Home Page About Mindat The Mindat Manual History of Mindat Copyright Status Who We Are Our Science Mindat Newsletter [Free Download]Contact Us

Donate to Mindat Sponsor a Page Corporate Sponsorship Sponsored Pages

Learning Center What Is a Mineral?The Most Common Minerals on Earth Information for Educators Mindat Articles Mindat Newsletter [Free Download]The Elements The Mineral Quiz

Search Form Minerals by Properties Minerals by Chemistry Mineral Visual Explorer Advanced Locality Search Random Mineral Random Locality Search by minID Minerals by Country Alphabetical Mineral Index Alphabetical Locality Search Mineral Association Search List of Countries Localities Near Me Photo Search Search Articles Search Glossary The Rock H. Currier Digital Library More Search Options

The Mindat Manual Add a New Photo Rate Photos Locality Edit Report Coordinate Completion Report Add Glossary Item

Minerals Petrology Fossils Meteorites Geologic Time

Mining Companies Statistics Mineral Museums Clubs & Organizations Mineral Shows & Events Device Settings Time Machine

Read Discussions Identification Request

Photo Search Photo Galleries Search by Colour Photo Colour Explorer New Photos Today New Photos Yesterday Members' Photo Galleries Past Photo of the Day Gallery Photography

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA i
Regional Level Types
Skookumchuck Dam Dam
Bucoda Village
Thurston County County
Washington State
USA Country

Regional Level Types
Skookumchuck Dam	Dam
Bucoda	Village
Thurston County	County
Washington	State
USA	Country

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.

Photos Maps Search

Standard

All Photos (111)Specimen Photos (100)Locality Photos (11)Photos by Color Gallery Photo Statistics Add Photo

Map Pages Nearest Localities Use Map in Article

Mineral Search Similar Localities Nearest Localities Predictive Mineralogy Search Google

North abutment blast in 1969

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Boulders after the blast on the north side of the valley in 1969

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

The spillway on the south side of the valley in 1970

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

North abutment blast in 1969

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Boulders after the blast on the north side of the valley in 1969

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

The spillway on the south side of the valley in 1970

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

North abutment blast in 1969

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Boulders after the blast on the north side of the valley in 1969

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):

46° 47' 4'' North , 122° 43' 5'' West

Latitude & Longitude (decimal):

Type:

Köppen climate type:

Csb : Warm-summer Mediterranean climate

Nearest Settlements:

Place	Population	Distance
Bucoda	566 (2017)	11.6km
Rainier	1,985 (2017)	11.7km
Tenino	1,749 (2017)	13.0km
Yelm	8,434 (2017)	19.5km
Centralia	16,753 (2017)	19.5km

Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities

Club	Location	Distance
Washington Agate and Mineral Society	Olympia, Washington	31km

Mindat Locality ID:

15519

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:2:15519:0

GUID (UUID V4):

Zeolites were found in Eocene olivine basalt flows during construction of the Skookumchuck Dam (1969-1971) near Tenino and Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington. Pockets of exceptionally large mesolite crystals were found early in the construction during blasting rock on the north side of the valley. Excellent specimens of stilbite were found later on the south side of the valley during construction of the spillway. Cavities in the basalt reached 1 meter in diameter but most were smaller. Cavities 2 to 6 cm in diameter were lined with pink to orange heulandite with a few scattered stilbite or calcite. The deep orange heulandite faded to light pink after removal from the damp rock.

Several large mud-filled pockets in the spillway were only lined with drusy quartz, mordenite, and a couple small stilbite crystals. One small opening in the floor of the spillway, when fully opened, exposed a snow-white lined pocket over 2 meter in diameter, lined with white quartz-mordenite with white scattered stilbite up to 6 cm long.

Later, after the dam was completed, the guard at the site was floating on the reservoir with a boat and found a large pocket of exceptional analcime in the north wall. Collecting during construction was extremely restricted to the geologist on the project, the guard at the dam, and a young geology student Rudy Tschernich. Collecting is now not allowed.

