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

Central Exploration Mine, Central, Houghton Township, Keweenaw County, Michigan, USAi
Regional Level Types
Central Exploration MineMine (Abandoned)
CentralUnincorporated Community
Houghton TownshipTownship
Keweenaw CountyCounty
MichiganState
USACountry

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
PhotosMapsSearch
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
47° 23' 56'' North , 88° 10' 38'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Mine (Abandoned) - last checked 2019
Deposit first discovered:
1930
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Ahmeek146 (2017)19.9km
Copper City187 (2017)20.3km
Copper Harbor108 (2017)23.1km
Calumet703 (2017)26.8km
Laurium1,941 (2017)26.9km
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
ClubLocationDistance
Copper Country Rock and Mineral ClubDollar Bay, Michigan40km
Mindat Locality ID:
33323
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:33323:9
GUID (UUID V4):
0


Discovered in 1930 by Calumet & Hecla, the Central Exploration worked a fissure vein on the famous Kearsarge Lode. The mine went into production from 1934-1936 and again from 1942-1945 during World War II. After the War however, it closed permanently. This is perhaps the best location in the Keweenaw for gem quality chlorastrolite, as well as fine specimens of copper, copper/silver "halfbreeds", and datolite nodules.

As of July 2015, this pile was crushed to create logging roads in the area and no longer exists.

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


6 valid minerals.

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
Native Copper1.AA.05Cu
Native Silver1.AA.05Ag
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
Calcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Group 9 - Silicates
Datolite9.AJ.20CaB(SiO4)(OH)
Pumpellyite-(Mg)9.BG.20Ca2MgAl2[Si2O6OH][SiO4](OH)2(OH)
var. Chlorastrolite9.BG.20Ca2MgAl2(Si2O7)(SiO4)(OH)2 · H2O
Prehnite9.DP.20Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H DatoliteCaB(SiO4)(OH)
H PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
H Pumpellyite-(Mg)Ca2MgAl2[Si2O6OH][SiO4](OH)2(OH)
H Pumpellyite-(Mg) var. ChlorastroliteCa2MgAl2(Si2O7)(SiO4)(OH)2 · H2O
BBoron
B DatoliteCaB(SiO4)(OH)
CCarbon
C CalciteCaCO3
OOxygen
O CalciteCaCO3
O DatoliteCaB(SiO4)(OH)
O PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
O Pumpellyite-(Mg)Ca2MgAl2[Si2O6OH][SiO4](OH)2(OH)
O Pumpellyite-(Mg) var. ChlorastroliteCa2MgAl2(Si2O7)(SiO4)(OH)2 · H2O
MgMagnesium
Mg Pumpellyite-(Mg)Ca2MgAl2[Si2O6OH][SiO4](OH)2(OH)
Mg Pumpellyite-(Mg) var. ChlorastroliteCa2MgAl2(Si2O7)(SiO4)(OH)2 · H2O
AlAluminium
Al PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
Al Pumpellyite-(Mg)Ca2MgAl2[Si2O6OH][SiO4](OH)2(OH)
Al Pumpellyite-(Mg) var. ChlorastroliteCa2MgAl2(Si2O7)(SiO4)(OH)2 · H2O
SiSilicon
Si DatoliteCaB(SiO4)(OH)
Si PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
Si Pumpellyite-(Mg)Ca2MgAl2[Si2O6OH][SiO4](OH)2(OH)
Si Pumpellyite-(Mg) var. ChlorastroliteCa2MgAl2(Si2O7)(SiO4)(OH)2 · H2O
CaCalcium
Ca CalciteCaCO3
Ca DatoliteCaB(SiO4)(OH)
Ca PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
Ca Pumpellyite-(Mg)Ca2MgAl2[Si2O6OH][SiO4](OH)2(OH)
Ca Pumpellyite-(Mg) var. ChlorastroliteCa2MgAl2(Si2O7)(SiO4)(OH)2 · H2O
CuCopper
Cu Native CopperCu
AgSilver
Ag Native SilverAg

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.

References

 
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 08:25:57 Page updated: October 11, 2025 21:33:00
Go to top of page