RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Snead Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 5 gem or collectible minerals (Tourmaline, Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Silver) and 9 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Gold. Minerals mentioned: Tourmaline, Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Mica, Feldspar, Pyrite, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 37.780, -78.257. 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?
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
49 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
17 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
10 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
6 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
6 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
5 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
4 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
4 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Gold 19Pyrite 9Sphalerite 2Galena 1Chalcopyrite 1Hemimorphite 1Pyromorphite 1Tetradymite 1Commodities
Gold 46Slate 10Dimension 10Manganese 2Mica 2Iron 1Quartz 1Talc-Soapstone 1Asbestos 1Silver 1Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snead Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Hemimorphite, Pyrite, Pyromorphite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 37.780, -78.257 |
| Page Mine | Gold | Galena, Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.848, -78.227 |
| Cocke Property Prospect | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 37.812, -78.148 |
| Stockton Tunnel Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.861, -78.221 |
| Prospect B Fluvanna Co. | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 37.828, -78.117 |
| Jennings Property Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.836, -78.117 |
| Prospect A Fluvanna Co. | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 37.832, -78.116 |
| Bartlett Place Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.822, -78.146 |
| Marks, Lemuel, Property Prospect | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 37.829, -78.126 |
| Hughes Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.788, -78.287 |
| Fountain Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.821, -78.137 |
| Mosby Mine | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 37.825, -78.130 |
| Mcgloam Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.854, -78.103 |
| Scotia Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.831, -78.113 |
| Shaw Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.862, -78.100 |
| Cassell's Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.838, -78.143 |
| Bowles Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.864, -78.091 |
| Scotia Mine Tellurium Vein | Gold | Gold, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.841, -78.109 |
| Tellurium Mine | Gold | Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tetradymite | Past Producer | 37.844, -78.106 |
| Quarry | Slate, Dimension | — | Past Producer | 37.725, -78.217 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Slate, Dimension | — | Occurrence | 37.739, -78.316 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Manganese | — | Prospect | 37.829, -78.243 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Gold | — | Occurrence | 37.786, -78.144 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.776, -78.278 |
| Mcgloam Mine | Gold | — | Past Producer | 37.857, -78.106 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Gold | — | Occurrence | 37.878, -78.243 |
| Tellurium Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 37.844, -78.104 |
| Mosby Prospect | Gold | — | Prospect | 37.859, -78.097 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Slate, Dimension | — | Occurrence | 37.858, -78.224 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Gold | — | Occurrence | 37.970, -78.324 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Gold | — | Occurrence | 37.793, -78.141 |
| Stockton Tunnel | Gold | — | Occurrence | 37.862, -78.222 |
| Fountain Mine | Gold | — | Past Producer | 37.858, -78.100 |
| Kie Prospect | Slate, Dimension | — | Prospect | 37.799, -78.289 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Quartz | — | Prospect | 37.917, -78.339 |
| Scotia Mine | Gold | — | Past Producer | 37.836, -78.116 |
| Leonard Bugg Farm Prospect | Mica | — | Occurrence | 37.752, -78.394 |
| Snead Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 37.780, -78.256 |
| Solitude Plantation Mine | Talc-Soapstone | — | Past Producer | 37.853, -78.279 |
| Haden Prospect | Mica | — | Prospect | 37.851, -78.277 |
Nearby counties
Goochland County · Cumberland County · Louisa County · Albemarle 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