Mining claims in Nevada
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The hardrock mining industry owns gold, silver, and other precious metals and minerals beneath an estimated 2,508,276 acres of U.S. public land in Nevada, 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 Nevada |
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• Total number of claim-holders: 4,437 • Acres of public land claimed by the mining industry, estimated: 2,508,276 (1 of every 50 acres in Nevada) • 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: 77 • Percentage of claims held by foreign companies: 32% • 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 Nevada 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 | Newmont Mining Corp | Denver, CO | 16,726 | 329,634 | 1886 to 2003 |
| 2 | Placer Dome Inc | World HQ in Canada | 13,352 | 260,518 | 1886 to 2003 |
| 3 | Rio Tinto Limited | World HQ in Australia | 7,663 | 147,455 | 1886 to 2003 |
| 4 | Barrick Gold Corporation | World HQ in Canada | 5,205 | 114,559 | 1905 to 2003 |
| 5 | Kinross | World HQ in Canada | 3,398 | 80,995 | 1905 to 2003 |
| 6 | Carl Pescio | Elko, NV | 2,277 | 46,996 | 1994 to 2003 |
| 7 | Anglo American Mining | World HQ in UK | 2,103 | 43,448 | 1951 to 2003 |
| 8 | Seabridge Gold Corp | World HQ in Canada | 2,059 | 42,539 | 2002 to 2003 |
| 9 | Noranda Expl Inc | World HQ in Canada | 1,979 | 39,079 | 1913 to 2000 |
| 10 | Meridian Gold Company | Reno, NV | 1,908 | 39,075 | 1951 to 2000 |
| See all claim holders in Nevada | |||||
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 Nevada Ranked by Acres Claimed
| County | Number of Claims | Estimated Acreage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elko County | 19,766 | 406,054 | details | map |
| 2 | Eureka County | 16,992 | 339,197 | details | map |
| 3 | Nye County | 14,011 | 311,342 | details | map |
| 4 | Lander County | 15,376 | 307,326 | details | map |
| 5 | Humboldt County | 14,317 | 300,397 | details | map |
| 6 | Clark County | 3,321 | 185,988 | details | map |
| 7 | Pershing County | 6,565 | 149,851 | details | map |
| 8 | White Pine County | 7,563 | 149,222 | details | map |
| 9 | Esmeralda County | 3,725 | 96,563 | details | map |
| 10 | Mineral County | 3,925 | 78,665 | details | map |
| See all counties | |||||
Examples of Mines in Nevada
| Name of Mine | Location of Mine | Mine Status | Metal Mined | Owner or Parent Company of Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mule Canyon | Lander County, NV | Closed | Gold | Newmont Mining Corp |
| Marigold Gold Mine | Humboldt County, NV | Open | Gold | Glamis Gold Ltd |
| Daisy Gold | Nye County, NV | Closed | Gold | Glamis Gold, Ltd. |
| Round Mountain Gold Mine | Nye County, NV | Open | Gold | Round Mountain Gold Mine |
| Mccoy Cove Gold Mine | Lander County, NV | Open | Silver ores | Kinross Gold Corporation |
| Jerritt Canyon Mine | Elko County, NV | Open | Gold | Queenstake Resources Ltd |
| Equatorial Tonopah | Nye County, NV | Closed | Copper Ore | Equitorial Mining Limited |
| Rochester Mine | Pershing County, NV | Open | Silver ores | Coeur D'Alene Mines Corp |
| Turquoise Ridge (getchell) | Humboldt County, NV | Open | Gold | Placer Dome US Inc |
| Capstone Bootstrap | Elko County, NV | Closed | Gold | Newmont Mining Corp |
| See more mines in Nevada | ||||
Source: EWG analysis.