Protraction Diagram

A protraction diagram is an official drawing prepared by the Bureau of Land Management that shows the theoretical extension of the PLSS grid into areas that have not been officially surveyed on the ground. It provides a framework for legal descriptions in unsurveyed areas.

Purpose: - Provide a legal land description framework for unsurveyed lands - Enable mineral entry, leasing, and other land actions in unsurveyed areas - Establish a theoretical grid pending completion of an official cadastral survey - Support land management decisions for unsurveyed public lands

Characteristics: - Shows theoretical township, range, and section lines - Calculated mathematically from the existing survey framework - Does not include actual ground monuments (no corners have been set) - Drawn on standard BLM plat format

Where protraction diagrams are used: - Alaska (large areas remain unsurveyed) - Remote areas of western states with limited survey coverage - Offshore areas for mineral leasing - Areas where surveys were never completed

Legal effect: - Protraction diagrams provide valid legal descriptions for mining claims and mineral leases - However, when an official survey is later completed, the actual surveyed boundaries supersede the protracted grid - Discrepancies between protracted and surveyed boundaries may require adjustment of claim descriptions

Distinction from survey plats: - Survey plats show actually surveyed boundaries with set monuments - Protraction diagrams show calculated theoretical boundaries without ground monuments - Survey plats are the controlling documents where both exist