where to dig for gems in montana

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Where can I find gems in Montana?

In general, the best places to find crystals and gemstones in Montana are mines that are open to the public such as the Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine, Crystal Park, and Crystal Mountain Mine. They can also be found in many pegmatites, stream gravels, and old mines throughout the state.

Where can you go rockhounding in Montana?

Rockhounding In Montana: Sapphires, Agates, Gold and Fossils!

Crystal Park. …
Calvert Hill Mine. …
Gallatin National Forest. …
Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine. …
Anaconda, Montana. …
Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine & Gold Fever Rock Shop.

Where can I hunt crystals in Montana?

The closest location to find these is Crystal Park, located in the Pioneer Mountains, northwest of Dillon near Polaris. Crystal Park is truly a Montana treasure, offering approximately 30 acres of area open for crystal digging.

Are there gemstones in Montana?

Two gemstones, sapphire and agate, have been so popular in Montana that the state legislature designated them as “official state gemstones” in 1969. Sapphires were discovered in Montana in the 1860s.

Where can I find rubies in Montana?

Rubies are found in the western and southern portions of Montana, and this gemstone is often found alongside Montana sapphires. Some of the best places to find rubies in Montana include the Rock Creek, Granite county, Red Rock Mine, or the Missouri River.

Where can I find emeralds in Montana?

In Montana, found in the western Middle Rockies forested region of the state. The preferred habitat of the Mountain Emerald includes ponds, marshes, fens, bogs and swamps, as well as wet meadows associated with small streams.

Where can I dig for amethyst in Montana?

Crystal Park

Crystal Park, located at 7,800 feet in the Pioneer Mountains near Polaris, Montana, is a popular spot for digging up quartz and amethyst. The decomposed granite found there makes for a bevy of prisms that are more commonly found by bodies of water.

Are Opals found in Montana?

Idaho Opals

Just a short drive from our location in Philipsburg, Montana. These beautiful opals are just another example of the fantastic gems grown in our location. … As the silica rich water seeped into these rocks, the layers accumulated into plates creating a very stable form of opal.

Are there agates in Montana?

Montana agate can be found along the entire length of the Yellowstone River, but the stretch between Forsyth and Sidney contains some of the most highly prized deposits. Agate is a form of chalcedony, which is one of the many varieties of quartz.

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Where can I find topaz in Montana?

Topaz from Montana, USA

Delmoe Lake area, Boulder Batholith, Jefferson Co., Montana, USA.
Butte Mining District, Silver Bow County, Montana, USA.
Delmoe Lake area, Boulder Batholith, Jefferson Co., Montana, USA.
Delmoe Lake area, Boulder Batholith, Jefferson Co., Montana, USA.

Where can I find Montana moss agate?

The Yellowstone River Basin that flows across the eastern part of Montana is the place to start your hunt. The Yellowstone River is the most popular place to hunt for moss agates. The productive are covers several hundred miles along the river. The most productive stretch is from east of Billings.

Where can I dig for Montana sapphires?

Montana Sapphire Mining Guide. Although sapphires can be found throughout Montana today, the majority of the finds can be attributed to four major locales: Yogo Gulch, Rock Creek, Dry Cottonwood Creek, and the gravel bars along the Missouri River northeast of Helena.

What is the state gemstone of Montana?

Sapphire
Montana sapphires and Montana agates have shared honors as the state’s gemstones since 1969. Recognition was a long time in coming. A century earlier the small multi-colored sapphires angered early placer miners by clogging gold sluices in such places as El Dorado Bar east of Helena.

How do you find geodes?

To find geodes, look in riverbeds, limestone areas, and volcanic ash beds in countries where geodes are often found, like the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and Madagascar. When you’re searching for geodes, look for rocks that are round or egg-shaped with a bumpy texture.

What are the green rocks in Montana?

Under heat and pressure the iron-silicate minerals were converted to chlorite, a mineral which produced the green rocks found in the park today. Stromatolite Fossils found near Grinnell Glacier.

Is there Turquoise in Montana?

