Ringwood: Calcite & Chalcopyrite Rockhounding in Passaic County, New Jersey

Plan your visit

Permission required before collecting

County

Passaic County

State

New Jersey

Nearest road

Peters Mine Road

Coordinates

41.14642, -74.26930

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.

Best time to visit Ringwood

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 83°F in midsummer and 37°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 19°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, WANAQUE RAYMOND DAM station (7 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Ringwood

This spot sits on Quartz-Oligoclase Gneiss, mapped as gneiss that formed roughly 1600 to 1000 million years ago. Metamorphic rock like this weathers into resistant float, and minerals that survive transport typically concentrate in nearby drainages.

Mapped unit

Quartz-Oligoclase Gneiss

Age

1600–1000 Ma (Mesoproterozoic)

Rock types

gneiss

Elevation

550 ft

Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.

Sources & verification

Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.

• New Jersey Geological and Water Survey
• Monmouth County Park System, fossil collecting rules
• Sterling Hill Mining Museum
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules