I've been spending hours on geocommunicaitor and google earth and geochemical sample databases looking for spots to prospect. I found a likely spot with lots of lode claims around it but was wondering what the practical difference between lode and placer claims was.
Can a person go and pan/sluice on a lode claim? Seems like the would be claiming the hard rock and not the placer deposits. Or does a lode claim (not being worked) entitle the owner to everything on the land they claimed?