Bingham Canyon: Actinolite & Barite Rockhounding in Salt Lake County, Utah

Quick details

Access

Public area

County

Salt Lake County

State

Utah

Nearest road

Kennecott Access Road

Coordinates

40.55749, -112.13191

Geology at Bingham Canyon

This spot sits on Oquirrh Group, Bingham Mine Formation, upper member, mapped as light-gray to tan, thinly color-banded and locally cross-bedded quartzite with interbedded thin, light- to medium-gray, calcareous, fine-grained sandstone, limestone, and and siltstone; several of the thin calcareous units are locally important as marker bed that formed roughly 305 to 300 million years ago. Carbonate rock like this dissolves and weathers readily, so fresh road cuts, quarries, and creek exposures are typically the most productive ground.

Mapped unit

Oquirrh Group, Bingham Mine Formation, upper member

Age

305–300 Ma (Pennsylvanian)

Rock types

light-gray to tan, thinly color-banded and locally cross-bedded quartzite with interbedded thin, light- to medium-gray, calcareous, fine-grained sandstone, limestone, and and siltstone; several of the thin calcareous units are locally important as marker bed

Elevation

5,870 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.

Best time to visit Bingham Canyon

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 88°F in midsummer and 35°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 17°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, TOOELE station (10 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

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 Utah — Rockhounding overview
• Utah Geological Survey — collecting guidelines
• SITLA — surface use rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules

Found at Bingham Canyon

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

• ActinoliteEncyclopedia →
• BariteEncyclopedia →
• Bismuth
• CalciteEncyclopedia →
• ChalcopyriteEncyclopedia →
• GalenaEncyclopedia →
• GarnetEncyclopedia →
• MagnetiteEncyclopedia →
• PyrolusiteEncyclopedia →
• RutileEncyclopedia →
• Tetrahedrite