RockWoofFound alongside
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
206 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
39 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
37 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
34 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
23 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
19 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Beaverhead County (43) · Madison County (27) · Granite County (23) · Silver Bow County (19) · Powell County (16) · Fergus County (11) · Mineral County (11) · Lewis and Clark County (10) · Deer Lodge County (9) · Ravalli County (8) · Phillips County (7) · Gallatin County (7) · Broadwater County (5) · Liberty County (4) · Carbon County (2) · Cascade County (2) · Jefferson County (1) · Lincoln County (1)
Sites (first 60)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demos Group | Silver, Tungsten | Anglesite, Cerargyrite, Huebnerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 45.575, -111.976 |
| Hope Group | Silver, Copper, Lead | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chalcocite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 46.340, -113.275 |
| Montana Resources (Butte/Berkely/Continental) | Copper, Silver, Molybdenum | Azurite, Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Covellite, Cuprite, Enargite, Galena, Gold, Molybdenite, Silver, Sphalerite | Producer | 46.020, -112.527 |
| Fluorite No. 1 | Barium-Barite | Barite, Fluorite | Occurrence | 45.262, -112.951 |
| Steward Mine | Copper, Silver, Gold | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Sphalerite, Tennantite | Past Producer | 46.019, -112.536 |
| Original Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Enargite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.017, -112.539 |
| Jetty Mine | Silver | Boulangerite, Fluorite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 46.158, -113.088 |
| Marysville District | Gold, Silver, Lead | Calamine, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Covellite, Galena, Gold, Lead, Malachite, Molybdenite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 46.750, -112.334 |
| Earthquake Mine | Silver, Lead | Calamine, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Galena, Malachite | Past Producer | 46.738, -112.370 |
| Bell Boy Mine | Gold | Calamine, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 46.739, -112.363 |
| Snowbird Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | Calcite | Past Producer | 46.784, -114.770 |
| Warm Springs | Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Fluorite, Galena, Sphalerite | Producer | 47.144, -109.224 |
| Shakopee Mine | Silver, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite | Past Producer | 46.740, -112.369 |
| Big Ben Molybdenum | Molybdenum | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Molybdenite, Molybdite | Occurrence | 46.966, -110.713 |
| Albion Mine | Silver | Chrysocolla, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 46.395, -113.093 |
| Mystery Mine | Silver, Manganese | Copper, Galena | Past Producer | 46.334, -113.279 |
| Fluorite Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite, Gold, Silver | Fluorite | Producer | 46.012, -112.639 |
| Silver Bow Deposits | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Past Producer | 46.005, -112.652 |
| Snowbird | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Past Producer | 46.777, -114.795 |
| Wilson Gulch Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Past Producer | 47.172, -115.082 |
| Lime Gulch Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Occurrence | 47.196, -115.074 |
| Tootsie Creek Prospect | — | Fluorite | Occurrence | 48.867, -111.101 |
| Bishop Mine | Phosphorus-Phosphates | Fluorite | Past Producer | 46.607, -112.526 |
| Anderson Mine | Phosphorus-Phosphates | Fluorite | Producer | 46.640, -112.837 |
| Snowbird | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Producer | 46.833, -114.834 |
| South Moccasin | Gold, Silver, Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Occurrence | 47.167, -109.584 |
| Boulder Mtn. | Fluorine-Fluorite, Gold | Fluorite | Occurrence | 46.550, -111.351 |
| Tootsie Creek Deposits | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Occurrence | 47.250, -114.834 |
| Normandy | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Occurrence | 46.517, -111.284 |
| Old Glory Mine | Uranium, Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Occurrence | 45.095, -108.413 |
| Crystal Mountain Fluorspar Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite | Producer | 46.006, -113.888 |
| Bald Butte Mine | Gold, Silver | Fluorite, Galena, Molybdenite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.723, -112.347 |
| Spar | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite, Galena, Tetrahedrite | Producer | 47.167, -115.084 |
| Potosi Deposits Pony District | Tungsten, Zinc, Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite, Huebnerite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 45.567, -111.968 |
| Potosi | Silver, Tungsten | Fluorite, Huebnerite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Producer | 45.583, -111.918 |
| Boeing Prospect | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite, Lead | Past Producer | 46.650, -112.305 |
| August Mine | Gold | Fluorite, Limonite | Past Producer | 47.920, -108.614 |
| Zortman - Landusky | Gold | Fluorite, Sylvanite | Producer | 47.937, -108.563 |
| Judith Mtn. Deposits | Gold, Silver, Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorite, Sylvanite | Occurrence | 47.217, -109.217 |
| Pryor Mtns | Uranium | Fluorite, Tyuyamunite | Occurrence | 45.200, -108.367 |
| Weathervane Hill | Fluorine-Fluorite | Fluorspar | Occurrence | 46.100, -112.918 |
| Towsley Mine | Silver, Lead | Galena, Lead | Past Producer | 46.741, -112.364 |
| Banker Claim | Silver, Lead | Galena, Lead, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.415, -113.170 |
| Spotted Horse Mine | Gold, Silver | Galena, Sphalerite, Sylvanite, Tetrahedrite | Producer | 47.176, -109.211 |
| Gold Bug Mine | Gold | Gold, Limonite, Sylvanite | Past Producer | 47.910, -108.617 |
| Ruby Gulch Group | Gold, Silver | Gold, Pyrite | Producer | 47.931, -108.556 |
| Kendall | Silver, Gold | Gold, Silver, Fluorite, Calcite | Plant | 47.279, -109.476 |
| Zortman Mine | Gold | Gold, Silver, Sylvanite, Calaverite, Hessite, Pyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 47.910, -108.620 |
| Maginnis Mine | Gold | Gold, Telluride, Argentite | Past Producer | 47.177, -109.220 |
| Niagra Mine | Manganese, Zinc | Helvite, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.033, -112.526 |
| Grigg Group | Tungsten, Silver | Huebnerite, Tetrahedrite | Prospect | 45.574, -111.971 |
| Mill Creek Occurence | Beryllium | Idocrase | Occurrence | 46.078, -113.090 |
| Whiteware Clay | Kaolin | Kaolinite | Occurrence | 47.162, -109.518 |
| Centennial Phosphate Mine | Phosphorus-Phosphates, Uranium, Fluorine-Fluorite | Shale | Past Producer | 44.567, -111.689 |
| Poison Lake Claim | Thorium | Thorite | Occurrence | 44.847, -112.906 |
| Redemption Iron Mine | Iron, Manganese | Tremolite | Past Producer | 46.322, -113.276 |
| Melrose Phosphate | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Producer | 45.667, -112.734 |
| Lazyman Hill | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 44.992, -111.850 |
| Brown Claim Group | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Occurrence | 45.744, -112.701 |
| Spar Mine | Fluorine-Fluorite | — | Past Producer | 47.233, -115.268 |
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