Mount Apatite: Green Tourmaline & Pink Tourmaline Rockhounding in Androscoggin County, Maine
- Minerals reported
- 6
- Elevation
- 410 ft
- Best months
- April to October
Mount Apatite is a lithium-rich pegmatite district where the Pulsifer Quarry produced some of the finest purple apatite crystals in the world, alongside green and pink tourmaline, aquamarine, and lilac lepidolite. The historic feldspar quarries now sit inside Auburn city parkland, making this one of the few Maine gem localities with genuine free public access. Garnet and smoky quartz turn up in the same dumps. Reported finds include green tourmaline, pink tourmaline, aquamarine, purple apatite, lepidolite, and more. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Plan your visit
Generally open to casual rockhounding
- County
- Androscoggin County
- State
- Maine
- Nearest road
- Stevens Mill Road
- Postcode
- 04210
- Coordinates
- 44.08712, -70.29043
Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.
Land & collecting status
Generally open to casual rockhounding
Most public-tagged spots sit on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, or other federal land where reasonable hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed. Confirm posted rules and active mining claims before you dig.
Access note: Mount Apatite Park is City of Auburn parkland at 64 Mt. Apatite Road, open dawn to dusk with no fee. Collecting is limited to hand tools and a two-foot digging depth in the old quarry tailings, and damaging plants or wildlife is prohibited.
Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.
Best time to visit Mount Apatite
Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)
Best months: April to October. Typical highs run 79°F in midsummer and 28°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 11°F.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, LEWISTON station (4 mi away), adjusted for elevation.
Geology at Mount Apatite
This spot sits on granite, mapped as granite that formed roughly 420 to 360 million years ago. Granitic rock like this is where pegmatite pockets tend to occur, the coarse-crystal settings that typically carry beryl, tourmaline, mica, and feldspar.
- Mapped unit
- granite
- Age
- 420–360 Ma (Devonian)
- Rock types
- granite
- Elevation
- 410 ft
Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.
Today's weather
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Get the appSources & verification
Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.
State guidance last verified:
- Maine Geological Survey
- Maine Mineral & Gem Museum
- Acadia National Park rules
- Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules
Found at Mount Apatite
Each name opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of Mount Apatite.
- Berry-Havey QuarryAndroscoggin County, Maine · 1 mi awayTourmaline, Watermelon Tourmaline, Beryl
- Pitts Garnet MineAndroscoggin County, Maine · 2 mi awayActinolite, Calcite, Diopside
- Poland Mining CampsAndroscoggin County, Maine · 6 mi awayQuartz, Feldspar, Beryl
- Singepole Mountain QuarryOxford County, Maine · 13 mi awayAlmandine Garnet, Beryl, Biotite
- Mount Mica QuarryOxford County, Maine · 15 mi awayTourmaline, Rose Quartz
- Scribner Ledge Quarry & Crocker Hill MinesOxford County, Maine · 16 mi awayGraphite, Molybdenite, Pyrite
- Porcupine Hill QuarrySagadahoc County, Maine · 18 mi awayAlbite, Almandine Garnet, Beryl
- HaveySagadahoc County, Maine · 19 mi awayAlbite, Almandine Garnet, Beryl
Across the state line from Mount Apatite
Mount Apatite is close enough to the Maine border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
- Deer Hill Mineral Collecting AreaCarroll County, New Hampshire · 35 mi awayAmethyst, Beryl, Garnet
- South Baldface MountainCarroll County, New Hampshire · 39 mi awaySmoky Quartz, Topaz, Phenakite
- Hurricane MountainCarroll County, New Hampshire · 39 mi awayAmethyst, Smoky Quartz
- RedstoneCarroll County, New Hampshire · 40 mi awayAmethyst, Apatite, Quartz
- ConwayCarroll County, New Hampshire · 44 mi awayFeldspar, Smoky Quartz, Topaz
- Province LakeCarroll County, New Hampshire · 45 mi awayBlue Beryl, Feldspar
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More rockhounding in Maine
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