Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
1. Business and Significant Accounting Policies	1. Business and Significant Accounting Policies Sale of Mt. Hamilton LLC On August 25, 2015 Solitario Exploration & Royalty Corp. (“Solitario” or the “Company”), along with DHI Minerals (U.S.) Ltd. (“DHI”), sold their combined interests in the Mt. Hamilton gold project (“Mt. Hamilton”) to Waterton Nevada Splitter, LLC (“Waterton”), for total cash proceeds of US$30 million (the “Transaction”) pursuant to a definitive agreement entered into on June 10, 2015. Solitario sold its 80% interest in Mt. Hamilton LLC (“MH-LLC”), a limited liability company which held 100% of the Mt. Hamilton project assets, and DHI sold its 20% interest in MH-LLC. DHI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ely Gold and Minerals, Inc. (“Ely”). Solitario received gross cash proceeds of US$24 million and Ely received gross cash proceeds of US$6 million. Solitario’s costs and fees related to the Transaction, including broker fees and professional service fees, were $439,000. The Transaction was structured as the sale of Solitario’s and DHI’s combined membership interests in MH-LLC. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 virtually all of the costs associated with MH-LLC and the assets sold were directly related to the development of Mt. Hamilton, which were capitalized to mineral property. Accordingly, separate presentation of discontinued operations would not have resulted in any material change to the results presented in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015. See Note 1, “Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to the annual financial statements included in Solitario’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for a more complete discussion of the sale of Solitario’s interest in MH-LLC. Business and company formation Solitario is an exploration stage company at September 30, 2016 under Industry Guide 7, as issued by the SEC. Solitario was incorporated in the state of Colorado on November 15, 1984 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crown Resources Corporation ("Crown"). In July 1994, Solitario became a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange through its initial public offering. Solitario has been actively involved in mineral exploration since 1993. Solitario’s primary business is to acquire and hold a portfolio of exploration properties and other related assets for future sale or joint venture or to create a royalty prior to the establishment of proven and probable reserves. Solitario’s primary focus is for the furtherance of its exploration assets and to the acquisition of additional precious and base metal properties and assets with exploration potential and the development or purchase of royalty interests. Solitario has recorded revenue in the past from the sale of mineral properties, joint venture property payments and the sale of a royalty on its Mt. Hamilton property. Revenues from the sale or joint venture of properties, although potentially significant when they occur, have not been a consistent source of revenue and would only occur in the future, if at all, on an infrequent basis. The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Solitario for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 are unaudited and are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. They do not include all disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles for annual financial statements, but in the opinion of management, include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring items, necessary for a fair presentation. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results, which may be achieved in the future or for the full year ending December 31, 2016. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto which are included in Solitario’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. The accounting policies set forth in those annual financial statements are the same as the accounting policies utilized in the preparation of these financial statements, except as modified for appropriate interim financial statement presentation. Financial reporting The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Solitario and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("generally accepted accounting principles"), and are expressed in US dollars. Revenue recognition Solitario records delay rental payments as revenue in the period received. Any payments received for the sale of property interests are recorded as a reduction of the related property's capitalized cost. Proceeds which exceed the capitalized cost of the property without reserves are recognized as revenue. Payments received on the sale of properties with reserves are recognized as revenue to the extent the proceeds exceed the proportionate basis in the assets sold. Use of estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Some of the more significant estimates included in the preparation of Solitario's financial statements pertain to: (i) the fair value of Solitario’s short-term investments; (ii) the fair value of Solitario's stock option grants to employees; (iii) the fair value of Solitario's marketable equity securities; and (iv) the fair value of the Vendetta Mining Corp (“Vendetta”) warrants Solitario owns. Cash equivalents Cash equivalents include investments in highly liquid money-market securities with original maturities of three months or less when purchased. Solitario has concentrations of cash at September 30, 2016 deposited in banks and brokerage accounts of $192,000 which are not covered under the federal deposit insurance rules for the United States. At September 30, 2016 Solitario holds short-term investments in United States Treasury securities of $7,006,000. Mineral properties Solitario expenses all exploration costs incurred on its mineral properties prior to the establishment of proven and probable reserves through the completion of a feasibility study. Initial acquisition costs of Solitario’s mineral properties are capitalized. Solitario began capitalizing all of its development expenditures on Mt. Hamilton, subsequent to the completion of a feasibility study in 2012 through the date of the Transaction. Solitario regularly performs evaluations of its investment in mineral properties to assess the recoverability and/or the residual value of its investments in these assets. All long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances change which indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable, utilizing established guidelines based upon undiscounted future net cash flows from the asset or upon the determination that certain exploration properties do not have sufficient potential for economic mineralization. Derivative