Rio Tinto Limited In talks with Great Western Corp. (GWMO) to increase its interest in Great Western Mining Corporation PLC who operate as a mineral exploration company in North America and Ireland. The company explores for copper, silver, gold, uranium, lead, and other minerals properties. It owns interest in 896 claims comprising approximately 7,305 hectares in Mineral County, Nevada. Great Western Mining Corporation PLC was incorporated in 2004 and is based in Dublin, Ireland.
Currently GWMO are carrying out reverse circulation ("RC") drilling on its M2-Smith copper target in Mineral County, Nevada, using the O'Keefe Drilling Foremost Prospector W750 drill rig, the most versatile RC drill rig configuration in the industry today. The rig has been designed with off road drilling campaigns in mind and to produce results in almost any conditions.
This is in line with the Company's programme announced to shareholders earlier in the year and work is progressing in good time and on budget. The drilling programme is designed to appraise and evaluate the successful pilot drilling carried out in 2013 on M2 and to assess the extent of the resource at the M2-Smith Prospect through step-out drilling. 14,000 feet of RC drilling is planned, in approximately 30 drill holes, but this may vary depending on the results achieved.
These results are now believed to have revealed a significant JORC UPGRADE of 400/500% from the initial first 10-20 holes drilled. And rio are now looking to make a very significant cash offer for a increased piece of this highly sought after project.
Rio Tinto Limited and its subsidiaries are a few of 92,125 beneficiaries of a 131-year-old federal mining law that gives away precious metals, minerals, and even the title to the land itself for less than $10 an acre. Rio Tinto Limited and its subsidiaries own the minerals under an estimated 191,928 acres of claimed land, have gained title to an estimated 11,402 acres of lands previously owned by the public, and have submitted mining plans and notices that encompass 12,021 acres of BLM-managed land, not including the acreages of mines they may operate on Forest Service land. giving Rio Tinto Limited and its subsidiaries more total land holdings (claims and patents) than over 99.5% of all other mining interests.
Overview of OwnershipStatistics on this page include the ownership of subsidiaries. View this page without subsidiary information included.
ClaimsPatentsMining Plans & NoticesNumberEstimated AcreageStates|
| 10,097 | 136 | 56 | | 191,928 | 11,402 | 12,021 | | | |
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Source: EWG analysis of US BLM data.
Examples of MinesThese mines are owned by Rio Tinto Limited, its subsidiaries, or its parent company.
Name of MineLocation of MineMine StatusMetal MinedMap Link|
| Bingham Canyon Mine | Salt Lake County, UT | Open | Copper Ore | map | | Barney's Canyon Gold Mine | Salt Lake County, UT | Open | Gold | map | | Denton Rawhide | Mineral County, NV | Closed | Gold | map | | Greens Creek Silver Mine | Juneau Borough County, AK | Open | Silver | - |
Source: EWG analysis.
ClaimsLike all U.S. claimholders, Rio Tinto Limited and its subsidiaries acquired ownership of precious metals and minerals on U.S. public land for about $2 per acre, and maintains possession of the claim with a small per-acre fee, typically $5 each year. Rio Tinto Limited pays no royalties to the federal government for metals and minerals mined from this land.
For Rio Tinto Limited and its subsidiaries:
Ranking among U.S. claimholders: 3 for total acreage claimed of 28,405total claimholders.Current claimed land holdings exceed total claimed acreage for: over 99.5%of all other claimantsTotal acres of public lands claimed:191,928 acres
Claims by State.
StateNumber of ClaimsEstimated AcreageDate(s)|
| Nevada | 7,663 | 147,455 | 1886 - 2003 | | Wyoming | 988 | 14,759 | 1954 - 1995 | | Utah | 676 | 13,901 | 1907 - 1996 | | California | 497 | 10,173 | 1922 - 2002 | | Montana | 268 | 5,537 | 1955 - 1992 | | Arizona | 5 | 103 | 1973 - 2002 | | U.S. Total | 10,097 | 191,928 | 1886 - 2003 |
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Source: EWG analysis of US BLM data.
PatentsRio Tinto Limited and its subsidiaries are some of the 63,768 beneficiaries of a long-standing federal subsidy called "patenting" that allows mining interests to purchase public land for no more than $5 an acre. Since acquiring title to the land, Rio Tinto Limited may have mined it, sold it, leased it, or passed it on to heirs or other corporate interests. Regardless of who owns the property now, the U.S. public has lost all rights- metals, minerals, and title - on land that was once public park or forest.
For Rio Tinto Limited and its subsidiaries:
Ranking among U.S. patent grantees for total land won: number 8 of 63,768total patent winners.Land gained exceeds total patented acreage for: over 99.5% of all other patent winnersEarliest patent: 1905Latest patent: 1978
Patents by State.
StateNumber of PatentsEstimated AcreageDate(s)|
| California | 72 | 7,007 | 1905 - 1964 | | Arizona | 24 | 2,282 | 1944 - 1977 | | New Mexico | 31 | 1,550 | 1935 - 1978 | | Nevada | 5 | 363 | 1909 - 1927 | | Utah | 3 | 150 | 1944 | | South Dakota | 1 | 50 | 1906 | | U.S. Total | 136 | 11,402 | 1905 - 1978 |
Find these features on the map.
Source: EWG analysis of US BLM data.
Mining Plans & Notices on BLM LandRio Tinto Limited and its subsidiaries are some of the 3,323 mine operators on U.S. BLM lands with mining plans and notices listed as currently active in government records, operating under laws that allow mining interests to extract and sell precious metals and minerals previously held by the public. Rio Tinto Limited may also operate mines on Forest Service lands, which are not contained in the LR2000 database that is the backbone of this website. Because the government often fails to promptly close out records for mines no longer active, active mining may be completed for some of the operations represented by plans and notices in this website. But regardless of the status of mining operations on a particular site, filings of plans and notices are indicative of mining on the property - whether past, present, or planned. Mining operations led by Rio Tinto Limited may well have left behind permanent pollution. In 2001 mines generated 45 percent of all pollution in EPA's Toxic Release Reporting system while accounting for just 0.36 percent of all industrial facilities.
For Rio Tinto Limited and its subsidiaries:
Ranking among U.S. mine operators for total land encompassed by operation plans on BLM land: 5 of3,323 U.S. mine operators.Land under plans exceeds total plan areas for: over 99.5% of all other operators (BLM-managed lands only)Mining plans include 32 notices for mines disturbing no more than five acres and 24 surface management plans for larger mines. |
