Great Salt Lake — Rockhounding in Tooele County, Utah
The Tooele side of Great Salt Lake offers an unusual sediment specimen rather than a hard-rock target: oolitic sand made of calcium-carbonate coats around tiny nuclei in shallow, wave-agitated brine. UGS documents accessible oolitic dunes on BLM public lands at Stansbury Island and explains that Great Salt Lake sand is often chemically grown in the lake rather than washed down as quartz grains. Reported finds include aragonite, bloedite, gypsum, halite, thenardite, and more. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Map showing Great Salt Lake in Tooele County, Utah
Quick details
- Access
- Public area
- County
- Tooele County
- State
- Utah
- Coordinates
- 40.97682, -112.68245
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:
- BLM Utah — Rockhounding overview
- Utah Geological Survey — collecting guidelines
- SITLA — surface use rules
- Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules
Found at Great Salt Lake
Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
- AragoniteEncyclopedia →
- BloediteEncyclopedia →
- GypsumEncyclopedia →
- HaliteEncyclopedia →
- ThenarditeEncyclopedia →
- MirabiliteEncyclopedia →
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of Great Salt Lake.
- Lakeside MountainsTooele County, Utah · 10 mi awayAnglesite, Cerussite, Galena
- Promontory MountainsBox Elder County, Utah · 22 mi awayCerussite, Bornite, Calamine
- Promontory PointBox Elder County, Utah · 22 mi awayObsidian, Variscite
- Antelope IslandDavis County, Utah · 25 mi awayGarnet, Azurite, Biotite
- Great Salt LakeDavis County, Utah · 27 mi awayAragonite, Bloedite, Glauberite
- Great Salt LakeSalt Lake County, Utah · 30 mi awayAragonite, Bloedite, Gypsum
- Stansbury MountainsTooele County, Utah · 32 mi awayCerussite, Galena, Gold
- Great Salt LakeBox Elder County, Utah · 38 mi awayAragonite, Bloedite, Blauberite
Across the state line from Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake is close enough to the Utah border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
Great Salt Lake FAQ
Why is Great Salt Lake one of the best rockhounding spots in Utah?+
Where is Great Salt Lake?+
What rocks and minerals can you find at Great Salt Lake?+
Is collecting allowed at Great Salt Lake?+
How do I get to Great Salt Lake?+
More rockhounding in Utah
See all 246 Utah spots →Open Great Salt Lake on the map
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