Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Monazite-(Ce) vs. Andalusite
It's a showdown with rare earth elemental ore Monazite-(Ce) and index mineral Andalusite.
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

Potato Peak, San Juan County, Colorado, USAi
Regional Level Types
Potato PeakHill
San Juan CountyCounty
ColoradoState
USACountry

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
PhotosMapsSearch
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
37° 39' 15'' North , 107° 46' 0'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Area:
2.0 km2
Type:
Hill - last checked 2018
Age:
At least 5000 Ma
Geologic Time:
Reference for age:
Sebastian Tauber (2018). Geology South of Potato Peak, West Needle Mountains, Colorado. Field report.
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Silverton637 (2011)19.7km
Ophir169 (2017)23.3km
Rico255 (2017)23.6km
Telluride2,399 (2018)31.7km
Mountain Village1,395 (2017)31.8km
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
ClubLocationDistance
Four Corners Gem & Mineral ClubDurango, Colorado43km
Mindat Locality ID:
307681
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:307681:4
GUID (UUID V4):
0


Located in the Needle Mountains and is 3618 metres.

The general geology of an irregular zone approximately 2 km long and 1 km wide, between Potato Lake at the North and Scout Lake at the South, in the Needle Mountains area, San Juan Mountains, Southwestern Colorado.

The Needle Mountains of Southwestern Colorado are a complex of Precambrian rocks uplifted. Field and petrographic descriptions, and isotopic age determinations indicate that these rocks formed 1800 Ma. in cycles of deposition, folding, metamorphism, and intrusion of plutonic rocks.

The Twilight Gneiss has a metamorphic fabric well foliated. Is principally gneissose in texture, but varies from a purely granular rock to a distinctly foliated gneiss, while the schists which it intrudes are very dark amphibolites almost black.

The Twilight Gneiss has the appearance of varying in composition from diorite, granodiorite to monzonite. Apparently, plagioclase and quartz comprise the bulk of most mineral specimens.

The Twilight Gneiss is pink or red or almost gray in color, and in some places, it is white or light gray. It is of a medium grain and is usually foliated or gneissic in texture. The principal constituents are feldspar, quartz, biotite, and hornblende. The dark silicates are nowhere in excess but are always found in sufficient quantities and so arranged as to emphasize the characteristic foliation to the rock.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List


2 valid minerals.

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
Magnetite4.BB.05Fe2+Fe3+2O4
Quartz4.DA.05SiO2
Unclassified
'Amphibole Supergroup'-AB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
'Biotite'-K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
'Feldspar Group'-
'Hornblende Root Name Group'-◻Ca2(Z2+4Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
H BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
H Hornblende Root Name Group◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2
OOxygen
O Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
O BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
O MagnetiteFe2+Fe23+O4
O QuartzSiO2
O Hornblende Root Name Group◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2
FFluorine
F Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
F BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
F Hornblende Root Name Group◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2
MgMagnesium
Mg BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
AlAluminium
Al Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
Al BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
Al Hornblende Root Name Group◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2
SiSilicon
Si Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
Si BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
Si QuartzSiO2
Si Hornblende Root Name Group◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2
ClChlorine
Cl Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
Cl Hornblende Root Name Group◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2
KPotassium
K BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
CaCalcium
Ca Hornblende Root Name Group◻Ca2(Z42+Z3+)(AlSi7O22)(OH,F,Cl)2
TiTitanium
Ti Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
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
Fe MagnetiteFe2+Fe23+O4

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
USA

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.
 
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 7, 2026 07:56:03 Page updated: September 27, 2025 13:39:37
Go to top of page