mineral rights
nounUK /ˈmɪnərəl raɪts/
US /ˈmɪnərəl raɪts/
The legal permission to dig up and keep valuable things like gold or oil found under a piece of land.
The farmer owned the land, but a mining company owned the mineral rights and could dig for coal beneath it.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The legal claim to underground resources that can be separated from ownership of the surface land.
In many places, mineral rights can be sold separately from the land above them.
3. The entitlement to explore for and extract minerals such as oil, gas, or metals from a property.
The company bought the mineral rights before starting to drill for natural gas.
4. A property interest that allows the holder to take valuable materials from beneath the ground.
Her family kept the mineral rights even after selling the ranch.