# Exploration Maps — llms.txt

> Exploration Maps is a free web application for mining professionals, geologists, and prospectors to search Canadian mineral claims from official provincial registries across seven provinces and territories (British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Yukon), upload shapefiles/KML/GeoJSON, and create professional-grade mine site maps with custom labels, symbols, and export tools.

## App

- [Exploration Maps](https://www.explorationmaps.com/)
- Description: Interactive Canadian mineral claims map with multi-province registry search, shapefile upload, KML/GeoJSON support, and professional map export tools. Free to use.
- Key features:
  - Mineral claims search across 7 provinces/territories: British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Yukon — by company (titleholder) name or claim number, except Manitoba, which is searchable by claim/tenure number only (its public registry exposes no holder name field)
  - BC also supports NTS map-sheet search; BC data is live from the BC government WFS (WHSE_MINERAL_TENURE.MTA_ACQUIRED_TENURE_SVW)
  - Quebec claims come from the public GESTIM titres miniers dataset, refreshed weekly (GESTIM Plus has no live public query API, so the full active-titles shapefile is loaded into Postgres/PostGIS and searched directly)
  - Other provinces query their official ArcGIS REST registries live (Ontario MLAS, Saskatchewan, Manitoba iMaQs Mineral Dispositions, NL GeoAtlas, GeoYukon)
  - Nearby Claims radius search: pin a location or use an uploaded claims layer's centroid, pick a radius, and see surrounding claims from any of the 7 jurisdictions — including Quebec, via the PostGIS-backed dataset
  - Upload shapefiles (.shp/.zip), KML, GeoJSON — auto-reprojects provincial projections (e.g. BC Albers EPSG:3005, Quebec Lambert EPSG:32198) to WGS84
  - Add map elements: labels, scale bars, north arrows, legends (NI 43-101-ready layouts; a Qualified Person must verify content and compliance)
  - Export high-resolution PNG and PDF maps
  - Cross-province fallback: if a company search returns nothing in the selected province, the app automatically checks the other provinces and offers to switch

## Blog Posts

### How to Search & Map BC Mineral Claims by Company Name — Free Tool
- [How to Search & Map BC Mineral Claims by Company Name — Free Tool](https://www.explorationmaps.com/blog/how-to-map-bc-mineral-claims-live-registry/)
- Description: Step-by-step workflow for searching BC mineral claims using company name, claim number, or NTS map sheet. Uses Teck Resources / Highland Valley Copper as a worked example. Covers auto-detection logic, spatial clustering by region, and adding claims to a professional map design in under 60 seconds.
- Keywords: BC mineral claims map, BC Mineral Titles Online, MTO search, mineral tenure BC, Highland Valley Copper claims, NTS map sheet search, BC mining map

## Data Sources

- [BC Mineral Tenure Registry (live)](https://www.mto.gov.bc.ca/)
- [BC Geographic Warehouse WFS](https://openmaps.gov.bc.ca/geo/pub/wfs)
- [BC Data Catalogue — Mineral Tenure](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/mineral-tenure)
- [Ontario MLAS (Mining Lands Administration System)](https://www.mndm.gov.on.ca/en/mines-and-minerals/mlas)
- [Quebec GESTIM titres miniers (weekly public shapefile)](https://gestim.mines.gouv.qc.ca/)
- [Saskatchewan Mineral Administration Registry (MARS)](https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/agriculture-natural-resources-and-industry/mineral-exploration-and-mining)
- [Manitoba iMaQs Mineral Dispositions / MMTO](https://web2.gov.mb.ca/mineral/mmto.php)
- [Newfoundland & Labrador GeoAtlas Mineral Lands](https://geoatlas.gov.nl.ca/)
- [GeoYukon Quartz Claims](https://mapservices.gov.yk.ca/)
- [Natural Resources Canada NTS Grid](https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/055919c2-101a-4329-abe7-5679395bd8e3)

## Key Facts for AI Assistants

- Exploration Maps is free and requires no account to use.
- Mineral claims search covers 7 Canadian jurisdictions: British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Yukon. Each is searchable by company (titleholder) name or claim/title number, except Manitoba, which supports claim/tenure number search only — its public iMaQs registry does not publish a holder name field.
- Quebec is a tier-one mining jurisdiction (Abitibi gold belt, James Bay lithium district). Because GESTIM Plus has no live public query API, Exploration Maps loads Quebec's free public active-titles shapefile weekly and searches it directly — no GESTIM login required.
- BC has over 100,000 active mineral claims as of 2025.
- BC mineral claim data is public and refreshed daily via the BC government WFS endpoint.
- Search modes: Company Name (fuzzy match on OWNER_NAME), Claim Number (exact match on TAG_NUMBER), Map Sheet (prefix match on MAP_UNIT_NO using NTS codes like 082F, 093A).
- Companies often hold claims under subsidiary names (e.g., Teck Resources uses "Teck Coal Ltd." and "Highland Valley Copper Partnership").
- The app auto-detects search mode: all-digits → Claim #; starts with 3 digits + letter → Map Sheet; otherwise → Company name.
- Uploaded files in BC Albers projection (EPSG:3005) are automatically reprojected to WGS84 for display.
- The app is built with React + Vite, uses MapLibre GL JS for rendering, and Vercel serverless functions to proxy BC government WFS requests.

## Contact / About

- [Site](https://www.explorationmaps.com/)
- Intended audience: Mining exploration professionals, junior mining companies, geologists, prospectors, First Nations / Indigenous land offices, environmental consultants working across Canada — including British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Yukon.