Placer claim
A mining claim covering minerals in loose material such as gravel or alluvium rather than in hard rock.
Placer claims cover deposits concentrated by weathering and water — historically gold in stream gravels, and today also sand, gravel and certain industrial minerals. They are located and maintained under the same federal system as lode claims but with different size and shape rules.
Because placer ground is often in or near drainages, placer claims frequently intersect the same wetland, habitat and water-rights questions that govern any riparian project.
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