Spiral Jetty

Utah

Find: “Utah Dirty Diamonds” (gypsum), fluorite, oil

GPS: 41.43786, -112.66741

Nearest city: Salt Lake City, UT

Summary:

Believe it or not, this was the spot that influenced me to create this website. I stumbled across this spot on a popular rockhounding site that simply lists a giant map of places to visit with 1 or 2 items listed that you can find.

I found this diamond shaped rock in the parking area and thought it was a very lucky find, relative to the small scrappy chunks I found nearby.

It wasn’t until I found a YouTube video by The Crystal Collector that I learned how this place actually worked.

The strange 4-sided gypsum I found was referred to as a “Utah Dirty Diamond”. It turns out, if you dig in the dry lake bed, you’ll find tons of them with enough hard work. And they get WAY bigger than the small one I have.

Therefore, I created this website with hopes to both catalog my adventures more thoroughly and provide context to these spots I visit.

 

Video Guide

Check out the video for a better look at what can be found when exploring this spot.

**I need to return to Spiral Jetty to do it properly with some digging.**

Utah was a sight to behold.

Utah was a sight to behold.

Someone gave this sign a piece of their mind.

Someone gave this sign a piece of their mind.

This is the Rozel Oilfield, which is right next to spiral jetty. You'll see some remaining pump equipment there if you walk to the end.

This is the Rozel Oilfield, which is right next to spiral jetty. You'll see some remaining pump equipment there if you walk to the end.

This is Spiral Jetty, which is now just a photogenic array of wood laid out in a swirl.

This is Spiral Jetty, which is now just a photogenic array of wood laid out in a swirl.

Here's the aforementioned stone I found in the parking lot. I should have realized immediately from the flash within its edge that it was gypsum.

Here's the aforementioned stone I found in the parking lot. I should have realized immediately from the flash within its edge that it was gypsum.

Low and behold, it's a Utah Dirty Diamond - the exact thing that people come out here to dig up. (Backfill your holes if you put in work with a shovel!)

Low and behold, it's a Utah Dirty Diamond - the exact thing that people come out here to dig up. (Backfill your holes if you put in work with a shovel!)