Rudy Tschernich

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List

9 valid minerals.

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Analcime

Formula: Na(AlSi₂O₆) · H₂O

Habit: trapazohedra to 7cm in diameter

Colour: colorless, transparent, translucent, white

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.p.41

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1992) Zeolites of the World. Geoscience Press, Inc. 567pp.

ⓘ 'Apophyllite Group'

Formula: AB₄[Si₈O₂₂]X · 8H₂O

Habit: tetragonal bipyrmids to 1.5"

Colour: colorless to white

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.p.48

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1992) Zeolites of the World. Geoscience Press, Inc. 567pp.

ⓘ Calcite

Formula: CaCO₃

Habit: scalenohedral crystals

Colour: yellow

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.p.66

ⓘ 'Chabazite'

Habit: crystals to 1/8"

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.p.70

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1992) Zeolites of the World. Geoscience Press, Inc. 567pp.

ⓘ Clinochlore

Formula: Mg₅Al(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₈

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.

ⓘ 'Heulandite Subgroup'

Formula: (Na/Ca/K)_5-6[Al_8-9 Si_27-28 O₇₂] · nH₂O

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1992) Zeolites of the World. Geoscience Press, Inc. 567pp.

ⓘ Laumontite

Formula: CaAl₂Si₄O₁₂ · 4H₂O

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.

ⓘ Mesolite

Formula: Na₂Ca₂Si₉Al₆O₃₀ · 8H₂O

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.p.48

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1992) Zeolites of the World. Geoscience Press, Inc. 567pp.

ⓘ Mordenite

Formula: (Na₂,Ca,K₂)₄(Al₈Si₄₀)O₉₆ · 28H₂O

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.

ⓘ Okenite

Formula: Ca₁₀Si₁₈O₄₆ · 18H₂O

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1992) Zeolites of the World. Geoscience Press, Inc. 567pp.

ⓘ Quartz

Formula: SiO₂

References:

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1992) Zeolites of the World. Geoscience Press, Inc. 567pp.

ⓘ 'Stilbite Subgroup'

Formula: M_6-7[Al_8-9Si_27-28O₇₂] · nH₂O

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.pages 41,48

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1992) Zeolites of the World. Geoscience Press, Inc. 567pp.

ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca

Formula: NaCa₂[Al₅Si₅O₂₀] · 6H₂O

References:

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.p.41

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1992) Zeolites of the World. Geoscience Press, Inc. 567pp.

Gallery:

(Na₂,Ca,K₂)₄(Al₈Si₄₀)O₉₆ · 28H₂Oⓘ Mordenite

Mordenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Mordenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Mordenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Mordenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Mordenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Mordenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Mordenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Mordenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Ca₁₀Si₁₈O₄₆ · 18H₂Oⓘ Okenite

Okenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Okenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Okenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Okenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Okenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

Okenite, etc.

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
ⓘ	Quartz	4.DA.05	SiO₂
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘ	Calcite	5.AB.05	CaCO₃
Group 9 - Silicates
ⓘ	Okenite	9.EA.40	Ca₁₀Si₁₈O₄₆ · 18H₂O
ⓘ	Clinochlore	9.EC.55	Mg₅Al(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₈
ⓘ	Mesolite	9.GA.05	Na₂Ca₂Si₉Al₆O₃₀ · 8H₂O
ⓘ	Thomsonite-Ca	9.GA.10	NaCa₂[Al₅Si₅O₂₀] · 6H₂O
ⓘ	Analcime	9.GB.05	Na(AlSi₂O₆) · H₂O
ⓘ	Laumontite	9.GB.10	CaAl₂Si₄O₁₂ · 4H₂O
ⓘ	Mordenite	9.GD.35	(Na₂,Ca,K₂)₄(Al₈Si₄₀)O₉₆ · 28H₂O
Unclassified
ⓘ	'Apophyllite Group'	-	AB₄[Si₈O₂₂]X · 8H₂O
ⓘ	'Chabazite'	-
ⓘ	'Heulandite Subgroup'	-	(Na/Ca/K)_5-6[Al_8-9 Si_27-28 O₇₂] · nH₂O
ⓘ	'Stilbite Subgroup'	-	M_6-7[Al_8-9Si_27-28O₇₂] · nH₂O