instruments Solitario accounts for its derivative instruments in accordance with ASC 815 "Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities." Solitario has not designated its covered calls as hedging instruments and any changes in the fair value of covered calls and the Vendetta Warrants (defined below) are recognized in the statement of operations in the period of the change. Fair value FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”) establishes a framework for measuring fair value and requires enhanced disclosures about fair value measurements. ASC 820 clarifies that fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. For certain of Solitario's financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents and accounts payable, the carrying amounts approximate fair value due to their short-term maturities. Solitario's short-term investments and marketable equity securities are carried at their estimated fair value based on quoted market prices. See Note 7, “Fair Value” below. Marketable equity securities Solitario's investments in marketable equity securities are classified as available-for-sale and are carried at fair value, which is based upon quoted prices of the securities owned. Solitario records investments in marketable equity securities as available-for-sale for investments in publicly traded marketable equity securities for which it does not exercise significant control and where Solitario has no representation on the Board of Directors of those companies and exercises no control over the management of those companies. The cost of marketable equity securities sold is determined by the specific identification method. Changes in fair values are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income within shareholders' equity, unless a decline in fair value is considered other than temporary, in which case the decline is recognized as a loss in the consolidated statements of operations. Foreign exchange The United States dollar is the functional currency for all of Solitario's foreign subsidiaries. Although Solitario's exploration activities outside of the United States for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 have been conducted primarily in Peru and Mexico, a portion of the payments under the land, leasehold and exploration agreements of Solitario are denominated in United States dollars. Foreign currency gains and losses are included in the results of operations in the period in which they occur. Income taxes Solitario accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, “Accounting for Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). Under ASC 740, income taxes are provided for the tax effects of transactions reported in the financial statements and consist of taxes currently due plus deferred taxes related to certain income and expenses recognized in different periods for financial and income tax reporting purposes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities represent the future tax return consequences of those differences, which will either be taxable or deductible when the assets and liabilities are recovered or settled. Deferred taxes are also recognized for operating losses and tax credits that are available to offset future taxable income and income taxes, respectively. A valuation allowance is provided if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Accounting for uncertainty in income taxes ASC 740 clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in a company's financial statements. ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure, and transition. ASC 740 provides that a company's tax position will be considered settled if the taxing authority has completed its examination, the company does not plan to appeal, and it is remote that the taxing authority would reexamine the tax position in the future. These provisions of ASC 740 had no effect on Solitario's financial position or results of operations. See Note 8, “Income Taxes” below. Earnings per share The calculation of basic and diluted income (loss) per share is based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. There were no potentially dilutive shares outstanding as of September 30, 2016 as the RMB Warrants (defined below) expired in August 2016 and all previously outstanding stock options had either expired or were cancelled as of September 30, 2016. Potentially dilutive shares related to outstanding common stock options of 3,748,000 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and the warrants issued to RMB Australia Holdings in connection with a 2012 financing (the “RMB Warrants,” which were exercisable to acquire 1,624,748 shares of common stock) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 were excluded from the calculation of diluted income (loss) per share because the effects were anti-dilutive. Employee stock compensation and incentive plans Solitario classifies all of its stock options as equity options in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 “Compensation – Stock Compensation.” During the three months ended September 30, 2016, Solitario cancelled all of its remaining outstanding options and had no outstanding stock options as of September 30, 2016. Recent accounting pronouncements In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-19, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718) (“ASU 2016-19”), as part of its simplification initiative, which affects all entities that issue share-based payment awards to their employees. The amendments in this update cover such areas as the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, the classification of those excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows, an accounting policy election for forfeitures, the amount an employer can withhold for income taxes and still qualify for equity classification and the classification of those taxes paid on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-19 is effective for fiscal year ending March 2018 using either the prospective, retrospective or modified retrospective transition method, depending on the area covered by ASU 2016-19. In December 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes (“ASU 2015-17”). ASU 2015-17 simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes by requiring that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. ASU 2015-17 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within the year, beginning after December 15, 2016. The standard may be applied either retrospectively or on a prospective basis to all deferred tax assets and liabilities. The adoption of ASU No. 2015-17 did not have a material impact on the financial statements of Solitario as of September 30, 2016 or for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016.

Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

1. Business and Significant Accounting Policies

1. Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Sale of Mt. Hamilton LLC

On August 25, 2015 Solitario Exploration & Royalty Corp. (“Solitario” or the “Company”), along with DHI Minerals (U.S.) Ltd. (“DHI”), sold their combined interests in the Mt. Hamilton gold project (“Mt. Hamilton”) to Waterton Nevada Splitter, LLC (“Waterton”), for total cash proceeds of US$30 million (the “Transaction”) pursuant to a definitive agreement entered into on June 10, 2015. Solitario sold its 80% interest in Mt. Hamilton LLC (“MH-LLC”), a limited liability company which held 100% of the Mt. Hamilton project assets, and DHI sold its 20% interest in MH-LLC. DHI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ely Gold and Minerals, Inc. (“Ely”). Solitario received gross cash proceeds of US$24 million and Ely received gross cash proceeds of US$6 million. Solitario’s costs and fees related to the Transaction, including broker fees and professional service fees, were $439,000. The Transaction was structured as the sale of Solitario’s and DHI’s combined membership interests in MH-LLC.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 virtually all of the costs associated with MH-LLC and the assets sold were directly related to the development of Mt. Hamilton, which were capitalized to mineral property. Accordingly, separate presentation of discontinued operations would not have resulted in any material change to the results presented in the unaudited consolidated statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015.

See Note 1, “Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to the annual financial statements included in Solitario’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for a more complete discussion of the sale of Solitario’s interest in MH-LLC.

Business and company formation

Solitario is an exploration stage company at September 30, 2016 under Industry Guide 7, as issued by the SEC. Solitario was incorporated in the state of Colorado on November 15, 1984 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Crown Resources Corporation ("Crown"). In July 1994, Solitario became a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange through its initial public offering. Solitario has been actively involved in mineral exploration since 1993. Solitario’s primary business is to acquire and hold a portfolio of exploration properties and other related assets for future sale or joint venture or to create a royalty prior to the establishment of proven and probable reserves. Solitario’s primary focus is for the furtherance of its exploration assets and to the acquisition of additional precious and base metal properties and assets with exploration potential and the development or purchase of royalty interests.

Solitario has recorded revenue in the past from the sale of mineral properties, joint venture property payments and the sale of a royalty on its Mt. Hamilton property. Revenues from the sale or joint venture of properties, although potentially significant when they occur, have not been a consistent source of revenue and would only occur in the future, if at all, on an infrequent basis.

The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Solitario for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 are unaudited and are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. They do not include all disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles for annual financial statements, but in the opinion of management, include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring items, necessary for a fair presentation. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results, which may be achieved in the future or for the full year ending December 31, 2016.

These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto which are included in Solitario’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. The accounting policies set forth in those annual financial statements are the same as the accounting policies utilized in the preparation of these financial statements, except as modified for appropriate interim financial statement presentation.

Financial reporting

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Solitario and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("generally accepted accounting principles"), and are expressed in US dollars.

Revenue recognition

Solitario records delay rental payments as revenue in the period received. Any payments received for the sale of property interests are recorded as a reduction of the related property's capitalized cost. Proceeds which exceed the capitalized cost of the property without reserves are recognized as revenue. Payments received on the sale of properties with reserves are recognized as revenue to the extent the proceeds exceed the proportionate basis in the assets sold.

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Some of the more significant estimates included in the preparation of Solitario's financial statements pertain to: (i) the fair value of Solitario’s short-term investments; (ii) the fair value of Solitario's stock option grants to employees; (iii) the fair value of Solitario's marketable equity securities; and (iv) the fair value of the Vendetta Mining Corp (“Vendetta”) warrants Solitario owns.

Cash equivalents

Cash equivalents include investments in highly liquid money-market securities with original maturities of three months or less when purchased. Solitario has concentrations of cash at September 30, 2016 deposited in banks and brokerage accounts of $192,000 which are not covered under the federal deposit insurance rules for the United States. At September 30, 2016 Solitario holds short-term investments in United States Treasury securities of $7,006,000.

Mineral properties

Solitario expenses all exploration costs incurred on its mineral properties prior to the establishment of proven and probable reserves through the completion of a feasibility study. Initial acquisition costs of Solitario’s mineral properties are capitalized. Solitario began capitalizing all of its development expenditures on Mt. Hamilton, subsequent to the completion of a feasibility study in 2012 through the date of the Transaction. Solitario regularly performs evaluations of its investment in mineral properties to assess the recoverability and/or the residual value of its investments in these assets. All long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances change which indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable, utilizing established guidelines based upon undiscounted future net cash flows from the asset or upon the determination that certain exploration properties do not have sufficient potential for economic mineralization.

