RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Bingham Open Pit Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 4 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Silver) and 9 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 1 other site(s), so we broke the tie by mine status (past producers first), then USGS record quality, then name. USGS lists it as producer for Gold, Silver, Molybdenum, Copper. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Feldspar, Magnetite, Pyrite, Galena, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 40.521, -112.146. 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?
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Was producing when the record was made.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
A processing plant site.
Status not recorded.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
273 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
213 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
204 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
161 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
131 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
77 sites
Magnetite
Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat
20 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
18 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Galena 138Chalcopyrite 82Sphalerite 65Pyrite 52Gold 47Malachite 37Argentite 24Tetrahedrite 21Bornite 20Chalcocite 20Anglesite 17Limonite 16Commodities
Lead 320Silver 236Copper 185Gold 176Zinc 156Molybdenum 19Iron 16Manganese 7Tungsten 6Bismuth 5Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Apex Tunnel | Copper, Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Argentite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Sphalerite | Producer | 40.619, -111.561 |
| Crystal-Elgin Inclines | Copper, Lead, Silver, Zinc | Anglesite, Argentite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Scheelite, Sphalerite | Producer | 40.620, -111.559 |
| Michigan-Utah Mine | Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Argentite, Calamine, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Hemimorphite, Jamesonite, Malachite, Plumbojarosite, Smithsonite, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 40.599, -111.607 |
| Scottish Chief Mine | Lead, Silver | Anglesite, Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Galena, Gold, Malachite | Producer | 40.623, -111.569 |
| Solitude Tunnel | Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite, Wad | Past Producer | 40.604, -111.602 |
| Black Bess Mine | Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Argentite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Smithsonite, Wad, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 40.599, -111.607 |
| Old Jordan Mine 1863 | Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Bornite, Chalcanthite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Cuprite, Gold, Limonite, Malachite, Tenorite | Past Producer | 40.510, -112.152 |
| Mascotte Tunnel | Zinc, Lead, Copper, Silver | Anglesite, Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Cuprite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Sphalerite | Occurrence | 40.527, -112.097 |
| Yosemite Mine | Lead, Zinc, Copper, Silver | Anglesite, Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 40.512, -112.114 |
| Butterfield S. Mines | Lead, Zinc, Silver, Copper | Anglesite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Galena, Malachite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 40.506, -112.107 |
| Castro Gulch Mine | Silver, Copper, Lead, Zinc | Anglesite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 40.499, -112.109 |
| Sells Mine | Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Cerussite, Covellite, Galena, Gold, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 40.582, -111.647 |
| Fortuna | Copper, Lead | Anglesite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Malachite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 40.528, -112.130 |
| Scottish Chief Mine | Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Chrysocolla, Galena, Malachite, Pyromorphite, Silver | Past Producer | 40.623, -111.569 |
| Saints Rest Gulch Ne Mines | Zinc, Silver, Copper, Lead | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 40.509, -112.109 |
| Eclipse Shaft and Hirshman Group | Silver, Lead, Copper | Anglesite, Copper, Galena | Occurrence | 40.602, -111.638 |
| Butte Mine | Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Gold, Malachite, Smithsonite, Wad, Wulfenite | Past Producer | 40.600, -111.609 |
| Mountain Lake Mine | Copper, Iron | Argentite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Magnetite, Malachite, Pyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 40.584, -111.585 |
| Great Western Prospect | Copper, Iron, Gold | Argentite, Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Magnetite, Pyrite, Scheelite | Past Producer | 40.599, -111.574 |
| Albion Mine | Silver, Lead, Gold | Argentite, Bournonite, Cerussite, Galena, Gold, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 40.573, -111.627 |
| Richmond and Teresa Mine | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Galena | Past Producer | 40.601, -111.619 |
| Alta Consolidated Mine | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Magnetite, Malachite, Pyrite | Past Producer | 40.596, -111.621 |
| Albion Tunnel | Silver, Lead | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite | Past Producer | 40.579, -111.624 |
| Little Dollie Tunnel | Copper | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite | Past Producer | 40.621, -111.591 |
| Michigan-Utah Mine | Silver, Lead | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite, Wad | Past Producer | 40.596, -111.618 |
| American Tunnel | Copper, Silver, Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Malachite, Wad | Past Producer | 40.623, -111.577 |
| Scotia Prospect | Silver, Copper, Lead | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 40.612, -111.608 |
| Kentucky-Utah Group | Lead, Silver, Copper | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 40.607, -111.609 |
| Alta Consolidated Mine | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Plumbojarosite, Wulfenite | Producer | 40.598, -111.620 |
| Queen Bess Mine | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Galena | Past Producer | 40.619, -111.609 |
| Cooper Tunnel | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Galena | Past Producer | 40.610, -111.613 |
| Prince of Wales Group | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Galena, Gold, Malachite | Past Producer | 40.604, -111.627 |
| Annie Tunnel | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Galena, Gold, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 40.608, -111.612 |
| Alta Tunnel | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Galena, Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 40.612, -111.620 |
| Emma Silver Group | Silver, Lead, Zinc | Argentite, Tetrahedrite | Producer | 40.592, -111.626 |
| Carbonate Mine | Lead, Silver | Aurichalcite, Cuprite, Galena, Limonite, Malachite, Smithsonite | Past Producer | 40.622, -111.667 |
| Lucky Boy Mine | Manganese, Iron | Barite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite, Silver | Past Producer | 40.487, -112.141 |
| Butterfield Nw Mines | Zinc, Gold | Barite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 40.501, -112.146 |
| Bingham Open Pit Mine | Gold, Silver, Molybdenum, Copper | Bismuthinite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Molybdenite, Pentlandite, Platinum, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite, Silver, Sphalerite, Magnetite, Bornite, Chalcocite, Covellite | Producer | 40.521, -112.146 |
| Highland Boy | Copper | Bornite, Chalcanthite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Galena, Limonite, Marcasite, Pyrite, Specularite | Producer | 40.515, -112.168 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 8 fossil collection records in Salt Lake County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Summit County · Wasatch County · Davis County · Morgan County · Utah County
Utah mineral guides
Back to all Utah 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