SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES [Abstract]

Exploration-Stage Company

Exploration-Stage Company

From 1997 through 2008, the Company's sole source of revenue and income was derived from its contract mining business through which it provided shaft sinking, underground mine development and mine labor primarily to companies in the mining and civil industries. At December 31, 2008, the Company discontinued its contract mining efforts due to economic conditions and the desire to concentrate its efforts on the commercialization of the halloysite clay deposit at the Dragon Mine (see Note 3).

Effective January 1, 2009, the Company commenced exploration of the Dragon Mine and, as the existence of proven or probable reserves have not been demonstrated and no significant revenue has been earned from the mine, is considered in the exploration stage as well as being considered a development stage company.

Under the SEC's Industry Guide 7, a mining company is considered an exploration stage company until it has declared mineral reserves determined in accordance with the guide and staff interpretations thereof.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Applied Minerals, Inc. and its controlled subsidiary, Park Copper and Gold Mining Company Limited ("Park Copper"). The financial information related to Park Copper was consolidated into the Company's consolidated financial statements in 2010, which included an accounting for non-controlling interest. At December 31, 2011, the investment in Park Copper was fully impaired.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. In these consolidated financial statements, the warrant derivative liability, stock compensation and impairment of long-lived assets involve extensive reliance on management's estimates. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include all highly-liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase. The Company minimizes its credit risk by investing its cash and cash equivalents, which sometimes exceeds FDIC limits, with major financial institutions located in the United States with a high credit rating. The Company's management believes that no concentration of credit risk exists with respect to the investment of its cash and cash equivalents.

Receivables

Receivables

Trade receivables are reported at outstanding principal amounts, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts.

Management evaluates the collectability of receivable account balances to determine the allowance, if any. Management considers the other party's credit risk and financial condition, as well as current and projected economic and market conditions, in determining the amount of the allowance. Receivable balances are written off when management determines that the balance is uncollectable.

Property and Equipment

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are carried at cost. Depreciation and amortization is computed on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, or the life of the lease, whichever is shorter, as follows:

	Estimated
	Useful Life
Building and Building Improvements	20 – 40 years
Mining equipment	2 – 7 years
Office and shop furniture and equipment	3 – 7 years
Vehicles	5 years

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, and 2010 totaled $280,991, $248,605 and $162,859, respectively.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

The Company periodically reviews the carrying amounts of long-lived assets to determine whether current events or circumstances warrant adjustment to such carrying amounts. Long-lived assets are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be recoverable. When such events occur, the Company compares the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset to its carrying amount. If this comparison indicates that there is an impairment, the amount of the impairment is typically calculated using discounted expected future cash flows where observable fair values are not readily determinable. Considerable management judgment is necessary to estimate the fair value of assets. Assets to be disposed of are carried at the lower of their financial statement carrying amount or fair value, less cost to sell.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

Revenue includes sales for halloysite clay and is recognized when title passes to the buyer and when collectability is reasonably assured. Title passes to the buyer based on terms of the sales contract. Product pricing is determined based on related contractual arrangements with the Company's customers.

Mining Exploration and Development Costs

Mining Exploration and Development Costs

Land and mining property are carried at cost. The Company expenses prospecting and mining exploration costs. At the point when a property is determined to have proven and probable reserves, subsequent development costs are capitalized. When these properties are developed and operations commence, capitalized development costs will be charged to operations using the units-of-production method over proven and probable reserves. Upon abandonment or sale of a mineral property, all capitalized costs relating to the specific property are written off in the period abandoned or sold and a gain or loss is recognized.

Through December 31, 2012, all costs associated with prospecting and exploration of the Company's mines have been deemed to have indeterminable recoverability and therefore have been expensed.

Income taxes

Income taxes

The Company uses an asset and liability approach which results in the recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets for the expected future tax consequences or benefits of temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of assets and liabilities, as well as operating loss and tax credit carry forwards, using enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse.

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of its deferred tax assets will not be realized. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. A valuation allowance has been provided for the portion of the Company's net deferred tax assets for which it is more likely than not that they will not be realized.

