Where to Find Pyrite in Minnesota
Minnesota has 6 mapped collecting spots that report pyrite, spread across 4 counties. The largest share sits in Carlton County with 3 spots. 4 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.
Every pyrite spot we track in Minnesota
Best spotCloquetCarlton County, MinnesotaPermission required · Lake Superior Agate, Garnet, Greenalite +4
Best spotHibbing (area 2)Saint Louis County, MinnesotaPublic access · Iron, Agate, Jasper +3
CarltonCarlton County, MinnesotaPublic access · Lake Superior Agate, Garnet, Greenalite +4
Cloquet (area 2)Carlton County, MinnesotaPublic access · Lake Superior Agate, Garnet, Greenalite +4
Bronk QuarryWinona County, MinnesotaPublic access · Calcite, Dolomite, Goethite +3
Pigeon PointCook County, MinnesotaPermission required · Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Pyrite
Standout pyrite spots in Minnesota
Hand-picked from the full list above, 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 pyrite in Minnesota
Ranked by the number of mapped pyrite spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.
Before you go
Read the pyrite identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Pyrite in the encyclopedia.
