Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
REVENUES	$ 148,303	$ 975,328	$ 2,300,998	$ 3,089,422
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Production costs	412,713	539,951	2,125,007	1,572,795
Exploration costs	47,172	270,700	304,631	821,814
General and administrative	664,217	977,716	2,137,655	3,227,852
Depreciation expense	329,357	340,165	989,123	1,014,585
Total Operating Expenses	1,453,459	2,128,532	5,556,415	6,637,046
Operating Loss	(1,305,156)	(1,153,204)	(3,255,417)	(3,547,624)
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Interest expense, net, including amortization of deferred financing cost and debt discount	(2,527,374)	(1,792,412)	(6,843,524)	(4,521,672)
Other income (expense)	(4,064)	1,042	21,620	106,021
Total Other Income (Expense)	(3,101,911)	(657,221)	(5,755,536)	(1,990,096)
Net (Loss) Income	$ (4,407,067)	$ (1,810,425)	$ (9,010,953)	$ (5,537,720)
Net (Loss)Income Per Share (Basic and Diluted) (in dollars per share)	$ (0.04)	$ (0.02)	$ (0.08)	$ (0.05)
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding (Basic and Diluted) (in shares)	118,862,734	108,482,042	112,094,593	101,231,559
PIK Note Derivative Liability [Member]
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):
Gain (Loss) on revaluation of PIK Note derivative	$ (570,473)	$ 1,134,149	$ 1,066,368	$ 2,425,555