DOCSLIB.ORG

Deep Seabed Mining a Rising Environmental Challenge

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Deep Seabed Mining a Rising Environmental Challenge Deep seabed mining A rising environmental challenge Luc Cuyvers, Whitney Berry, Kristina Gjerde, Torsten Thiele and Caroline Wilhem INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE About IUCN IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards. IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development. Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being. www.iucn.org http://twitter.com/IUCN/ Deep seabed mining A rising environmental challenge Deep seabed mining A rising environmental challenge Luc Cuyvers, Whitney Berry, Kristina Gjerde, Torsten Thiele and Caroline Wilhem The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or other participating organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organisations. Published by: IUCN, Gland Switzerland, in collaboration with Gallifrey Foundation. Copyright: © 2018 IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Cuyvers, L., Berry, W., Gjerde, K., Thiele, T. and Wilhem, C. (2018). Deep seabed mining: a rising environmental challenge. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN and Gallifrey Foundation. x + 74pp. Cover photo: Left: Lost City pinnacle. See p. 46. Courtesy D. Kelley and M. Elend, University of Washington, Upper Right: A deep-sea lizardfish (Bathysaurus) at a depth of just over 2,000m. Courtesy NOAA. Lower right: Giant tube worms (Riftia pachyptila), East Pacific Rise. See p. 18. Courtesy NOAA. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1921-4 (PDF) 978-2-8317-1922-1 (print version) DOI: https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.16.en Executive Editor: John Vermilye, Gallifrey Foundation Project Manager: Alexis McGivern, IUCN & Gallifrey Foundation Graphics: Regis L’Hostis by Reg Graphics Layout by: Imre Sebestyén Jr. / Unit Graphics Available from: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Global Marine and Polar Programme (GMPP) Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland Tel +41 22 999 0000 Fax +41 22 999 0002 [email protected] www.iucn.org/resources/publications Contents Acknowledgements. .vi Foreword . .vii Summary . viii 1. INTRODUCTION. 1 A brief history . 1 Challenges. 3 Bibliography. 4 2. THE GEOLOGY OF DEEP-SEA MINERALS. .5 Principles of plate tectonics . 6 Polymetallic nodules . 7 Polymetallic crusts . 9 Seafloor massive sulphide deposits. 10 Bibliography. 13 3. DEEP-SEA ECOSYSTEMS AND BIODIVERSITY. 15 Abyssal plain ecosystems . 15 Seamount ecosystems. 17 Hydrothermal vent ecosystems . 18 Back-arc basin ecosystems . .20 Bibliography. 20 4. DEEP-SEA MINERAL EXTRACTION . 23 Polymetallic nodule recovery . 23 Polymetallic crust recovery from seamounts . 24 Polymetallic sulphide recovery . 25 Bibliography. .27 5. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK . 29 A brief history . 29 The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) . 32 The continental shelf. 33 National regulation of deep-sea mining. 34 International regulation of deep-sea mining. 34 Bibliography. 36 6. THE ECONOMICS OF DEEP-SEA MINING. 39 The financial cost of deep-sea mining. 39 The societal cost of deep seabed mining . .41 The economic benefits of deep-sea mining. .42 The societal benefits of deep-sea mining . ..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Diversity of Bacteria and Archaea in the Deep-Sea Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Sulfide Chimney of the Northeastern Pacific Ocean
    African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 11(2), pp. 337-345, 5 January, 2012 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJB DOI: 10.5897/AJB11.2692 ISSN 1684–5315 © 2012 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper Diversity of bacteria and archaea in the deep-sea low-temperature hydrothermal sulfide chimney of the Northeastern Pacific Ocean Xia Ding1*, Xiao-Jue Peng1#, Xiao-Tong Peng2 and Huai-Yang Zhou3 1College of Life Sciences and Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China. 2Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China. 3National Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. Accepted 4 November, 2011 Our knowledge of the diversity and role of hydrothermal vents microorganisms has considerably expanded over the past decade, while little is known about the diversity of microorganisms in low-temperature hydrothermal sulfide chimney. In this study, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rDNA sequencing were used to examine the abundance and diversity of microorganisms from the exterior to the interior of the deep sea low-temperature hydrothermal sulfide chimney of the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. DGGE profiles revealed that both bacteria and archaea could be examined in all three zones of the chimney wall and the compositions of microbial communities within different zones were vastly different. Overall, for archaea, cell abundance was greatest in the outermost zone of the chimney wall. For bacteria, there was no significant difference in cell abundance among three zones. In addition, phylogenetic analysis revealed that Verrucomicrobia and Deltaproteobacteria were the predominant bacterial members in exterior zone, beta Proteobacteria were the dominant members in middle zone, and Bacillus were the abundant microorganisms in interior zone.
