Mining & GIS Glossary

Annual labor or improvements worth at least $100 per claim, required to maintain an unpatented mining claim as an alternative to maintenance fees.

A chemical test performed on ore or rock samples to determine the concentration of valuable minerals.

A subdivision of a PLSS section, typically quarter sections (160 acres) or smaller divisions.

Computer systems designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as pattern recognition and decision-making.

The Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency that administers public lands including mining claim filings and maintenance.

The process of improving the value of ore by removing waste material and concentrating the valuable minerals.

An east-west reference line running through an initial point, from which townships are numbered north and south.

A tree marked to witness the location of a nearby survey corner, recording bearing and distance to the corner.

The chronological sequence of historical transfers of title to a property, establishing how ownership passed from one party to another.

The physical and legal process of establishing a mining claim, including monumentation, posting notices, and filing with authorities.

Mining activities that negligibly disturb public lands and do not require a Plan of Operations or Notice.

A cylindrical rock sample obtained by diamond drilling, used to analyze subsurface geology and mineral content.

An official government survey that establishes and defines the boundaries of land parcels for ownership and management purposes.

AI technology that enables computers to interpret and analyze visual information from images and videos.

The finding of a valuable mineral deposit within the boundaries of a mining claim, required to establish a valid claim.

A type of machine learning using neural networks with multiple layers to learn complex patterns from large datasets.

A partial ownership share in mineral rights, expressed as a fraction of the whole (e.g., 1/4 or 0.25).

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, establishing BLM management standards for public lands.

A comprehensive engineering study evaluating the technical and economic viability of mining a mineral deposit.

The concentration or proportion of valuable mineral content in ore, expressed as percentage or grams per tonne.

The application of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques specifically to geographic and spatial data analysis.

Geographic Information System - software and technology for capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced data.

The geographic starting point from which all PLSS surveys in a given region originate, established by astronomical observation.

A mining claim for minerals found in veins, lodes, or rock in place, such as gold, silver, or copper deposits.

Minerals subject to exploration and extraction through mining claims under the Mining Law of 1872.

The official document posted at a mining claim and filed with authorities to establish claim rights.

The formal written description of a parcel of land that uniquely identifies its location and boundaries for legal purposes.

An AI system trained on vast amounts of text data that can understand and generate human language for various applications.

A parcel of land for which a claimant has asserted a right of possession and the right to develop and extract mineral resources.

The legal ownership rights to minerals beneath the surface of a property, which can be separate from surface ownership.

A type of mining claim for non-mineral land used to support mining operations, limited to 5 acres.

The ownership of minerals beneath the surface, including rights necessary for access, exploration, development, and extraction.

The foundational federal law governing the location and patenting of mining claims for hard rock minerals on public lands.

The annual fee paid to the BLM to maintain an unpatented mining claim, currently $200 per claim (2025).

A concentration of minerals with reasonable prospects for economic extraction, classified as inferred, indicated, or measured.

The economically mineable portion of a measured or indicated mineral resource, classified as probable or proven.

A physical marker placed at a survey corner to permanently identify the location on the ground.

A method of describing land boundaries using bearings, distances, and natural or artificial landmarks from a point of beginning.

A subset of AI where algorithms learn patterns from data to make predictions or decisions without explicit programming.

A branch of AI focused on enabling computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language.

Rock or material from which valuable minerals or metals can be profitably extracted.

A mining claim for minerals found in loose, unconsolidated deposits such as gravel, sand, or alluvium.

The Public Land Survey System, a method of subdividing and describing land in the United States using townships, ranges, and sections.

A mining claim that has been converted to private ownership through the federal patent process.

A government document transferring title to public land into private ownership, including mineral patents for mining claims.

A north-south reference line running through an initial point, from which ranges are numbered east and west.

A surveyed point set midway between section corners, marking the boundaries of quarter sections.

The process of restoring land disturbed by mining operations to meet applicable environmental standards.

The acquisition of information about the Earth's surface using satellite or aircraft-based sensors without physical contact.

A property where surface rights and mineral rights are owned by different parties.

The ratio of waste rock that must be removed to access ore in an open-pit mine, expressed as tonnes of waste per tonne of ore.

A surveyed point marking the intersection of section lines, monumented on the ground to define section boundaries.

The hierarchical land description system within PLSS, identifying land by its position relative to principal meridians and base lines.

A subsurface right-of-way for accessing lode claims or exploring for undiscovered mineral deposits, up to 3,000 feet in length.

The waste material remaining after ore has been processed to extract valuable minerals.

A mining claim that has not been converted to private ownership; the federal government retains title to the land.

The use of technology to automate repetitive business processes, reducing manual effort and improving consistency.