Government Agencies

U.S. Bureau of Land Management, 324 South State, Salt Lake City, UT 84103, 801.539.4001; Internet: www.blm.gov. Updated prospecting regulations and permits; land ownership information.

U.S. Forest Service, 125 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84138, 801.524.5030; or contact any local District Ranger; Internet: www.fs.fed.us. Updated prospecting regulations.

U.S. Geological Survey, Earth Science Information Center, 2329 West Orton Circle, Salt Lake City, UT 84119, 801.908.5000; Internet: www.usgs.gov. Bookstore and reference library; CD-ROM based data.

Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, 1594 West North Temple, P.O. Box 145801, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-5801, 801.538.5340; Internet: ogm.utah.gov. Mining permits and information.

Utah Division of Water Rights, 1594 West North Temple, P.O. Box 146300, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6300, 801.538.7240; Internet: waterrights.utah.gov. Updated stream prospecting regulations and permits; open stream listing.

Utah Geological Survey, 1594 West North Temple, P.O. Box 146100, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6100, 801.537.3300, fax 801.537.3400, sales 801.537.3320; bookstore email: geostore@utah.gov; Internet: geology.utah.gov. Bookstore and library with publications on Utah geology, mining, and rockhounding.

Gold Prospecting Clubs and Other Information Sources

Utah Gold Prospectors Club; Phillip J. Yadanza, President, 3654 South 6355 West, West Valley City, UT 84128, 801.965.1662, utgopr2000@aol.com.

Northern Utah Prospectors Association, P.O. Box 13301, Ogden, UT, 84412; Curt Wood, President, 801.753.6418.

Also check under Metal Detecting Equipment and Rock Shops in the telephone directory.

Publications

Utah Geological Survey (UGS)
(address above)

Mines and prospects containing gold in Utah, UGS Open-file Report 207, 28 p., 2 maps, scale 1:750,000, 1991. Contains listing of 730 inactive mines and prospects that produced or contained gold. Locations, production and reserve data are given for the six active mines. Two statewide maps show mines and prospects that produced gold as (a) a primary product and (b) a by-product. Tables list mine or prospect, commodities present, size of mine, and any known production data.

Gold placers in Utah - a compilation, UGS Circular 47, 29 p., 1966, (photocopy only). Compilation from USGS bulletins and professional papers. Defines and lists depositional origins, then discusses most of the major districts where placers occur.

Provisional geologic map of the Gold Hill quadrangle, Tooele County, Utah, with a plate of the mines, prospects and workings of the Gold Hill quadrangle, UGS Map 140, 19 p., 3 plates, 1:24,000, 1993. Covers the main part of the Gold Hill mining district.

Mineralization in the Gold Hill mining district, Tooele County, Utah, UGS Bulletin 83, 37 p., 1970, (photocopy only). One of the oldest mining sites in the state. Evaluates the area using alteration patterns and determines that, for 1970, commercial production is uneconomical.

Geologic map of the Gold Bar Canyon quadrangle, Grand County, Utah, UGS Map 155, 26 p., 2 plates, 1:24,000, 1994. Covers the Amasa Back bend area of the Colorado River.

Rocks & Minerals Utah Special, reprint, UGS Public Information Series #26, 62 p., 1994. This colorful magazine has several articles on gold-mining areas of Utah including Park City, the Tintic District, and Bingham copper mine.

Gold occurrence in the Cretaceous Mancos Shale, eastern Utah, UGS Contract Report 91-5, 21 p., 1991. Persistent rumors of high-grade gold mineralization throughout the section have been reported for years. This publication evaluates these reports and concludes that it is unlikely that gold exists in commercially extractable quantities.

Skarn occurrences in Utah and the potential for associated gold mineralization, UGS Contract Report 91-13, 29 p. plus 20 p. appendix, 1991. Thirty-four of the 146 skarn occurrences in Utah contain greater than 0.01 opt (0.34 ppm) gold and are classified as gold-bearing. Skarns in which gold is a primary or secondary commodity occur in the Bingham and Gold Hill mining districts. The presence of gold in minor to ore-grade concentrations in numerous Utah skarns favors additional discoveries of gold in the skarn environment.

Minerals and mineral localities of Utah, UGS Bulletin 117, 117 p., 1981, (photocopy only). Contains alphabetical listings of: 1) mining districts; 2) mining districts, mines, and mineral localities with the minerals found, by county; and 3) a brief description of the 706 minerals found in Utah and their occurrences. An appendix has alphabetical listings of minerals grouped by: a) minerals of the state; b) minerals by each county; c) crystal system; d) chemical class; e) selected minerals of the state; and f) selected metallic minerals of each county.

Geochemical reconnaissance at Mercur, Utah, UGS Special Study 43, 16 p., 1973, (photocopy only). A geochemical reconnaissance was conducted in the abandoned Mercur (Camp Floyd) mining district in the south Oquirrh Mountains to determine the average amount of gold and silver remaining in the district and to locate possible prospects.

Characteristics of acid-sulfate alteration in the Marysvale-Pioche mineral belt: a guide to gold mineralization, UGS Miscellaneous Publication 91-2, 29 p., 1991. These acid-sulfate occurrences were investigated and assessed for their relative gold potential. Work included mapping, geochemistry, petrography, and literature review.

Field guide to geologic excursions in Utah and adjacent areas of Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming, UGS Miscellaneous Publication 92-3, 481 p., 1992. Several papers in this field guide are on gold, including the Oquirrh Mountain, Barneys Canyon, and Mercur deposits.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
(Utah address above)

Principal gold-producing districts of the United States, USGS Professional Paper 610, 283 p., 1968. Information on the discovery, history of development, production, and geology of more than 500 gold-producing districts in the United States.

Placer gold deposits of Utah, USGS Bulletin 1357, 26 p., 1 pl., 1:1,000,000, 1973. Describes eighteen placer districts with map coverage, accessibility, extent, production history, gold source, and references for each location.

Prospecting for gold in the United States, USGS General Interest Publication, 19 p., 1986. General information on gold prospecting and placer and lode deposits.

Gold, USGS General Interest Publication, 23 p., 1993. General gold information and history of gold exploration.

Suggestions for prospecting, USGS General Interest Publication, 24 p., 1991. Information on prospecting techniques, geochemical and geophysical prospecting, mining claims, and prospector services.