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

Pat Keith Prospect (Prospect)Pat Keith Prospect (Occurrence)Hall Prospect (Prospect)Osborn Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Helbert Mine + 3 more nearby (Past Producer)South Clinchfield (Producer)Cowan Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Hughes Mine (Past Producer)Hughes Mine (Past Producer)Leonard Mine + 3 more nearby (Past Producer)Meade Mine + 6 more nearby (Past Producer)C A Smith Prospect (Occurrence)Hubbard Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Stump Mine + 5 more nearby (Past Producer)Mcgraw Mine + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)W R Davis Farm Occurrence (Occurrence)Thomas Mine + 4 more nearby (Past Producer)Compton Farm Mine (Past Producer)Whitt Prospect (Prospect)Fletcher Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Clifton Mine (Past Producer)Clifton Mine (Past Producer)Clifton Mines + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
23 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

Osborn Mine

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Fluorite) and 2 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Zinc. Minerals mentioned: Galena, Fluorite. Approx. location 36.799, -82.264. 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?

40
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

5
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

5
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

1
Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

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

Barite 16Limonite 3Pyrite 2Galena 2Sphalerite 2Chalcopyrite 1Malachite 1Hemimorphite 1Smithsonite 1

Commodities

Barium-Barite 38Zinc 5Manganese 3Lead 2Iron 2Bloating Material 1Sulfur 1Fluorine-Fluorite 1

Sites (first 40)

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Meade MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer36.966, -82.021
Honaker MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer36.994, -81.968
Leonard MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer36.945, -82.057
Buckles MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer36.949, -82.054
Cowan MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer36.925, -82.090
Hughes MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer36.937, -82.072
Ward ProspectBarium-BariteBariteProspect36.963, -82.032
Counts MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer37.001, -81.947
Harman MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer37.010, -81.913
Clifton MinesBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer37.038, -81.833
Fletcher MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer37.017, -81.898
Thomas MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer37.013, -81.905
Stump MineBarium-BariteBaritePast Producer36.999, -81.958
Mcgraw MineBarium-BariteBarite, Chalcopyrite, Limonite, Malachite, PyritePast Producer37.002, -81.938
Hubbard MineBarium-BariteBarite, LimonitePast Producer36.989, -81.977
Blumer MineBarium-BariteBarite, Limonite, PyritePast Producer36.966, -82.025
Osborn MineZincGalena, Hemimorphite, Smithsonite, SphaleritePast Producer36.799, -82.264
Pat Keith ProspectZinc, LeadGalena, SphaleriteOccurrence36.817, -82.350
South ClinchfieldBloating Material—Producer36.958, -82.186
Helbert MineManganese—Past Producer36.804, -82.250
Stump MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer36.999, -81.958
Thomas Barite MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer37.013, -81.905
Fortner ProspectManganese—Occurrence36.798, -82.243
Harman MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer37.011, -81.915
Masons Store ProspectZinc—Occurrence36.805, -82.278
Hughes MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer36.937, -82.071
Mead MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer36.968, -82.020
Blumer MineBarium-Barite, Sulfur—Past Producer36.965, -82.025
Osborn MineZinc—Past Producer36.808, -82.240
Whitt Prospect——Prospect37.066, -81.890
Mead MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer36.967, -82.022
Buckles MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer36.948, -82.052
W R Davis Farm OccurrenceIron—Occurrence37.046, -81.923
Hubbard MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer36.987, -81.977
Compton Farm MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer36.999, -81.924
Mcgraw MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer37.001, -81.938
Little River MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer37.013, -81.910
C A Smith ProspectManganese—Occurrence37.062, -81.996
Honaker MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer36.993, -81.968
Leonard MineBarium-Barite—Past Producer36.944, -82.057

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 6 fossil collection records in Russell County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Washington County · Tazewell County · Smyth County · Scott County · Bland 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