RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Colleen Prospect
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 2 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold) and 3 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as occurrence for Gold. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Feldspar. Approx. location 37.712, -78.938. 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.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Was producing when the record was made.
Status not recorded.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
7 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
6 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
6 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
5 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
4 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
3 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
1 site
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Ilmenite 5Gold 3Hematite 3Malachite 2Bornite 2Rutile 2Chalcopyrite 1Pyrite 1Apatite 1Silver 1Limonite 1Commodities
Iron 22Manganese 18Titanium 14Copper 6Metal 5Mineral Pigments 5Phosphorus-Phosphates 5Gold 3Talc-Soapstone 3Feldspar 2Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Rutile Mine | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Apatite, Ilmenite, Rutile | Past Producer | 37.744, -78.974 |
| Dolan Property Prospect | Copper | Bornite, Malachite | Occurrence | 37.705, -78.688 |
| Joe Creek Mine | Copper | Bornite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 37.667, -78.800 |
| Allen Mines | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Past Producer | 37.918, -78.883 |
| Woods Mill Occurrence | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 37.844, -78.823 |
| Colleen Prospect | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 37.712, -78.938 |
| Jacks Hill Mine | Gold, Silver | Gold, Silver | Occurrence | 37.772, -79.065 |
| Bible Ridge Hematite Mine | Iron | Hematite | Past Producer | 37.553, -78.891 |
| Gay Hematite Mine | Iron | Hematite | Past Producer | 37.612, -78.830 |
| Bible Ridge North Hematite Mine | Iron | Hematite, Limonite | Past Producer | 37.558, -78.896 |
| Blue Rock Farm Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.778, -78.973 |
| Boyd Prospect | Mineral Pigments, Titanium, Metal | Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.802, -78.953 |
| Johnson Prospect | Titanium, Metal, Mineral Pigments | Ilmenite | Occurrence | 37.817, -78.939 |
| Giles-Hite Prospect | Mineral Pigments, Titanium, Metal | Ilmenite, Rutile | Occurrence | 37.758, -78.985 |
| Greenway Hematite Mines | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.583, -78.863 |
| Simpson Mine Et Al. | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.687, -78.744 |
| Hancock-Ferguson Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.435, -78.997 |
| Piedmont | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.364, -79.041 |
| Neighbours Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.326, -79.114 |
| Bell Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.297, -79.189 |
| Teates Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.235, -79.283 |
| Lucas Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.126, -79.389 |
| Cabell | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.703, -78.721 |
| Joshua Creek | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.419, -79.016 |
| Mortimer Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.258, -79.233 |
| Bugley Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 37.696, -78.728 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.611, -78.830 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.569, -78.844 |
| Greenway Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.585, -78.862 |
| Greenway Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.583, -78.865 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.551, -78.859 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.609, -78.833 |
| Gay Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 37.613, -78.828 |
| J W Adams Property | Titanium | — | Unknown | 37.740, -78.972 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.720, -78.684 |
| Kimball Tunnel | Iron | — | Past Producer | 37.580, -78.871 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Manganese | — | Prospect | 37.576, -78.837 |
| J D Johnson Deposit | Titanium | — | Prospect | 37.817, -78.939 |
| Cabell Mine | — | — | Past Producer | 37.702, -78.722 |
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | — | Occurrence | 37.674, -78.776 |
Nearby counties
Amherst County · Appomattox County · Buckingham County · Augusta County · Albemarle 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