Quartz

specimen number:
2292383

location:
Crystal Park, Beaverhead Co., Montana, USA

description:
Loose gemmy scepter quartz crystals, this with an amethyst head. In good condition.

Crystal Park, located in the Pioneer Mountains of Beaverhead County, Montana, sits on bedrock shaped by the Pioneer Batholith, which intruded the area as molten granite approximately 68 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. As the granite cooled to about 300 degrees Celsius, circulating superheated groundwater deposited dissolved silica into fractures and cavities, allowing hexagonal quartz crystals to grow. Over time, weathering and erosion decomposed the surrounding granite into a loose, sandy grus, leaving the highly resilient quartz crystals scattered through the topsoil. Historically, the 220-acre site was mined on a small scale for metals like molybdenum and titanium, but the Butte Mineral and Gem Club later established claims here to preserve the area. Today, managed jointly with the U.S. Forest Service, the park is a public rockhounding area where visitors use hand tools to collect clear, smoky, and purple amethyst crystals, including distinct scepter and phantom growth formations.

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