Gold Mining Claims

Whenever a worthwhile deposit is found prospectors or miners will want to consider the possibility of placing a gold mining claim on the area in order to protect what has been found. The first important thing to have knowledge of is that there are two different kinds of gold mines; one is known as a placer and the other is called a lode. Depending on where you find the mine there is an entire set of policies and regulations. A number of placer claims will allow up to twenty acres per each person that signs the location notice. Placer gold is free gold that can be found in gravels and alluvial deposits. In these cases the gold mining claim will consist of placing a notice of location on a post, rock or tree in the area that confirms the name of the claim, name of the person claiming it, date and the total area that has been claimed. The boundaries of the claim in addition need to be marked so that they are easy to trace again. It is also important to identify the exact location of the gold mining claim by having a reference of a landmark such as a specific tree or rock etc., and obviously the prospector will need to file a copy of the location. Lode claims have a different type of procedure nonetheless. Lode gold can be found in a vein that requires mining and requires getting separated from its mother rock. The claim might be of as much of 1, 5000 feet along the sides of the vein, and 300 feet on each side of the middle of the vein.

After having made a gold mining claim within ninety days it will be necessary to place a post or stone monument on the corner of each claim. The posts should be at least four inches in diameter and the monuments of stone need to be at least eighteen inches in height. It will be in addition be necessary to post a claim of notice of location and this needs to be filed within a certain amount of days (varies from state to state). Many areas have national forest lands that are open and available for those interested in prospecting and mining. Be aware though of the areas that have placer claims on them though. Many areas are already claimed and on occasions it can be tricky locating an area that has not been claimed. Talk to the claimant and work out an arrangement if you are interested in working on their claim.