    [Show full text]
  • Sponge–Microbe Interactions on Coral Reefs: Multiple Evolutionary Solutions to a Complex Environment
    fmars-08-705053 July 14, 2021 Time: 18:29 # 1 REVIEW published: 20 July 2021 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.705053 Sponge–Microbe Interactions on Coral Reefs: Multiple Evolutionary Solutions to a Complex Environment Christopher J. Freeman1*, Cole G. Easson2, Cara L. Fiore3 and Robert W. Thacker4,5 1 Department of Biology, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, United States, 2 Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN, United States, 3 Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, United States, 4 Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States, 5 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama Marine sponges have been successful in their expansion across diverse ecological niches around the globe. Pioneering work attributed this success to both a well- developed aquiferous system that allowed for efficient filter feeding on suspended organic matter and the presence of microbial symbionts that can supplement host Edited by: heterotrophic feeding with photosynthate or dissolved organic carbon. We now know Aldo Cróquer, The Nature Conservancy, that sponge-microbe interactions are host-specific, highly nuanced, and provide diverse Dominican Republic nutritional benefits to the host sponge. Despite these advances in the field, many current Reviewed by: hypotheses pertaining to the evolution of these interactions are overly generalized; these Ryan McMinds, University of South Florida, over-simplifications limit our understanding of the evolutionary processes shaping these United States symbioses and how they contribute to the ecological success of sponges on modern Alejandra Hernandez-Agreda, coral reefs. To highlight the current state of knowledge in this field, we start with seminal California Academy of Sciences, United States papers and review how contemporary work using higher resolution techniques has Torsten Thomas, both complemented and challenged their early hypotheses.
    [Show full text]
  • Deep Sea Mining on the Horizon?
    May 2014 Home Subscribe Archive Contact Thematic focus: Environmental governance, Resource efficiency Wealth in the Oceans: Deep sea mining on the horizon? 2 The deep ocean, the largest biome on Earth at over 1 000 metres below the surface of the ocean, holds vast quantities of untapped energy resources, precious metals and minerals. Advancements in technology have enabled greater access to these treasures. As a result, deep sea mining is becoming increasingly possible. To date no commercial deep sea mining operation has taken place, but plans to open a deep sea mine have recently been announced. Our ability to anticipate the impacts of mining is limited by the lack of knowledge about deep sea biodiversity, ecosystem complexity, and the extent of environmental BYCC NC and social impacts from mining operations. As such, it is important that policies guiding mineral extraction from the deep seas are rooted into adaptive management – allowing for the integration of new scientific information alongside advances in technology. Governance mechanisms for international waters and the seabed need to be strengthened. The tanley Zimny/Flickr/ precautionary approach should be used to avoid repeating instances of S well-known destructive practices associated with conventional mining. Why is this issue important? Minerals and the metals they contain are an essential component of the modern high-tech world. As global stocks of raw mineral resources continue to dwindle due to increasing material consumption, intense demand for valuable metals has pushed up global prices. The result is that manufacturing industries are now seeking access to previously unattainable mineral deposits in the ocean depths.
    [Show full text]
  • Tube Worm Riftia Pachyptila to Severe Hypoxia
    l MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Vol. 174: 151-158,1998 Published November 26 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Metabolic responses of the hydrothermal vent tube worm Riftia pachyptila to severe hypoxia Cordelia ~rndt',~.*,Doris Schiedek2,Horst Felbeckl 'University of California San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. La Jolla. California 92093-0202. USA '~alticSea Research Institute at the University of Rostock, Seestrasse 15. D-181 19 Rostock-Warnemuende. Germany ABSTRACT: The metabolic capabilit~esof the hydrothermal vent tube worm Riftia pachyptila to toler- ate short- and long-term exposure to hypoxia were investigated After incubating specimens under anaerobic conditions the metabolic changes in body fluids and tissues were analyzed over time. The tube worms tolerated anoxic exposure up to 60 h. Prior to hypoxia the dicarboxylic acid, malate, was found in unusually high concentrations in the blood (up to 26 mM) and tissues (up to 5 pm01 g-' fresh wt). During hypoxia, most of the malate was degraded very quickly, while large quantities of succinate accumulated (blood: about 17 mM; tissues: about 13 pm01 g-l fresh wt). Volatile, short-chain fatty acids were apparently not excreted under these conditions. The storage compound, glycogen, was mainly found in the trophosome and appears to be utilized only during extended anaerobiosis. The succinate formed during hypoxia does not account for the use of malate and glycogen, which possibly indicates the presence of yet unidentified metabolic end products. Glutamate concentration in the trophosome decreased markedly durlng hypoxia, presumably due to a reduction in the autotrophic function of the symb~ontsduring hypoxia. In conclusion, R. pachyptila is phys~ologicallywell adapted to the oxygen fluctuations freq.uently occurring In the vent habitat.