There are Turquoise deposits in Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Virginia. High Grade American Turquoise is of the greatest value around the world, second to none. … Turquoise Jewelry has adorned many people, from many countries for thousands of years.

Where can I find crystals in Crystal Park Montana?

Can you find Moonstone in Montana?

Southwest Montana has many, many more rocks and minerals to find. … Although more rare, Hyalite Opal, Montana Moonstone and Dogtooth Calcite can also be found around Bozeman.

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Are there sapphires in Montana?

Montana is known as the Treasure State because it is rich in many mineral and gemstone sources, including two types of sapphires: the Yogo Sapphire from the central area of the state, and Fancy Montana Sapphires found mostly in the western half of the state.

Where can I find garnets in Montana?

Just a short drive away, calcite, opalite and garnets can be found in the vicinity of Ruby River Reservoir south of Alder. Some people even find gem-quality almandine garnets by screening the gravel along the shores of the reservoir. At Sheridan, the area around Indian Creek offers white and banded masses of calcite.

Is there gold at Crystal Park Montana?

Crystal Park is 26 miles south of the Wise River along the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway. Located at the bottom of Homestake Pass just West of the Continental Divide in southwestern Montana, Butte is famous for the incredible deposits of gold, silver and copper mined in the area.

What is Montana moss agate?

Montana Moss Agate is a semi-precious stone that is found only in the Yellowstone River and its tributaries between Sidney and Billings Montana. … These products of “Mother Nature”, were formed as a result of volcanic eruptions and massive lava flows in the Yellowstone Park area.

How can you tell a Montana sapphire?

Some Montana sapphires from the Missouri River deposit undergo color change. Color change in these sapphires results from the trace element vanadium. Often, they appear blue in daylight and violet to purple in incandescent light. Pale colors shift from sky blue to lavender.

What is a Montana diamond?

Montana “Diamonds” Quartz Crystals for Rockhounds! … Typically double terminated, squat crystals with very short c-axis, these come in clear, milky and smoky and available for people of all ages to find! This photo was used in the October 1971 issue of Gems and Minerals Magazine.

Is topaz worth anything?

When it was first introduced to the market, treated blue topaz sold for $20 to $40 per carat. But oversupply led to huge drops in wholesale prices, down to a few dollars or less per carat. Today, blue topaz is basically a mass-market gem, and price is often the most important consideration for many buyers.

Where is topaz most commonly found?

Brazil
Today, topaz deposits are found in Brazil, United States, Madagascar, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Zimbabwe Mexico, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russia, and China. Topaz can feature the amber-gold of cognac or the blush of a peach, and any shade of warm brown or orange in between.

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Where can I find red beryl on Topaz Mountain?

The larger gems are also topaz, covered with rhyolite. If we clean them up we will have some impressive specimens. The mine is located on the west side of Topaz Mountain, NW of Delta.

How do I identify agates in Montana?

The background (matrix) of Montana agate ranges from nearly clear, through milky grey-blue to white. If the agate is composed of very fine layers, a small percentage of Montana agates may show rainbow iridescence (also known as iris agate).

What is Montana Moss?

Montana Moss^® juniper is a low-growing evergreen juniper that contributes appealing texture wherever it is planted. Soft-to-the-touch blue green foliage resembles moss or maybe even something from the under the sea.

Are Montana sapphires valuable?

What makes Montana sapphires even more valuable to many people is the way they are ethically sourced and mined, with consideration for the environment and an easy to trace “mine to market”. Just as with other sapphires, a Montana sapphire’s value (and price) will depend on its color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.

Are there diamonds in Yellowstone Park?

The park features a 37.5-acre (15.2 ha) plowed field, the world’s only diamond-bearing site accessible to the public. Diamonds have continuously been discovered in the field since 1906, including the Strawn-Wagner Diamond.

How do you tell if a rock has a crystal inside?

Test whether the rock has a hollow interior.

Pick up the rock and assess its weight. If the rock feels lighter than that surrounding rocks, it may be a geode. Geodes have a hollow space inside, which is what allows the crystals to form. You can also shake the rock next to your ear to test whether it is hollow.