 Have you ever thought about who owns a coal, oil, or uranium resources mine in Wyoming? Because minerals occur at varying depths underground, they are often owned separately from the surface above. This is called severed minerals or the split estate. The United States is one of the only countries in the world where mineral rights can be owned by individuals instead of the government. The history of settlement in a particular region has a lot to do with how mineral rights operate today. While it is possible for the same person to own both the surface and mineral rights known as a unified estate, in many parts of Wyoming mineral rights are severed. Due to the railroad and homesteading history of our state, much of the mineral estate in Wyoming has been reserved and is owned by the federal government or the Union Pacific Railroad. This could include the mineral rights under your neighborhood. If you are curious about mineral rights on your property, a good place to start is a deed or title, but it may take more digging with the help of an attorney or a landman. If your property is in a split estate situation, there are some protections for surface owners, but a surface property owner cannot prohibit access to mineral rights below. Because of the complexity of mineral ownership, it is best to consult an attorney if you have questions. The laws governing mineral rights and extraction will vary by the type of resource in question. For the University of Wyoming Extension, I'm Milton Geiger, Exploring the Nature of Wyoming.