    [Show full text]
  • Polymetallic Nodules Are Essential for Food-Web Integrity of a Prospective Deep-Seabed Mining Area in Pacific Abyssal Plains
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Polymetallic nodules are essential for food‑web integrity of a prospective deep‑seabed mining area in Pacifc abyssal plains Tanja Stratmann1,2,3*, Karline Soetaert1, Daniel Kersken4,5 & Dick van Oevelen1 Polymetallic nodule felds provide hard substrate for sessile organisms on the abyssal seafoor between 3000 and 6000 m water depth. Deep‑seabed mining targets these mineral‑rich nodules and will likely modify the consumer‑resource (trophic) and substrate‑providing (non‑trophic) interactions within the abyssal food web. However, the importance of nodules and their associated sessile fauna in supporting food‑web integrity remains unclear. Here, we use seafoor imagery and published literature to develop highly‑resolved trophic and non‑trophic interaction webs for the Clarion‑Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ, central Pacifc Ocean) and the Peru Basin (PB, South‑East Pacifc Ocean) and to assess how nodule removal may modify these networks. The CCZ interaction web included 1028 compartments connected with 59,793 links and the PB interaction web consisted of 342 compartments and 8044 links. We show that knock‑down efects of nodule removal resulted in a 17.9% (CCZ) to 20.8% (PB) loss of all taxa and 22.8% (PB) to 30.6% (CCZ) loss of network links. Subsequent analysis identifed stalked glass sponges living attached to the nodules as key structural species that supported a high diversity of associated fauna. We conclude that polymetallic nodules are critical for food‑web integrity and that their absence will likely result in reduced local benthic biodiversity. Abyssal plains, the deep seafoor between 3000 and 6000 m water depth, have been relatively untouched by anthropogenic impacts due to their extreme depths and distance from continents 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Deep-Sea Mining: the Basics
    A fact sheet from June 2018 NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research Deep-sea Mining: The Basics Overview The deepest parts of the world’s ocean feature ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth. They provide habitat for multitudes of species, many yet to be named. These vast, lightless regions also possess deposits of valuable minerals in rich concentrations. Deep-sea extraction technologies may soon develop to the point where exploration of seabed minerals can give way to active exploitation. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is charged with formulating and enforcing rules for all seabed mining that takes place in waters beyond national jurisdictions. These rules are now under development. Environmental regulations, liability and financial rules, and oversight and enforcement protocols all must be written and approved within three to five years. Figure 1 Types of Deep-sea Mining Production support vessel Return pipe Riser pipe Cobalt Seafloor massive Polymetallic crusts sulfides nodules Subsurface plumes 800-2,500 from return water meters deep Deposition 1,000-4,000 meters deep 4,000-6,500 meters deep Cobalt-rich Localized plumes Seabed pump Ferromanganeseferromanganese from cutting crusts Seafloor production tool Nodule deposit Massive sulfide deposit Sediment Source: New Zealand Environment Guide © 2018 The Pew Charitable Trusts 2 The legal foundations • The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Also known as the Law of the Sea Treaty, UNCLOS is the constitutional document governing mineral exploitation on the roughly 60 percent of the world seabed that lies beyond national jurisdictions. UNCLOS took effect in 1994 upon passage of key enabling amendments designed to spur commercial mining.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mid-Atlantic Ridge Underwater Mountains and Hydrothermal Vent Zones Are Home to Distinctive Species and Valuable Minerals
    A fact sheet from Jan 2018 NOAA The Mid-Atlantic Ridge Underwater mountains and hydrothermal vent zones are home to distinctive species and valuable minerals Overview The depths of the Atlantic Ocean are home to fascinating geological features and unusual life forms. The Mid- Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is a massive underwater mountain range, 1,700 to 4,200 meters (1 to 2.6 miles) below sea level, that runs from the Arctic Ocean to the Southern Ocean. It is a hot spot for hydrothermal vents, which provide habitat for unique species that could provide insight into the origins of life on Earth. Hydrothermal vents are fueled by underwater volcanic activity or seafloor spreading, and they spew superheated, mineral-laden water from beneath the ocean floor. As the water cools, minerals precipitate out, forming towers containing copper, gold, silver, and zinc. These minerals are used in electronics such as mobile phones and laptop computers and in cars, appliances, and bridges. Vent ecosystems support unique species, mostly bacteria, that derive their energy from mineral-rich vent waters rather than sunlight. These microbes form thick, nutrient-rich mats along the seafloor that support shrimp, mussels, worms, snails, and fish. The MAR’s vent fields were discovered only in 1985, and scientists expect future expeditions to reveal new vents and species.1 The International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is responsible for managing deep-sea mining and protecting the marine environment from its impacts, has entered into exploration contracts along the MAR with France, Poland, and Russia. Once mining begins, equipment will remove or degrade habitats and create sediment plumes that could smother nearby life, while noise and light could also negatively affect deep-sea species.