List of minerals for each chemical element

H	Hydrogen
H	ⓘ Analcime	Na(AlSi₂O₆) · H₂O
H	ⓘ Apophyllite Group	AB₄[Si₈O₂₂]X · 8H₂O
H	ⓘ Clinochlore	Mg₅Al(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₈
H	ⓘ Heulandite Subgroup	(Na/Ca/K)_5-6[Al_8-9 Si_27-28 O₇₂] · nH₂O
H	ⓘ Laumontite	CaAl₂Si₄O₁₂ · 4H₂O
H	ⓘ Mesolite	Na₂Ca₂Si₉Al₆O₃₀ · 8H₂O
H	ⓘ Mordenite	(Na₂,Ca,K₂)₄(Al₈Si₄₀)O₉₆ · 28H₂O
H	ⓘ Okenite	Ca₁₀Si₁₈O₄₆ · 18H₂O
H	ⓘ Stilbite Subgroup	M_6-7[Al_8-9Si_27-28O₇₂] · nH₂O
H	ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca	NaCa₂[Al₅Si₅O₂₀] · 6H₂O
C	Carbon
C	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
O	Oxygen
O	ⓘ Analcime	Na(AlSi₂O₆) · H₂O
O	ⓘ Apophyllite Group	AB₄[Si₈O₂₂]X · 8H₂O
O	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
O	ⓘ Clinochlore	Mg₅Al(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₈
O	ⓘ Heulandite Subgroup	(Na/Ca/K)_5-6[Al_8-9 Si_27-28 O₇₂] · nH₂O
O	ⓘ Laumontite	CaAl₂Si₄O₁₂ · 4H₂O
O	ⓘ Mesolite	Na₂Ca₂Si₉Al₆O₃₀ · 8H₂O
O	ⓘ Mordenite	(Na₂,Ca,K₂)₄(Al₈Si₄₀)O₉₆ · 28H₂O
O	ⓘ Okenite	Ca₁₀Si₁₈O₄₆ · 18H₂O
O	ⓘ Quartz	SiO₂
O	ⓘ Stilbite Subgroup	M_6-7[Al_8-9Si_27-28O₇₂] · nH₂O
O	ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca	NaCa₂[Al₅Si₅O₂₀] · 6H₂O
Na	Sodium
Na	ⓘ Analcime	Na(AlSi₂O₆) · H₂O
Na	ⓘ Heulandite Subgroup	(Na/Ca/K)_5-6[Al_8-9 Si_27-28 O₇₂] · nH₂O
Na	ⓘ Mesolite	Na₂Ca₂Si₉Al₆O₃₀ · 8H₂O
Na	ⓘ Mordenite	(Na₂,Ca,K₂)₄(Al₈Si₄₀)O₉₆ · 28H₂O
Na	ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca	NaCa₂[Al₅Si₅O₂₀] · 6H₂O
Mg	Magnesium
Mg	ⓘ Clinochlore	Mg₅Al(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₈
Al	Aluminium
Al	ⓘ Analcime	Na(AlSi₂O₆) · H₂O
Al	ⓘ Clinochlore	Mg₅Al(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₈
Al	ⓘ Heulandite Subgroup	(Na/Ca/K)_5-6[Al_8-9 Si_27-28 O₇₂] · nH₂O
Al	ⓘ Laumontite	CaAl₂Si₄O₁₂ · 4H₂O
Al	ⓘ Mesolite	Na₂Ca₂Si₉Al₆O₃₀ · 8H₂O
Al	ⓘ Mordenite	(Na₂,Ca,K₂)₄(Al₈Si₄₀)O₉₆ · 28H₂O
Al	ⓘ Stilbite Subgroup	M_6-7[Al_8-9Si_27-28O₇₂] · nH₂O
Al	ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca	NaCa₂[Al₅Si₅O₂₀] · 6H₂O
Si	Silicon
Si	ⓘ Analcime	Na(AlSi₂O₆) · H₂O
Si	ⓘ Apophyllite Group	AB₄[Si₈O₂₂]X · 8H₂O
Si	ⓘ Clinochlore	Mg₅Al(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₈
Si	ⓘ Heulandite Subgroup	(Na/Ca/K)_5-6[Al_8-9 Si_27-28 O₇₂] · nH₂O
