Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Bournonite vs. Vesuvianite
Cogwheels of bournonite are up against colourful vesuvianite.
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Big Smoke Mine, Wellpinit Area, Springdale Mining District, Stevens County, Washington, USAi
Regional Level Types
Big Smoke MineMine
Wellpinit AreaArea
Springdale Mining DistrictMining District
Stevens CountyCounty
WashingtonState
USACountry

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
PhotosMapsSearch
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
47° 50' 48'' North , 118° 5' 54'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
47.84688,-118.09839
GRN:
N32W59
Type:
Mine
Köppen climate type:
Csb : Warm-summer Mediterranean climate
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Davenport1,672 (2017)21.8km
Reardan554 (2017)25.7km
Creston216 (2017)33.0km
Springdale275 (2017)35.4km
Loon Lake783 (2011)42.1km
Mindat Locality ID:
18107
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:18107:0
GUID (UUID V4):
0
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Big Smoke Uranium Mine


A uranium mine above the Spokane River. The ore consisted of radioactive minerals in sedimentary and pyroclastic rocks. A few carloads of ore were shipped in 1956.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.


Mineral List


2 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
ⓘUraninite4.DL.05UO2
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates
ⓘMetatorbernite8.EB.10Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Unclassified
ⓘ'Biotite'-K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
ⓘ'Gummite'-
ⓘ'Monazite Group'-REE(PO4)

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hⓘ BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
Hⓘ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
OOxygen
Oⓘ BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
Oⓘ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Oⓘ Monazite GroupREE(PO4)
Oⓘ UraniniteUO2
FFluorine
Fⓘ BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
MgMagnesium
Mgⓘ BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
AlAluminium
Alⓘ BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
SiSilicon
Siⓘ BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
PPhosphorus
Pⓘ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Pⓘ Monazite GroupREE(PO4)
KPotassium
Kⓘ BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
TiTitanium
Tiⓘ BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
FeIron
Feⓘ BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
CuCopper
Cuⓘ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
UUranium
Uⓘ MetatorberniteCu(UO2)2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
Uⓘ UraniniteUO2

Other Databases

Link to USGS MRDS:10277433

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

Valentine, Grant M., Huntting, Marshall T. (1960) Part II - Metallic Minerals, in Inventory of Washington Minerals. Vol II. Bulletin 37, Washington Geological Survey.
George E. Becraft and Paul L. Weis (1963) Geology and mineral deposits of the Turtle Lake quadrangle, Washington. USGS Bulletin 1131
Quick NavTopCommoditiesMineral ListRock TypesOther DatabasesOther RegionsReferences
 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 4, 2026 00:57:10 Page updated: August 28, 2025 14:50:21
Go to top of page