RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Timberline Tunnel
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 4 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Fluorite, Silver) and 7 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Fluorine-Fluorite. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Pyrite, Galena, Fluorite, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 38.729, -104.910. USGS record.
Ask first: a USGS record doesn’t mean you can visit. Find out who owns the land and get permission before collecting.
Field cards: what kind of sites?
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Was producing when the record was made.
Status not recorded.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
14 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
12 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
12 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
8 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
8 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
7 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
6 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
5 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Fluorite 7Galena 6Sphalerite 6Pyrochlore 3Gold 3Cryolite 3Pyrite 3Columbite 3Zircon 3Hematite 3Chalcopyrite 2Astrophyllite 2Commodities
Fluorine-Fluorite 12Gold 10Uranium 8Thorium 6Silver 6Lead 6Zinc 5Iron 5Gemstone 4REE 3Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Park Area | Beryllium, Gemstone | Amazonstone, Zircon | Producer | 38.832, -104.932 |
| Cheyenne District | Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead, Gold, Silver, Zinc | Astrophyllite, Columbite, Cryolite, Fergusonite, Fluorite, Galena, Pyrochlore, Riebeckite, Sphalerite, Thorite, Topaz, Xenotime, Zircon | Producer | 38.748, -104.912 |
| Stove Mountain Mineral Locality | Gemstone, REE, Fluorine-Fluorite, Beryllium | Astrophyllite, Columbite, Cryolite, Fergusonite, Fluorite, Pyrochlore, Riebeckite, Topaz, Xenotime, Zircon | Producer | 38.776, -104.901 |
| St Peters Dome Area | Niobium (Columbium), Tantalum, REE, Beryllium | Beryl, Pyrochlore | Occurrence | 38.767, -104.917 |
| Mike Doyle Carnotite Deposit | Uranium | Carnotite | Past Producer | 38.682, -104.853 |
| Blair Athol Mine | Copper | Chalcocite | Past Producer | 38.914, -104.884 |
| Cobalt Claims | Copper | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 38.688, -104.894 |
| Timberline Tunnel | Fluorine-Fluorite | Chalcopyrite, Fluorite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.729, -104.910 |
| Blue Bird Mine | Uranium | Columbite | Past Producer | 38.759, -104.896 |
| Eureka Shaft | Fluorine-Fluorite | Cryolite, Fluorite | Past Producer | 38.751, -104.901 |
| Cascade-Ute Pass | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Past Producer | 38.887, -104.966 |
| Duffields Deposit | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.738, -104.909 |
| Mattie B. Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 38.744, -104.910 |
| Green Mountain Falls District | Iron, Manganese | Galena, Goethite, Hematite, Ocher, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Wad | Past Producer | 38.941, -104.990 |
| Iron King Mine | Lead, Gold, Zinc | Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 38.948, -104.972 |
| Unnamed Iron Mine | Iron | Goethite, Hematite | Past Producer | 38.970, -105.028 |
| Alkayo Tunnel | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 38.781, -104.905 |
| North Cheyenne District | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 38.803, -104.901 |
| Manitou District | Gold | Gold | Occurrence | 38.859, -104.948 |
| Talca Gulch Iron Mine | Iron | Hematite, Ocher | Past Producer | 38.957, -105.019 |
| Johnny Feldspar Mine | Feldspar | Microcline, Muscovite, Quartz | Past Producer | 38.669, -104.881 |
| Trail Mines Prospect | Thorium | Thorite | Past Producer | 38.774, -104.915 |
| Dorothy O Claim | Uranium | Uraninite | Occurrence | 38.759, -104.914 |
| Rampart No. 1 Claim | Manganese | Wad | Past Producer | 38.933, -104.995 |
| Park Lodes 1-4 Claims | Tungsten | Wolframite | Occurrence | 38.754, -104.885 |
| Folbre #2 Claim | Uranium | — | Occurrence | 38.569, -104.877 |
| Navajo | Quartz | — | Producer | 38.954, -105.026 |
| Burgess Claim | Uranium | — | Occurrence | 38.994, -104.760 |
| St. Peters Dome No. 1 Mine | Uranium, Thorium | — | Past Producer | 38.757, -104.936 |
| Camp Creek Mine | Silver, Gold | — | Occurrence | 38.926, -104.924 |
| Fountain Creek Magnetite Deposit | Iron | — | Past Producer | 38.676, -104.876 |
| Unnamed Manganese Prospect | Manganese | — | Occurrence | 38.621, -104.905 |
| Twenty One | Thorium | — | Producer | 38.774, -104.896 |
| Trail | Thorium | — | Producer | 38.803, -104.897 |
| Johnny Feldspar Mine | Feldspar | — | Producer | 38.670, -104.874 |
| Timberline Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Past Producer | 38.724, -104.932 |
| Folbre #2 | — | — | Unknown | 38.569, -104.877 |
| Avery | Uranium | — | Past Producer | 38.608, -104.855 |
| Cobalt | Copper | — | Past Producer | 38.688, -104.897 |
| Park Lodes 1-4 Claims | Tungsten | — | Unknown | 38.754, -104.885 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 348 fossil collection records in El Paso County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Teller County · Pueblo County · Douglas County · Fremont County · Elbert County
Colorado mineral guides
- Beryl in Colorado
- Tourmaline in Colorado
- Quartz in Colorado
- Garnet in Colorado
- Gold in Colorado
- Mica in Colorado
Back to all Colorado counties.
How we built this page: we counted named sites in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for this area, left out sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay pits and unnamed sites, grouped them by Census county, and linked every site to its USGS record. We did not visit these sites, and MRDS does not tell you who owns the land or whether collecting is allowed.
Source: USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS). USGS ceased systematic updates to MRDS around 2011, so status and details may be out of date. Each site links to its USGS record.
Updated