The Company is subject to U.S. federal income tax as well as income tax of multiple state jurisdictions. Federal income tax returns subsequent to 2008 are subject to examination by major tax jurisdictions. The Company's practice is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense.

The Company follows the provision of ASC Topic 740-10, "Income Taxes", relating to recognition thresholds and measurement attributes for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. It also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods and requires increased disclosures.

This guidance provides that the tax effects from an uncertain tax position can be recognized in our financial statements, only if the position is more likely than not of being sustained on audit, based on the technical merits of the position.

Stock Options and Warrants

Stock Options and Warrants

The Company follows ASC 718 (Stock Compensation) and 505-50 (Equity-Based Payments to Non-employees), which provide guidance in accounting for share-based awards exchanged for services rendered and requires companies to expense the estimated fair value of these awards over the requisite service period. The Company instituted a formal long-term and short-term incentive plan on November 20, 2012, which was approved by its shareholders. Prior to that date, we did not have a formal equity plan, but all equity grants, including stock options and warrants, were approved by our Board of Directors. We determine the fair value of the stock-based compensation awards granted to non-employees as either the fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instruments issued, whichever is more reliably measurable. If the

fair value of the equity instruments issued is used, it is measured using the stock price and other measurement assumptions as of the earlier of either of (1) the date at which a commitment for performance by the counterparty to earn the equity instruments is reached, or (2) the date at which the counterparty's performance is complete.

Per share data

Per share data

Loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 respectively, is calculated based on 89,552,788, 74,568,658, and 68,396,770 weighted average outstanding shares of common stock. See Note 11 for further details, including common stock equivalents that were not included in the diluted computation as their effect would be anti-dilutive.

Non-Controlling Interest

Non-Controlling Interest

The Company owned 53% of the outstanding stock of Park Copper and Gold Mining Company Limited ("Park Copper"), an Idaho corporation that holds several patented and unpatented mining claims near or adjacent to the Company's property in North Idaho. The financial information related to Park Copper was consolidated into the Company's consolidated financial statements in 2010, which included an accounting for non-controlling interest. At December 31, 2011 the investment in Park Copper was fully impaired.

Environmental Matters

Environmental Matters

Expenditures for ongoing compliance with environmental regulations that relate to current operations are expensed or capitalized as appropriate. Expenditures resulting from the remediation of existing conditions caused by past operations that do not contribute to future revenue generations are expensed. Liabilities are recognized when environmental assessments indicate that remediation efforts are probable and the costs can be reasonably estimated.

Estimates of such liabilities are based upon currently available facts, existing technology and presently enacted laws and regulations taking into consideration the likely effects of inflation and other societal and economic factors, and include estimates of associated legal costs. These amounts also reflect prior experience in remediating contaminated sites, other companies' clean-up experience and data released by The Environmental Protection Agency or other organizations. Such estimates are by their nature imprecise and can be expected to be revised over time because of changes in government regulations, operations, technology and inflation. Recoveries are evaluated separately from the liability and, when recovery is assured, the Company records and reports an asset separately from the associated liability.

Based upon management's current assessment of its environmental responsibilities, the Company cannot reasonably estimate any reclamation or remediation liability that may occur in the future, if any.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05, "Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income." Specifically, the new guidance allows an entity to present components of net income or other comprehensive income in one continuous statement, referred to as the statement of comprehensive income, or in two separate, but consecutive statements. The new guidance eliminates the current option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in equity. While the new guidance changes the presentation of comprehensive income, there are no changes to the components that are recognized in net income or other comprehensive income under current accounting guidance. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2011 and is to be applied retrospectively. The adoption of ASU 2011-05 did not have any impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04, "Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS")." The amendments in this ASU generally represent clarification of Topic 820, but also include instances where a particular principle or requirement for measuring fair value or disclosing information about fair value measurements has changed. This update results in common principles and requirements for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements in accordance with GAAP and IFRS. The amendments are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011 and are to be applied prospectively. Early application is not permitted. The adoption of ASU 2011-04 as of January 1, 2012 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.