RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Twin Peaks Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 5 gem or collectible minerals (Tourmaline, Quartz, Gold, Agate, Silver) and 9 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Copper, Lead. Minerals mentioned: Tourmaline, Quartz, Gold, Mica, Agate, Pyrite, Galena, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 44.954, -114.006. 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?
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status not recorded.
Was producing when the record was made.
A processing plant site.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
540 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
355 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
308 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
257 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
220 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
95 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
87 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
56 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Chalcopyrite 134Gold 97Galena 84Malachite 80Thorite 40Monazite 36Sphalerite 30Cobaltite 30Fluorite 27Rutile 24Bornite 23Chalcocite 21Commodities
Gold 413Copper 185Thorium 148Silver 129Lead 109Cobalt 36REE 33Uranium 31Fluorine-Fluorite 30Iron 24Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allanite Occurrence | Thorium | Allanite | Occurrence | 45.160, -114.257 |
| Cago No. 12 Claim | Thorium | Allanite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Monazite, Rutile, Thorite, Xenotime | Past Producer | 44.952, -113.489 |
| H. R. Roberts' Claims | REE | Allanite, Chalcopyrite, Ilmenite, Monazite | Past Producer | 45.414, -114.219 |
| Lee Buck Group | Niobium (Columbium), REE, Thorium | Allanite, Chalcopyrite, Ilmenite, Monazite, Rutile | Occurrence | 45.450, -114.232 |
| Last Chance Prospect | Copper, Thorium | Allanite, Chalcopyrite, Ilmenite, Monazite, Rutile, Xenotime | Prospect | 45.396, -114.073 |
| Kay Claims | Thorium | Allanite, Chalcopyrite, Malachite, Monazite, Rutile, Thorite, Zircon | Occurrence | 44.631, -113.168 |
| Lucky Horseshoe Claim Group | Thorium, REE | Allanite, Chalcopyrite, Monazite, Rutile, Thorite, Xenotime | Prospect | 44.984, -113.496 |
| Radiant Claims | Thorium | Allanite, Ilmenite, Monazite, Rutile | Occurrence | 45.380, -114.078 |
| Mineral Hill | REE, Thorium, Niobium (Columbium) | Allanite, Monazite | Occurrence | 45.433, -114.168 |
| Cardinal Prospect | Phosphorus-Phosphates, Thorium | Allanite, Monazite | Occurrence | 45.421, -114.202 |
| Silver King Claims | REE | Allanite, Monazite | Prospect | 45.449, -114.255 |
| Radiant Mining Co. | REE | Allanite, Monazite | Occurrence | 45.419, -114.169 |
| Lee - Buck No. 4 Claim | Niobium (Columbium), REE, Phosphorus-Phosphates | Allanite, Monazite, Rutile | Occurrence | 45.447, -114.230 |
| Sparky Prospect | Thorium, REE | Allanite, Monazite, Thorite | Occurrence | 44.987, -113.480 |
| Jureano Claims | Thorium | Allanite, Uraninite | Occurrence | 45.161, -114.250 |
| Sunset Mine | Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Antimony, Bismuth, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 44.706, -113.307 |
| Ima Mine | Tungsten, Zinc, Silver | Anglesite, Bornite, Cerargyrite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Cuprite, Galena, Huebnerite, Malachite, Molybdenite, Pyromorphite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 44.533, -113.691 |
| Buckhorn Mine | Manganese, Iron | Anglesite, Boulangerite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Jamesonite, Psilomelane, Pyrargyrite, Pyrolusite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite, Stibnite, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 44.791, -113.466 |
| Broken Hill Mine | Silver, Lead, Copper | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Galena, Malachite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 44.975, -114.541 |
| Silver Star Property | Gold, Lead | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite, Pyromorphite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 45.334, -113.832 |
| Silverton Prospect | Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 45.215, -113.966 |
| Worthing-Kaufman Mine | Lead | Anglesite, Covellite, Galena, Plumbojarosite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 44.232, -112.871 |
| Blue Lead Prospect | Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Galena | Past Producer | 44.764, -113.349 |
| Viola Mine | Lead | Anglesite, Galena, Plumbojarosite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 44.377, -112.348 |
| Maryland Mine | Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Galena, Psilomelane, Pyrolusite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 44.786, -113.444 |
| Elmira Mine | Manganese, Iron | Anglesite, Pyrolusite, Smithsonite | Past Producer | 44.796, -113.473 |
| Haynes-Stellite Mine | Cobalt, Copper | Annabergite, Cobaltite, Smaltite | Past Producer | 45.112, -114.315 |
| Rainbow Claim | — | Aquamarine | Past Producer | 45.106, -114.526 |
| Antimony Lode | Antimony | Barite, Fluorite, Stibnite | Occurrence | 44.832, -114.513 |
| Salmon Bentonite Mine | Bentonite | Bentonite | Past Producer | 45.130, -113.863 |
| Lemhi Valley Bentonite Mine | Bentonite | Bentonite | Past Producer | 45.132, -113.815 |
| Brown Bear Mine | Copper, Cobalt | Bismuth, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Cobaltite, Gold | Past Producer | 45.129, -114.352 |
| Chicago Mine | Cobalt | Bismuth, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Cobaltite, Gold, Safflorite | Past Producer | 45.126, -114.350 |
| Calera Mine | Cobalt, Copper | Bismuth, Chalcopyrite, Cobaltite, Safflorite | Past Producer | 45.126, -114.350 |
| Pope-Shenon Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Copper, Covellite, Cuprite, Delafossite, Malachite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 45.075, -113.856 |
| Copper Queen Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Cubanite, Cuprite, Gold, Malachite, Thorite | Past Producer | 44.966, -113.472 |
| Carmen Creek Mine | Gold, Silver, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Malachite | Past Producer | 45.286, -113.738 |
| Tormey Mine | Gold | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Past Producer | 45.105, -113.983 |
| Hard Climb Prospect | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Covellite, Magnetite, Malachite | Occurrence | 44.930, -114.713 |
| Copper Queen Claim | Cobalt, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Gold, Malachite | Occurrence | 45.122, -114.325 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 11 fossil collection records in Lemhi County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Custer County · Valley County · Clark County · Butte County · Idaho County
Idaho mineral guides
Back to all Idaho 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