Mountain City: Azurite & Malachite Rockhounding in Elko County, Nevada

Quick details

Access

Public area

County

Elko County

State

Nevada

Nearest road

Mountain City Highway

Postcode

89813

Coordinates

41.84187, -115.96571

Geology at Mountain City

This spot sits on Felsic phaneritic intrusive rocks, mapped as granodiorite and granite that formed roughly 145 to 66 million years ago. Plutonic rock like this weathers slowly into grus and boulders, and the most productive collecting is typically in weathered zones and drainages.

Mapped unit

Felsic phaneritic intrusive rocks

Age

145–66 Ma (Cretaceous)

Rock types

granodiorite and granite

Elevation

5,700 ft

Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.

Land & collecting status

Generally open to casual rockhounding

Most public-tagged spots sit on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, or other federal land where reasonable hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed. Confirm posted rules and active mining claims before you dig.

Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.

Sources & verification

Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.

State guidance last verified: April 1, 2026

• BLM Nevada — Recreation
• Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
• Royal Peacock Opal Mine (fee-dig operator)
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules

Found at Mountain City

Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.

• AzuriteEncyclopedia →
• MalachiteEncyclopedia →