WRIC 8 News reported that Central Virginia has a wide variety of minerals. Monday, September 16, was National “Collect Rocks” Day.
The Virginia Department of Energy says amazonite, calcite, epidote, feldspar, garnet, gold, hematite, kyanite, mica, pyrite, quartz, and staurolite are Virginia’s most abundant minerals.
Below is an alphabetical list of Central Virginia locations and their minerals.
Albemarle County
A variety of minerals have been found in Albemarle. This includes apatite, dolomite, talc, fluorite, pyrite, quartz, magnetite, and malachite.
Amelia County
Minerals in Amelia County include muscovite, quartz, rose quartz, tourmaline, topaz, zircon, apatite, cleavelandite, fluorite, amazonite, and rutile.
Buckingham County
Minerals found in Buckingham include azurite, epidote, malachite, pyrite, quartz, placer gold, gold, silver, covellite, tourmaline, hematite, kyanite, lazulite, and iridescent limonite.
Caroline County
Three different minerals found in Caroline include beryl, garnet, and tourmaline.