Gold Prospecting in Ecuador

by d h lester
(mb, sc 29579)

Does a gold mining claim start at bed rock in Ecuador? That leaves the gold-bearing material from bedrock to surface soil. Is that the land owner's or open to the public?

Stan's response: In Ecuador, mineral rights are separate from surface rights. A legal gold concession holder owns the mineral rights from the surface down to the bedrock. Mineral concession owners must work with surface rights owner's to their mutual benefit.

In my experience, it is best to own both the surface rights and the mineral rights. That way, you call your own shots and can work unmolested. It is important to completely control all of the gold that you produce.