RockWoofBest regions by county
Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.
- Iowa County: 468 sites; most recorded: Sphalerite, Galena, Chalcopyrite
- Lafayette County: 337 sites; most recorded: Sphalerite, Galena, Barite
- Grant County: 158 sites; most recorded: Sphalerite, Galena
- Douglas County: 36 sites; most recorded: Copper, Malachite, Chalcopyrite
- Polk County: 30 sites
Top minerals
- Sphalerite: 312 sites
- Galena: 20 sites
- Hematite: 19 sites
- Magnetite: 15 sites
- Goethite: 15 sites
- Chalcopyrite: 12 sites
- Pyrrhotite: 9 sites
- Copper: 9 sites
Mineral cards
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
340 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
330 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
158 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
26 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
23 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
14 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
14 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
3 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
2 sites
Tourmaline
Mohs 7–7.5. Long striated crystals, often black (schorl) or green and pink (elbaite). Mindat
1 site
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals most often recorded
Sphalerite 312Galena 20Hematite 19Magnetite 15Goethite 15Chalcopyrite 12Pyrrhotite 9Copper 9Pyrite 6Silver 4Chalcocite 4Gold 4Counties
| County | Sites |
|---|---|
| Iowa County | 468 |
| Lafayette County | 337 |
| Grant County | 158 |
| Douglas County | 36 |
| Polk County | 30 |
| Iron County | 28 |
| Bayfield County | 25 |
| Ashland County | 14 |
| Florence County | 11 |
| Marathon County | 10 |
| Sauk County | 10 |
| Jackson County | 6 |
| Dodge County | 6 |
| Oneida County | 5 |
| Marinette County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Lincoln County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Crawford County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
| Rusk County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Forest County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Manitowoc County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 3 |
| Taylor County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Price County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Burnett County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Vernon County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Green County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Dane County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Pierce County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Milwaukee County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 2 |
| Vilas County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Washburn County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Sawyer County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Fond du Lac County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Pepin County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Clark County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Marquette County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Kenosha County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Brown County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Wood County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
| Door County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 1 |
Mineral guides
- Quartz in Wisconsin (330)
- Gold in Wisconsin (14)
- Magnetite in Wisconsin (23)
- Pyrite in Wisconsin (340)
- Galena in Wisconsin (26)
- Copper in Wisconsin (158)
- Silver in Wisconsin (14)
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