RockWoof
Check access before you go. Most sites listed here are old mines, quarries or prospects, and many are on private land or active mining claims. Get the landowner's permission, check the rules of the agency that manages any public land, and never enter mine workings. Locations are approximate.

Best regions by county

Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.

  1. San Juan County: 1,034 sites; most recorded: Carnotite, Uraninite, Malachite
  2. Tooele County: 978 sites; most recorded: Galena, Malachite, Pyrite
  3. Grand County: 699 sites; most recorded: Carnotite, Uraninite, Malachite
  4. Juab County: 683 sites; most recorded: Galena, Malachite, Chalcopyrite
  5. Emery County: 655 sites; most recorded: Uraninite, Tyuyamunite, Carnotite

Top minerals

  • Galena: 652 sites
  • Malachite: 638 sites
  • Chalcopyrite: 399 sites
  • Carnotite: 340 sites
  • Sphalerite: 328 sites
  • Gold: 278 sites
  • Pyrite: 250 sites
  • Uraninite: 239 sites

Mineral cards

  • Copper

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat

    2,258 sites

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    2,182 sites

  • Gold

    Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat

    1,510 sites

  • Pyrite

    Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat

    991 sites

  • Quartz

    Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat

    982 sites

  • Galena

    Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat

    829 sites

  • Fluorite

    Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat

    388 sites

  • Magnetite

    Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat

    207 sites

  • Scheelite

    Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat

    156 sites

  • Garnet

    Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat

    122 sites

Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.

Minerals most often recorded

Galena 652Malachite 638Chalcopyrite 399Carnotite 340Sphalerite 328Gold 278Pyrite 250Uraninite 239Limonite 207Hematite 162Scheelite 139Smithsonite 139

Counties

CountySites
San Juan County1,034
Tooele County978
Grand County699
Juab County683
Emery County655
Beaver County641
Garfield County632
Box Elder County530
Salt Lake County474
Utah County373
Iron County363
Piute County310
Washington County299
Millard County209
Summit County143
Uintah County123
Sevier County106
Wasatch County89
Kane County87
Wayne County69
Daggett County54
Cache County46
Duchesne County40
Morgan County37
Sanpete County34
Davis County30
Rich County29
Weber County21
Carbon County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3

Mineral guides

Related articles

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