Whom do I contact to become a registered geologist in North Carolina?
Contact the North Carolina Board for the Licensing of Geologists. Click
this link "NC BOARD FOR THE LICENSING OF GEOLOGISTS."
How do I get rocks and minerals identified by North Carolina Geological
Survey?
The North Carolina Geological Survey staff will identify rock and mineral
samples sent to its offices without charge. Samples should be securely
packaged with a brief cover note, including the location from which
the rock or mineral sample was collected, requesting this service. The
NCGS does not provide assays or chemical analyses; however, the NCGS
will provide a list of companies providing this service. You should
provide your complete name, address, and telephone number to facilitate
a response.
Click here for "OFFICE DIRECTORY, STAFFING
AND RESPONSIBILITIES."
What is the 'state rock'?
The General Assembly of 1979 designated granite as the official State
rock. North Carolina is blessed with an abundance of granite. When granite
is crushed, it is used as an aggregate for road and building construction.
If granite has the right physical properties, it can be cut into blocks
and used for monuments, curb stone and stone for building facings. The
largest open face granite quarry in the world is located at Mount Airy,
North Carolina.
What is the 'state mineral'?
The General Assembly of 1973 designated the emerald as the official
State precious stone. Emerald is found in North Carolina near Hiddenite
in Alexander County and southwest of Spruce Pine in Mitchell County.
The largest single emerald crystal found in North America was found
at the Rist Mine at Hiddenite in 1969. This crystal weighed 1,438 carats.
The Carolina Emerald, a 13.14 carat, emerald-cut gem, was also found
at the Rist Mine.
What is the state fossil?
Unfortunately, there is no designated State fossil.
What minerals are produced in North Carolina?
North Carolina has important deposits of many minerals and annually
leads the nation in the production of feldspar, lithium minerals, scrap
mica, olivine and pyrophyllite. The state ranks first in phosphate rock
production and ranks in the top five in clay and crushed granite production.
North Carolina does not produce significant quantities of metallic minerals.
There is no coal, or oil and gas production, nor coal-bed methane
production.
Click here
for additional information about minerals produced in North Carolina and
the locations in that state where these minerals are produced. Some of
these files require Adobe Acrobat. The following section provides recent
mineral production information.
Where can I find information about mineral production from North
Carolina?
Information about North Carolina's mineral production can be obtained
from the annual
state mineral chapter (.pdf format) published by the U.S. Geological
Survey in collaboration with the North Carolina Geological Survey. Past
production history for a number of years is also available in .pdf formt. A
list of active
and inactive permitted mines (MS Excel and tab delimited ASCII
format) in North Carolina contains addresses and contact
information.
Mr. Arnold Tanner is the U.S. Geological Survey contact for additional
information. His telephone number is 703.648.4758; the facsimile number
is 703.648.4934. His e-mail address is: atanner@usgs.gov.
The URL is http://minerals.er.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/state/
Additional information is available from MINES FaxBack at 703.648.4999.
This facsimile service requires a touch-tone handset on a facsimile
machine. Available data include domestic and
international commodity information.
Whom do I contact about getting a mining permit?
In order to comply with the Mining Act of 1971 (Act), interested parties
should contact the State Mining
Specialist, Land Quality Section of
the Division of Land Resources. The address is State Mining Specialist,
Division of Land Resources, 1612 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1612.
The telephone number is 919.733.4574.
The Act covers all persons or firms involved in any activity or process
that:
- results in the breaking of the surface soil in order to remove minerals
or removal of minerals, soils and other solid matter from its original
location; or,
- involves preparation, washing, cleaning or other treatment of minerals
or other solid matter to make them suitable for commercial, industrial
or construction use. Such operations can range from large stone quarries
to borrow pits.
There are specific exemptions from the Act. Further information is
available from the Division of Land Resources' State
Mining Specialist.
Whom do I contact about getting an oil or gas drilling permit?
Initial contact should be made to the North Carolina Geological Survey's
Chief Geologist (refer to Home page). Interested parties should request
an application package. Further details should be requested from the
Geologist-in-Charge of the NC Geological Survey's Coastal Plain Office.
The Director of the Division of Land Resources should also be contacted
at: 919.733.3833.
Whom do I contact about air photographs?
The North Carolina Geological Survey sells "over-the-counter":
digital raster graphics of 7.5-minute topographic
maps, and digital orthophoto quarter-quadrangles.
