Nature Of Business And Continuance Of Operations	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Nature Of Business And Continuance Of Operations [Abstract]
Nature Of Business And Continuance Of Operations	1. NATURE OF BUSINESS AND CONTINUANCE OF OPERATIONS Geovic Mining Corp. (the "Company") is incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware. The Company owns 100% of the shares of Geovic, Ltd. ("Geovic"), a company that has been in the mining exploratory stage since its inception on November 16, 1994. The Company is an exploration stage company in the process of planning to develop its mineral properties through its subsidiaries. As an exploration stage entity we would require further technical analysis and financing in order to bring our properties into development. Geovic is engaged in the business of exploring for cobalt, nickel and related minerals through its majority-owned (60.5%) subsidiary, Geovic Cameroon, PLC ("GeoCam"), a financially dependent public limited company duly organized and incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Cameroon. The Company is also engaged in the worldwide exploration of energy and mineral resources directly or indirectly through its ownership of Geovic Energy Corp. and Geovic Mineral Sands Corp., formed in 2007 and 2009 respectively under the laws of the State of Colorado, Geovic France SAS, formed in December 2008 under the laws of France, and Geovic Nouvelle-Calédonie SAS, formed in March 2009 under the laws of New Caledonia. As an exploration stage company, we have a history of losses, deficits and negative operating cash flows and may continue to incur losses in the future. We continue to evaluate our cash position and cash utilization. Our cash resources and ability to access additional financing will be critical to our financial condition until we begin to receive operating revenue, which may not be until operations at the Nkamouna Project begin, which could be at least three years after completion of required financing arrangements. Based on the estimated capital and start-up costs of the Nkamouna Project, we presently do not have sufficient capital resources available to meet anticipated equity requirements. Our ability to raise additional capital for this purpose would depend on a number of factors, many of which are partly or wholly outside of our control, including the state of world-wide financial, commodity and other markets, the market trading price of our common stock and demand for future access to the cobalt resources in the Nkamouna Project. We are currently investigating all strategic alternatives available to us, including selling some or all of our interest in the Project to a third party. We have been closely monitoring our fixed and variable costs and intend to restrict such costs to those expenses that are necessary to complete activities related to securing project financing for the Nkamouna Project, identifying opportunities to generate cash from our existing exploration properties and identifying additional sources of working capital and general administrative costs in support of such activities. Management and the Board of Directors have already begun to implement a number of cash conservation strategies for the Company and GeoCam. The most significant cost reductions compared to previous years are our reduction of expenditures at GeoCam. With the completion of the Feasibility Study in 2011, GeoCam no longer incurs the significant costs of technical evaluations, consultant and testing fees and travel that contributed to that study. We have since reduced Project expenses to incur only necessary expenditures, primarily limited to securing the site, reclaiming exploration disturbances, environmental monitoring, and supporting potential financial and strategic investor due diligence efforts. This has significantly reduced the anticipated level of GeoCam cash requirements for 2012. In addition, we reduced the size of our Board of Directors to five persons, eliminated two consulting positions, agreed with a financial advisor to discontinue its services at least until a financing transaction is underway, eliminated much of our mineral and corporate marketing activities and limited travel and office expenses. A senior executive is retiring and we are looking to amicably reduce certain other financial obligations that are subject to contracts through negotiations and mutually acceptable resolution. Finally we have decided to defer most exploration activities planned for New Caledonia until a financing or sale transaction for the Nkamouna Project is better understood. This downsizing and deferral is being implemented to reduce financial commitments and overheads and poise the Company for success going forward. We are seeking to 1) realize value for the Cameroonian assets and 2) shift the Company's focus to a prospect generation and strategic investment business model in 2012 and beyond. Since our position in GeoCam will likely be significantly diminished or completely eliminated through strategic investment upon completion of a financing transaction, the future direction for the Company will be to identify new exploration prospects, minimally develop and prioritize existing and new prospects, and sell or joint venture further exploration and development of those prospects to others. The Company expects to take prospects to a level where they can be timely monetized through strategic investments by others who have the resources to complete advanced exploration, permitting and development. Our consolidated cash balance at December 31, 2011 was $15.6 million. We anticipate that the Company will be able to satisfy the cash requirements of its operations into the second quarter of 2013 with current cash resources, however, we may be unable to obtain long-term funding and our near-term expenses could be greater than projected. If we are unable to obtain additional capital, we will need to further curtail our operations in order to preserve working capital, which could materially harm our business and our ability to achieve cash flow in the future, including delaying or reducing implementation of certain aspects of our plans for developing the Nkamouna Project.

