Missouri has 5,957 records of mines listed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Quick Facts
- 5,957 USGS records of mines in Missouri.
- Lead , Zinc , Iron , Copper , and Barium-Barite mines located in Missouri. See All
Top Counties
by Total Mines
- Newton (1,529 Total Mines)
- Jasper (1,152 Total Mines)
- Wayne (366 Total Mines)
- Lawrence (347 Total Mines)
- Crawford (216 Total Mines)
- Madison (190 Total Mines)
- Jefferson (180 Total Mines)
- Washington (176 Total Mines)
- Howell (149 Total Mines)
- Miller (126 Total Mines)
Missouri Mine Locations
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© The Diggings™
Historic Mining Records (USGS)
Missouri has 5,957 identified mines listed in The Diggings™. The most commonly listed primary commodities in Missouri mines are Lead , Zinc , and Iron . At the time these mines were surveyed, 174 mines in Missouri were observed to have ore mineralization in an outcrop, shallow pit, or isolated drill hole—known as an occurance mine.1 Missouri has 305 prospect mines.2 5,459 mines were in production at the time the data was entered into USGS records. Newton, Jasper, and Wayne are the with the most mines.
Quick USGS Facts
- 5,957 records of mines in Missouri.
- 305 records of prospects
- 174 records of mineral occurrences of observable ore mineralization.
- 19 records of mining plants
- 5,459 records of mineral producers
Mines By County
In Missouri
| Total | Authorized Countiess |
|---|---|
| Newton | 1529 |
| Jasper | 1152 |
| Wayne | 366 |
| Lawrence | 347 |
| Other | 2563 |
1 Grade, tonnage, and extent of mineralization for such mines are unspecified.
2 Such mines have some degree of development such as surface trenching, adits, shafts, drill holes, geophysics, geochemistry, or geological mapping to estimate grade and tonnage.
Popular Public Lands & Regions
in Missouri
Land TypeTotal ClaimsActive ClaimsClosed ClaimsActive AcresTotal MinesProspectsOccurrencesPlantsProducers
Mark Twain National Forest
National Forests
0
0
0
0
573
95
47
4
427
Ozark National Scenic Riverway
National Parks
0
0
0
0
8
4
2
0
2
Rockpile Mountain Wilderness
Wilderness Areas
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
3
Hercules-Glades Wilderness
Wilderness Areas
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
2
Irish Wilderness
Wilderness Areas
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
0
1
Bell Mountain Wilderness
Wilderness Areas
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
Devils Backbone Wilderness
Wilderness Areas
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
Top Mining Districts
in Missouri
StateTotal ClaimsActive ClaimsClosed ClaimsActive AcresTotal MinesProspectsOccurrencesPlantsProducers
Tri State-Joplin Mining District
Missouri
0
0
0
0
1,870
0
1
1
1,868
Central Missouri Mining District
Missouri
0
0
0
0
424
14
0
0
410
Tri State-Granby Mining District
Missouri
0
0
0
0
365
0
1
0
364
Tri State-Redings Mill Mining District
Missouri
0
0
0
0
249
0
0
0
249
Aurora Mining District
Missouri
0
0
0
0
238
0
1
0
237
Flat River-Old Lead Belt Mining District
Missouri
0
0
0
0
166
1
1
1
163
Missouri Brown Iron Belt-Williamsville Area
Missouri
0
0
0
0
116
27
10
0
79
Meramec River Area
Missouri
0
0
0
0
109
0
1
0
108
Tri State-Carthage Mining District
Missouri
0
0
0
0
74
0
0
0
74
Mine La Motte-Fredericktown Mining District
Missouri
0
0
0
0
73
2
1
0
70
Popular Towns, Cities, Etc.
in Missouri
CountyStateTotal ClaimsActive ClaimsClosed ClaimsActive AcresTotal MinesProspectsOccurrencesPlantsProducers
Butterfield
Barry
Missouri
4
0
4
0
408
19
1
0
388
Cassville
Barry
Missouri
4
0
4
0
310
8
1
0
301
Shell Knob
Barry
Missouri
4
0
4
0
232
6
2
0
224
Exeter
Barry
Missouri
4
0
4
0
121
8
0
0
113
Washburn
Barry
Missouri
4
0
4
0
35
5
0
0
30
Emerald Beach
Barry
Missouri
4
0
4
0
33
5
2
0
26
Arrow Point
Barry
Missouri
4
0
4
0
28
5
2
0
21
Seligman
Barry
Missouri
4
0
4
0
27
5
0
0
22
Chain-O-Lakes
Barry
Missouri
4
0
4
0
26
4
2
0
20
Eagle Rock
Barry
Missouri
4
0
4
0
25
3
1
0
21
Mining Claim News From The Diggings™
Learn more about the Bureau of Land Management, Public Land Survey System, and mining claims.
-
Understanding Claim Ownership
We receive lots of emails from people who find their name or a relative’s name on our site and want to know if this means they have some right to the land listed under that name.
-
Understanding BLM Administrative Areas
Whether it is filing a mine or researching one, the administering BLM office is going to be the definitive source.
-
Understanding Location Data
Mine handled by the Bureau of Land Management are not mapped by latitude and longitude, instead, these mines harken back to the Public Land Survey System.
-
Understanding Townships
A “township” can refer to two different things. Both are part of the PLSS measurement system but have different uses.