The North Carolina Geological Survey holds several series of aerial
photographs which cover almost 40 years; these are useful for environmental
site assessment evaluations. Contact the NC Geological Survey's Map and Publication Sales office
for further information. A GIS Information page
provides additional information
on using DRGs and DOQQs.
Digital data such as digital line graphs, etc. should be requested
from the Center for Geographic
Information and Analysis. Click here
for "Aerial photography and searched."
Where can I obtain publications of the North Carolina Geological
Survey?
Please see our publication list.
Where can I find information about the geology and minerals of other
states?
The Association of American State Geologists
(AASG) provides links to other state geological
surveys. It has links to federal and professional geological
organizations' Internet sites also.
What is the highest point (elevation) in North Carolina?
Mount Mitchell, at an elevation of 6,684 feet, is the highest peak
of eastern North America. Click here
for a table of highest elevations in each
county.
How many square miles are there in each North Carolina county?
Note: Areas are measured in square miles. Data provided courtesy of
the NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis from the 1990
Tiger Census data.
COUNTY
|
LAND AREA
|
WATER AREA
|
TOTAL AREA
|
|
|
|
|
Alamance
|
430.69
|
4.11
|
434.80
|
Alexander
|
260.33
|
2.97
|
263.29
|
Alleghany
|
234.68
|
0.84
|
235.52
|
Anson
|
531.61
|
5.56
|
537.17
|
Ashe
|
426.16
|
0.65
|
426.81
|
Avery
|
247.02
|
0.20
|
247.22
|
Beaufort
|
827.61
|
130.39
|
958.00
|
Bertie
|
699.24
|
41.98
|
741.21
|
Bladen
|
875.02
|
12.14
|
887.15
|
Brunswick
|
854.90
|
39.18
|
894.08
|
Buncombe
|
656.28
|
3.77
|
660.05
|
Burke
|
506.75
|
8.17
|
514.91
|
Cabarrus
|
364.43
|
0.59
|
365.02
|
Caldwell
|
471.67
|
2.65
|
474.32
|
Camden
|
240.70
|
65.02
|
305.72
|
Carteret
|
531.37
|
532.40
|
1063.77
|
Caswell
|
425.73
|
2.74
|
428.47
|
Catawba
|
399.98
|
13.54
|
413.52
|
Chatham
|
683.08
|
26.10
|
709.18
|
Cherokee
|
455.20
|
11.49
|
466.69
|
Chowan
|
172.64
|
60.68
|
233.32
|
Clay
|
214.71
|
5.90
|
220.60
|
Cleveland
|
464.34
|
3.97
|
468.31
|
Columbus
|
936.84
|
16.80
|
953.64
|
Craven
|
695.55
|
66.26
|
761.81
|
Cumberland
|
653.13
|
5.37
|
658.50
|
Currituck
|
261.71
|
182.03
|
443.73
|
Dare
|
381.67
|
866.62
|
1248.29
|
Davidson
|
552.23
|
14.58
|
566.81
|
Davie
|
265.21
|
1.68
|
266.89
|
Duplin
|
817.83
|
1.32
|
819.15
|
Durham
|
290.63
|
7.49
|
298.11
|
Edgecombe
|
505.06
|
1.54
|
506.61
|
Forsyth
|
409.67
|
3.25
|
412.91
|
Franklin
|
491.59
|
2.55
|
494.14
|
Gaston
|
356.53
|
7.32
|
363.85
|
Gates
|
340.63
|
5.00
|
345.63
|
Graham
|
292.08
|
9.53
|
301.61
|
Granville
|
531.17
|
5.43
|
536.60
|
Greene
|
265.45
|
0.46
|
265.91
|
Guilford
|
650.13
|
7.60
|
657.73
|
Halifax
|
725.44
|
5.53
|
730.97
|
Harnett
|
595.04
|
6.26
|
601.30
|
Haywood
|
553.89
|
0.96
|
554.85
|
Henderson
|
373.84
|
1.01
|
374.85
|
Hertford
|
353.67
|
7.16
|
360.83
|
Hoke
|
391.25
|
1.12
|
392.36
|
Hyde
|
612.82
|
750.19
|
1363.01
|
Iredell
|
574.40
