Where to Find Quartz in Tennessee

Tennessee has 9 mapped collecting spots that report quartz, spread across 8 counties. The largest share sits in Polk County with 2 spots. 8 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

Standout quartz spots in Tennessee

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

Ducktown
Polk County
Ducktown sits on the Copper Basin, a Precambrian massive-sulfide deposit that made it one of the most important copper districts in the Southeast.
Unaka Mountains
Unicoi County
The Unaka Range is the type locality for unakite, the pink-and-green ornamental rock named after these mountains, an intergrowth of pink orthoclase, green epidote, and quartz weathered from the Precambrian basement.
Wayne County
Wayne County
Wayne County's Fort Payne and Mississippian limestones weather to release agatized fossils, gem-grade chert, and flint, and the Buffalo River gravel bars concentrate the harder Buffalo River chert long prized by knappers.

Best counties for quartz in Tennessee

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

Polk County2 spots
Hawkins County1 spot
Monroe County1 spot
Putnam County1 spot
Robertson County1 spot
Sevier County1 spot
Unicoi County1 spot
Wayne County1 spot

Every quartz spot we track in Tennessee

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
GreeneHipshire Hollow Road	Hawkins County	Calcite Celestite Dolomite Fluorite Golden Jasper Pyrite Quartz Barite +2 more	36.4245, -82.9167	Public
Little Tennessee RiverMount Pleasant Road	Monroe County	Quartz	35.5402, -84.0898	Public
CopperhillGrassy Creek Road	Polk County	Azurite Chalcopyrite Garnet Gold Pyrite Malachite Quartz Staurolite +4 more	35.0046, -84.3993	Public
DucktownStansbury Mountain Road	Polk County	Azurite Chalcopyrite Garnet Gold Pyrite Malachite Quartz Staurolite +4 more	35.0325, -84.3655	Public
MontereyLivingston Highway	Putnam County	Calcite Celestite Dolomite Fluorite Quartz	36.1781, -85.2877	Public
SpringfieldBecky Lane	Robertson County	Quartz	36.5172, -86.8983	Public
GatlinburgGrassy Branch Trail	Sevier County	Quartz Gemstones	35.6967, -83.5081	Permission
Unaka MountainsAppalachian Trail	Unicoi County	Epidote Quartz Unakite	36.1102, -82.3815	Public
Wayne CountySouth High Street	Wayne County	Chert Agatized Fossils Flint Quartz	35.3196, -87.7635	Public

Before you go

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

Quartz in Tennessee FAQ

Where can you find quartz in Tennessee?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Polk County, Hawkins County, and Monroe County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many quartz spots are mapped in Tennessee?+

9 spots across 8 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 quartz in Tennessee?+

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. 8 of the 9 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find quartz

More minerals to hunt in Tennessee

Hunt quartz in Tennessee 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.