

Commodities

Manganese 24Iron 23Aluminum 5Barium-Barite 2Lead 1Slate 1Dimension 1Kaolin 1Cobalt 1Nickel 1

Sites (first 40)

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Earhart ProspectBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer37.964, -79.199
Lofton Bauxite & KaolinAluminum, ManganeseBauxiteProspect37.953, -79.243
Newport Kaolin & BauxiteAluminumBauxiteOccurrence38.016, -79.227
Raphine Bauxite & KaolinAluminumBauxite, GibbsiteOccurrence37.968, -79.258
Vesuvius MineManganeseGoethite, Hematite, Lithiophorite, Manganite, PyrolusitePast Producer37.912, -79.171
Crozier MineIronGoethite, LimonitePast Producer38.056, -79.126
Hermitage ProspectIronGoethite, LimoniteOccurrence38.142, -78.898
Buffalo Gap MinesIronGoethite, LimonitePast Producer38.176, -79.244
Old Dominion MineManganeseGoethite, Limonite, Psilomelane, PyrolusitePast Producer38.133, -78.818
Crimora MineManganeseGoethite, Manganite, Psilomelane, PyrolusitePast Producer38.140, -78.817
Harris MineAluminumKaolinitePast Producer38.013, -79.225
Allen MineAluminumKaolinitePast Producer38.014, -79.227
Ore Bank MineIronLimonitePast Producer38.347, -79.032
U.S. Highway 250 ProspectIronLimoniteOccurrence38.046, -78.859
Steele Run ProspectIronLimoniteOccurrence38.056, -78.861
Ramsey Mountain South ProspectManganese, IronLimonite, PsilomelaneOccurrence38.081, -78.829
Miller Knob ProspectManganeseLimonite, PsilomelaneOccurrence38.030, -78.916
Inch Branch ProspectManganeseLimonite, PsilomelaneOccurrence38.022, -78.926
Fishersville MineIronLimonite, Psilomelane, PyrolusitePast Producer38.078, -78.975
Lyndhurst-VesuviusManganese, IronLimonite, Psilomelane, Pyrolusite, WadPast Producer37.958, -79.075
Mikes Knob MineManganesePsilomelanePast Producer38.082, -78.843
Augusta MineManganesePsilomelane, PyrolusitePast Producer38.151, -78.800
Ramsey Mountain ProspectsManganesePyrolusiteOccurrence38.088, -78.830
Meadow Run ProspectManganese—Occurrence38.171, -78.815
Robinson Hollow ProspectManganese—Past Producer38.015, -78.932
Lyndhurst MineManganese—Past Producer37.999, -78.943
Mn Hollow WorkingsManganese—Past Producer37.929, -79.094
Mt. Torry TractManganese—Past Producer37.944, -78.998
Kennedy MineManganese—Past Producer37.968, -79.008
Shields MineManganese—Past Producer37.981, -79.076
Blue Bank MineManganese—Past Producer37.930, -79.141
Shields Mine——Past Producer37.969, -79.108
Robinson Hollow Prospect——Past Producer37.995, -78.903
Unnamed MineIron—Past Producer38.179, -79.242
Clarence Wilfong Tract ProspectIron—Occurrence38.301, -79.166
West Staunton ProspectLead—Prospect38.167, -79.119
Black Rock MineIron—Past Producer37.920, -79.163
Black Shaft Mine——Prospect37.988, -79.071
Ramsey Mountain ProspectManganese—Prospect38.088, -78.828
Red Mt. Mine——Past Producer37.934, -79.088

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 10 fossil collection records in Augusta County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Rockbridge County · Nelson County · Albemarle County · Harrisonburg (City) County · Highland County

Virginia mineral guides

Back to all Virginia 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