|
19.02
|
593.42
|
Jackson
|
490.58
|
3.78
|
494.36
|
Johnston
|
791.98
|
3.92
|
795.90
|
Jones
|
473.30
|
1.44
|
474.74
|
Lee
|
257.28
|
2.07
|
259.36
|
Lenoir
|
399.87
|
2.24
|
402.11
|
Lincoln
|
298.82
|
8.24
|
307.05
|
Macon
|
441.70
|
4.73
|
446.43
|
Madison
|
516.46
|
2.99
|
519.44
|
Martin
|
449.45
|
2.17
|
451.61
|
McDowell
|
462.59
|
0.31
|
462.90
|
Mecklenburg
|
527.42
|
22.31
|
549.73
|
Mitchell
|
221.47
|
0.68
|
222.15
|
Montgomery
|
491.06
|
10.04
|
501.10
|
Moore
|
698.75
|
7.54
|
706.29
|
Nash
|
540.32
|
2.40
|
542.72
|
New Hanover
|
198.94
|
34.06
|
233.01
|
Northampton
|
536.14
|
14.12
|
550.26
|
Onslow
|
766.87
|
52.60
|
819.47
|
Orange
|
399.79
|
1.36
|
401.15
|
Pamlico
|
336.95
|
229.30
|
566.24
|
Pasquotank
|
226.89
|
62.56
|
289.45
|
Pender
|
870.72
|
10.49
|
881.21
|
Perquimans
|
247.19
|
81.76
|
328.95
|
Person
|
392.34
|
11.76
|
404.10
|
Pitt
|
651.62
|
3.19
|
654.81
|
Polk
|
237.84
|
0.75
|
238.58
|
Randolph
|
787.47
|
2.50
|
789.97
|
Richmond
|
474.04
|
5.60
|
479.64
|
Robeson
|
948.90
|
2.17
|
951.07
|
Rockingham
|
566.47
|
5.88
|
572.35
|
Rowan
|
511.40
|
12.49
|
523.89
|
Rutherford
|
564.22
|
1.76
|
565.98
|
Sampson
|
945.52
|
2.00
|
947.51
|
Scotland
|
319.16
|
1.49
|
320.65
|
Stanly
|
395.10
|
9.20
|
404.30
|
Stokes
|
451.85
|
4.05
|
455.90
|
Surry
|
536.56
|
1.25
|
537.81
|
Swain
|
528.13
|
12.52
|
540.65
|
Transylvania
|
378.36
|
2.21
|
380.57
|
Tyrrell
|
389.93
|
210.38
|
600.31
|
Union
|
637.42
|
2.22
|
639.64
|
Vance
|
253.55
|
16.30
|
269.85
|
Wake
|
833.92
|
23.59
|
857.50
|
Warren
|
428.75
|
15.07
|
443.82
|
Washington
|
347.84
|
76.41
|
424.26
|
Watauga
|
312.56
|
0.20
|
312.76
|
Wayne
|
552.60
|
4.12
|
556.72
|
Wilkes
|
757.22
|
2.74
|
759.96
|
Wilson
|
371.09
|
3.19
|
374.29
|
Yadkin
|
335.61
|
1.91
|
337.53
|
Yancey
|
312.45
|
0.68
|
313.13
|
|
|
|
|
Totals |
48718.05
|
3967.85
|
52685.90
|
Gem
mines, mineral museums, and NC mineral clubs
GEM MINES IN NORTH CAROLINA
(June 2001)
Compiled by Sigrid Ballew
Macon
County has several corundum deposits that were initially worked for
abrasives with gemstones as the byproduct. The mines closed after
the turn of the century, when artificial abrasives replaced corundum.
However, because of a rising interest in mineral collecting, eventually
the deposits were re-examined as a source for ruby, sapphire and garnet.
Today, the Cowee area abounds with mines where the rockhound may search
for corundum and other minerals.
Mitchell County is known for its
emerald, aquamarine and golden beryl deposits. In Alexander County
the collector may find emerald, and hiddenite, a rare form of spodumene.
All mines are open during the
summer daylight hours. Some may remain open year-round, or as weather
permits. Admission fees range from $6.00 to $10.00 for adults. Some
mines charge by the bucket. Because hours, rates, and open days vary,
it is best to contact the mines in advance.
Below is a list of gem mines,
mineral museums, and North Carolina Mineral Club contacts.
(NOTE:
This list is intended as a guide only. It is not an endorsement by
the North Carolina Geological Survey.)
