RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In honor of National “Collect Rocks” Day, here’s a look at the wide variety of minerals — such as crystals and precious metals — that can be found across Central Virginia.
Sept. 16 is National “Collect Rocks” Day. For geology buffs, Virginia is a great destination, as quite a few varieties of minerals have been discovered in the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Department of Energy has a list of minerals that have been found in the state and documented. On the whole, the department says amazonite, calcite, epidote, feldspar, garnet, gold, hematite, kyanite, mica, pyrite, quartz and staurolite are Virginia’s most abundant minerals .
This Virginia Minerals guide , which is dated Feb. 1987, may not reflect the most up-to-date information. It may also include outdated locations or locations that are closed to mineral collection — so anyone looking to collect samples in any of the places listed below should verify that this is both possible and legal before visiting.