Mining claims in California
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The hardrock mining industry owns gold, silver, and other precious metals and minerals beneath an estimated 635,225 acres of U.S. public land in California, resources worth millions of dollars a year, acquired for as little as $0.84 per acre and held in perpetuity for a yearly rental fee as low as $0.62 an acre. Under a 132-year-old law originally intended to spur development of the West, an industry dominated by a handful of multinational corporations pays no federal royalties, and leaves behind a landscape of dramatically diminished value, scarred with tunnels, pits, and toxic waste piles.
| Quick facts about mining claims in California |
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• Total number of claim-holders: 7,792 • Acres of public land claimed by the mining industry, estimated: 635,225 (86% of Yosemite National Park) • Dollars paid for each acre: as little as $0.84, and as little as $0.62 yearly rental fee • Reimbursement to the federal government for gold, silver and other precious metals taken from public land: $0 • Companies owning minerals on at least 10,000 public acres: 28 • Percentage of claims held by foreign companies: 8% • Land area ever claimed by the mining industry nationally, estimated: 79 million acres (the size of New Mexico) |
EWG analysis of data compiled by the Bureau of Land Management. |
Top Mining Claim Owners in California Ranked by Acres Claimed
Companies have been consolidated to account for subsidiaries. View this table without consolidation.
| Company/Individual | Headquarters | Number of Claims | Acreage Claimed | Date(s) Filed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glamis Gold LTD | World HQ in Canada | 1,011 | 16,564 | 1896 to 2003 |
| 2 | Alma K Iverson | Costa Mesa, CA | 96 | 15,360 | 1999 to 2002 |
| 3 | John E Gates | Costa Mesa, CA | 95 | 15,200 | 2002 |
| 4 | James M Mills | Costa Mesa, CA | 95 | 15,200 | 2002 |
| 5 | James R Teed | Costa Mesa, CA | 95 | 15,200 | 2002 |
| 6 | Priscilla K Gates | Costa Mesa, CA | 95 | 15,200 | 2002 |
| 7 | Robert Slotten | Costa Mesa, CA | 95 | 15,200 | 2002 |
| 8 | Mary Ann Mills | Costa Mesa, CA | 95 | 15,200 | 2002 |
| 9 | James C Teed | Costa Mesa, CA | 81 | 12,960 | 2002 |
| 10 | Tetra Technologies Inc | The Woodlands, TX | 562 | 11,240 | 1992 to 2001 |
| See all claim holders in California | |||||
Some of the claimants in this table may be in partnership with other individuals or companies with a claim to the same land.
Counties in California Ranked by Acres Claimed
| County | Number of Claims | Estimated Acreage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Bernardino County | 5,720 | 175,119 | details | map |
| 2 | Inyo County | 2,007 | 62,398 | details | map |
| 3 | Sierra County | 1,264 | 43,783 | details | map |
| 4 | Kern County | 1,242 | 41,463 | details | map |
| 5 | Plumas County | 963 | 39,636 | details | map |
| 6 | Siskiyou County | 1,059 | 38,251 | details | map |
| 7 | Imperial County | 1,505 | 33,204 | details | map |
| 8 | Placer County | 505 | 25,037 | details | map |
| 9 | Trinity County | 540 | 21,632 | details | map |
| 10 | Nevada County | 579 | 20,217 | details | map |
| See all counties | |||||
Examples of Mines in California
| Name of Mine | Location of Mine | Mine Status | Metal Mined | Owner or Parent Company of Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rand Mine | San Bernardino County, CA | Open | Gold | Glamis Gold Ltd |
| Briggs Gold Mine | Inyo County, CA | Open | Gold | Canyon Resources Corporation |
| Castle Mountain Mine | San Bernardino County, CA | Closed | Gold | Viceroy Resource Corporation |
| Jamestown | Stanislaus County, CA | Closed | Gold | Sonora Mining Corporation |
| Mclaughlin Gold Mine | Lake County, CA | Closed | Gold | Barrick Gold Corporation |
| Mt. Pass Mine & Mill | San Bernardino County, CA | Open | Rare earths | Molycorp |
| Picacho | Imperial County, CA | Closed | Gold | Glamis Gold Ltd. |
| Dredge 21 | Yuba County, CA | Suspended | Gold | Cal-Sierra Development, Inc |
| Mesquite Gold Mine | Imperial County, CA | Open | Gold | Newmont Mining Corp |
| Sixteen To One Mine | Sierra County, CA | Open | Gold | Original Sixteen To One Mine |
Source: EWG analysis.