Where to Find Chalcopyrite in Utah
Chalcopyrite is the primary copper sulfide in Utah's porphyry and skarn districts. Bingham Canyon in Salt Lake County is the largest producer, although the active pit is closed and most collecting is from old peripheral dumps and the West Mountain pits. The Tintic district yields chalcopyrite with pyrite, galena, and sphalerite in dolomite vugs at Mammoth and Eureka. San Juan County's Cane Creek and Lisbon Valley anticlines produce chalcopyrite in sandstone alongside chalcocite and bornite. Surface chalcopyrite tarnishes to a peacock-iridescent film, so look for fresh fracture surfaces with a clean brassy-yellow color.
Spot list checked against source data on April 1, 2026.
Every chalcopyrite spot we track in Utah
Best spotFriscoBeaver County, UtahPublic access · Azurite, Barite, Calamine +12- Best spotGold HillTooele County, UtahPublic access · Azurite, Cerussite, Chalcopyrite +11
Best spotSpor MountainJuab County, UtahCheck locally · Fluorite, Bertrandite, Carnotite +6
Dugway mining districtTooele County, UtahPublic access · Agate, Amethyst, Apatite +12- Lincoln GulchBeaver County, UtahPublic access · Amethyst, Azurite, Calcite +12
- Vipont MineBox Elder County, UtahPublic access · Azurite, Cerussite, Copper +12
Big Indian WashSan Juan County, UtahCheck locally · Coffinite, Doloresite, Uraninite +11- Bullion CanyonPiute County, UtahCheck locally · Azurite, Barite, Cerussite +11
- Cactus MineBeaver County, UtahPublic access · Azurite, Barite, Chalcopyrite +11
- Desert MountainJuab County, UtahPublic access · Antlerite, Bornite, Fluorite +11
- Drum MountainsJuab County, UtahPublic access · Agate, Jasper, Pyrolusite +11
- Big Cottonwood mining districtSalt Lake County, UtahPublic access · Actinolite, Barite, Orthoclase +10
- Monticello mining districtSan Juan County, UtahPublic access · Anhydrite, Carnotite, Gypsum +9
- Bingham CanyonSalt Lake County, UtahPublic access · Actinolite, Barite, Bismuth +8
- Bradshaw MountainsBeaver County, UtahPublic access · Amethyst, Tourmaline, Tremolite +8
- Fish SpringsJuab County, UtahPublic access · Gold, Lead, Silver +8
- Miner's BasinGrand County, UtahPublic access · Actinolite, Calcite, Chalcedony +8
- Yellow Canary Uranium DepositDaggett County, UtahPublic access · Azurite, Bornite, Brochantite +7
- Little Drum MountainsMillard County, UtahPublic access · Azurite, Cuprite, Chalcedony +6
- Promontory MountainsBox Elder County, UtahPublic access · Cerussite, Bornite, Calamine +6
- Lucky Strick and other mines in San Rafael districtEmery County, UtahPublic access · Bieberite, Chalcopyrite, Galena +4
- Raft River MountainsBox Elder County, UtahPublic access · Gold, Arsenopyrite, Chalcopyrite +3
- San Juan RiverSan Juan County, UtahPermission required · Anhydrite, Chalcopyrite, Copper +3
- Sevenmile CanyonGrand County, UtahPermission required · Bornite, Carnotite, Chalcocite +3
- Farmington mining districtDavis County, UtahPublic access · Azurite, Chalcopyrite, Gold +2
- Salina CreekSevier County, UtahPublic access · Azurite, Chalcopyrite, Galena +2
- Crater IslandBox Elder County, UtahPermission required · Bornite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite +1
Standout chalcopyrite spots in Utah
Hand-picked from the full list above, with the reason each one earns a trip.
Frisco
Beaver County
Frisco combines a major historic silver-lead camp with a long mineral list that includes copper carbonates, galena, sphalerite, pyrite, opal, and wulfenite.
Spor Mountain
Juab County
Spor Mountain stands out because its topaz-rhyolite-related deposits made it the world's premier beryllium district and Utah's largest fluorite producer.
Gold Hill
Tooele County
Gold Hill is one of Utah's most mineralogically varied old districts, with arsenic, gold, copper, lead, silver, tungsten, and zinc production tied to skarn, vein, and replacement deposits.
Best counties for chalcopyrite in Utah
Ranked by the number of mapped chalcopyrite spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.
Before you go
Read the chalcopyrite identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Chalcopyrite in the encyclopedia.
Chalcopyrite in Utah FAQ
Where can you find chalcopyrite in Utah?+
How many chalcopyrite spots are mapped in Utah?+
Is it legal to collect chalcopyrite in Utah?+
Where else to find chalcopyrite
More minerals to hunt in Utah
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