Nevada Turquoise Mines & Turquoise Facts

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Nevada Turquoise Facts

Nevada is host to the most turquoise claims in any state in America, and to my knowledge has the greatest number of turquoise claims of any one location in the world. Nevada's Turquoise Deposits vary greatly from those in Arizona, rather than turquoise being the biproduct of a large copper mining operation, in Nevada most mines are owned by small "ma & pa" miners. In the past Nevada had over 400 registered claims for turquoise. These days most of these small mines have been mined out or are no longer being mine. The fate of the mines still left rests with the political environment of the United States, unfortunately this is one turquoise fact that is sad but true.

Turquoise depends on the whims of nature for its formation. It is not a material that originated deep within the earth as a primary mineral. Rather it relies on weathering and the ingredients of the earth’s crust for its formation. There was a time when turquoise could be collected by rock hounds. Small deposits were accessible but now it is nearly impossible to go into the field and find and dig turquoise.

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