RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Snowbird
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 4 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Fluorite, Silver) and 9 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 1 other site(s), so we broke the tie by mine status (past producers first), then USGS record quality, then name. USGS lists it as past producer for Tungsten. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Mica, Pyrite, Galena, Fluorite, Copper, Silver, Scheelite. Approx. location 45.158, -115.410. 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.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
Was producing when the record was made.
Status not recorded.
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
609 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
398 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
180 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
124 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
104 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
43 sites
Scheelite
Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat
33 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
31 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Gold 57Chalcopyrite 51Scheelite 31Malachite 28Ilmenite 26Galena 25Stibnite 24Sphalerite 19Magnetite 18Cinnabar 16Tetrahedrite 15Euxenite 13Commodities
Gold 393Silver 167Copper 55Tungsten 48Lead 38Geothermal 34Antimony 31REE 30Uranium 23Thorium 22Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snowbird Mine | Tungsten | Acanthite, Chalcopyrite, Digenite, Electrum, Galena, Huebnerite, Scheelite, Silver, Sphalerite, Stolzite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 45.158, -115.410 |
| Dewey Mine | Gold | Anatase, Ilmenite, Pyrargyrite, Rutile | Past Producer | 44.958, -115.146 |
| Franklin D. Prospect | Lead, Silver, Gold | Anglesite, Barite, Galena | Occurrence | 44.666, -115.299 |
| Lucky Lad Mine | Lead, Silver, Gold | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 44.662, -115.274 |
| Antimony Rainbow Group Mine | Antimony, Copper, Tungsten | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Cinnabar, Fluorite, Huebnerite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Stibnite, Tetrahedrite | Producer | 45.137, -115.401 |
| Ludwig Deposit | Silver, Gold, Tungsten | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Huebnerite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 45.125, -115.411 |
| B and B No. 4 Claim | Antimony, Mercury | Barite, Boulangerite, Cinnabar, Covellite, Sphalerite, Stibnite | Occurrence | 45.062, -115.413 |
| Barite Prospect | Barium-Barite | Barite, Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Occurrence | 45.095, -115.127 |
| Cougar Mine | Silver, Gold | Barite, Galena | Past Producer | 44.680, -115.303 |
| Independence Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead, Beryllium, Silver, Copper, Zinc, Gold | Bertrandite, Fluorite, Galena, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 45.154, -115.393 |
| Snow Storm No. 1 Claim | Silver, Molybdenum, Gold, Copper, Lead | Bornite | Occurrence | 44.811, -115.373 |
| Box Springs Claim | — | Bornite, Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 45.162, -115.085 |
| Galena Prospect | Gold, Silver, Zinc, Copper, Lead | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite | Occurrence | 45.190, -115.075 |
| Come Back Prospect | Lead, Copper, Silver, Gold | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 44.773, -115.099 |
| Red Metal Mine | Silver, Gold | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 45.042, -115.421 |
| Upper Kimmel Creek Prospect | — | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Occurrence | 45.056, -114.767 |
| Minnie Wilson No. 1 Claim | — | Bornite, Malachite | Occurrence | 44.807, -115.378 |
| Combination Prospect | Lead, Zinc, Silver | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 45.038, -115.415 |
| Copper Camp Prospect | Copper, Silver, Gold | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Malachite, Silver | Occurrence | 45.257, -115.205 |
| Dewey Moore Group Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 45.152, -115.088 |
| Copper Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 45.118, -115.154 |
| Copper Cliff Deposit | — | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 45.017, -115.359 |
| Missouri Creek Group | — | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 45.011, -115.371 |
| Lower Iron Clad Claims | — | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 45.099, -115.125 |
| Upper Iron Clad Claims | — | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 45.107, -115.117 |
| Copper Clad Group | — | Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Malachite | Occurrence | 45.101, -115.141 |
| Profile - Yellow Pine Company | Gold, Silver, Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 45.056, -115.426 |
| Red Bluff Mine | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Huebnerite, Scheelite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 45.160, -115.404 |
| Dixie Mine | Silver, Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Huebnerite, Scheelite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 45.119, -115.420 |
| Trigold Prospect | Silver, Zinc, Copper, Lead, Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrargyrite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 45.070, -115.432 |
| Ryan Creek Group | — | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 45.037, -115.394 |
| Moscow Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 45.100, -115.405 |
| Logan Copper Hill Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite, Garnet, Stibnite | Occurrence | 45.121, -115.390 |
| Golden Cup Deposit | — | Chalcopyrite, Gold | Occurrence | 45.152, -115.350 |
| Jensen Group Mine | Silver, Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 45.198, -115.071 |
| Meadow Creek Mine | Antimony, Silver, Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Molybdenite, Stibnite | Past Producer | 44.899, -115.335 |
| Green Jacket Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Occurrence | 45.096, -115.135 |
| Yellow Jacket Group | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Occurrence | 45.195, -115.089 |
| Lower Kimmel Creek Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Occurrence | 45.070, -114.733 |
| Acorn Butte No. 2 Prospect | Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Occurrence | 45.183, -115.078 |
Nearby counties
Idaho County · Custer County · Lemhi County · Adams County · Boise 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