Drill Results Map — Montana

Montana — home to the only primary platinum-palladium mine in the United States — is a prime target for junior exploration companies. Here's how to create a professional drill results map using Exploration Maps in 15–30 minutes.

Example drill results map created in Exploration Maps — Example drill results map exported from Exploration Maps — style your Montana data the same way.

About Mining in Montana

Montana hosts the Stillwater Complex, the only primary platinum-palladium mine in the United States, along with significant gold, silver, and copper production.

Key minerals: gold, silver, copper, palladium, platinum, coal. Notable deposits: Stillwater, East Boulder, Butte, Golden Sunlight. Mining districts: Stillwater Complex, Butte, Beaverhead, Lincoln.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administers mineral rights in Montana. Claim data is accessible through BLM MLRS (Mineral & Land Records System).

Getting Mining Data for Montana

Portal	Formats	Notes
BLM MLRS (Mineral & Land Records System)	MLRS reports + map viewer (claims by legal description)	Montana BLM claims use UTM Zone 12N for western Montana and Zone 13N for eastern properties. The dividing line is approximately 108°W longitude. Confirm your property's zone before converting to WGS84 to avoid east-west coordinate offset errors that appear as a systematic shift on the basemap.

How to Create a Drill Results Map for Montana

For a full step-by-step guide to drill results maps, see How to Make a Drill Results Map.

Import your drill collar CSV (columns: hole ID, latitude, longitude, depth, assay)
Assign the Drillholes layer role
Import the property claims boundary as GeoJSON
Add callout labels to key holes showing hole ID and best intercept
Use Badge Label type to highlight the highest-grade holes
Configure the title with program name and date
Set the Landscape 16:9 ratio for news release figures
Export as PNG at 2× for email and PDF for the news release attachment

Labelling a drillhole with its best intercept in Exploration Maps.

Tip for Montana: The Stillwater Complex trends roughly east-west for 50 km — a standard landscape (16:9) frame works well for the complex, but a portrait orientation may show the full Complex better. Use the Topographic basemap to show the Beartooth Range backdrop that characterises this world-class PGE camp.

Recommended Settings for Montana

Basemap: Light or Satellite
Design theme: Investor — Navy & White
Export format: PNG at 2× for investor presentations, PDF (Letter or A4) for NI 43-101 reports
Coordinate system: Ensure source data is in WGS84 (EPSG:4326)

Common Use Cases in Montana

Exploration news releases
NI 43-101 technical reports
Investor day presentations
Analyst briefings

Frequently Asked Questions

What file format do I need for Montana mineral claims data?

Montana mineral claims boundaries are available from BLM MLRS (Mineral & Land Records System) and can typically be downloaded as Shapefiles or KML. Convert these to GeoJSON at mapshaper.org before importing into Exploration Maps.

Who regulates mineral claims in Montana?

Mineral claims in Montana are regulated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). All tenure and claims data can be queried through BLM MLRS (Mineral & Land Records System).

What minerals are typically mapped in Montana?

Montana is known for its gold, silver, copper, palladium deposits. Key producing and exploration-stage properties include Stillwater, East Boulder, Butte. The main mining districts are Stillwater Complex, Butte, Beaverhead.

Can I export a Montana drill results map for a NI 43-101 report?

Yes. Exploration Maps exports PNG and PDF at 2–3× pixel ratio, suitable for inclusion in NI 43-101 technical reports as required figures. The export includes north arrow, scale bar, legend, and title block — all standard map elements required for NI 43-101 compliance.