At original patent, land in the United States was granted with both surface and mineral rights intact. Over time, owners began severing the mineral estate — conveying it separately through a mineral deed or reservation — so that the surface and minerals could be owned by different parties.
Severed mineral rights create two independent chains of title: one for surface, one for minerals. A buyer interested only in minerals must trace the mineral chain, which may diverge from the surface chain as far back as the 1800s.
Severance is also why modern county plat maps are not sufficient for mineral research. The plat shows surface ownership; the minerals may be owned by heirs living in another state who have never touched the land.
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