Mineral law serves multiple purposes, including regulating mining activities, protecting the environment, and ensuring that mineral resources are used equitably.

Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydro, are not typically considered mineral resources in the traditional sense.

A mining claim is a legal document that gives the holder the right to explore for and extract minerals from a specific area of land.

The Mining Law of 1872 is the primary federal law governing the exploration, extraction, and use of mineral resources on public lands in the United States.

The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 regulates surface coal mining activities, protects the environment from the impacts of mining, and ensures the reclamation of mined lands.

Reclamation is the process of restoring a mined area to its original condition, including the reestablishment of vegetation and the stabilization of the land.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the International Seabed Authority, and the Common Heritage of Mankind principle all govern the exploration and use of mineral resources in the deep seabed.

Mining is the process of extracting minerals from the earth, including the removal of overburden, the extraction of the mineral resource, and the processing of the mineral ore.

Mine, quarry, and pit are all terms used to describe the area of land from which minerals are extracted.

Exploration is the process of searching for mineral deposits, including the use of geological, geophysical, and geochemical techniques.

A mineral lease is a legal document that grants the right to explore for and extract minerals from a particular area, typically from the government or a private landowner.

Stripping is the process of removing overburden, such as soil, rock, or vegetation, from a mineral deposit in order to expose the underlying mineral resource.

Processing is the term used to describe the various techniques used to extract minerals from their ore, including crushing, grinding, flotation, and leaching.

Tailings management is the term used to describe the process of disposing of waste materials, such as tailings and overburden, from mining operations in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

Reclamation is the term used to describe the process of closing and reclaiming a mine site, including the removal of equipment, the stabilization of the land, and the reestablishment of vegetation.