    [Show full text]
  • Reproductive Ecology of Vestimentifera (Polychaeta: Siboglinidae) from Hydrothermal Vents and Cold Seeps
    University of Southampton Research Repository ePrints Soton Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination http://eprints.soton.ac.uk University of Southampton Reproductive Ecology of Vestimentifera (Polychaeta: Siboglinidae) from Hydrothermal Vents and Cold Seeps PhD Dissertation submitted by Ana Hil´ario to the Graduate School of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2005 Graduate School of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton This PhD dissertation by Ana Hil´ario has been produced under the supervision of the following persons Supervisors Prof. Paul Tyler and Dr Craig Young Chair of Advisory Panel Dr Martin Sheader Member of Advisory Panel Dr Jonathan Copley I hereby declare that no part of this thesis has been submitted for a degree to the University of Southampton, or any other University, at any time previously. The material included is the work of the author, except where expressly stated.
    [Show full text]
  • Ocean Drilling Program Scientific Results Volume
    9. GEOCHEMICAL EXPRESSION OF EARLY DIAGENESIS IN MIDDLE EOCENE-LOWER OLIGOCENE PELAGIC SEDIMENTS IN THE SOUTHERN LABRADOR SEA, SITE 647, ODP LEG 1051 M. A. Arthur,2 W. E. Dean,3 J. C. Zachos,2 M. Kaminski,4 S. Hagerty Rieg,2 and K. Elmstrom2 ABSTRACT Geochemical analyses of the middle Eocene through lower Oligocene lithologic Unit IIIC (260-518 meters below seafloor [mbsf]) indicate a relatively constant geochemical composition of the detrital fraction throughout this deposi­ tional interval at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 647 in the southern Labrador Sea. The main variability occurs in redox-sensitive elements (e.g., iron, manganese, and phosphorus), which may be related to early diagenetic mobility in anaerobic pore waters during bacterial decomposition of organic matter. Initial preservation of organic matter was me­ diated by high sedimentation rates (36 m/m.y.). High iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) contents are associated with car­ bonate concretions of siderite, manganosiderite, and rhodochrosite. These concretions probably formed in response to elevated pore-water alkalinity and total dissolved carbon dioxide (C02) concentrations resulting from bacterial sulfate reduction, as indicated by nodule stable-isotope compositions and pore-water geochemistry. These nodules differ from those found in upper Cenozoic hemipelagic sequences in that they are not associated with methanogenesis. Phosphate minerals (carbonate-fluorapatite) precipitated in some intervals, probably as the result of desorption of phosphorus from iron and manganese during reduction. The bulk chemical composition of the sediments differs little from that of North Atlantic Quaternary abyssal red clays, but may contain a minor hydrothermal component. The silicon/ aluminum (Si/Al) ratio, however, is high and variable and probably reflects original variations in biogenic opal, much of which is now altered to smectite and/or opal CT.
