Things You Ought To Know Mineral Law

Mineral law is the law that authorizes and governs the prospecting and mining of economic minerals such as iron, gold and silver.  Different nations ...


Mineral law is the law that authorizes and governs the prospecting and mining of economic minerals such as iron, gold and silver.  Different nations have in place distinct laws especially when it comes to mining.  There are many common terms employed in mining.  These are clearly defined in mining laws.  One is mining claims.  A mining claim is defined as the right to explore and subsequently extract minerals from a piece of land.  Claim staking is another term that can be found in mining law.  It is described as the procedure of marking the mining claim boundaries.  In most instances, wooden posts and piles are employed for this.  There are diverse claim staking necessities in various nations and distinct states in the United States.

Once the claims have been staked, prospectors are required to complete the required documents to file the claims.  In the early stages, mining claims are known as unpatented claims.  That is, it only accords tights to mining and exploration rights.  Unpatented claims are only valid just as long as the claims are only worked on each year.  Owners of patented claims are allowed to put it to different legal uses.  Nevertheless, it is important to note that the patenting of claims is a very controversial part of mining law especially in the US.  The reason behind this is the moratorium that was imposed by Congress.  Since 1994, the United States federal government has never accepted new mining claim applications.  Other common terms that can be found in mining laws include placer and lode claims.  Placer claims are claims over sand or gravel along streams and rivers that have deposits of gold.  On the contrary, claims over regions with hard rock deposits are known as lode claims.  In the state of California, this claim is also referred to as a quartz claim.

One thing you ought to understand about mining law is that it does not apply to some mineral products.  In the United States for example, coal, petroleum and such construction materials as gravel and sand are not included in the locatable mineral list.  The only way to obtain to mine these is through competitive bidding.  Learning about mining laws is one thing corporations ought to do before making the decision to mine.  They ought to understand the laws that administer their vocations.  It informs them on the rights that they have as well as what is required of them.

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