Stillwater Complex

The Stillwater Complex is a nickel, palladium, copper, chromium, and platinum mine located in Stillwater county, Montana.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

Satelite View

MRDS mine locations are often very general, and in some cases are incorrect. Some mine remains have been covered or removed by modern industrial activity or by development of things like housing. The satellite view offers a quick glimpse as to whether the MRDS location corresponds to visible mine remains.

Site Name

Primary: Stillwater Complex

Commodity

Primary: Nickel
Primary: Palladium
Primary: Copper
Primary: Chromium
Primary: Platinum
Tertiary: Silver
Tertiary: Rhodium
Tertiary: Cobalt
Tertiary: Osmium
Tertiary: Gold
Tertiary: Aluminum
Tertiary: Iridium

Location

State: Montana
County: Stillwater
District: Stillwater

Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.
Administrative Organization: Custer National Forest

Holdings

Type: Patented
Type: Located Claim

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Owner Name: STILLWATER MINING CO.
Info Year: 1991

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: District
Operation Category: Producer
Deposit Type: MAGMATIC SEGREGATIONS AND SULFIDE CRYSTALLIZATION (MERENSKY REEF PGE, STILLWATER NI-CU, BUSHVELD CR)
Operation Type: Underground
Discovery Year: 1883
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y

Physiography

Not available

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Stillwater Ni-Cu
Model Name: Merensky Reef PGE
Model Name: Bushveld Cr

Orebody

Not available

Structure

Type: R
Description: THE STILLWATER COMPLEX IS EXPOSED ALONG THE NORTHERN MARGIN OF THE BEARTOOTH UPLIFT, ONE OF SEVERAL LARAMIDE BASEMENT-CORED RANGES THAT MAKE UP THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FORELAND OF SOUTH-CENTRAL MONTANA (FOOSE AND OTHERS, 1961: KULIK AND SCHMIDT, 1988)

Type: L
Description: CUMULATE LAYERING, NUMEROUS FAULTS OFFSETTING MINERALIZED LAYERS

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Not available

Comments

Not available

References

Reference (Deposit): PAGE, N.J, RILEY, L.B., AND HAFFTY, JOSEPH, 1969, PLATINUM, PALLADIUM, AND RHODIUM ANALYSES OF ULTRAMAFIC AND MAFIC ROCKS FROM THE STILLWATER COMPLEX, MONTANA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 624, 12 P.

Reference (Deposit): CABRI, L.J., LAFLAMME, J.H.G., STEWART, J.M., AND CHEN, T.T., 1975, NEW DATA ON SOME ARSENIDES AND ANTIMONIDES: CANADIAN MINERALOGIST, V. 13, P. 321-335.

Reference (Deposit): CABRI, L.J., AND LAFLAMME, J.H.G., 1974, RHODIUM, PLATINUM, AND GOLD ALLOYS FROM THE STILLWATER COMPLEX, MONTANA: CANADIAN MINERALOGIST, V.12, P. 399-403.

Reference (Deposit): PAGE, N.J, AND DORHENWEND, J.C., 1973, MINERAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL OF THE STILLWATER COMPLEX AND ADJACENT ROCKS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE MOUNT WOOD AND MOUNT DOUGLAS QUADRANGLES, SOUTHWESTERN MONTANA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 684, 9 P.

Reference (Deposit): PREMO, W.R., HELZ, R.T., ZIENTEK, M.L., AND LANGSTON, R.B., 1990, U-PB AND SM-ND AGES FOR THE STILLWATER COMPLEX AND ITS ASSOCIATED SILLS AND DIKES, BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS, MONTANA: IDENTIFICATION OF A PARENT MAGMA?: GEOLOGY, V. 18, P. 1065-1068.

Reference (Deposit): PAGE, N.J, AND NOKLEBERG, W.J., 1974, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE STILLWATER COMPLEX, MONTANA: US.S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MISCELLANEOUS GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS MAP 1-797, SCALE 1:12,000.

Reference (Deposit): CZAMANSKE, G.K., AND ZIENTEK, M.L., EDS., 1985, THE STILLWATER COMPLEX, MONTANA: GEOLOGY AND GUIDE: MONTANA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY SPECIAL PUBLICATION 92, 396 P.

Reference (Deposit): PAGE, N.J, ROWE, J.J., AND HAFFTY, JOSEPH, 1976, PLATINUM METALS IN THE STILLWATER COMPLEX, MONTANA: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 71, NO. 7, P. 1352-1363.

Reference (Deposit): ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, 1975, JOHNS-MANSVILLE FINDS GOOD PLATINUM-PALLADIUM VALUES IN MONTANA'S STILLWATER: ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, V. 176, NO. 2, P. 36.

Reference (Deposit): PAGE, N.J, RILEY, L.B., AND HAFFTY, JOSEPH, 1972, VERTICAL AND LATERAL VARIATION OF PLATINUM, PALLADIUM, AND RHODIUM IN THE STILLWATER COMPLEX, MONTANA: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 67, NO. 7, P. 915-923.

Reference (Deposit): ZIENTEK, M.L., 1993, MINERAL RESOURCE APPRAISAL FOR LOCATABLE MINERALS: THE STILLWATER COMPLEX, IN HAMMARSTROM, J.M., ZIENTEK, M.L., AND ELLIOTT, J.E., EDS., MINERAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT OF THE ABSAROKA-BEARTOOTH STUDY AREA, CUSTER AND GALLATIN NATIONAL FORESTS, MONTANA: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 93-207, P. F1-F83.

Principal Gold Districts of Montana

In Montana, 54 mining districts have each have produced more than 10,000 ounces of gold. The largest producers are Butte, Helena, Marysville, and Virginia City, each having produced more than one million ounces. Twenty seven other districts are each credited with between 100,000 and one million ounces of gold production. Read more: Principal Gold Districts of Montana.