District of Columbia Mineral Exploration License — Option to Lease is a legal permit issued by the District of Columbia government to individuals or companies interested in exploring and potentially extracting minerals within the region. This license grants the holder the right to assess the mineral resources present in a specific area before making a decision on leasing the land for full-scale mining operations. The license aims to regulate and manage mineral exploration activities while ensuring compliance with environmental and land-use regulations. There are two main types of District of Columbia Mineral Exploration License — Option to Lease: 1. Prospecting License: This license allows individuals or companies to conduct preliminary surveys and assessments to identify potential mineral deposits. It grants limited access to the land for geological mapping, sampling, and analysis. The prospector collects data such as soil samples, rock formations, and mineral occurrences to determine the viability of a mineral deposit. 2. Mining Lease Option: Once the prospector identifies a promising mineral deposit, they can then exercise the option to lease the land for mining purposes. This license enables the leaseholder to engage in full-scale mining operations, including extraction, processing, and transportation of minerals. The mining lease option is subject to additional regulations and agreements between the leaseholder and the District of Columbia government. Keywords: District of Columbia, mineral exploration license, option to lease, minerals, extraction, prospecting license, mining lease option, geological mapping, sampling, mineral deposit, mining operations, environmental regulations, land-use regulations, land leasing.