Where to Find Marcasite in Minnesota

Minnesota has 5 mapped collecting spots that report marcasite, spread across 3 counties. The largest share sits in Carlton County with 3 spots. 4 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

Standout marcasite spots in Minnesota

Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.

Cloquet
Carlton County
Carlton County is the heart of Minnesota's inland agate country: glaciers dragged Lake Superior agate south and dumped it in the region's thick gravel deposits, and the nearby Moose Lake area is billed as the Agate Capital of the World.
Hibbing (area 2)
Saint Louis County
Hibbing sits on the Mesabi Range, where the 1.9-billion-year-old Biwabik Iron Formation exposes banded iron formation of alternating hematite, magnetite, and goethite layered with red and gray jasper.

Best counties for marcasite in Minnesota

Ranked by the number of mapped marcasite spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.

Every marcasite spot we track in Minnesota

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
CarltonChestnut Avenue	Carlton County	Lake Superior Agate Garnet Greenalite Magnetite Marcasite Minnesotaite Pyrite	46.6640, -92.4249	Public
CloquetReservation Road	Carlton County	Lake Superior Agate Garnet Greenalite Magnetite Marcasite Minnesotaite Pyrite	46.7503, -92.4935	Permission
Cloquet (area 2)Cloquet Avenue	Carlton County	Lake Superior Agate Garnet Greenalite Magnetite Marcasite Minnesotaite Pyrite	46.7217, -92.4613	Public
Hibbing (area 2)	Saint Louis County	Iron Agate Jasper Marcasite Pyrite Goethite	47.4443, -92.9945	Public
Bronk QuarrySeminary Drive	Winona County	Calcite Dolomite Goethite Hematite Marcasite Pyrite	44.0338, -91.7227	Public

Before you go

Read the marcasite identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Marcasite in the encyclopedia.

Marcasite in Minnesota FAQ

Where can you find marcasite in Minnesota?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Carlton County, Saint Louis County, and Winona County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many marcasite spots are mapped in Minnesota?+

5 spots across 3 counties. The RockHoundR app keeps the same spots on an offline map with public land overlays, geology layers, and your saved finds.

Is it legal to collect marcasite in Minnesota?+

Hand collecting of common rocks and minerals in small amounts for personal use is generally allowed on BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are closed to collecting. 4 of the 5 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find marcasite

More minerals to hunt in Minnesota

Hunt marcasite in Minnesota with the map in your pocket

RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.