Copper Globe and other mines in San Rafael district

The San Rafael Swell Mining District in Emery County, Utah is BLM public land historically worked for copper, uranium, and vanadium.[1] The Copper Globe Mine, in Section 21, T.23S, R.9E, is one of several named mines here, alongside Lucky Strike, Tomsich Butte, Hidden Splendor, and Little Susan.[1][2] The DB's specimen list — copper carbonates like azurite and malachite, lead minerals like cerussite and anglesite, and uranium minerals like autunite, orpiment, and realgar — matches the Swell's documented ore chemistry closely: copper-oxidation-zone minerals plus the uranium/vanadium suite associated with the nearby Temple Mountain district, one of the Colorado Plateau's major 1950s uranium producers.[2][3] This is real, collectible BLM ground, but the district's mining legacy comes with a specific hazard: it was a Cold War uranium district, and the state has sealed 172 abandoned uranium mines here for safety.[3]

The San Rafael Swell Mining District is in Emery County, Utah, reached via BLM back roads off Utah routes into the Swell (e.g., toward Temple Mountain and the Tomsich Butte/Hidden Splendor mine areas). Specific route to the Copper Globe Mine (Sec. 21, T.23S, R.9E) not independently mapped here — use a current BLM San Rafael Swell recreation map.

This is BLM public land where casual surface collecting is generally allowed, but the district's abandoned mine hazards are serious: do not enter any mine opening that isn't gated or sealed, and avoid handling waste-rock piles near Temple Mountain or other uranium-associated workings, which can carry low-level radioactive material.[3] Wash hands after handling any material from near old workings.

The San Rafael Swell is BLM-managed public land, and dispersed recreation including rockhounding is generally allowed, subject to standard BLM rules (stay on designated routes, camp within the standard roadside buffer, Leave No Trace).[3] The district's uranium-mining legacy means real radiological and physical hazards at old workings — the state's Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program has sealed 172 uranium mines here specifically for safety.[3] Confirm current route conditions and any closures with the BLM office managing the San Rafael Swell before visiting.