RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Montana Resources (Butte/Berkely/Continental)
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 4 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Fluorite, Silver) and 8 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as producer for Copper, Silver, Molybdenum. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Magnetite, Pyrite, Galena, Fluorite, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 46.020, -112.527. USGS record.
Ask first: a USGS record doesn’t mean you can visit. Find out who owns the land and get permission before collecting.
Field cards: what kind of sites?
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status not recorded.
Was producing when the record was made.
A processing plant site.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
284 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
207 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
161 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
120 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
101 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
45 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
19 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
3 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Gold 57Sphalerite 51Chalcocite 35Chalcopyrite 32Rhodochrosite 32Galena 30Enargite 28Bornite 21Rhodonite 17Silver 15Molybdenite 11Malachite 8Commodities
Silver 211Gold 172Manganese 127Copper 124Zinc 70Lead 55Phosphorus-Phosphates 11Fluorine-Fluorite 8Molybdenum 7REE 6Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janney Pegmatites | REE | Allanite | Occurrence | 45.910, -112.477 |
| Isele and Tiger Claims | Silver, Gold, Lead, Manganese | Ankerite, Rhodochrosite | Producer | 45.997, -112.560 |
| Silver Bow Mine | Copper, Silver | Argentite, Chalcanthite, Chalcocite, Enargite, Silver | Past Producer | 46.014, -112.515 |
| Magna Charta Mine | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.011, -112.533 |
| Lexington Mine | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.028, -112.536 |
| Springfield Mine | Silver | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.046, -112.558 |
| Alice Mine | Silver, Gold, Zinc, Lead | Argentite, Galena, Gold, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.033, -112.537 |
| Goldsmith Mine | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.030, -112.545 |
| Amy Silversmith Mine | Silver | Argentite, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite | Past Producer | 46.029, -112.548 |
| Blue Bird Mine | Silver | Argentite, Rhodochrosite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.013, -112.591 |
| Beal Mountain Mine | Gold | Arsenopyrite, Gold, Sylvanite | Plant | 45.954, -112.883 |
| 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 |
| Soap Gulch Ba Occurrence | Barium-Barite | Barite | Occurrence | 45.510, -112.652 |
| Perry Deposit | Bentonite | Bentonite | Occurrence | 46.032, -112.662 |
| Green Mountain Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 46.024, -112.527 |
| Modoc Mine | Silver, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 46.025, -112.509 |
| Cayuga Claim | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Cuprite, Malachite, Melaconite | Past Producer | 45.780, -112.773 |
| Diamond Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Enargite, Gold | Past Producer | 46.025, -112.525 |
| East Grey Rock Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Enargite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.025, -112.524 |
| Kelley Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 46.020, -112.527 |
| Steward Mine | Copper, Silver, Gold | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Sphalerite, Tennantite | Past Producer | 46.019, -112.536 |
| Parnell Mine | Silver | Bornite, Chalcocite, Covellite, Enargite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 46.020, -112.522 |
| West Grey Rock Mine | Copper, Silver | Bornite, Chalcocite, Covellite, Enargite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.026, -112.526 |
| Mountain View Mine | Silver, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Enargite | Past Producer | 46.019, -112.518 |
| Parrott Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Enargite | Past Producer | 46.017, -112.530 |
| Little Mina | Silver | Bornite, Chalcocite, Enargite, Galena, Huebnerite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.020, -112.529 |
| Anaconda, St. Lawerence, Neversweat | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Enargite, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.017, -112.525 |
| Original Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Enargite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.017, -112.539 |
| Poulin Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.023, -112.536 |
| Anselmo Mine | Silver, Lead, Zinc | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.017, -112.548 |
| Belmont Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.011, -112.523 |
| Mat Mine | Silver, Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Rhodochrosite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 46.026, -112.508 |
| Reins Copper Co Mine | Copper, Silver | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.022, -112.506 |
| Gagnon Pit | Copper, Silver | Bornite, Enargite, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 46.017, -112.543 |
| Emma Nevada Mine | Silver | Cerargyrite | Past Producer | 45.697, -112.645 |
| Gold King Mine | Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead | Cerargyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 45.688, -112.650 |
| Nettie Mine | Silver, Manganese | Cerargyrite, Gold, Iron, Lead, Psilomelane, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, Silver | Past Producer | 46.015, -112.579 |
| Climax Apex Lode Group | Gold, Silver | Cerargyrite, Gold, Pyrargyrite, Silver, Stephanite | Past Producer | 45.864, -112.634 |
| Moody Claim | Manganese | Cerargyrite, Malachite, Psilomelane, Pyrolusite, Wad | Past Producer | 46.025, -112.595 |
| Moody and Sankey Mines | Manganese, Silver | Cerargyrite, Malachite, Psilomelane, Pyrolusite, Wad | Past Producer | 46.025, -112.597 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 1 fossil collection records in Silver Bow County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Jefferson County · Deer Lodge County · Powell County · Madison County · Granite County
Montana mineral guides
- Tourmaline in Montana
- Quartz in Montana
- Garnet in Montana
- Gold in Montana
- Mica in Montana
- Feldspar in Montana
Back to all Montana counties.
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