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

M.L. Harrison Tract (Prospect)Wyrick Prospect + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)No Business Creek Prospect + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)Hare Mine + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)R P Thompson Prospect + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Flat Top Prospect (Prospect)Linkous and Shumate Prospect (Prospect)Stowe Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Chestnut Flat Mine (Occurrence)Mill Creek Cuts (Past Producer)Rich Creek Mine (Occurrence)Eaton Prospect + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Short Mountain Prospect (Past Producer)Porterfield Mine (Occurrence)Foote Mineral Co. Mill + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Kimballton Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Pembroke Prospect (Occurrence)Simpkins Prospect (Prospect)Butt Mountain Prospect (Past Producer)Snidow Prospect (Prospect)Simpkins Prospect (Occurrence)Interior Mine + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Collins Prospect (Prospect)Epling Mine (Past Producer)Hoge-Laing Prospect + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Epling Moses Voight Gillespie (Past Producer)Herron Prospect (Occurrence)Laing Prospect (Past Producer)Price Prospect (Past Producer)Laing Prospect, Gusler Mines + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
30 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. 2 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

M.L. Harrison Tract

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Quartz) and 1 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as prospect. Minerals mentioned: Quartz. Approx. location 37.279, -80.993. 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?

21
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

11
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

11
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

1
Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

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 1

Commodities

Manganese 15Iron 11Calcium 2

Sites (first 40)

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Hare MineIronLimonitePast Producer37.296, -80.916
Chestnut Flat MineIron—Occurrence37.275, -80.841
Eaton ProspectManganese—Occurrence37.243, -80.741
Porterfield MineIron—Occurrence37.307, -80.702
Pembroke ProspectManganese—Occurrence37.311, -80.654
Interior MineIron—Occurrence37.426, -80.596
Simpkins ProspectIron—Occurrence37.425, -80.608
Rich Creek MineManganese—Occurrence37.367, -80.800
Kimballton MineCalcium—Past Producer37.338, -80.657
Epling MineManganese—Past Producer37.269, -80.575
Hoge-Laing ProspectManganese—Past Producer37.363, -80.560
Stowe MineManganese—Past Producer37.311, -80.862
No Business Creek ProspectManganese—Past Producer37.233, -80.939
Laing Prospect, Gusler MinesManganese—Past Producer37.318, -80.466
Mill Creek CutsManganese—Past Producer37.273, -80.845
Herron ProspectManganese—Occurrence37.348, -80.516
Wyrick Prospect——Past Producer37.227, -80.950
Laing Prospect——Past Producer37.311, -80.484
Beamer Prospect——Prospect37.298, -80.911
Eaton Property——Occurrence37.242, -80.740
R P Thompson ProspectManganese—Occurrence37.214, -80.917
Flat Top ProspectIron—Prospect37.228, -80.896
Johnson Prospect——Past Producer37.219, -80.916
Price ProspectIron—Past Producer37.301, -80.503
Carrie Prospect——Past Producer37.323, -80.466
No Business Creek ProspectManganese—Prospect37.238, -80.924
Foote Mineral Co. MillIron—Past Producer37.365, -80.678
Denison Prospect——Prospect37.361, -80.443
Hare Prospect——Prospect37.292, -80.920
M.L. Harrison Tract——Prospect37.279, -80.993
Collins ProspectManganese—Prospect37.410, -80.602
Epling Moses Voight Gillespie——Past Producer37.279, -80.559
Graham Property OccuranceManganese—Occurrence37.223, -80.958
Kimballton Mine & MillCalcium—Producer37.338, -80.657
Morris Prospect——Past Producer37.233, -80.943
Short Mountain Prospect——Past Producer37.371, -80.720
Silver Creek Mine——Past Producer37.233, -80.928
Snidow ProspectManganese—Prospect37.325, -80.641
Stowe Mine——Past Producer37.318, -80.871
Linkous and Shumate Prospect——Prospect37.326, -80.864

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 82 fossil collection records in Giles County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Montgomery County · Bland County · Pulaski County · Craig County · Wythe 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