Abandoned Mines

Abandoned Mines

This information system forms a World Map of Abandoned Mines all around the USA.  Zoom in/out and click on a “metal dot” of your choice to view the details of the related Abandoned Mine Listed by the USGS.

64,883  Inactive U.S. Metal Mines as of 2012

This map represents inactive metal mining operations across the United States. This map does not include any mines exclusively producing non-metallic minerals (clay, coal, etc.), and does not include any information about the status of reclamation.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) defines these 64,883 sites as “past producers,” that is, “a mine formerly operating that has closed, where the equipment or structures may have been removed or abandoned.”