March 17, 2010
Mapping the Gold Rush
Why not map the contemporary search for gold in the United States? Using a U.S. Department of Interior database, Gold Maps Online has created a series of KML files to help highlight areas where gold is currently being found. The maps can be imported in Google Earth and provide an almost real-time look at America’s active gold deposits.
“It’s near real-time because gold mining claim holders are required to pay annual fees to maintain ownership. They wouldn’t do that if they weren’t finding gold on the property. This is a map of where prospectors are finding gold in 2010.”
Described as a “must-have planning and exploration tool for any gold panning adventure” the maps of 2010 contain 378,890 active gold claims and 181,134 abandoned gold claims. All claims are located on public lands spread across twelve western states. Maps of abandoned claims reveal activity from 1986 through 2010.
Unfortunately the gold maps are not available for free, but hey, the trips offered by the California Steam Ship were not either. Nevertheless, it is possible to download a free sample map to see what it looks like.