Technology developments in the exploration and evaluation of deep-sea mineral resources.

Petersen, Sven , Hannington, Mark D. and Krätschell, Anna (2017) Technology developments in the exploration and evaluation of deep-sea mineral resources. Annales des Mines - Responsabilite et Environnement, 85 (1). pp. 14-18.

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Abstract

Manganese nodules, Co-rich crusts, and Seafloor massive Sulfides (SMS) are commonly seen as possible future resources that could potentially add to the global raw materials supply. At present, a proper global assessment of these resources is not possible due to a severe lack of information regarding their size, global distribution, and composition. The sizes of the most prospective areas that need to be explored for a global resource assessment are vast. Future deep-sea minerals exploration has to provide higher-resolution data and at the same time needs to cover large areas of the seafloor in a fast and cost-efficient manner. While nodules and crusts are 2-dimensional occurrences and an assessment of their distribution at the seafloor itself seems sufficient, seafloor massive sulfides are 3-dimensional sites and a proper resource assessment will always require drilling. Here the development of methods to image the subseafloor and to recognize economically interesting sites prior to drilling is of importance.

Document Type: Article
Keywords: Manganese nodules, Seafloor Massive Sulfides, SMS, Technology developments, Exploration and evaluation, Deep-sea mineral resources
Research affiliation: OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB4 Dynamics of the Ocean Floor > FB4-MUHS > Marine Mineralische Rohstoffe
Kiel University
OceanRep > The Future Ocean - Cluster of Excellence
OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB4 Dynamics of the Ocean Floor > FB4-MUHS
Refereed: No
Open Access Journal?: No
Publisher: ESKA ; Cairn
Projects: Future Ocean
Expeditions/Models/Experiments:
Date Deposited: 13 Jan 2017 10:36
Last Modified: 23 Sep 2019 22:10
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/35645

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