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patent" on the claim or site and publish it in a <br />local newspaper fora 60-day period; (3) pay tfie <br />BLM a nonrefundable $250 application fee (and <br />an additional $50 filing fee for each additional . <br />claim/site in the application); (4) show the BLM <br />evidence of a right of title to the claim or site; (5) <br />show the BLM proof of discovery of a valuable <br />mineral deposit; and.(6) show the BLM proof <br />that not less than $500 worth of development <br />work or improvemenu have been made to benefit <br />each claim. <br />A Federal mineral examiner w ill examine the <br />application and the claim(s). to verify that a <br />discovery of a valuable mineral has been made. <br />If all the requirements of the mining laws and <br />regulations have been satisfied, thelaw allows <br />the applicant to purchase the claim(s) or site(s) at <br />the following rates: lode claims at $5 per acre. <br />placer claims at $2.50 per acre, custom mill sites <br />~ and mill sites associated with lode claims at $5 <br />~ .per acre, and mill sites associated with placer <br />claims at $2.50 per. acre. <br />THE APPROPRIATE BLM STAT&OFFICE <br />IS THE ONLY OFFICIAL FII,ING OFFICE <br />FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, <br />except for the BLM Fairbanks Support Center in <br />. ~ Alaska, which is also an acceptable filing office <br />(see Figure 3). See Figure 4 for filing and <br />patenting fees. <br />1 <br />' BLM LAND AND MINERAL RECORDS <br />The Federal Govemmenroffice <br />with the most complete set of <br />land and mineral records for <br />Federallahdsin a particular <br />State is the BLM STATE <br />OFFICE. The BLM State <br />Office is also the only office in <br />which the actual hazd copy mining claim recoils <br />are on file and available for public inspection.. <br />(4) maintenance (annual work/surface man- <br />agement) of mining claims and sites, and (5) <br />mineral patents.. The Mining Law Administra- <br />tion program managed by the Bureau of Land <br />Management (BLM) involves primarily the last <br />three elements: recordation, maintenance (annual <br />work/surface management), and mineral patents. . <br />.Surface management on National Forest System <br />lands is administered by the Forest Service, <br />Department of Agriculture. The activities <br />associated with the first two elements are carried <br />.out by the claimant. <br />EXPLANATION OF "DISCOVERY" <br />Locatable Minerals <br />Locatable minerals include <br />both metallic minerals (gold, <br />silver, lead, etc.) and nonmetal-. <br />lic minerals (fluorspaz, asbes- <br />tos, mica, etc.). It is very <br />difficult to prepare a complete <br />list of locatable minerals <br />because the history of the law has resulted in a <br />definition of minerals that includes economics. <br />Also, certain minerals have been formally <br />excluded from the operation of the law. Starting <br />in 1873, the Department of the Interior began to <br />define locatable minerals as those minerals that <br />make the land more valuable because of their <br />existence, are recognized as a mineral by the <br />standazd experts, and are not subject to disposal <br />.under some other law. Locatable type minerals <br />on most lands acquired (purchased or received) <br />by the United States and on Indian reservations <br />' are leasable. Therefore, it is easier to list miner- <br />als that are not locatable because of the com- <br />plexities listed above. <br />Since 1955, common varieties of sand, gravel, <br />stone, pumice, pumicite, cinder; and ordinary <br />clay are salable, not locatable. Use of salable <br />minerals requires either a sales contract or a free <br />28 <br />