How far down/deep do mineral rights extend?

[Gary in Pennsylvania]

How far down/deep do 'mineral rights' extend?

Just curious.

If I were granted mineral rights from another landowner - how far down are those rights? And it is STRAIGHT down, eh?


Thanks
-

 

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[Kentucky Kache]

Re: How far down/deep do 'mineral rights' extend?

You might want to check and see if China has the same laws.

 

[Monty]

Re: How far down/deep do 'mineral rights' extend?

Being in one of the oil producing states, mineral rights have no limit since oil wells sometimes go a few thousand feet, Uness of course it is restricted to surface rights only. Monty

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: How far down/deep do 'mineral rights' extend?

It will depend on the mineral right. First, make sure the landowner actually has mineral rights. In Pennsylvania, they had contracts for mineral rights of coal - and now, of course, the business with natural gas.

You also have to find out if the area is claimable for mineral rights - at all. There is also something known as "split-estate".

A placer mineral claim (like in the west) is in acreage area. A lode is rights that follow a vein - which can make a convoluted claim.

B

 

[truckinbutch]

Re: How far down/deep do 'mineral rights' extend?

Here in WV it is an absotively posilutely freaking mess !
We own 235 acres of surface on our family farm .
Natural gas and 3 major coal seams underly the entire property .
2 of the deeper coal seams have been mined out under leases signed between 1800 and 1936 ,but the mining company that still holds the leases has the right to come back in and recover what was left .
We own 200 acres of the undeveloped coal seam which is strippable and all of the surface of the farm .
Rights to 35 acres of strippable coal are owned by other nonfamily parties that inherited these rights from an ancestor that reserved the rights when they sold the surface .
We get to disappoint coal brokers that these kids keep trying to get to buy their 'million dollar' coal
rights that find out that dealing with us for the surface is going to cost them more than they can recover from the coal .
Oil and gas are worse : 100 acres 1/8 share and free gas for 1 dwelling ; 100 acres 1/2 share and no
dwelling limit for free gas on the property ; 35 acres free gas for one dwelling plus surface damage from the drilling .....

 

[RGINN]

Re: How far down/deep do 'mineral rights' extend?

Cache crazy's right. All the way down until China's begins. I don't know about granting mineral rights as it's different in every state. Where I came from, you had to outright buy them or lease them and pay royalties to actually have a legal claim on what you found. Hope you work something out.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: How far down/deep do 'mineral rights' extend?

Truckinbutch is a 'victim' of that split estate garbage - sometimes, the 'other' owners are the state, or the Feds.

In Arizona, after several years of fighting - right to the supreme court - to stop mining on their properties by other people, the homeowners got pittance, and the people who own the mineral rights (bought or leased from the state) are tearing up their yards - including two garages the last time I kept track - digging away.

They can go to the courts and give the citizen/homeowners almost nothing (compared to what they are making).

There is a possible solution, depending on where you live and who owns the mineral rights, of leasing, buying or claiming your own mineral rights on your own property. (in other words, beating the competition), but this only works if the owners, if private, are willing, or the mineral rights are owned by the state or the feds.

B

 

[Treasure finder]

Re: How far down/deep do 'mineral rights' extend?

Check the actual deed. Many times it says "WITHOUT RIGHT OF SURFACE ENTRY"
So that treasure may just have to sit there if you have mineral rights and it is on
someone else's land. I was once told that in New Mexico the treasure belongs to the
finder and the landowner has to allow you right to get it. That was a treasure hunter
telling me that so check the law first. And maybe there are "Treasure Recovery Laws"
that are different than mineral rights, find a mining attorney, maybe.
Rich

 

[Cappy Z.]

Re: How far down/deep do 'mineral rights' extend?

I don't have an answer to your question, however I watched a show today on salt mines beneath the great lakes. It was simply unbelievable. If there is ever an earthquake big enough..they already use metal bolts to 'hold' the mine ceiling together at 1700 feet below/under the lake!