Virginia has 2,275 records of mines listed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Quick Facts
- 2,275 USGS records of mines in Virginia.
- Iron , Manganese , Gold , Copper , and Zinc mines located in Virginia. See All
Top Counties
by Total Mines
- Wythe (206 Total Mines)
- Smyth (143 Total Mines)
- Campbell (136 Total Mines)
- Carroll (123 Total Mines)
- Shenandoah (78 Total Mines)
- Amherst (77 Total Mines)
- Louisa (75 Total Mines)
- Botetourt (73 Total Mines)
- Goochland (65 Total Mines)
- Alleghany (63 Total Mines)
Virginia Mines
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© The Diggings™
Historic Mining Records (USGS)
Virginia has 2,275 identified mines listed in The Diggings™. The most commonly listed primary commodities in Virginia mines are Iron , Manganese , and Gold . At the time these mines were surveyed, 631 mines in Virginia were observed to have ore mineralization in an outcrop, shallow pit, or isolated drill hole—known as an occurance mine.1 Virginia has 477 prospect mines.2 1,155 mines were in production at the time the data was entered into USGS records. Wythe, Smyth, and Campbell are the with the most mines.
Quick USGS Facts
- 2,275 records of mines in Virginia.
- 477 records of prospects
- 631 records of mineral occurrences of observable ore mineralization.
- 12 records of mining plants
- 1,155 records of mineral producers
Mines By County
In Virginia
| Total | Authorized Countiess |
|---|---|
| Wythe | 206 |
| Smyth | 143 |
| Campbell | 136 |
| Carroll | 123 |
| Other | 1667 |
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 Virginia
Land TypeTotal ClaimsActive ClaimsClosed ClaimsActive AcresTotal MinesProspectsOccurrencesPlantsProducers
Jefferson National Forest
National Forests
0
0
0
0
352
86
79
1
186
George Washington National Forest
National Forests
0
0
0
0
194
28
33
0
133
Shenandoah National Park
National Parks
0
0
0
0
32
9
5
0
18
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
National Parks
0
0
0
0
13
2
3
0
8
Shenandoah Wilderness
Wilderness Areas
0
0
0
0
12
3
2
0
7
Blue Ridge Parkway
National Parks
0
0
0
0
6
2
1
0
3
Saint Mary's Wilderness
Wilderness Areas
0
0
0
0
6
0
0
0
6
Prince William Forest Park
National Parks
0
0
0
0
5
0
2
0
3
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park
National Parks
0
0
0
0
4
0
2
0
2
Little Dry Run Wilderness
Wilderness Areas
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
4
Top Mining Districts
in Virginia
StateTotal ClaimsActive ClaimsClosed ClaimsActive AcresTotal MinesProspectsOccurrencesPlantsProducers
Virginia Gold Pyrite Belt Mining District
Virginia
0
0
0
0
399
27
85
0
287
James River-Roanoke River Manganese Mining District
Virginia
0
0
0
0
307
54
110
0
143
Gossan Lead Mining District
Virginia
0
0
0
0
122
60
10
0
52
Clifton Forge Iron Mining District
Virginia
0
0
0
0
101
9
5
0
87
Little Fort Valley Area
Virginia
0
0
0
0
86
21
18
1
46
Rye Valley Lead-Zinc Mining District
Virginia
0
0
0
0
69
20
19
0
30
Roanoke-Botetourt Counties Area
Virginia
0
0
0
0
63
10
9
1
43
Elkton Area
Virginia
0
0
0
0
60
5
7
0
48
Virgilina Mining District
Virginia
0
0
0
0
52
2
36
0
14
Cedar Creek Valley Mining District
Virginia
0
0
0
0
48
16
20
0
12
Popular Towns, Cities, Etc.
in Virginia
CountyStateTotal ClaimsActive ClaimsClosed ClaimsActive AcresTotal MinesProspectsOccurrencesPlantsProducers
Wytheville
Wythe
Virginia
0
0
0
0
474
163
125
1
185
Cripple Creek
Wythe
Virginia
0
0
0
0
468
168
125
1
174
Kent
Wythe
Virginia
0
0
0
0
442
151
109
1
181
Crockett
Wythe
Virginia
0
0
0
0
432
145
132
1
154
Ivanhoe
Wythe
Virginia
0
0
0
0
408
145
102
1
160
Stevens Creek
Grayson
Virginia
0
0
0
0
408
148
103
1
156
Max Meadows
Wythe
Virginia
0
0
0
0
404
143
96
1
164
Fries
Grayson
Virginia
0
0
0
0
397
147
99
1
150
Austinville
Wythe
Virginia
0
0
0
0
391
140
90
1
160
Independence
Grayson
Virginia
0
0
0
0
389
139
118
1
131
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.
