RockWoofFound alongside
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
201 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
162 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
108 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
67 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
58 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
43 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Lemhi County (45) · Idaho County (29) · Caribou County (28) · Clearwater County (13) · Custer County (10) · Elmore County (9) · Valley County (8) · Shoshone County (8) · Blaine County (7) · Adams County (7) · Boise County (6) · Latah County (6) · Bonner County (5) · Owyhee County (5) · Washington County (3) · Bear Lake County (3) · Boundary County (2) · Cassia County (2) · Butte County (1) · Gem County (1) · Ada County (1) · Bonneville County (1) · Bingham County (1)
Sites (first 60)
| 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 |
| Last Chance Prospect | Copper, Thorium | Allanite, Chalcopyrite, Ilmenite, Monazite, Rutile, Xenotime | Prospect | 45.396, -114.073 |
| Lucky Horseshoe Claim Group | Thorium, REE | Allanite, Chalcopyrite, Monazite, Rutile, Thorite, Xenotime | Prospect | 44.984, -113.496 |
| Sparky Prospect | Thorium, REE | Allanite, Monazite, Thorite | Occurrence | 44.987, -113.480 |
| Dismal Swamp Placer Mine | Niobium (Columbium) | Anatase, Cassiterite, Columbite, Garnet, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Monazite, Rutile, Xenotime, Zircon | Past Producer | 43.729, -115.370 |
| Snake Creek Placer | Gold | Andalusite, Garnet, Kyanite | Past Producer | 46.609, -115.926 |
| Woodrat Mountain Kyanite Prospect | Kyanite | Andalusite, Kyanite, Sillimanite | Prospect | 46.185, -115.763 |
| 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 |
| Wilbert Mine | Lead | Anglesite, Calamine, Galena, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 43.978, -113.028 |
| Georgetown Canyon Mine | Phosphorus-Phosphates | Apatite | Past Producer | 42.538, -111.239 |
| Allgood Prospect | — | Aquamarine | Occurrence | 46.382, -115.834 |
| Blue Gem Claims Prospect | Beryllium | Aquamarine | Occurrence | 43.940, -114.977 |
| Rainbow Claim | — | Aquamarine | Past Producer | 45.106, -114.526 |
| Glens Peak Prospects | Beryllium | Aquamarine, Beryl | Prospect | 43.947, -115.013 |
| Blue Crystal Prospect | Beryllium | Beryl | Prospect | 43.934, -114.998 |
| Luella Mine | Mica | Beryl | Past Producer | 46.878, -116.603 |
| Heywood Creek Occurrence | — | Beryl | Occurrence | 46.416, -115.850 |
| Adanac Claim | Beryllium | Beryl | Prospect | 44.215, -116.221 |
| Last Chance Mine | Mica | Beryl | Past Producer | 46.878, -116.582 |
| Inama Prospect | Beryllium | Beryl | Prospect | 43.971, -115.002 |
| Stanley Prospect | Beryllium | Beryl | Prospect | 43.666, -116.126 |
| State Line Occurrence | — | Beryl | Occurrence | 48.437, -117.034 |
| Soldier Creek Prospects | — | Beryl | Occurrence | 48.496, -116.775 |
| Pierce Divide Occurrence | — | Beryl | Occurrence | 46.452, -115.845 |
| L. and M. Prospect | — | Beryl | Occurrence | 48.800, -117.005 |
| Mizpah Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Covellite, Cubanite, Cuprite, Malachite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.997, -116.501 |
| Lucky Strike Prospect | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Covellite, Malachite | Past Producer | 45.137, -116.619 |
| Red Wing Prospect | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Cuprite, Malachite, Tetrahedrite | Prospect | 45.088, -116.713 |
| 1905 Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Cuprite, Malachite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 45.091, -116.708 |
| Panama Pacific Claims Prospect | Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Malachite | Prospect | 45.184, -116.637 |
| Wonder Mine | Thorium, REE | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Malachite, Rutile, Sphalerite, Thorite | Past Producer | 44.958, -113.471 |
| Black Bull Group Claims | Copper, Thorium, REE | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Monazite, Rutile, Thorite | Occurrence | 44.970, -113.477 |
| Buffalo Mine | REE, Copper, Thorium, Titanium | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Monazite, Rutile, Thorite | Past Producer | 44.979, -113.478 |
| Helena Mine | Gold, Silver, Copper | Bornite, Powellite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 45.125, -116.642 |
| Smith Prospect | Uranium | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 45.368, -114.105 |
| Copper Occurrence | — | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 46.977, -116.470 |
| Chicago Mine | Silver, Copper | Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 43.453, -114.297 |
| Gabbro Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 44.617, -116.942 |
| Edna May Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 44.807, -116.764 |
| Bonner Vein | — | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 48.308, -116.318 |
| Webfoot Mine | Lead, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Proustite, Sphalerite, Stibnite, Tetrahedrite | Producer | 43.804, -114.824 |
| Paymaster Mine | Zinc, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 43.478, -113.658 |
| Berg Mine | Silver, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 43.154, -116.823 |
| Rinebold Prospect | Molybdenum | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Marmatite, Molybdenite, Silver, Wulfenite, Molybdite | Prospect | 43.689, -115.462 |
| Muldoon Mine | Lead, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 43.603, -113.887 |
| Laughing Water Group | Gold | Cinnabar, Garnet, Gold, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Monazite, Rutile, Zircon | Past Producer | 45.247, -115.892 |
| Yellow Pine Mine | Tungsten | Cinnabar, Scheelite, Stibnite | Past Producer | 44.927, -115.333 |
| Pine Grove School Clay Deposit | — | Clay | Occurrence | 46.580, -116.797 |
| Chrisman Hill Mine | Zeolites | Clinoptilolite | Producer | 43.277, -117.013 |
| Bowman Prospect | Niobium (Columbium), Mica, REE | Columbite, Euxenite, Muscovite | Occurrence | 44.042, -115.922 |
| Vaught - Columbite Mine | Niobium (Columbium), Mica | Columbite, Microcline, Monazite, Muscovite | Past Producer | 44.013, -115.923 |
| Bowman Corundum Occurrence | — | Corundum | Occurrence | 44.274, -115.967 |
| Bear Valley Placers | REE, Niobium (Columbium), Uranium, Titanium, Gold, Silver | Euxenite | Past Producer | 44.296, -115.480 |
| Black Bear Prospect | Uranium, REE, Thorium | Euxenite, Monazite, Pyrolusite, Pyromorphite, Rutile, Thorite, Wulfenite | Occurrence | 44.962, -113.502 |
| Silver Queen No. 35 | Thorium, REE | Euxenite, Monazite, Thorite, Xenotime | Occurrence | 44.986, -113.559 |
| Boise Creek Prospect | Gold | Feldspar | Prospect | 45.449, -115.439 |
| Mica Queen Mine | Mica, Feldspar | Feldspar | Past Producer | 44.653, -116.249 |
| Burnt Stump Group and Alta Group Lodes | Quartz | Feldspar | Occurrence | 45.424, -114.707 |
| Swensson Prospect | Feldspar | Feldspar | Prospect | 43.872, -115.361 |
Back to Rockhounding in Idaho.
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