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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 .
Seabed mining, also known as Seafloor mining [1] is the recovery of minerals from the seabed by techniques of underwater mining. The concept includes mining at shallow depths on the continental shelf and deep-sea mining at greater depths associated with tectonic activity, hydrothermal vents and the abyssal plains .
Conducting EIAs for deep-sea mining is challenging due to the fragile and unique nature of deep-sea ecosystems, insufficient scientific knowledge, and technological limitations. [4] The deep sea remains poorly understood, with limited baseline data on its biodiversity and environmental conditions. [5]
Deep-sea exploration is the investigation of physical, chemical, and biological conditions on the ocean waters and sea bed beyond the continental shelf, for scientific or commercial purposes.
Palau was the first country to call for a moratorium, or precautionary pause, on deep-sea mining until the impact of such a practice is better understood. [62] By July 10, 2023, 17 countries had called for a deep-sea mining moratorium or pause, including Germany, New Zealand, Spain, France, Sweden, Fiji, and the Federated States of Micronesia. [63]
Very little is known about deep sea ecosystems or the potential impacts of deep-sea mining. Polymetallic nodule fields are hotspots of abundance and diversity for a highly vulnerable abyssal fauna, much of which lives attached to nodules or in the sediment immediately beneath it.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA), an autonomous international organisation established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, allotted the area for deep-sea mining. India was the first country to receive the status of a 'Pioneer Investor' in 1987 and was given an area of about 1.5 lakh km 2 in the Central Indian ...
TMC the metals company Inc., [1] doing business as The Metals Company, formerly DeepGreen Metals, is a Canadian deep sea mining exploration company. [2] The company focuses on the mining of polymetallic (nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese) nodules [3] [4] in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific.