RockWoofCheck access before you go. Most sites listed here are old mines, quarries or prospects, and many are on private land or active mining claims. Get the landowner's permission, check the rules of the agency that manages any public land, and never enter mine workings. Locations are approximate.
Found alongside
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
168 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
77 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
77 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
70 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
70 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
50 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Beaverhead County (37) · Madison County (16) · Sweet Grass County (16) · Ravalli County (10) · Powell County (10) · Lewis and Clark County (9) · Granite County (9) · Meagher County (9) · Jefferson County (8) · Stillwater County (8) · Judith Basin County (8) · Deer Lodge County (7) · Park County (5) · Broadwater County (5) · Silver Bow County (2) · Fergus County (2) · Cascade County (2) · Carbon County (1) · Gallatin County (1) · Missoula County (1) · Mineral County (1) · Lincoln County (1)
Sites (first 60)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pohndorf Mine | Gemstone | Amethyst | Past Producer | 45.869, -112.354 |
| Hand Mauldin Group | Lead, Silver, Zinc, Copper | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Hemimorphite, Plumbojarosite | Producer | 45.287, -112.866 |
| Moon Lake Asbestos Deposit | Asbestos | Anthophyllite | Occurrence | 45.317, -111.282 |
| Little Daisy Mine | Gold, Silver | Antimony, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 46.686, -112.497 |
| Philipsburg | Silver, Manganese | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorargyrite, Galena, Gold, Magnetite, Powellite, Psilomelane, Pyrolusite, Scheelite, Silver, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite, Tremolite | Producer | 46.358, -113.259 |
| Southern Cross Mine | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Malachite, Tennantite, Gold, Azurite | Past Producer | 46.209, -113.233 |
| 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 |
| Main Range Beryl | — | Beryl | Occurrence | 46.033, -113.137 |
| Elkhorn | Silver, Gold, Lead, Copper | Bismuthinite, Bournonite, Galena, Magnetite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Tetradymite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 46.283, -111.951 |
| Indian Queen Mine | Silver, Copper, Gold | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Copper, Cuprite, Malachite, Melaconite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 45.398, -112.820 |
| Cable Mine | Gold, Silver, Tungsten, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Copper, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Marcasite | Past Producer | 46.200, -113.217 |
| Copper King Mine | Silver, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Sphalerite | Producer | 45.123, -109.907 |
| Copper Mtn Mine | Iron, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chrysocolla, Copper, Magnetite, Malachite | Occurrence | 45.427, -112.044 |
| Golden Leaf Group (Bannack) | Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Melaconite, Silver, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 45.155, -112.986 |
| Jahnke Mine | Silver, Lead, Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Copper, Cuprite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 45.189, -113.588 |
| Johnston - Moffet Copper | Copper | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Cuprite, Malachite | Past Producer | 45.603, -112.188 |
| Clancy Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite | Occurrence | 45.712, -112.344 |
| Mountain Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Gold, Malachite | Past Producer | 46.817, -113.272 |
| Rombauer Mine | Lead, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Occurrence | 46.379, -113.124 |
| Janet 50 | Zinc, Gold, Arsenic, Copper, Nickel, Platinum, Palladium, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Graphite, Magnetite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sperrylite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 45.417, -110.049 |
| New World | Copper, Lead, Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Magnetite, Hematite | Past Producer | 45.050, -109.917 |
| Night Owl Mine | Lead, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Silver, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 47.270, -114.927 |
| Gold Reef Mine | Gold | Chalcopyrite, Gold | Past Producer | 46.381, -113.199 |
| Ajax Mine | Gold, Silver, Lead | Chalcopyrite, Gold | Producer | 45.324, -113.725 |
| Grasshopper Prospect | Zinc, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Molybdenite, Silver | Occurrence | 45.155, -112.918 |
| Snowshoe Gulch Tungsten Property | Tungsten, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Scheelite | Past Producer | 46.678, -112.468 |
| Potratz Prospect | Gold, Silver, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Gold, Scheelite, Silver | Past Producer | 46.711, -112.484 |
| Black Diamond Prospect | Iron | Chalcopyrite, Molybdenite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.272, -110.272 |
| Monkey East Camp Zone | Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.418, -110.047 |
| West Fork East Adit | Rhodium, Palladium, Platinum | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.399, -109.969 |
| Frog Pond West | Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.454, -110.139 |
| Picket Pin | Platinum, Palladium | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sperrylite | Occurrence | 45.449, -110.051 |
| Forge Ni-Cu | Copper, Nickel | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.423, -110.105 |
| Crescent Creek Ni-Cu | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.386, -110.020 |
| Boulder River Ni-Cu Riverside | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.473, -110.200 |
| Chrome Mountain Ni-Cu | Copper, Nickel | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.434, -110.122 |
| Iron Mountain Ni-Cu Camp | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.408, -110.076 |
| Bluebird Ni-Cu | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.385, -109.967 |
| Boulder River Ni-Cu East | Copper, Nickel | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.444, -110.159 |
| Intial Ni-Cu | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.386, -109.949 |
| Mouat Ni-Cu South | Copper, Nickel | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.377, -109.900 |
| Little Rocky Creek Ni-Cu | Copper, Nickel | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.357, -109.806 |
| Iron Mountain Ni-Cu Iron Creek | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.407, -110.047 |
| Crescent Peak Ni-Cu | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.394, -110.033 |
| Benbow Ni-Cu | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.360, -109.814 |
| Chrome Lake Ni-Cu | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.352, -109.797 |
| Nye Basin Ni-Cu Lip | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.379, -109.853 |
| Nicon | Copper, Nickel | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.486, -110.223 |
| Fishtail Creek Ni-Cu | Copper, Nickel | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Occurrence | 45.340, -109.758 |
| Mouat Ni-Cu Verdegris Creek | Nickel, Copper | Chalcopyrite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite | Prospect | 45.380, -109.896 |
| Little Hawk Mine | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Powellite, Scheelite | Producer | 45.319, -113.054 |
| Brown's Lake | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Powellite, Scheelite, Bornite, Covellite, Malachite, Pyrrhotite | Past Producer | 45.521, -112.836 |
| Dullea Prospect | Gold, Silver | Chalcopyrite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 45.538, -112.182 |
| Red Lodge | Chromium | Chromite, Magnetite | Producer | 45.167, -109.251 |
| Joe Maurice Mine | Copper | Copper | Occurrence | 45.605, -113.023 |
| Camp Creek Corundum | Corundum | Corundum | Occurrence | 45.102, -112.522 |
| Slate Creek Mine | Lead | Galena | Occurrence | 46.074, -114.121 |
| War Eagle Mine | Iron | Galena, Magnetite | Past Producer | 46.642, -112.218 |
| Meadow Lark Placer | Gold | Garnet, Goethite, Magnetite, Scheelite, Sphene, Zircon | Past Producer | 46.874, -112.855 |
| Black Chief Iron Mine | Iron | Garnet, Hematite, Magnetite | Past Producer | 46.181, -113.106 |
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