RockWoofFound alongside
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
79 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
24 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
20 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
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
7 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
By county
Madison County (41) · Beaverhead County (13) · Lincoln County (6) · Gallatin County (4) · Powell County (4) · Silver Bow County (2) · Lewis and Clark County (2) · Missoula County (2) · Jefferson County (1) · Ravalli County (1) · Cascade County (1) · Treasure County (1) · Granite County (1)
Sites (first 60)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pohndorf Mine | Gemstone | Amethyst | Past Producer | 45.869, -112.354 |
| Noble Mine | Gold, Silver, Copper | Bornite, Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Malachite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 45.537, -112.109 |
| Heddleston Deposit | Copper | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Molybdenite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Galena, Arsenopyrite, Bornite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 47.023, -112.363 |
| Snowstorm Mine | Silver, Lead, Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 48.433, -115.991 |
| Brown's Lake | Tungsten | Chalcopyrite, Powellite, Scheelite, Bornite, Covellite, Malachite, Pyrrhotite | Past Producer | 45.521, -112.836 |
| Horse Creek Quartz Diorite Pegmatite | Chromium, Mica, Feldspar, Quartz | Chromite | Occurrence | 45.435, -112.117 |
| Beartrap Corumdum Deposit | Corundum | Corundum, Sillimanite | Occurrence | 45.517, -111.537 |
| Sappington | Mica, REE, Niobium (Columbium) | Fergusonite | Producer | 45.750, -111.768 |
| Sappington Deposit | Niobium (Columbium), Tantalum, REE, Mica | Fergusonite, Muscovite | Occurrence | 45.767, -111.751 |
| Watseca Mine | Gold | Galena, Sphalerite, Gold, Arsenopyrite | Past Producer | 45.620, -112.506 |
| Gulch A Pegmatites | Kyanite | Kyanite, Muscovite | Occurrence | 45.162, -111.756 |
| Jacobson Meadows | Molybdenum, Silver, Zinc, Copper, Lead | Molybdenite | Occurrence | 45.523, -113.044 |
| Thumper Lode Mica Mine | Mica | Muscovite | Past Producer | 45.461, -111.148 |
| Lawyer Deposit | Mica | Muscovite | Occurrence | 45.374, -111.906 |
| Vetter Deposit | Feldspar, Mica | Muscovite | Past Producer | 45.162, -111.771 |
| White Swan Deposit | Mica | Muscovite | Past Producer | 45.387, -111.893 |
| Rim Rock Deposit | Mica | Muscovite | Occurrence | 45.171, -111.768 |
| Unnamed Mica Occurrence | Mica | Muscovite | Occurrence | 45.114, -112.541 |
| Ramshorn Creek Deposits | Mica | Muscovite | Occurrence | 45.446, -111.984 |
| Crystal Park | Molybdenum, Titanium, Metal | Rutile | Occurrence | 45.476, -113.098 |
| Fool Hen Property | — | Scheelite | Occurrence | 45.818, -113.130 |
| American Chemet Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Talc | Past Producer | 45.158, -112.401 |
| H. R. S. No. 1 | Thorium | Thorite | Occurrence | 44.913, -113.407 |
| Unnamed Thorium Occurrence | Thorium | Thorite | Occurrence | 44.947, -113.475 |
| Silver Tip Nos. 1 , 2 and 3 | Thorium | Thorite | Occurrence | 44.895, -113.476 |
| Saddlehorn No. 3 | Thorium | Thorite | Occurrence | 44.909, -113.471 |
| Mica. Creek Deposit | Vermiculite | Vermiculite | Occurrence | 45.446, -111.157 |
| Echo Lode | Tungsten, Copper | — | Occurrence | 45.322, -113.038 |
| Big Chief Prospect | Mica | — | Past Producer | 45.518, -112.113 |
| Vermiculite Mountain Mine | Vermiculite | — | Producer | 48.433, -115.409 |
| Silver Glance | Silver | — | Past Producer | 45.765, -112.526 |
| Mica Occurrence | Mica | — | Prospect | 45.460, -111.541 |
| Mace Prospect | Tantalum | — | Prospect | 45.977, -114.065 |
| Graveley Mine | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Past Producer | 46.643, -112.693 |
| Lawyer | Feldspar | — | Occurrence | 45.371, -111.918 |
| Connie Mo Mine | Mica | — | Prospect | 45.417, -111.525 |
| Beehive Basin | Mica | — | Unknown | 45.326, -111.383 |
| Mica Chief Mine | Mica | — | Prospect | 45.425, -111.869 |
| Morgan Gulch Mica | Mica | — | Unknown | 45.153, -111.751 |
| Dulea Mine | Mica | — | Prospect | 45.409, -111.892 |
| Luke Mine | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Past Producer | 46.619, -112.707 |
| Bompart Homestead | Mica | — | Occurrence | 46.541, -111.931 |
| Big Chief Mine | Mica | — | Prospect | 45.520, -112.098 |
| White Swan Property | Mica | — | Prospect | 45.385, -111.898 |
| Olympiad Mine | Gold | — | Unknown | 46.855, -113.420 |
| Snowstorm | Lead, Zinc | — | Past Producer | 48.433, -115.991 |
| Unnamed Mica Deposit | Mica | — | Occurrence | 45.167, -111.773 |
| Unnamed Mica Deposit | Mica | — | Past Producer | 45.400, -111.844 |
| Black Diamond Mica Mine | Mica | — | Producer | 46.768, -114.118 |
| Ramshorn Creek | Mica | — | Unknown | 45.429, -112.102 |
| Sappington Mica Mine | Mica | — | Unknown | 45.766, -111.734 |
| Lucky Boy Pegmatite | Mica | — | Prospect | 47.045, -110.709 |
| Statesman | — | — | Prospect | 48.138, -115.634 |
| Merlin Group | Mica | — | Prospect | 45.168, -111.765 |
| Rim Rock | Mica | — | Prospect | 45.160, -111.770 |
| Unnamed Deposit | Feldspar | — | Occurrence | 45.706, -111.937 |
| Unnamed Mica Deposit | Mica | — | Occurrence | 45.167, -111.750 |
| Montana Mine | Mica | — | Prospect | 45.428, -111.865 |
| Unnamed Feldspar & Mica | Feldspar | — | Occurrence | 48.407, -115.440 |
| Anvil | Mica | — | Occurrence | 44.913, -111.381 |
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