Which term describes the rights to underground resources such as minerals?

• A. Fixture
• B. Air rights
• C. Riparian rights
• D. Mineral rights

Answer: (D)

Rights to underground resources fall under mineral rights. In real estate, ownership can be split so the surface land is owned by one party while the subsurface minerals—such as ore, oil, or gas—are owned by another. Mineral rights give the holder the ability to explore for and extract those resources, and they can be bought, sold, or leased separately from surface rights. The surface owner’s use of the land is still possible, but the mineral rights holder has rights that may require access across the surface for extraction, often governed by laws and any existing easements or leases. The other terms describe different concepts: a fixture is something attached to the property that becomes part of it; air rights concern the space above the land; riparian rights relate to rights to use water from a adjacent watercourse.