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

Runion Prospect (Occurrence)Gap Mountain Prospect (Occurrence)Gordon Mine + 2 more nearby (Occurrence)Gap Mt. Prospect (Prospect)Tusing Prospect + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Timberville Mine + 3 more nearby (Past Producer)Bushong Property Prospect (Occurrence)Liberty Furnace Iron Mines (Past Producer)Bowman Prospect (Occurrence)Little Stony Creek Prospect (Occurrence)Threemile Mountain Mines (Past Producer)Bowman Prospect (Prospect)High Head Prospect + 2 more nearby (Occurrence)Yellow Springs Prospect (Prospect)Upper Cedar Creek Mine (Past Producer)Capola Mountain Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Sugar Hill Prospect (Occurrence)Peer, Frank Prospect + 2 more nearby (Occurrence)Orndorff, Mary, Prospect + 4 more nearby (Occurrence)Orndorff, James, Prospect + 5 more nearby (Occurrence)Mccune Prospect + 2 more nearby (Occurrence)Orndorff, Jasper, Prospect + 6 more nearby (Occurrence)Little North Mountain Prospect (Prospect)Scott Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Cameron Prospect (Occurrence)Cameron Prospect (Prospect)Mine Run Prospect + 3 more nearby (Occurrence)Powells Fort Camp Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Philadelphia Mine + 4 more nearby (Past Producer)Chemstoneferrovanadium/Strasburg (Producer)Oregon Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Philadelphia Mine + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)Little Crease Mountain Prospect (Occurrence)Fee Quarry & Mill (Producer)Green Mountain Mine + 2 more nearby (Past Producer)High Peak Prospect + 1 more nearby (Occurrence)Elizabeth Furnace Mines + 1 more nearby (Past Producer)
Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown
37 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. 3 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

Martin 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 Lead. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Pyrite, Galena. Approx. location 38.704, -78.754. 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?

33
Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

29
Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

19
Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

2
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

Pyrolusite 21Limonite 20Psilomelane 19Sphalerite 6Pyrite 5Smithsonite 3Galena 2Manganite 2Chalcopyrite 1Wad 1Hematite 1

Commodities

Iron 31Manganese 29Zinc 10Lead 5Sulfur-Pyrite 3Arsenic 1Mineral Pigments 1Calcium 1

Sites (first 40)

SiteCommodityMinerals recordedStatusApprox. location
Runion ProspectZinc, LeadChalcopyrite, GalenaOccurrence38.751, -78.801
Martin MineLeadGalena, Pyrite, Smithsonite, SphaleritePast Producer38.704, -78.754
Little Stony Creek ProspectMineral PigmentsHematiteOccurrence38.904, -78.659
Little Crease Mountain ProspectIronLimoniteOccurrence38.879, -78.362
High Peak ProspectIronLimoniteOccurrence38.913, -78.334
Green Mountain MineIronLimonitePast Producer38.925, -78.349
Threemile Mountain MinesIronLimonitePast Producer38.878, -78.669
Elizabeth Furnace MinesIronLimonitePast Producer38.931, -78.331
Upper Cedar Creek MineIronLimonitePast Producer38.959, -78.585
Sugar Hill ProspectIronLimoniteOccurrence38.991, -78.548
Capola Mountain MineManganeseLimonite, Manganite, Psilomelane, Pyrolusite, WadPast Producer38.975, -78.562
Yellow Springs ProspectsIronLimonite, PsilomelaneOccurrence38.908, -78.641
Mine Run ProspectIronLimonite, PsilomelaneOccurrence38.887, -78.416
West Bank MineIronLimonite, PsilomelanePast Producer38.978, -78.571
Scott MineIronLimonite, Psilomelane, PyritePast Producer38.964, -78.430
Peer, Cleve, ProspectManganeseLimonite, Psilomelane, PyrolusiteOccurrence38.978, -78.550
Brill ProspectManganeseLimonite, Psilomelane, PyrolusiteOccurrence39.024, -78.505
Cove Run Prospect AManganeseLimonite, Psilomelane, PyrolusiteOccurrence38.979, -78.521
Liberty Furnace Iron MinesIronLimonite, Psilomelane, PyrolusitePast Producer38.903, -78.696
Mudhole Gap ProspectManganese, IronLimonite, Psilomelane, PyrolusiteOccurrence38.916, -78.389
Oregon MineIronLimonite, Psilomelane, PyrolusitePast Producer38.940, -78.357
Duncan Gap ProspectIron, ManganeseLimonite, PyrolusiteOccurrence38.906, -78.399
Orndorff Rhesa A. ProspectIron, ManganeseLimonite, PyrolusiteOccurrence38.999, -78.522
Gap Mountain ProspectManganeseManganite, Psilomelane, PyrolusiteOccurrence38.886, -78.748
Peer, Frank ProspectManganesePsilomelaneOccurrence38.985, -78.540
Orndorff, James, ProspectManganesePsilomelaneOccurrence38.983, -78.539
Orndorff, Ralph, ProspectManganesePsilomelane, PyrolusiteOccurrence38.974, -78.533
High Head ProspectManganesePsilomelane, PyrolusiteOccurrence38.907, -78.647
Godlove MineManganesePsilomelane, PyrolusitePast Producer39.021, -78.506
Bonnet Hill MineManganesePsilomelane, PyrolusitePast Producer39.017, -78.505
Orndorff, Jasper, ProspectManganesePsilomelane, PyrolusiteOccurrence39.019, -78.509
Zirkle ProspectZincPyrite, Smithsonite, SphaleriteOccurrence38.700, -78.728
Tusing ProspectZincPyrite, SphaleriteOccurrence38.736, -78.730
Bowman ProspectZincPyrite, SphaleriteOccurrence38.749, -78.678
Mccune ProspectManganesePyrolusiteOccurrence39.026, -78.501
Powells Fort Camp MineManganesePyrolusitePast Producer38.920, -78.385
Orndorff, R.L., ProspectManganesePyrolusiteOccurrence38.987, -78.524
Orndorff, Mary, ProspectManganesePyrolusiteOccurrence38.988, -78.534
Philadelphia MineManganesePyrolusitePast Producer38.916, -78.385
Cameron ProspectManganesePyrolusiteOccurrence38.867, -78.443

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 37 fossil collection records in Shenandoah County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Frederick County · Warren County · Rappahannock County · Page County · Clarke 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