RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Fort Hall Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Silver) and 6 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Copper. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Pyrite, Galena, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 42.777, -112.352. USGS record.
Ask first: a USGS record doesn’t mean you can visit. Find out who owns the land and get permission before collecting.
Field cards: what kind of sites?
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Status not recorded.
Was producing when the record was made.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
16 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
12 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
10 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
10 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
10 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
7 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Chalcopyrite 7Galena 7Malachite 3Copper 3Bornite 2Chalcocite 1Silver 1Dolomite 1Shale 1Psilomelane 1Pyrolusite 1Gold 1Commodities
Copper 11Gold 9Geothermal 4Lead 3Silica 3Phosphorus-Phosphates 2Silver 2Quartz 2Magnesite 2Manganese 2Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyonclaw Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Copper, Galena | Past Producer | 42.851, -112.405 |
| Moonlight Mine | Copper | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite | Past Producer | 42.898, -112.279 |
| Bell Marsh Queen Mine | Copper, Silver | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Malachite | Past Producer | 42.691, -112.296 |
| Mountain Spring Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite, Copper | Occurrence | 42.856, -112.384 |
| Kopper King Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Copper, Galena | Past Producer | 42.846, -112.153 |
| High Noon Prospect | — | Chalcopyrite, Galena | Occurrence | 42.782, -112.356 |
| Fort Hall Mine | Copper | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite | Past Producer | 42.777, -112.352 |
| Topaz Dolomite Mining Claim | Magnesite | Dolomite | Occurrence | 42.610, -112.080 |
| Evans Mine | Lead | Galena | Occurrence | 42.407, -112.249 |
| Leadbelle Mine | Lead | Galena | Past Producer | 42.547, -111.946 |
| Fort Hall Bottoms Placers | Gold | Gold | Past Producer | 43.056, -112.575 |
| Vanza Mine | Manganese | Psilomelane, Pyrolusite | Past Producer | 42.616, -112.003 |
| Daisy Mard Prospect | — | Shale | Occurrence | 42.842, -112.135 |
| Old Mine Workings | — | Silver | Occurrence | 42.307, -112.094 |
| Fort Hall Indian Reservation Phosphate Occurrence | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.995, -112.062 |
| Inman Creek Copper Prospect | Copper | — | Occurrence | 42.844, -112.171 |
| Neney Prospect | Gold | — | Occurrence | 42.574, -112.315 |
| Crystal Dome Placer | Gold | — | Occurrence | 42.705, -112.457 |
| Black Beetle Occurrence | Uranium | — | Occurrence | 42.468, -112.308 |
| Inkom (Silica) Quarry | Quartz, Silica | — | Producer | 42.785, -112.273 |
| Wonder Insulation Building Stone Quarry | Silica | — | Occurrence | 42.709, -112.010 |
| Saturday Group Occurrence | — | — | Occurrence | 42.618, -112.009 |
| Idaho Portland Cement Co. Quarry | Volcanic Materials | — | Past Producer | 42.764, -112.238 |
| Horse Island Placer Deposit | Gold | — | Past Producer | 42.905, -112.734 |
| Dwms Prospect | — | — | Occurrence | 42.897, -112.291 |
| Marble Deposit | — | — | Occurrence | 42.766, -112.268 |
| Sunday Group Occurrence | — | — | Occurrence | 42.628, -112.007 |
| Hatch Prospect | Copper | — | Occurrence | 42.261, -112.062 |
| Lost Horse Mine | Copper | — | Past Producer | 42.884, -112.407 |
| Fish Haven Dolomite | Magnesite | — | Occurrence | 42.632, -111.994 |
| Gilbert Group | Aluminum | — | Unknown | 42.843, -112.161 |
| Cherry Creek | Gold | — | Prospect | 42.322, -112.160 |
| Lava Hot Springs | — | — | Past Producer | 42.616, -112.008 |
| Vanza Mine | Manganese | — | Past Producer | 42.616, -111.999 |
| Siebert Nichols Prospect | Copper | — | Prospect | 42.724, -112.370 |
| R L Brown | Geothermal | — | Prospect | 42.956, -112.443 |
| Belle Marsh Queen | Gold | — | Past Producer | 42.691, -112.296 |
| Wells Cargo Quartzite | Silica | — | Past Producer | 42.766, -112.383 |
| Bowen Ranch | Geothermal | — | Occurrence | 42.389, -112.083 |
| Downata Hot Spring | Geothermal | — | Occurrence | 42.387, -112.086 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 2 fossil collection records in Bannock County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Bingham County · Franklin County · Oneida County · Caribou County · Power County
Idaho mineral guides
Back to all Idaho counties.
How we built this page: we counted named sites in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for this area, left out sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay pits and unnamed sites, grouped them by Census county, and linked every site to its USGS record. We did not visit these sites, and MRDS does not tell you who owns the land or whether collecting is allowed.
Source: USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS). USGS ceased systematic updates to MRDS around 2011, so status and details may be out of date. Each site links to its USGS record.
Updated