Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2021)

2.   Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

“minerals” does not include—

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   (a)     pottery, clay or rock salt;

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   (b)     any materials, such as clay, sand, limestone, sandstone, or other stones, commonly used for the purpose of road making or for building or for the manufacture of any article used in the construction of buildings where such material does not contain any valuable metal or precious stone in economically workable quantities,

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   but includes the following—

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      (a)     metalliferous minerals containing aluminium, antimony, arsenic, barium bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, columbium, copper, iron, lead, lithium, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenim, nickel, potassium, sodium, tantalum, tin, titanium tungsten, vanadium, zinc, ziroonium, and all other substances of a similar nature to any of them, and all ores containing them and combinations of any of them with each other or with any other substance, excepting only those that occur in the form of precious minerals;

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      (b)     combustible carbonaceous minerals including—

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         (i)     coal,

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         (ii)     lignite, which includes brown coal and any coal which the Governor General may prescribe to be lignite;

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      (c)     minerals oils, including bitumen, asphalt and all other bituminous substances;

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      (d)     other minerals, including those used for their abrasive or refractory qualities and asbestos, barytes, bauxite, china clay, crystals, fuller's earth, graphite, laterite, marble, mica, nitrates, pipeclay, potash, pumice, quartz, slate, soda, sulphur, talc, and all other substances of a similar nature to any of them;

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      (e)     precious minerals, including—

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         (i)     precious stones and semi-precious stones including amber, amethyst, beryl, cat's eye, chrysolite, garnet, and all other semi-precious stones, whether of the same kind as those enumerated or not,

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         (ii)     precious metals; and

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      (f)     Geothermal energy;

“precious metals” means gold, silver, or metal of the platinoid group, in the un-manufactured state, and all ores containing such metal, but not including ores containing any such metal in combination with another mineral where such metal cannot be worked apart from such mineral and the value of such metal is less than the cost of producing both the metal and the mineral;

“precious stones” means diamonds, emeralds, opals, rubies, sapphires, turquoises, and such other stones as may be prescribed to be precious stones for the purpose of this Act;

“to mine” with its grammatical variations and cognate expression means intentionally to search for, extract or win minerals;

“to prospect” with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions means to search for minerals and includes such working as is reasonably necessary to enable the proprietor to test the mineral-bearing qualities of the land.

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   (Amended by Act 7 of 1989)