mining rights
nounUK /ˈmaɪnɪŋ raɪts/
US /ˈmaɪnɪŋ raɪts/
The legal permission to dig up and take valuable things like gold or coal from the ground.
The company bought mining rights so it could dig for gold in the hills.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The legal authority to explore an area for minerals before actually digging.
They held mining rights to explore the valley for copper.
3. Ownership of the underground resources on a piece of land, separate from the surface.
The farmer owned the land, but the mining rights belonged to a big company.
4. A government-granted license to operate a mine for a set period.
The mining rights expire after twenty years unless renewed.