RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Dry Valley Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Agate, Fluorite) and 5 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 11 other site(s), so we broke the tie by mine status (past producers first), then USGS record quality, then name. USGS lists it as past producer for Phosphorus-Phosphates. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Feldspar, Agate, Pyrite, Fluorite. Approx. location 42.740, -111.329. 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.
Status not recorded.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Was producing when the record was made.
A processing plant site.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
29 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
28 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
27 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
14 sites
Agate
Mohs 6.5–7. Banded, translucent chalcedony. Mindat
13 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
13 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
No individual minerals are listed in these records.
Commodities
Phosphorus-Phosphates 81Geothermal 13Salt 8Sulfur 5Bromine 5Vanadium 4Nitrogen-Nitrates 1Halite 1Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swan Lake Gulch Proposed Mine | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Prospect | 42.630, -111.411 |
| Lloyd Ranch Sulfur Deposit No. 2 | Sulfur | — | Past Producer | 42.637, -111.497 |
| Idaho Sulphur Mine | Sulfur | — | Past Producer | 42.662, -111.518 |
| Rattlesnake Canyon Sulfur Deposit | — | — | Occurrence | 42.557, -111.391 |
| Reed Springs | Bromine, Salt | — | Past Producer | 42.798, -111.087 |
| Stump and White Springs | Bromine | — | Past Producer | 42.844, -111.132 |
| Draney Spring | Bromine, Salt | — | Past Producer | 42.721, -111.081 |
| Petersen Spring | Bromine, Salt | — | Past Producer | 42.773, -111.080 |
| Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.870, -111.838 |
| Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.897, -111.713 |
| Henry North Continuation | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Past Producer | 42.905, -111.508 |
| Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.873, -111.695 |
| Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.952, -111.559 |
| Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.939, -111.409 |
| Diamond Gulch Phosphate Mine | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Past Producer | 42.606, -111.444 |
| Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.938, -111.349 |
| Phosphate Deposit | — | — | Occurrence | 42.597, -111.179 |
| Phosphate Deposit | — | — | Occurrence | 42.489, -111.222 |
| Dry Canyon Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.656, -111.411 |
| Johnson Creek Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.657, -111.437 |
| Unit 3 , Dry Ridge Phosphate Deposit | — | — | Occurrence | 42.605, -111.235 |
| Unit 2 , Freeman Ridge Phosphate Property | — | — | Occurrence | 42.615, -111.201 |
| Grizzly Creek Phosphate Property | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.955, -111.804 |
| Champ Lease | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Past Producer | 42.671, -111.275 |
| Portneuf Reservoir Phosphate Property | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.939, -111.934 |
| Wooley Valley Unit 3 | — | — | Occurrence | 42.843, -111.421 |
| Wells Canyon Phosphate Deposit | — | — | Occurrence | 42.525, -111.236 |
| Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.774, -111.119 |
| Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Prospect | 42.698, -111.109 |
| Dry Ridge Phosphate Deposit | — | — | Occurrence | 42.649, -111.224 |
| Unit 4 , Dry Ridge Phosphate Property | — | — | Occurrence | 42.590, -111.243 |
| Pole Canyon Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Prospect | 42.660, -111.243 |
| Husky No. 1 Proposed Mine | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Prospect | 42.612, -111.254 |
| Graves Creek Phosphate Property | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.935, -111.859 |
| Ballard Mine | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Past Producer | 42.828, -111.486 |
| Rocky Canyon Phosphate Deposit | — | — | Occurrence | 42.930, -111.950 |
| Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.662, -111.492 |
| Blue Jay Gulch Nitrates | Nitrogen-Nitrates | — | Prospect | 42.838, -111.268 |
| Fort Hall Indian Reservation Phosphate Bed | — | — | Occurrence | 42.941, -111.946 |
| Phosphate Deposit | Phosphorus-Phosphates | — | Occurrence | 42.963, -111.687 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 53 fossil collection records in Caribou County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Bear Lake County · Franklin County · Bonneville County · Bannock County · Bingham 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