That’s because in England, the government maintains rights to everything in the ground. I just learned this the other day — I think there’s some movement to change that.
In the United States, the landowner has mineral rights and owns everything on the property.
“In the United States, the landowner has mineral rights and owns everything on the property.”
Depends on the state, actually.
In New Mexico (and most everywhere west of the Rockies), the US government owns the minerals, unless deeded out.
The feds own a fair amount east of the Rockies, too.
Texas is a noted exception, as it was its own country, and title was never held by the USA.
Mineral rights are public property in the US. Some states allow some land to have mineral or water rights, but not many.