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

Aston Quarry + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)Hill Mine (Past Producer)Virginia Granite Company Quarry + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Stevensburg Quarry (Producer)Culpeper Prospect + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Clay Prospect 3 1/4 Mi. E of Culpepper (Occurrence)Batna Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Shale Prospect (Occurrence)Field's Mine (Past Producer)Richardsville Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Rossin's Mine (Past Producer)Culpeper Mine (Past Producer)Childsburg Prospect (Occurrence)Milbank Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Love Mine + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)Embrey Mine + 3 more nearby (Past Producer)Morgana Mine (Past Producer)Ellis Mine + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)Dry Bottom Prospect + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Smith Tract Mine (Past Producer)Morgana Mine (Past Producer)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
21 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

Ellis Mine

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 2 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold) and 4 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 1 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 Gold, Copper. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Pyrite, Copper. Approx. location 38.413, -77.694. 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?

23
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

7
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

4
Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

2
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

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

Gold 16Chalcopyrite 3Malachite 2Limonite 1Clay 1Sandstone 1Shale 1Kaolin 1Pyrite 1Sericite 1

Commodities

Gold 23Copper 5Granite 5Diatomite 1Iron 1

Sites

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Ellis MineGold, CopperChalcopyrite, GoldPast Producer38.413, -77.694
Culpeper ProspectCopperChalcopyrite, Limonite, MalachiteOccurrence38.434, -77.997
Batna MineCopperChalcopyrite, MalachitePast Producer38.394, -77.894
Clay Prospect 3 1/4 Mi. E of Culpepper—ClayOccurrence38.488, -77.942
Urquhart ProspectGoldGoldOccurrence38.409, -77.697
Smith Tract MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.371, -77.674
Rossin's MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.389, -77.718
Milbank MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.400, -77.700
Hill MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.505, -78.014
Greeley, Horace, MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.381, -77.707
Eagle ProspectGoldGoldOccurrence38.383, -77.705
Childsburg ProspectGoldGoldOccurrence38.416, -77.704
Embrey MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.371, -77.711
Morgana MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.419, -77.677
Dry Bottom ProspectGoldGoldOccurrence38.387, -77.690
Love MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.383, -77.712
Richardsville MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.400, -77.733
Cromarty MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.401, -77.693
Field's MineGoldGoldPast Producer38.420, -77.751
Culpeper MineGoldKaolin, Pyrite, SericitePast Producer38.375, -77.715
Shale Prospect—Sandstone, ShaleOccurrence38.403, -77.867
Aston QuarryGranite—Past Producer38.381, -78.032
Virginia Granite Company QuarryGranite—Past Producer38.388, -78.018
Culpeper MineGranite—Producer38.376, -78.033
Richardsville MineGold—Past Producer38.400, -77.730
Dry Bottom ProspectGold—Prospect38.387, -77.691
Stevensburg Quarry——Producer38.454, -77.983
Aston QuarryGranite—Producer38.381, -78.032
Batna MineCopper—Past Producer38.394, -77.894
Love MineGold—Past Producer38.382, -77.714
Embry MineGold—Past Producer38.373, -77.711
Ellis MineGold—Past Producer38.410, -77.694
Culpeper MineGold—Past Producer38.377, -77.718
Morgana MineDiatomite—Past Producer38.417, -77.666
Virginia Granite Company QuarryGranite—Producer38.388, -78.018
Culpeper ProspectCopper—Prospect38.434, -77.998

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 2 fossil collection records in Culpeper County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Orange County · Stafford County · Fauquier County · Spotsylvania County · Prince William 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