Where to Find Sphalerite in Tennessee

Tennessee has 8 mapped collecting spots that report sphalerite, spread across 8 counties. The largest share sits in Bradley County with 1 spot. 7 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

Standout sphalerite spots in Tennessee

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

Sweetwater
Monroe County
The Sweetwater district is a Mississippi Valley-type system in the Ordovician Knox Group that was mined for residual barite and carries fluorite, sphalerite, galena, and pyrite at depth.

Best counties for sphalerite in Tennessee

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

Bradley County1 spot
Claiborne County1 spot
Greene County1 spot
Jefferson County1 spot
Monroe County1 spot
Sevier County1 spot
Unicoi County1 spot
Union County1 spot

Every sphalerite spot we track in Tennessee

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
ClevelandOld Chattanooga Pike Southwest	Bradley County	Sphalerite	35.1124, -84.9213	Public
Straight Creek MinesStraight Creek Road	Claiborne County	Galena Sphalerite	36.3892, -83.6427	Public
GreenevilleCedar Avenue	Greene County	Sphalerite	36.1795, -82.8651	Public
Mossy CreekHicks Road	Jefferson County	Calamine Smithsonite Sphalerite	36.1106, -83.4770	Public
SweetwaterSweetwater Vonore Road	Monroe County	Barite Fluorite Sphalerite	35.6058, -84.3866	Permission
Nun's CoveSharp Road	Sevier County	Calcite Chert Barite Sphalerite	35.8722, -83.4156	Public
Bumpus Cove mining districtBumpus Cove Road	Unicoi County	Anglesite Chalcopyrite Cerussite Hematite Galena Sphalerite	36.1518, -82.4898	Public
New Prospect MineHelms Ferry Road	Union County	Calamine Smithsonite Sphalerite	36.3982, -83.8414	Public

Before you go

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

Sphalerite in Tennessee FAQ

Where can you find sphalerite in Tennessee?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Bradley County, Claiborne County, and Greene County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many sphalerite spots are mapped in Tennessee?+

8 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 sphalerite 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. 7 of the 8 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find sphalerite

More minerals to hunt in Tennessee

Hunt sphalerite 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.