RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Bowman Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Quartz) and 3 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: Quartz, Pyrite, Copper. Approx. location 36.598, -82.458. 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?
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
A processing plant site.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
3 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
2 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
1 site
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Sphalerite 3Calcite 1Fluorite 1Chalcopyrite 1Pyrite 1Hemimorphite 1Smithsonite 1Commodities
Iron 8Zinc 6Fluorine-Fluorite 3Calcium 1Lead 1Lithium 1Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snowflake Fluorite Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite, Calcium | Calcite, Fluorite | Occurrence | 36.704, -82.509 |
| Bowman Mine | Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 36.598, -82.458 |
| Lane Prospect | Zinc | Hemimorphite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.662, -82.693 |
| Brickey Prospect | Zinc | Sphalerite | Occurrence | 36.797, -82.600 |
| Powers Prospect | — | — | Past Producer | 36.800, -82.455 |
| Houstan Zinc Prospect | Zinc | — | Prospect | 36.662, -82.698 |
| V D Harris Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Prospect | 36.704, -82.508 |
| Cowans Branch Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 36.824, -82.427 |
| C B Haynes Farm Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 36.699, -82.517 |
| Lane Prospect | Iron, Lead, Zinc | — | Occurrence | 36.662, -82.693 |
| Arcadia Prospects | Zinc | — | Past Producer | 36.598, -82.464 |
| Carter Farm Tract Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 36.809, -82.618 |
| Buckners Ridge Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 36.816, -82.595 |
| (Facility) Sunbright Refinery | Lithium | — | Plant | 36.717, -82.800 |
| Snowflake Fluorite Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Occurrence | 36.704, -82.509 |
| Perry Land Prospect | Iron | — | Prospect | 36.698, -82.475 |
| W A Richardson Tract Occurrence | Iron | — | Prospect | 36.716, -82.535 |
| Charles Perry Mine | Iron | — | Past Producer | 36.708, -82.497 |
| Robinson Prospect | — | — | Past Producer | 36.792, -82.500 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 16 fossil collection records in Scott County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Washington County · Wise County · Lee County · Russell County · Smyth 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