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.

Best regions by county

Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.

  1. Pocahontas County: 31 sites; most recorded: Hematite, Limonite
  2. Hardy County: 28 sites; most recorded: Hematite, Limonite
  3. Monroe County: 26 sites
  4. Pendleton County: 25 sites; most recorded: Calcite
  5. Greenbrier County: 18 sites; most recorded: Limonite

Top minerals

  • Hematite: 7 sites
  • Limonite: 5 sites
  • Calcite: 1 sites

Mineral cards

  • Quartz

    Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat

    4 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 most often recorded

Hematite 7Limonite 5Calcite 1

Counties

CountySites
Pocahontas County31
Hardy County28
Monroe County26
Pendleton County25
Greenbrier County18
Jefferson County7
Grant County5
Hampshire County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)4
Mineral County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Kanawha County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Preston County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Hancock County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Mason County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Jackson County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Mercer County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Upshur County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Logan County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Raleigh County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Harrison County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Cabell County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Marion County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Lewis County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Fayette County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Barbour County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Wood County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Webster County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1

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