Claim Block
A group of contiguous mining claims held by the same owner or group of owners, usually laid out to cover one mineral deposit and the ground needed to work it.
Detailed Definition
A claim block is a group of contiguous mining claims held together, usually to cover one mineral deposit and the ground around it. The Mining Law has no minimum or maximum size for a block, only for each mining claim in it.
Why mining claims are grouped
Each mining claim is small. A lode claim "must not exceed 1,500 by 600 feet," an individual placer claim "may not exceed 20 acres," and an association placer claim "may not exceed 160 acres" (43 CFR 3832.22). A deposit larger than that takes many mining claims side by side. BLM's brochure "Mining Claims and Sites on Federal Lands" states that "there is no limit to the number of claims and sites that one may hold as a qualified claimant."
What the rules say about groups
- Fees are per mining claim. The $200 annual maintenance fee applies to each lode claim, and to each 20 acres or part of a placer claim, due on or before September 1. BLM "will not prorate annual maintenance" fees (43 CFR 3834.13).
- Assessment work can be pooled. Claimants required to do assessment work may perform it on "one or more claims in a group of contiguous lode or placer claims that you own or hold an interest in and that cover the same mineral deposit," as long as the total equals "at least $100 per claim" (43 CFR 3836.11). A deferment petition may cover more than one mining claim "if the claims are contiguous" (43 CFR part 3836).
- Mill sites can serve a group. A dependent mill site "is used for activities that support a particular patented or unpatented lode or placer mining claim or group of mining claims" (43 CFR 3832.31(a)).
- One map can show the block. More than one mining claim may be shown on a single map or sketch if they are "located in the same general area" and "clearly identified" (43 CFR 3832.12(a)(2)(iii)).
- Small miner limit. The small miner waiver is limited to claimants who, with related parties, hold "no more than 10 mining claims or sites" (43 CFR 3830.5).
What to check in a block
- The claimant of record for every mining claim, not just the block name
- Case disposition and fee history for each mining claim
- Gaps, fractions, and overlaps between mining claims inside the block
- Mining claims held by others along the edges
- Land status under every mining claim as of its date of location
Why it matters in mining claim research
A block is only as sound as its weakest mining claim. A single lapsed or overlapped mining claim can open a hole in the middle of a position. See also Controlling Ground, Overlap Analysis, and Claim Density.
Related Terms
Mining Claim
A parcel of federal land on which a claimant asserts the right to possess and develop a valuable mineral deposit under the Mining Law of 1872.
Lode Claim
A mining claim for minerals that occur in veins, lodes, ledges, or other rock in place, limited to 1,500 feet along the vein by 600 feet wide.
Mining Claim Maintenance Fee
The annual fee paid to BLM to hold an unpatented mining claim or site: $200 per lode claim, mill site, or tunnel site, and $200 per 20 acres of placer claim, due by September 1.
Seniority
The ranking of rival interests in the same ground, the earlier ahead of the later. Federal law ties some mining claim rights to dates, but BLM leaves disputes over possession to the courts.
Controlling Ground
The ground a mining claim holder can actually hold once overlaps with other mining claims, closed land, and defects in the record are taken into account, as opposed to the acreage filed.
Claim Conflict
An overlap or competing interest between a mining claim and another mining claim or site, a patent, a lease, or a withdrawal on the same ground.
Overlap Analysis
Comparing the boundaries of mining claims with each other and with withdrawals and land status to find where they coincide, then checking the records to see which overlaps are real.