Which statement about underground resources is true?

• A. Fracking can take place below 300m without permission
• B. Coal belongs to the Crown
• C. Mines or minerals if not held apart from the surface
• D. All resources are owned by the landowner

Answer: (C)

Ownership of underground resources is tied to the land itself. If the mineral rights have not been separated from the surface (no express grant or reservation to someone else), the owner of the land also owns the mines or minerals beneath it. This means the statement that mines or minerals, if not held apart from the surface, belong to the landowner is correct.

Fracking rules aren’t determined by a depth threshold like 300m; carrying out fracking requires appropriate permissions, planning consent, and rights to access mineral deposits. The blanket claim that it can happen below a certain depth without permission is not correct. The idea that coal belongs to the Crown isn’t universally accurate either—while mineral rights can be reserved or owned differently in certain circumstances, the default position in private land title is that minerals pass with the land unless severed. And saying all resources are owned by the landowner ignores the possibility that mineral rights can be severed and held separately.

So the true statement reflects the general rule: mines or minerals belong to the landowner if not held apart from the surface.