    [Show full text]
  • Deep Sea Mining MINERAL EXPLORATION in the PACIFIC
    MARCH 2021 Deep sea mining MINERAL EXPLORATION IN THE PACIFIC Overview KEY STATS The Pacific Islands are already producers of transition minerals, including copper, cobalt and nickel, mined onshore in Papua New Guinea, Fiji and 2 New Caledonia. But the real opportunity to dramatically expand transition 1.5M+ km in the Pacific and Indian mineral production is offshore, in the deep sea. This opportunity comes oceans set aside for with significant human rights risks. mineral exploration In the last decade, companies and governments have increasingly pursued exploration of the deep sea, where minerals essential to renewable energy technology may be found in large quantities. Copper, nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese and rare earth elements (REEs) are all mineral exploration found on or below the Pacific seabed; none have yet been commercially contracts awarded mined. Given the current geographic concentration of some of these 30 to 21 companies minerals, companies and governments are eager to expand production to new geographies to diversify supply chains and guard against disruption. Exploration has begun in earnest, with more than 1.5 million squared kilometers in the Pacific and Indian oceans already set aside for mineral exploration, an area nearly the size of Mongolia. However, Indigenous groups and civil society organisations have raised 18/30 contracts are held by companied from: concerns about the potential for human rights abuse associated with seabed mining, including the potential destruction of Indigenous China S. Korea cultures and livelihoods and irreparable environmental damage to France India sensitive and critical ecosystems, including potential impacts on ocean biodiversity and sensitive food chains.
    [Show full text]
  • Meteoric Be and Be As Process Tracers in the Environment
    Chapter 5 Meteoric 7Be and 10Be as Process Tracers in the Environment James M. Kaste and Mark Baskaran 7 10 Abstract Be (T1/2 ¼ 53 days) and Be (T1/2 ¼ occurring Be isotopes of use to Earth scientists are the 7 1.4 Ma) form via natural cosmogenic reactions in the short-lived Be (T1/2 ¼ 53.1 days) and the longer- 10 atmosphere and are delivered to Earth’s surface by wet lived Be (T1/2 ¼ 1.4 Ma; Nishiizumi et al. 2007). and dry deposition. The distinct source term and near- Because cosmic rays that cause the initial cascade of constant fallout of these radionuclides onto soils, vege- neutrons and protons in the upper atmosphere respon- tation, waters, ice, and sediments makes them valuable sible for the spallation reactions are attenuated by tracers of a wide range of environmental processes the mass of the atmosphere itself, production rates of operating over timescales from weeks to millions of comsogenic Be are three orders of magnitude higher in years. Beryllium tends to form strong bonds with oxygen the stratosphere than they are at sea-level (Masarik and atoms, so 7Be and 10Be adsorb rapidly to organic and Beer 1999, 2009). Most of the production of cosmo- inorganic solid phases in the terrestrial and marine envi- genic Be therefore occurs in the upper atmosphere ronment. Thus, cosmogenic isotopes of beryllium can be (5–30 km), although there is trace, but measurable used to quantify surface age, sediment source, mixing production as oxygen atoms in minerals at the Earth’s rates, and particle residence and transit times in soils, surface are spallated (in situ produced; see Lal 2011, streams, lakes, and the oceans.
    [Show full text]
  • 4. a Growth Model for Polymetallic Nodules
    A GEOLOGICAL MODEL OF POLYMETALLIC NODULE DEPOSITS IN THE CLARION‐CLIPPERTON FRACTURE ZONE ISA TECHNICAL STUDY SERIES Technical Study No. 1 Global Non‐Living Resources on the Extended Continental Shelf: Prospects at the year 2000 Technical Study No. 2 Polymetallic Massive Sulphides and Cobalt‐Rich Ferromanganese Crusts: Status and Prospects Technical Study No. 3 Biodiversity, Species Ranges and Gene Flow in the Abyssal Pacific Nodule Province: Predicting and Managing the Impacts of Deep Seabed Mining Technical Study No. 4 Issues associated with the Implementation of Article 82 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Technical Study No. 5 Non‐Living resources of the Continental Shelf beyond 200 nautical miles: Speculations on the Implementation of Article 82 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea PAGE | II A GEOLOGICAL MODEL OF POLYMETALLIC NODULE DEPOSITS IN THE CLARION‐ CLIPPERTON FRACTURE ZONE This report contains a summary of two documents – A Geological Model of Polymetallic Nodule Deposits in the Clarion‐Clipperton Fracture Zone and a Prospector’s Guide prepared under the project ‘Development of a Geological Model of Polymetallic Nodule Deposits in the Clarion‐Clipperton Fracture Zone, Pacific Ocean’. ISA TECHNICAL STUDY: NO. 6 International Seabed Authority Kingston, Jamaica PAGE | III The designation employed and the presentation of materials in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the International Seabed Authority concerning the legal status of any country or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or maritime boundaries. All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]