RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Hightop Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Quartz) and 3 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 Copper. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Pyrite, Copper. Approx. location 38.315, -78.568. 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.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
5 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
2 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
2 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Chalcopyrite 2Copper 2Cuprite 2Malachite 2Bornite 1Chalcocite 1Pyrite 1Commodities
Copper 5Slate 2Dimension 2Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hightop Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Copper, Cuprite, Malachite | Past Producer | 38.315, -78.568 |
| Sims Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Copper, Cuprite, Malachite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 38.391, -78.442 |
| Bray Estate Occurance | Copper | — | Occurrence | 38.297, -78.450 |
| Old Quarry | Slate, Dimension | — | Past Producer | 38.296, -78.386 |
| Piedmont Copper Co. Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 38.398, -78.450 |
| Lydia Quarry | Slate, Dimension | — | Past Producer | 38.344, -78.486 |
| Hightop Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 38.309, -78.564 |
Nearby counties
Madison County · Page County · Rockingham County · Albemarle County · Harrisonburg (City) 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