The Gold AppThe Cartographer
The Gold AppThe Cartographer
The Gold App
Find the ground worth working.
The Cartographer
The Cartographer is The Gold App's gold mining map: 44,088 gold and mineral sites recorded by the USGS, live BLM mining-claim checks on any spot, public land, geology, relief and rivers, plus the claim-filing systems of the USA, Canada and Australia.
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The Prospector's Field Guide
Mining claims, assaying, refining and where to prospect, in one place and tied to the map above. Use the buttons in each section to put that part of the guide on the map.
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Gold mining claims are legally defined parcels where a person or company has staked the right to mine. A filed claim gives mining rights subject to regulation, but it does not by itself prove that commercial gold is present or that the property is worth more than the filing costs.
When you stake a claim, you gain the exclusive right to extract minerals from the land subject to applicable rules. What you do not get automatically is proof that the land contains enough gold, or gold of sufficient grade, to make the claim profitable.
Most U.S. gold mining happens on public land managed by the BLM. If someone is prospecting on private land, they need the landowner's permission and remain subject to private-land law. In many states, filing with the BLM is only part of the process, since state-level filing may also be required.
Canada and Australia often use more direct online staking systems, but the same core principle applies: a claim is only as valuable as the underlying geology, compliance, and proof of mineral content.
Many claims are effectively worth only the filing fees if no real geological work has been completed. Simply filing a claim does not guarantee valuable mineral deposits. Geology is the key. A professional geological report is often what separates a speculative claim from something investors or buyers can evaluate seriously.
The value of a gold claim is not proven by filing alone. To attract investors or sell a mine seriously, the property needs geology, sampling, and disclosure work that can stand up to scrutiny: geological surveys, drilling, sampling, laboratory analysis, and a mineral resource estimate based on qualified work.
In the United States, this means paying attention to SEC expectations for mining disclosures. In Canada, disclosure expectations such as NI 43-101 enter the conversation when projects are presented to investors or buyers. SEC mining disclosure overview.
The Gold App helps miners, claim owners, and sellers connect with qualified geologists, prepare mining reports and disclosures for investors, and buy or sell mining claims and mines. Contact us.
Placer mining is one of the oldest forms of gold extraction and focuses on retrieving gold from loose soil, sand, or gravel. It relies on gold's higher density and often includes panning, sluicing, and dredging in riverbeds or alluvial sediments.
Lode mining targets gold in ore-bearing hard rock formations, often underground or in mountainous settings. It requires more specialized machinery, drilling, and tunneling.
River mining is a subtype of placer mining conducted directly in river or stream beds. It involves recovering gold from embedded sediments and requires stronger care around aquatic habitats and water quality.
Deep-sea mining is an emerging frontier that looks at polymetallic nodules and seafloor sulfides containing valuable metals, including gold. It also raises major ecological questions and requires careful regulatory oversight.
Net-zero goals, biodiversity conservation, renewable energy, water recycling, targeted drilling, and reduced chemical intensity all shape the future of responsible mining.
Geology is central to successful prospecting. Quartz veins, greenstone belts, fault lines, shear zones, and alluvial deposits all help direct prospectors toward more promising ground.
Tip: turn on Bedrock geology, Shaded relief and Rivers & streams in the map's Layers tab to read the ground the way this guide describes.
A metal detector finds nuggets and specimen gold near the surface: old placer workings, dry washes, tailings and bedrock that erosion has exposed. Very fine gold is too small for a detector to sense; pans and sluices recover it.
Ground balance to the soil you are on, sweep slowly with the coil low and level, overlap each pass, and fill every hole you dig.
Tip: turn on BLM mining claims, BLM roads & trails and Public land ownership in the Layers tab before you head out. Sources: BLM, U.S. Forest Service, 36 CFR 2.1, 16 U.S.C. 470bb.
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Assay and field testing methods are how miners, prospectors, and sellers move from surface indication to real proof.
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Send precious-metal material for assay and refining: tell us the source, estimated purity, and weight, and our team follows up with intake and payout. We accept placer, lode, industrial, e-waste, recycled, dental, industrial shot, foils and leaf, and precipitant material.
Material can be screened and confirmed with acid assay, XRF, fire assay, electronic testers, ultrasound testing, and other fit-for-purpose methods depending on the lot type and the payout path.
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Our regional guides, first published on The Gold App map in November 2024. Each one covers a whole state or country, so its map point is the general area, not an exact site. Rules, access and claims change: check land status with the BLM claim check and local regulations before you dig or detect.
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Self-service precious-metals vaulting, on location. The Gold App A.V.M. combines a secure deposit-box vault with an automated teller for buying, depositing, and redeeming physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium — backed by the same insured custody as your in-app vault.