Si	ⓘ Laumontite	CaAl₂Si₄O₁₂ · 4H₂O
Si	ⓘ Mesolite	Na₂Ca₂Si₉Al₆O₃₀ · 8H₂O
Si	ⓘ Mordenite	(Na₂,Ca,K₂)₄(Al₈Si₄₀)O₉₆ · 28H₂O
Si	ⓘ Okenite	Ca₁₀Si₁₈O₄₆ · 18H₂O
Si	ⓘ Quartz	SiO₂
Si	ⓘ Stilbite Subgroup	M_6-7[Al_8-9Si_27-28O₇₂] · nH₂O
Si	ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca	NaCa₂[Al₅Si₅O₂₀] · 6H₂O
K	Potassium
K	ⓘ Heulandite Subgroup	(Na/Ca/K)_5-6[Al_8-9 Si_27-28 O₇₂] · nH₂O
K	ⓘ Mordenite	(Na₂,Ca,K₂)₄(Al₈Si₄₀)O₉₆ · 28H₂O
Ca	Calcium
Ca	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
Ca	ⓘ Heulandite Subgroup	(Na/Ca/K)_5-6[Al_8-9 Si_27-28 O₇₂] · nH₂O
Ca	ⓘ Laumontite	CaAl₂Si₄O₁₂ · 4H₂O
Ca	ⓘ Mesolite	Na₂Ca₂Si₉Al₆O₃₀ · 8H₂O
Ca	ⓘ Mordenite	(Na₂,Ca,K₂)₄(Al₈Si₄₀)O₉₆ · 28H₂O
Ca	ⓘ Okenite	Ca₁₀Si₁₈O₄₆ · 18H₂O
Ca	ⓘ Thomsonite-Ca	NaCa₂[Al₅Si₅O₂₀] · 6H₂O

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent

Cascade RangeMountain Range

North America PlateTectonic Plate

Cascade ArcVolcanic Arc
Siletzia DomainDomain
Western Washington–Oregon BasinsBasin

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

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1972) Zeolites from Skookumchuck Dam, Washington. The Mineralogical Record, 3 (1) 30-34

Cannon, Bart (1975) Minerals of Washington. Cordilleran, Mercer Island, WA.pages 41, 48, 66, 70

Tschernich, Rudy W. (1992) Zeolites of the World. Geoscience Press, Inc. 567pp.

Quick NavTop Mineral List Other Regions References

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: October 22, 2026 02:02:40 Page updated: December 15, 2025 20:32:57

Go to top of page

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USAiRegional Level TypesSkookumchuck DamDam BucodaVillage Thurston CountyCounty WashingtonState USACountry function showexplain() { $("#locexplain").toggle(); if (typeof movemap === "function") movemap(); }

Select Mineral List Type

Mineral List

Detailed Mineral List:

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

List of minerals for each chemical element

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References

Skookumchuck Dam, Bucoda, Thurston County, Washington, USA i
Regional Level Types
Skookumchuck Dam Dam
Bucoda Village
Thurston County County
Washington State
USA Country