North Carolina Gem
Mines
Mine |
County |
Emerald
Hollow Mine, Hiddenite, NC, telephone: 828.632.3394 |
Alexander |
Reed
Gold Mine, Georgeville, NC, telephone: 704.721.4653 |
Cabarrus |
Old
Pressley Sapphire Mine,
Canton, NC, telephone: 828.648.6320 |
Haywood |
Cherokee
Ruby Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.524.5684 |
Macon |
Cowee
Mountain Ruby Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.369.5271 |
Macon |
Gold
City Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.369.3905 |
Macon |
Jackson
Hole Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.524.5850 |
|
Mason
Mountain Rhodolite and Ruby Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.524.4570 |
Macon |
Mason’s
Ruby and Sapphire Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.369.9742 |
Macon |
Moonstone
Gem Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.524.7764 |
Macon |
Rocky
Face Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.524.3148 |
Macon |
Rose
Creek Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.524.3225 |
Macon |
Sheffield
Ruby Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.369.8383 or 828.524.3456 |
Macon |
The
Old Cardinal Mine, Franklin, telephone: 828.369.7534 |
Macon |
Blue
Ridge Gemstone Mine,
McKinney Mine Road, Little Switzerland, telephone: 828.765.5264 |
Mitchell |
Emerald
Village, telephone: 828.765.6463 |
Mitchell |
Gem
Mountain, telephone: 828.765.6130 |
Mitchell |
Rio
Doce Mine, Highway 226N, telephone: 828.765.2099 |
Mitchell |
Spruce
Pine Gem and Gold Mine, intersection of Blue Ridge Parkway
and Highway 226, telephone: 828.765.7981 |
Mitchell |
Cotton
Patch Gold Mine, New London, NC, telephone: 704.463.5797 |
Stanly |
Greater
Foscoe Gem Mining Company, Foscoe, NC, telephone: 828.963.5928 |
Watauga |
Magic
Mountain Mini Golf and Gem Mine, Boone, NC, telephone: 828.265.4653 |
Watauga |
FOR MORE
INFORMATION CALL:
Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce, 828.524.3161 or 800.336.RUBY
(7829)
Highlands Chamber of Commerce, 828.526.2112
Spruce Pine (Mitchell County) Chamber of Commerce, 800.227.3912
Mineral Museums
- Colburn Gem and Mineral Museum, 2 South Pack Square, Asheville,
NC, 828.254.7162. Open 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday.
June through October also open on Sundays from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Admission is $3.00 for adults, $2.50 for senior citizens, and $2.00
for children age 4 and up. Offers curriculum-matched program to school
groups.
- Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum, 2 West Main Street, Franklin, NC,
828.369.7831. Open May 1 to October 31, Monday through Saturday 10:00
AM to 4:00 PM; Sunday 1:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Admission is free. Offers
special education programs and classes. (Among its attractions, the
museum features a fluorescent room.)
- Mineral & Lapidary Museum of Henderson County, Inc., corner
of Fourth and 400 North Main Street, Hendersonville, NC, 828.698.1977.
Open 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. (Weekdays open to
school groups from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon, by appointment.) Saturdays
open 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission is free.
North Carolina Mineral
Clubs
Aurora
Fossil Club, Aurora, NC, John Everette, President, 919.847.4485,
e-mail: nejde@aol.com |
Henderson County
Gem and Mineral Society, Hendersonville, NC. Contact Margaret
Johnson, 828.692.1249 |
Cape Fear Mineral
& Gem Society, Fayetteville, NC, John Paschal, President,
910.692.6663, email: jpaschal@pinehurst.net |
High Point Mineral
Club, Archdale, NC, Bud Oates, President, 336.431.5062 |
Carolina Faceters
Club, Gastonia, NC. Contact Ron Jones, 704.552.1941 |
Lexington Lapidary
Club, Lexington, NC, Belton Koontz, President, 336.787.3449 |
Catawba Valley
Gem and Mineral Club, Inc., Hickory, NC. Contact Kathleen
Bolick, 828.328.9870. |
North Carolina
Fossil Club, Raleigh, NC. Contact Ramona Krailler, President,
919.460.8725 |
Central North
Carolina Mineral Club, Chapel Hill, NC, Ed Wise President, 919.942.7871,
email: ewise1@nc.rr.com |
Rock
and Mineral Society of Greensboro, NC, Ed Deckert, President,
336.643.7245, email: edeckert@pipeline.com |
Charlotte Gem
and Mineral Club, Charlotte, NC, Marcia Anderson, President, 704.545.8740,
email: maw1214@bellsouth.net |
Rockingham County
Minerals Club, Reidsville, NC, James H. Jones, President, 336/634-0610 |
Clay County Gem
& Minerals Club, Hayesville, NC. Contact B. J. Johnson,
828.389.4118, email: eskie@dnet.net. |
Tarheel Gem and
Mineral Club, Raleigh, NC, Robin Suddaby, President, 919.467.8635,
email: suddaby@mindspring.com |
Forsyth
Gem and Mineral Club, Inc., Winston-Salem, NC, Lowell Baker, President,
336/766-5919
e-mail: baker@ols.net |
The
Southern Appalachian Mineral Society, Inc., Asheville, NC, William
H. Haggard, President, 828.298.4237
e-mail: cccavl@aol.com |
Gaston
County Gem and Mineral Society, Gastonia, NC. Contact Jim
Lynn, 704.866.6903 |
Tri-State
Gem & Mineral Society, Hayesville, NC, President Nancy M.
