RockWoofFound alongside
Agate
Mohs 6.5–7. Banded, translucent chalcedony. Mindat
17 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
9 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
9 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
8 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
7 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
7 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Jefferson County (6) · Beaverhead County (4) · Lewis and Clark County (2) · Missoula County (1) · Madison County (1) · Judith Basin County (1) · Meagher County (1) · Silver Bow County (1)
Sites
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadow Mine | Zinc, Silver, Lead | Argentite, Galena, Pyrargyrite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 46.566, -111.967 |
| Mount Washington Mine | Silver, Copper, Gold, Lead | Bismuth, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 46.356, -112.144 |
| Little Nell Mine | Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Gold | Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.480, -112.027 |
| Roosevelt Mine | Lead, Silver | Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 46.496, -112.022 |
| Cook Prospect | Manganese | Gold, Pyrolusite, Wad | Past Producer | 46.737, -113.601 |
| Argonne Mine | Uranium, Gold | Gold, Sphalerite, Uranophane | Occurrence | 46.446, -112.183 |
| Unnamed Thorium Occurrence | Thorium | Thorite | Occurrence | 44.950, -113.488 |
| Unnamed Thorium Occurrence | Thorium | Thorite | Occurrence | 44.947, -113.477 |
| Frying Pan and Frying Pan No. 2 | Thorium | Thorite | Occurrence | 44.943, -113.445 |
| Last Chance-Shady Tree Mine | Thorium | Thorite | Occurrence | 44.937, -113.463 |
| G. Washington Mine | Uranium | Uraninite | Occurrence | 46.449, -112.007 |
| Red Bluff | Gold | — | Producer | 45.580, -111.648 |
| Silver Coin | — | — | Past Producer | 46.613, -112.144 |
| Running Wolf Iron Deposits | — | — | Past Producer | 46.986, -110.384 |
| Victory | — | — | Past Producer | 46.787, -111.208 |
| Free Speech Number One | — | — | Past Producer | 46.475, -112.245 |
| Rainbow Project | Zinc, Silver | — | Plant | 46.033, -112.537 |
Back to Rockhounding in Montana.
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