Iron County · Beaver County
Modena and Wild Horse Canyon obsidian
Two named sources. Same glass. Not the same acre, and not the same as a finished point.
Southwest Utah has more than one obsidian story. Rockhounds say Modena. Archaeologists say Wild Horse Canyon. Blog posts mash them together and then drop a pin. That is how people walk onto a claim, a SITLA section, or a prehistoric quarry floor and call it “public glass.”
Two names, two counties
- Modena / Panaca Summit source — Iron County, Utah, and across the line into Lincoln County, Nevada. Geological literature treats it as one source area in alluvium and older volcanic rock, not a single signed pullout.
- Wild Horse Canyon source — Beaver County, Mineral Mountains. A major prehistoric quarry. The Wildhorse Canyon Obsidian Quarry is on the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination keeps the address restricted for a reason.
Black Rock Desert obsidian west of Delta is a different volcanic field. Do not use a Fillmore blog post as a map for Modena.
Status in one line
Some surrounding ground is ordinary BLM with the usual casual-use cap. Some is SITLA, private, or claimed. The named quarry landscape is also a cultural site. Confirm the acre. The name on the Facebook post is not a permit.
Glass vs artifacts
A raw cobble on ordinary open BLM is a specimen problem (weight, hand tools, personal use). A flake, core, or point is an artifact problem. That line is not “how pretty is the mahogany.” Leave worked pieces. See artifacts are not specimens.
Collecting frame (only where the acre is actually open BLM)
- Personal use, not for sale
- Hand tools
- 25 lb/day + one piece, 250 lb/year — unless the field office posted tighter rules
- Stay off marked claims unless the claimant said yes
- Cedar City Field Office (Color Country) for the Modena side; Fillmore Field Office for Beaver / Mineral Mountains questions
What this site will not publish
No canyon mile markers. No “best ridge.” No copy of the restricted NRHP location. If you need a driving guide, use a current printed rockhound guide and then check the ownership layer on the exact parking spot.
Before you go
- Ownership layer on the parking spot and the slope — BLM vs SITLA vs private vs claim.
- If the ground looks like a workshop (flakes everywhere, not just stream cobbles), treat it as archaeology and walk off.
- Heat, water, and a spare. West desert still applies south of Cedar City.
Informational only. Not a collecting invitation and not a location guide. Confirm current rules with the managing BLM field office before you pick anything up.