Cleveland: Sphalerite Rockhounding in Bradley County, Tennessee

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Bradley County

State

Tennessee

Nearest road

Old Chattanooga Pike Southwest

Postcode

37311

Coordinates

35.11244, -84.92133

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

Land & collecting status

Generally open to casual rockhounding

Most public-tagged spots sit on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, or other federal land where reasonable hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed. Confirm posted rules and active mining claims before you dig.

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 Cleveland

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 50°F in winter to 89°F in summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, CLEVELAND FLTR PLT station (10 mi away).

Geology at Cleveland

This spot sits on Knox Group, including Newala Formation, Mascot Dolomite, Kingsport Formation, Longview Dolomite, Chepultepec Dolomite, and Copper Ridge Dolomite, mapped as dolostone and limestone that formed roughly 540 to 445 million years ago. Carbonate rock like this is the classic host for lead, zinc, and fluorite mineralization, which typically follows old cavities and replacement zones.

Mapped unit

Knox Group, including Newala Formation, Mascot Dolomite, Kingsport Formation, Longview Dolomite, Chepultepec Dolomite, and Copper Ridge Dolomite

Age

540–445 Ma (Cambrian to Ordovician)

Rock types

dolostone and limestone

Elevation

940 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.

• Tennessee Division of Geology
• Cherokee National Forest
• Tennessee State Parks rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules