Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
PIK Note Derivative Liability [Member]
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Gain (loss) on revaluation of PIK Note derivative	$ (742,509)	$ 1,313,110	$ 1,291,406	$ 1,220,369
REVENUES	1,112,467	65,848	2,114,095	228,595
Production costs	220,970	3,934	476,670	6,170
Exploration costs	584,150	1,291,197	1,111,878	2,618,478
General and administrative	1,066,927	1,247,466	2,250,136	2,429,775
Depreciation expense	338,333	326,684	674,420	652,905
Total Operating Expenses	2,210,380	2,869,281	4,513,104	5,707,328
Operating Loss	(1,097,913)	(2,803,433)	(2,399,009)	(5,478,733)
Interest expense, net, including amortization of deferred financing cost and debt discount	(1,356,841)	(1,092,595)	(2,729,261)	(2,121,222)
Other income (expense)	11,904	(145,958)	104,980	(543,755)
Total Other Income (Expense)	(2,087,446)	74,557	(1,332,875)	(1,444,608)
Net Loss	$ (3,185,359)	$ (2,728,876)	$ (3,731,884)	$ (6,923,341)
Net Loss Per Share (Basic and Diluted) (in dollars per share)	$ (0.03)	$ (0.03)	$ (0.04)	$ (0.07)
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding (Basic and Diluted) (in shares)	97,889,350	95,653,519	97,556,480	95,381,825