Donypee,

Your answer to the large shaded area makes perfect sense. The flight lines for the ETM's would be close together. What better way to use every companies funds wisely and have the flight lines continue over all the claims, instead of having to do the flight lines on a company by company basis (saves all the stopping and starting of flight lines and valuable flight time).

As you also pointed out, there is unclaimed land within the shaded area, which now may become priorities for staking, depending on the ETM readings. 

Another perfect example of NOT and all the other area players working together!

EE