Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Deep sea mining is the extraction of minerals from the seabed of the deep sea. The main ores of commercial interest are polymetallic nodules , which are found at depths of 4–6 km (2.5–3.7 mi) primarily on the abyssal plain .
The International Seabed Authority is a body of the United Nations which was established in 1982 to regulate human activities on the deep-sea floor beyond the continental shelf. It continues to develop rules for commercial mining, and as of 2016, has issued 27 contracts for mineral exploration, covering a total area of more than 1.4 million km 2 .
Economic extraction of SMS deposits is in the theoretical stage, the greatest complication being the extreme water depths at which these deposits are forming. However, apparent vast areas of the peripheral areas of these black smoker zones contain a sulfide ooze which could, theoretically, be vacuumed up off the seafloor.
High demand for metals ranging from copper to cobalt is pushing the mining industry to explore the world’s deepest oceans, a troubling development for scientists who warn that extracting ...
The chemical reaction causes sulfur and minerals to precipitate and from chimneys, towers, and mineral-rich deposits on the sea floor. [49] Polymetallic nodules , also known as manganese nodules , are rounded ores formed over millions of years from precipitating metals from seawater and sediment pore water. [ 50 ]
Deep sea mining – Mineral extraction from the ocean floor; Glomar Explorer – Deep-sea drillship platform used by the CIA to recover sunken Soviet submarine; International Seabed Authority – Intergovernmental body to regulate mineral-related activities on the seabed
Mineral exploration companies are exploring for seafloor massive sulfide deposits; however, most exploration is concentrated in the search for land-based equivalents of these deposits. The close association with volcanic rocks and eruptive centers sets VMS deposits apart from similar ore deposit types which share similar source , transport and ...
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!