Mineral Evolution Database
Created and maintained by the Mineral Evolution Project in partnership with RRUFF and mindat.
Mineral locality data provided by mindat.org



The Mineral Evolution database is currently under development.

The goal of this page is to present localities at which the mineral is found, and estimates of the oldest possible geologic age of the minerals at these localities.


Locality Name:
Stillwater Mine, Stillwater Complex, Nye, Stillwater Co., Montana, USA

Oldest recorded age at locality: 2906
Youngest recorded age at locality: 2188.3

mindat Locality ID: 30835
mindat URL: http://www.mindat.org/loc-30835.html

Tectonic Settings:

Total number of sublocalities beneath "Stillwater Mine, Stillwater Complex, Nye, Stillwater Co., Montana, USA": 0
Total number of bottom-level sublocalities: 0

Latitude: 45°23'20"N
Longitude: 109°52'25"W
Decimal Degree (lat, lon): 45.388888888889,-109.87361111111
AThis mineral is Anthropogenic.
GThis mineral is directly dated.
BThis mineral is reported as having this age.
YThis mineral is using an age reported as an element mineralization period.
OThis mineral is using an age calculated from all data at the locality.
RThe age displayed for this mineral originates from a different, non-child locality.
PThe age displayed for this mineral is the range of ages for this mineral at all of this locality's children.
This mineral's age has not yet been recorded.

This Mineral list contains entries from this locality, including sub-localities. Minerals in bold are reported by mindat.org as occurring directly at this locality, and do not occur at any children (sublocalities) of this locality.

Elements at this locality, including sub-localities: Ag Al As Au Bi C Ca Cl Co Cr Cu Fe H Hg Mg Na Ni O P Pb Pd Pt Rh Ru S Sb Si Sn Te Ti Zn 

Elements from minerals reported directly at this locality: Ag Al As Au Bi C Ca Cl Co Cr Cu Fe H Hg Mg Na Ni O P Pb Pd Pt Rh Ru S Sb Si Sn Te Ti Zn 

Structural Groups for minerals in this locality: 
AmphiboleApatiteArsenopyriteAuricuprideCalciteChalcopyriteClayClinozoisiteCobaltiteCopper
CorundumCovelliteCubaniteEpidoteMarcasiteMeloniteMilleriteNatroliteNickelineNone
Not in a structural groupPentlanditePerovskitePyritePyroxeneRocksaltSmectite-vermiculiteSphaleriteSpinelStibnite
StillwateriteTalcUllmanniteWurtzite