1. NATURE OF BUSINESS AND CONTINUANCE OF OPERATIONS

Geovic Mining Corp. (the "Company") is incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware. The Company owns 100% of the shares of Geovic, Ltd. ("Geovic"), a company that has been in the mining exploratory stage since its inception on November 16, 1994. The Company is an exploration stage company in the process of planning to develop its mineral properties through its subsidiaries. As an exploration stage entity we would require further technical analysis and financing in order to bring our properties into development.

Geovic is engaged in the business of exploring for cobalt, nickel and related minerals through its majority-owned (60.5%) subsidiary, Geovic Cameroon, PLC ("GeoCam"), a financially dependent public limited company duly organized and incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Cameroon.

The Company is also engaged in the worldwide exploration of energy and mineral resources directly or indirectly through its ownership of Geovic Energy Corp. and Geovic Mineral Sands Corp., formed in 2007 and 2009 respectively under the laws of the State of Colorado, Geovic France SAS, formed in December 2008 under the laws of France, and Geovic Nouvelle-Calédonie SAS, formed in March 2009 under the laws of New Caledonia.

As an exploration stage company, we have a history of losses, deficits and negative operating cash flows and may continue to incur losses in the future. We continue to evaluate our cash position and cash utilization. Our cash resources and ability to access additional financing will be critical to our financial condition until we begin to receive operating revenue, which may not be until operations at the Nkamouna Project begin, which could be at least three years after completion of required financing arrangements.

Based on the estimated capital and start-up costs of the Nkamouna Project, we presently do not have sufficient capital resources available to meet anticipated equity requirements. Our ability to raise additional capital for this purpose would depend on a number of factors, many of which are partly or wholly outside of our control, including the state of world-wide financial, commodity and other markets, the market trading price of our common stock and demand for future access to the cobalt resources in the Nkamouna Project. We are currently investigating all strategic alternatives available to us, including selling some or all of our interest in the Project to a third party.

We have been closely monitoring our fixed and variable costs and intend to restrict such costs to those expenses that are necessary to complete activities related to securing project financing for the Nkamouna Project, identifying opportunities to generate cash from our existing exploration properties and identifying additional sources of working capital and general administrative costs in support of such activities. Management and the Board of Directors have already begun to implement a number of cash conservation strategies for the Company and GeoCam. The most significant cost reductions compared to previous years are our reduction of expenditures at GeoCam. With the completion of the Feasibility Study in 2011, GeoCam no longer incurs the significant costs of technical evaluations, consultant and testing fees and travel that contributed to that study. We have since reduced Project expenses to incur only necessary expenditures, primarily limited to securing the site, reclaiming exploration disturbances, environmental monitoring, and supporting potential financial and strategic investor due diligence efforts. This has significantly reduced the anticipated level of GeoCam cash requirements for 2012.

In addition, we reduced the size of our Board of Directors to five persons, eliminated two consulting positions, agreed with a financial advisor to discontinue its services at least until a financing transaction is underway, eliminated much of our mineral and corporate marketing activities and limited travel and office expenses. A senior executive is retiring and we are looking to amicably reduce certain other financial obligations that are subject to contracts through negotiations and mutually acceptable resolution. Finally we have decided to defer most exploration activities planned for New Caledonia until a financing or sale transaction for the Nkamouna Project is better understood. This downsizing and deferral is being implemented to reduce financial commitments and overheads and poise the Company for success going forward.

We are seeking to 1) realize value for the Cameroonian assets and 2) shift the Company's focus to a prospect generation and strategic investment business model in 2012 and beyond. Since our position in GeoCam will likely be significantly diminished or completely eliminated through strategic investment upon completion of a financing transaction, the future direction for the Company will be to identify new exploration prospects, minimally develop and prioritize existing and new prospects, and sell or joint venture further exploration and development of those prospects to others. The Company expects to take prospects to a level where they can be timely monetized through strategic investments by others who have the resources to complete advanced exploration, permitting and development.

Our consolidated cash balance at December 31, 2011 was $15.6 million. We anticipate that the Company will be able to satisfy the cash requirements of its operations into the second quarter of 2013 with current cash resources, however, we may be unable to obtain long-term funding and our near-term expenses could be greater than projected. If we are unable to obtain additional capital, we will need to further curtail our operations in order to preserve working capital, which could materially harm our business and our ability to achieve cash flow in the future, including delaying or reducing implementation of certain aspects of our plans for developing the Nkamouna Project.