Powell, 706.632.9707 email: riverofgod30513@mymailstation.com |
Gem
and Mineral Society of Franklin, NC, Inc., Franklin, NC.
For information call
828.369.7831 |
Tri-State
Lapidary Club, Benson, NC, Randolph H. Jones, President, 804.753.2075 |
Greensboro Gem
and Mineral Club, Greensboro, NC, Joseph McGuire, President, 336.288.7452
e-mail: joe_mcguire@prodigy.net |
Western
Piedmont Mineral and Gem Society, Conover, NC, Jerry Hedrick,
President, 818.396.4576 |
SOAPSTONE
From
time to time the North Carolina Geological Survey receives inquiries
about talc and soapstone. Most of these inquires are from individuals
who seek this type of material for carving. Currently there
are no quarries producing talc and/or soapstone in North Carolina.
Talc
is a very soft, greasy feeling, light-colored magnesium silicate mineral.
A dark-gray, greenish-gray, talc-bearing rock that is soft enough
to be readily cut with a knife is called “soapstone.” Soapstone
received its name from the fact that it feels like soap.
This rock is rarely all talc and usually contains additional, varying
proportions of chlorite, mica, and tremolite. The terms
talc and soapstone are commonly used interchangeably.
Hundreds of soapstone
deposits are scattered throughout the Mountains and Piedmont of North
Carolina. The two largest areas of most recent production are
Cherokee and Madison Counties. The white-colored soapstone
deposits of Cherokee County are metamorphosed siliceous magnesium
carbonate rock and occur in the Zman map unit of the 1985 Geologic
Map of North Carolina. Most of the other green- to gray-colored
soapstones are metamorphosed mafic to ultramafic rock and occur
in many other map units of the 1985 Geologic Map of North Carolina,
including PzZu, Ymg, Ybam, Ybgg, Ygg, Zata, Zman, CZam, and CZab.
Since most soapstone
occurrences are on private property, permission to collect must be
obtained from the property owner.
The complete map explanation
is one of several other map images that appear on these pages. You
can view the 1985 Geologic Map of North Carolina through our Internet
site at http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us
Follow these links to the map:
1. From our home page click on "What's New!" -- this takes
you to a page with a blue background.
2. From the list shown on this new page, click on "Reference
Maps from Other State Agencies" -- this takes you to the following
page; click on "Geology -- Interstate Roadside Geology."
3. At this point the image of the 1985 Geologic Map of North Carolina
appears. We recommend selecting the 'Java' option.
4. You can enlarge (+ button), reduce (-) button, or pan (using the
hand-shaped tool).
FURTHER READING
Bentzen, E. H., III, 1975, Laboratory notes on potential western
North Carolina soapstone resources: North Carolina Minerals
Research Laboratory, Laboratory Notes Number 1, 105 p. (This report
is available at nominal charge from the N.C. Minerals Research Laboratory,
180 Coxe Ave., Asheville, N.C. 28801 USA, telephone 828.251.6155;
facsimile 828.251.6381.
Rankin, H. S., 1938, Report of geologic investigation of Carolina
Talc Company mine: TVA, 8 p. (This report is available at nominal
charge from the N.C. Geological Survey, 1612 Mail Service Center,
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612 USA, telephone 919.717.9718.)
Van Horn, E. C., 1948, Talc deposits of the Murphy Marble belt:
North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development, Division
of Mineral Resources Bulletin 56, 54 p. (This report is available
at nominal charge from the N.C. Geological Survey, 1612 Mail Service
Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1612 USA, telephone 919.717.9718.)
For additional information
For additional information contact Dr. Jeff Reid, P.G., 512 North Salisbury
Street, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27699-1612. His telephone number is
919.733.2423 x403. His e-mail is Jeff.Reid@ncmail.net.
|