Derivative instruments

Solitario accounts for its derivative instruments in accordance with ASC 815 "Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities." Solitario has not designated its covered calls as hedging instruments and any changes in the fair value of covered calls and the Vendetta Warrants (defined below) are recognized in the statement of operations in the period of the change.

Fair value

FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”) establishes a framework for measuring fair value and requires enhanced disclosures about fair value measurements. ASC 820 clarifies that fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. For certain of Solitario's financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents and accounts payable, the carrying amounts approximate fair value due to their short-term maturities. Solitario's short-term investments and marketable equity securities are carried at their estimated fair value based on quoted market prices. See Note 7, “Fair Value” below.

Marketable equity securities

Solitario's investments in marketable equity securities are classified as available-for-sale and are carried at fair value, which is based upon quoted prices of the securities owned. Solitario records investments in marketable equity securities as available-for-sale for investments in publicly traded marketable equity securities for which it does not exercise significant control and where Solitario has no representation on the Board of Directors of those companies and exercises no control over the management of those companies. The cost of marketable equity securities sold is determined by the specific identification method. Changes in fair values are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income within shareholders' equity, unless a decline in fair value is considered other than temporary, in which case the decline is recognized as a loss in the consolidated statements of operations.

Foreign exchange

The United States dollar is the functional currency for all of Solitario's foreign subsidiaries. Although Solitario's exploration activities outside of the United States for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 have been conducted primarily in Peru and Mexico, a portion of the payments under the land, leasehold and exploration agreements of Solitario are denominated in United States dollars. Foreign currency gains and losses are included in the results of operations in the period in which they occur.

Income taxes

Solitario accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, “Accounting for Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). Under ASC 740, income taxes are provided for the tax effects of transactions reported in the financial statements and consist of taxes currently due plus deferred taxes related to certain income and expenses recognized in different periods for financial and income tax reporting purposes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities represent the future tax return consequences of those differences, which will either be taxable or deductible when the assets and liabilities are recovered or settled. Deferred taxes are also recognized for operating losses and tax credits that are available to offset future taxable income and income taxes, respectively. A valuation allowance is provided if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

Accounting for uncertainty in income taxes

ASC 740 clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in a company's financial statements. ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure, and transition. ASC 740 provides that a company's tax position will be considered settled if the taxing authority has completed its examination, the company does not plan to appeal, and it is remote that the taxing authority would reexamine the tax position in the future. These provisions of ASC 740 had no effect on Solitario's financial position or results of operations. See Note 8, “Income Taxes” below.

Earnings per share

The calculation of basic and diluted income (loss) per share is based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. There were no potentially dilutive shares outstanding as of September 30, 2016 as the RMB Warrants (defined below) expired in August 2016 and all previously outstanding stock options had either expired or were cancelled as of September 30, 2016. Potentially dilutive shares related to outstanding common stock options of 3,748,000 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and the warrants issued to RMB Australia Holdings in connection with a 2012 financing (the “RMB Warrants,” which were exercisable to acquire 1,624,748 shares of common stock) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 were excluded from the calculation of diluted income (loss) per share because the effects were anti-dilutive.

Employee stock compensation and incentive plans

Solitario classifies all of its stock options as equity options in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 “Compensation – Stock Compensation.” During the three months ended September 30, 2016, Solitario cancelled all of its remaining outstanding options and had no outstanding stock options as of September 30, 2016.

Recent accounting pronouncements

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-19, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718) (“ASU 2016-19”), as part of its simplification initiative, which affects all entities that issue share-based payment awards to their employees. The amendments in this update cover such areas as the recognition of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, the classification of those excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows, an accounting policy election for forfeitures, the amount an employer can withhold for income taxes and still qualify for equity classification and the classification of those taxes paid on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-19 is effective for fiscal year ending March 2018 using either the prospective, retrospective or modified retrospective transition method, depending on the area covered by ASU 2016-19.

In December 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes (“ASU 2015-17”). ASU 2015-17 simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes by requiring that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. ASU 2015-17 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within the year, beginning after December 15, 2016. The standard may be applied either retrospectively or on a prospective basis to all deferred tax assets and liabilities. The adoption of ASU No. 2015-17 did not have a material impact on the financial statements of Solitario as of September 30, 2016 or for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016.