The General Assembly of 1978 designated granite as the official State Rock of North Carolina. Granite is an intrusive igneous rock and is found in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge provinces. There are various types of granite found in North Carolina including:

• Mt. Airy granite (Surry County) - a white to light gray biotite granite known for its uniform texture
• Balfour pink granite (Rowan County) - a rose to pink colored granite that is referred to as "Salisbury pink"
• Gabbro (Rowan County) - a gray to black granite often called "black granite" and is used for monuments
• Obicular diorite (Davie County) - a unique granite featuring green nodules of hornblende in a white feldspar matrix
• Lilesville granite (Anson County) - a dark colored granite with coarse texture
• Rolesville granite (Wake County) - a granite of the Rolesville batholith, the largest body of granite in the southern Appalachian region

In 2011, the North Carolina State Assembly designated gold as the official State Mineral. The first major gold discovery in the U.S. happened in Cabarrus County in 1799. North Carolina was the first gold-producing state and continued gold production from 1803-1828 until the California Gold Rush in 1849. You can learn more about the history of gold in North Carolina by viewing our interactive Storymap called North Carolina Gold.

In 1973, the NC General Assembly recognized the emerald as the official State Precious Stone. North Carolina is the only state with significant emerald deposits which occur in Alexander and Mitchell Counties. Emeralds are a variety of the mineral beryl. North Carolina is also known as a producer of Hiddenite (rare, green gemstone from Alexander County) and Rubies and Sapphires found in Macon County.

The fossilized teeth of the megalodon shark were designated as the State Fossil of North Carolina in 2013. C. megalodon were the largest sharks known to exist on Earth. They dominated Earth's oceans until their extinction 3.6 million years ago. Their teeth, which can be as large as seven inches long, can sometimes be found along North Carolina's beaches.

The highest elevation in North Carolina is Mount Mitchell, at a height of 6,684 feet (2,037 meters) above sea level. It's the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. Mount Mitchell is located in the Black Mountain range of the southern Appalachians. Elisha Mitchell, geography professor at the University of North Carolina, was the first person to scientifically study Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountain range in the 1830s and 1840s.

The North Carolina Geological Survey will provide rock and mineral identification, without charge, for samples sent to our offices. The NCGS does not provide chemical analyses or assays of samples sent to our offices. Samples should be securely packaged with a brief description of where the specimen was found and collected. Include your name, address, email address, and phone number to facilitate a response. Samples can be sent to the State Geologist, Dwain Veach, at 512 N. Salisbury Street, 5th Floor, Raleigh NC 27604. Prior to sending samples, please reach out to Mike Medina at 919-707-9203.

The North Carolina Board for Licensing of Geologists is responsible for regulating the public practice of geology in North Carolina.  You can find all the information about geology licensure on the Licensing Board website.