U.S. Patented Land Claims typically include both surface and subsurface rights, granting the owner full control over the entire property. However, it is possible for these rights to be severed, meaning that the surface rights and subsurface mineral rights can be owned separately. This process involves legally separating the ownership of the surface land from the mineral rights beneath it.

Once severed, the subsurface mineral rights can be sold, leased, or retained independently of the surface rights. This allows different parties to own and manage these distinct interests separately. Severing rights is a legal process that must comply with state and federal laws, and it often involves formal agreements and registrations to clearly define the split in ownership.

Severing the subsurface rights from the surface rights can be particularly advantageous for several reasons. For one, it allows the owner to retain the valuable subsurface mineral rights while potentially selling or leasing the surface land. More importantly, from a financial perspective, separating these rights can significantly impact the financial obligations associated with the property. In the context of U.S. Patented Land Claims, the only financial obligation typically tied to unified ownership is property taxes, which, though often minimal, still represent a recurring cost.

For tokenization purposes in the NatGold ecosystem, where no ongoing fees are acceptable to avoid devaluation of the NatGold coins from their 100% certified gold resource backing, it is imperative for owners to sever the subsurface rights containing the certified gold resources. By doing so, they effectively separate these rights from the surface rights, thus severing the title from any ongoing property taxes. This separation ensures that the subsurface rights, now free from the burden of property taxes, remain a pure asset backed solely by the certified resources they contain, ideal for use within the NatGold framework.