61 IMA Minerals at location:
Arsenopalladinite  (*)Arsenopyrite  (*)Atokite  (*)Braggite  (*)Calcite  (*)
Carrollite  (*)Chalcopyrite  (*)Chlorapatite  (*)Chromite  (*)Cobaltite  (*)
Cooperite  (*)Copper  (*)Covellite  (*)Cubanite  (*)Cuprite  (*)
Enstatite  (*)Epidote  (*)Galena  (*)Gold  (*)Graphite  (*)
Heazlewoodite  (*)Hessite  (*)Hollingworthite  (*)Ilmenite  (*)Isoferroplatinum  (*)
Keithconnite  (*)Kotulskite  (*)Laurite  (*)Mackinawite  (*)Magnetite  (*)
Marcasite  (*)Mertieite-II  (*)Michenerite  (*)Millerite  (*)Moncheite  (*)
Mooihoekite  (*)Natrolite  (*)Nickeline  (*)Nontronite  (*)Palladium  (*)
Palladoarsenide  (*)Palladobismutharsenide  (*)Gersdorffite-Pa3  (*)Pentlandite  (*)Plumbopalladinite  (*)
Pyrite  (*)Pyrrhotite  (*)Rhodium  (*)Rustenburgite  (*)Sperrylite  (*)
Sphalerite  (*)Stibnite  (*)Stillwaterite  (*)Talc  (*)Telargpalite  (*)
Telluropalladinite  (*)Temagamite  (*)Tremolite  (*)Violarite  (*)Vysotskite  (*)
Zvyagintsevite  (*)
Mineral nameStructural GroupsIMA FormulaMax Age (Ma)Min Age (Ma)# of Sublocalities containing mineralLOCALITY IDs, not mindat ids# of localities containing mineral
Arsenopalladinite  (*)StillwateritePd8As32608.32188.3031
Arsenopyrite  (*)ArsenopyriteFeAsS2608.32188.309052
Atokite  (*)Auricupride PerovskitePd3Sn2608.32188.3029
Braggite  (*)NonePdPt3S42608.32188.30101
Calcite  (*)CalciteCa(CO3)2608.32188.3027770
Carrollite  (*)SpinelCuCo2S42608.32188.30154
Chalcopyrite  (*)ChalcopyriteCuFeS22608.32188.3027198
Chlorapatite  (*)ApatiteCa5(PO4)3Cl2608.32188.30203
Chromite  (*)SpinelFe2+Cr2O42608.32188.303902
Cobaltite  (*)CobaltiteCoAsS2608.32188.30966
Cooperite  (*)NonePtS2608.32188.30124
Copper  (*)CopperCu2608.32188.303846
Covellite  (*)CovelliteCuS2608.32188.304165
Cubanite  (*)Cubanite WurtziteCuFe2S32608.32188.30802
Cuprite  (*)Not in a structural groupCu2O2608.32188.302970
Enstatite  (*)PyroxeneMg2Si2O62608.32188.30944
Epidote  (*)Epidote ClinozoisiteCa2(Al2Fe3+)[Si2O7][SiO4]O(OH)2608.32188.308173
Galena  (*)RocksaltPbS2608.32188.3024243
Gold  (*)CopperAu2608.32188.3030554
Graphite  (*)NoneC2608.32188.302812
Heazlewoodite  (*)NoneNi3S22608.32188.30205
Hessite  (*)NoneAg2Te2608.32188.30804
Hollingworthite  (*)UllmanniteRhAsS2608.32188.30119
Ilmenite  (*)CorundumFe2+Ti4+O32608.32188.305433
Isoferroplatinum  (*)Auricupride PerovskitePt3Fe2608.32188.30128
Keithconnite  (*)NonePd20Te72608.32188.3040
Kotulskite  (*)NickelinePd(Te,Bi)2-x (x ≈ 0.4)2608.32188.30116
Laurite  (*)PyriteRuS22608.32188.30226
Mackinawite  (*)None(Fe,Ni)1+xS (x = 0-0.07)2608.32188.30451
Magnetite  (*)SpinelFe2+Fe3+2O42608.32188.3014899
Marcasite  (*)MarcasiteFeS22608.32188.305674
Mertieite-II  (*)StillwateritePd8Sb2.5As0.52608.32188.3044
Michenerite  (*)UllmannitePdBiTe2608.32188.30114
Millerite  (*)MilleriteNiS2608.32188.301066
Moncheite  (*)MelonitePt(Te,Bi)22608.32188.30133
Mooihoekite  (*)ChalcopyriteCu9Fe9S162608.32188.3020
Natrolite  (*)NatroliteNa2(Si3Al2)O10·2H2O2608.32188.301236
Nickeline  (*)NickelineNiAs2608.32188.30633
Nontronite  (*)Clay Smectite-vermiculiteNa0.3Fe3+2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2·nH2O2608.32188.30471
Palladium  (*)CopperPd2608.32188.3059
Palladoarsenide  (*)NonePd2As2608.32188.3037
Palladobismutharsenide  (*)NonePd2(As,Bi)2608.32188.306
Gersdorffite-Pa3  (*)PyriteNiAsS2608.32188.30767
Pentlandite  (*)Pentlandite(Ni,Fe)9S82608.32188.301512
Plumbopalladinite  (*)NonePd3Pb22608.32188.3010
Pyrite  (*)PyriteFeS22608.32188.3039462
Pyrrhotite  (*)NickelineFe7S82608.32188.309056
Rhodium  (*)CopperRh2608.32188.3017
Rustenburgite  (*)Perovskite AuricupridePt3Sn2608.32188.3034
Sperrylite  (*)PyritePtAs22608.32188.30337
Sphalerite  (*)SphaleriteZnS2608.32188.3021482
Stibnite  (*)StibniteSb2S32608.32188.303418
Stillwaterite  (*)StillwateritePd8As32608.32188.3024
Talc  (*)Clay TalcMg3Si4O10(OH)22608.32188.303337
Telargpalite  (*)None(Pd,Ag)3Te2608.32188.3018
Telluropalladinite  (*)NonePd9Te42608.32188.3015
Temagamite  (*)NonePd3HgTe32608.32188.3024
Tremolite  (*)Amphibole   Ca2(Mg5.0-4.5Fe2+0.0-0.5)Si8O22(OH)22608.32188.302562
Violarite  (*)SpinelFeNi2S42608.32188.30380
Vysotskite  (*)NonePdS2608.32188.3053
Zvyagintsevite  (*)Auricupride PerovskitePd3Pb2608.32188.3032


5 Ages assigned to this locality:

Excel IDMax Age (Ma)Min Age (Ma)Age as listed in referenceDating MethodAge InterpretPrioritized?Sample SourceSample NumRun NumAge from other LocalityDated MineralMinerals explicitely stated as having this ageAge applies to these ElementsMinDat Locality IDDated Locality (Max Age)Location as listed in referenceReferenceReference DOIReference IDAge Notes
Hg-0003527162693 U-Pb, Sm-Nd    YesPotarite, TemagamiteHg3883Stillwater Complex, Nye, Stillwater Co., Montana, USA DePaolo and Wasserburg (1979); Premo et al. (1990)   
JP35_1717-00001290627542830±76Re-Os high 81MVL217, 801M02, 355-64-556.0, 355-64-684.5, 355- Yes  3883Stillwater Complex, Nye, Stillwater Co., Montana, USAStillwater PGE deposit, Montana, USALambert et al. (1994)10.1093/petrology/35.6.1717JP35_1717 
JP35_1717-00002272126812701±20Sm-Nd high   Yes  3883Stillwater Complex, Nye, Stillwater Co., Montana, USAStillwater PGE deposit, Montana, USALambert et al. (1994)10.1093/petrology/35.6.1717JP35_1717 
Mo-0005927162693 U-Pb, Sm-Nd    YesMolybdenite, TarkianiteMo3883Stillwater Complex, Nye, Stillwater Co., Montana, USA DePaolo and Wasserburg (1979); Premo et al. (1990)   
USGS-Rb-Sr-030982608.32188.32398.3±210Rb-Srminimum age of intrusionwhole rock     30835Stillwater Mine, Stillwater Complex, Nye, Stillwater Co., Montana, USA USGS-Rb-Sr USGS-Rb-Sr 

SampleSource LocalityReference URL

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