Where to Find Sphalerite in Utah

Utah sphalerite is the zinc counterpart to the galena that drove the state's lead-silver districts. Tintic sphalerite from Eureka and Mammoth is often dark brown to black, with cleavable masses in dolomite alongside galena and pyrite. Park City–Ontario carries lighter honey-brown sphalerite in vugs of dolomite breccia, and the San Francisco district at Frisco adds resin-amber crystals on quartz. Smaller occurrences in the Gold Hill district produce green-tinted sphalerite from the lead-zinc-arsenic ore bodies. Surface dump material is usually weathered to smithsonite or hemimorphite; fresh sphalerite needs underground or deep-dump access.

Spot list checked against source data on April 1, 2026.

Standout sphalerite spots in Utah

Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.

Best counties for sphalerite in Utah

Ranked by the number of mapped sphalerite spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.

Every sphalerite spot we track in Utah

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Bradshaw MountainsSR 21	Beaver County	Amethyst Tourmaline Tremolite Wollastonite Anglesite Aragonite Cerussite Chalcopyrite +3 more	38.2983, -112.9233	Public
FriscoEly Highway	Beaver County	Azurite Barite Calamine Chalcocite Chalcopyrite Chrysocolla Galena Gypsum +7 more	38.4497, -113.2764	Public
San Francisco MountainsEly Highway	Beaver County	Diopside Fluorite Galena Garnet Pyrite Scheelite Sphalerite Apatite +7 more	38.4591, -113.3067	Public
Star RangeBeryl Milford Road	Beaver County	Bismutite Rhodochrosite Fluorite Quartz Azurite Cerussite Galena Malachite +6 more	38.3456, -113.1442	Public
Pilot RangeTunnel Springs Rd	Box Elder County	Alunite Azurite Barite Cerussite Chrysocolla Copper Galena Limonite +6 more	41.2481, -114.0397	Public
Raft River Mountains	Box Elder County	Gold Arsenopyrite Chalcopyrite Galena Pyrite Sphalerite	41.8742, -113.5085	Public
Vipont MineBirch Creek Road	Box Elder County	Azurite Cerussite Copper Chalcopyrite Cuprite Galena Gold Limonite +7 more	41.9657, -113.8459	Public
Lucky Strick and other mines in San Rafael districtHanni Mine Road	Emery County	Bieberite Chalcopyrite Galena Marcasite Pyrite Sphalerite Uraninite	38.7553, -110.9485	Public
Deep Creek MountainsQueen Sheeba Road	Juab County	Beryl Fluorite Scheelite Azurite Gold Malachite Galena Pyrolusite +1 more	39.8035, -113.9600	Permission
Fish SpringsPony Express Road	Juab County	Gold Lead Silver Cerussite Chalcopyrite Fluorite Galena Limonite +3 more	39.8524, -113.4541	Public
Wood Canyon	Millard County	Galena Sphalerite	39.5249, -112.2339	Public
Bullion CanyonBullion Canyon Road	Piute County	Azurite Barite Cerussite Chalcopyrite Fluorite Galena Limonite Pyrite +6 more	38.4195, -112.2981	Public
Big Cottonwood mining districtCardiff Fork Trail	Salt Lake County	Actinolite Barite Orthoclase Bornite Chalcopyrite Galena Magnetite Malachite +5 more	40.6077, -111.6515	Public
Monticello mining districtCooley Pass Trail	San Juan County	Anhydrite Carnotite Gypsum Pyrite Chalcopyrite Galena Gold Sphalerite +4 more	37.8313, -109.4670	Public
Axtell	Sanpete County	Galena Marcasite Pyrite Sphalerite	39.0581, -111.9611	Public
Salina CreekInterstate Highway 70 Frontage Road	Sevier County	Azurite Chalcopyrite Galena Malachite Sphalerite	38.9142, -111.7270	Public
Park City mining districtComstock Mine Trail	Summit County	Barite Calcite Chlorite Epidote Galena Garnet Magnetite Sphalerite +7 more	40.6230, -111.5425	Public
Dugway mining district	Tooele County	Agate Amethyst Apatite Fluorite Chalcedony Garnet Topaz Cerussite +7 more	39.9975, -113.1860	Public
East Erickson mining districtJoes Canyon Road	Tooele County	Galena Pyrite Quartz Sphalerite Cerussite Silver Hematite Limonite +3 more	39.9110, -112.5112	Public
Gold HillEast First Avenue	Tooele County	Azurite Cerussite Chalcopyrite Chlorite Chrysocolla Galena Gold Gypsum +6 more	40.1813, -113.8102	Public
OphirOphir Canyon Road	Tooele County	Galena Gold Pyrite Silver Sphalerite Quartz	40.3739, -112.2641	Public

Before you go

Read the sphalerite identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Sphalerite in the encyclopedia.

Sphalerite in Utah FAQ

Where can you find sphalerite in Utah?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Beaver County, Tooele County, and Box Elder County. Known collecting areas include Tintic district (Juab County), Park City–Ontario workings (Summit County), and Frisco district (Beaver County). Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many sphalerite spots are mapped in Utah?+

21 spots across 12 counties. The RockHoundR app keeps the same spots on an offline map with public land overlays, geology layers, and your saved finds.

Is it legal to collect sphalerite in Utah?+

Hand collecting of common rocks and minerals in small amounts for personal use is generally allowed on BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are closed to collecting. 20 of the 21 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find sphalerite

More minerals to hunt in Utah

Hunt sphalerite in Utah with the map in your pocket

RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.