Looking towards the south, the summit of Bald Mountain is on the right, the Highland Mountains are in the distance.
Chris Tucker Minerals
Specializing in minerals from
Montana
The Bald Mountain Skarn,
Jefferson County, Montana
Along the eastern slope of Bald Mountain and along
the ridge to the north, a well developed skarn layer is exposed. The skarn
contains calcite, grossular, diopside, epidote, quartz, unidentified minerals in
the apatite and tourmaline groups, stilbite, and actinolite. Occasional
smears and stains of secondary copper minerals are also present. The
length of the skarn has been repeatedly been explored for economic mineral
deposits; numerous drill pads, prospect pits, and exploratory adits are present
along it's length. Over the years numerous mineral collectors have visited
the site, mostly working the southern and northern ends. A popular
collecting area on the northern end has largely been obliterated by a modern
exploration effort known as the Pipestone Mine. The skarn is perhaps most
famous for the numerous specimens of green diopside and brownish-red grossular.
Locally fine groups of epidote have been recovered; quartz is often found with
the epidote and is commonly a very pale amethyst color. While much of the
skarn is on private property and valid mining claims, much of the area is still
accessible to the casual collector.
Looking towards the south, the summit of Bald Mountain is
on the right, the Highland Mountains are in the distance.
The workings of the Pipestone Mine in the general area
that was once so popular with mineral collectors.
This small pit in highly altered skarn has produced what
are perhaps the finest grossular specimens from the Bald Mountain area.
All text, images, and design © 2005-2008 Chris Tucker All rights reserved.