Dark Hollow: Copper Rockhounding in Madison County, Virginia

Quick details

Access

Permission required

County

Madison County

State

Virginia

Nearest road

Rapidan Fire Road

Coordinates

38.51076, -78.42192

Geology at Dark Hollow

This spot sits on Catoctin Formation - Metabasalt, mapped as metabasalt that formed roughly 1000 to 485 million years ago. Copper minerals such as malachite and chrysocolla typically show up where mineralized rock like this has weathered and oxidized near old workings.

Mapped unit

Catoctin Formation - Metabasalt

Age

1000–485 Ma (Neoproterozoic to Cambrian)

Rock types

metabasalt

Elevation

3,500 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.

Best time to visit Dark Hollow

Best months: April to November. Typical highs run 75°F in midsummer and 36°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 19°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, BIG MEADOWS station (1 mi away).

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.

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.

Sources: RockHoundR public spot dataset, app land overlays, and local agency review before each trip.

Found at Dark Hollow

Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.

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