Deep sea mining

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Deep sea mining is a mineral retrieval process that takes place on the ocean floor. Ocean
mining sites are usually around large areas of polymetallic nodules or active and
extinct hydrothermal vents at 1,400 to 3,700 metres (4,600 to 12,100 ft) below the ocean’s
surface.[1] The vents create globular or massive sulfide deposits, which contain valuable metals
such as silver, gold, copper, manganese, cobalt, and zinc.[2][3] The deposits are mined using either
hydraulic pumps or bucket systems that take ore to the surface to be processed. As with all
mining operations, deep sea mining raises questions about its potential environmental impact.
Environmental advocacy groups such as Greenpeace and the Deep sea Mining Campaign[4] have
argued that seabed mining should not be permitted in most of the world's oceans because of the
potential for damage to deepsea ecosystems and pollution by heavy metal laden plumes.[2]

Contents

 1Brief history
o 1.1Laws and regulations
 2Resources mined
 3Extraction methods
 4Environmental impacts
 5Controversy
 6See also
 7References
 8External links

Brief history[edit]
In the 1960s the prospect of deep-sea mining was brought up by the publication of J. L.
Mero's Mineral Resources of the Sea.[3] The book claimed that nearly limitless supplies of
cobalt, nickel and other metals could be found throughout the planet's oceans. Mero stated that
these metals occurred in deposits of manganese nodules, which appear as lumps of compressed
flowers on the seafloor at depths of about 5,000 m. Some nations
including France, Germany and the United States sent out research vessels in search of nodule
deposits. One such vessel was the Glomar Explorer. Initial estimates of deep sea mining viability
turned out to be much exaggerated. This overestimate, coupled with depressed metal prices, led
to the near abandonment of nodule mining by 1982. From the 1960s to 1984 an estimated US
$650 million had been spent on the venture, with little to no return.[3]
Over the past decade a new phase of deep-sea mining has begun. Rising demand for precious
metals in Japan, China, Korea and India has pushed these countries in search of new sources.
Interest has recently shifted toward hydrothermal vents as the source of metals instead of
scattered nodules. The trend of transition towards an electricity-based information and
transportation infrastructure currently seen in western societies further pushes demands for
precious metals. The current revived interest in phosphorus nodule mining at the seafloor stems
from phosphor-based artificial fertilizers being of significant importance for world food production.
Growing world population pushes the need for artificial fertilizers or greater incorporation of
organic systems within agricultural infrastructure.
Currently, the best potential deep sea site, the Solwara 1 Project, has been found in the waters
off Papua New Guinea, a high grade copper-gold resource and the world's first Seafloor Massive
Sulphide (SMS) resource.[5] The Solwara 1 Project is located at 1600 metres water depth in
the Bismarck Sea, New Ireland Province.[5] Using ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicles)
technology developed by UK-based Soil Machine Dynamics, Nautilus Minerals Inc. is first
company of its kind to announce plans to begin full-scale undersea excavation of mineral
deposits.[6] However a dispute with the government of Papua-New Guinea delayed production
and its now scheduled to commence commercial operations in early 2018.[5]
The world's first "large-scale" mining of hydrothermal vent mineral deposits was carried out by
Japan in August - September, 2017. [7] Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National
Corporation (JOGMEC) carried out this operation using the Research Vessel Hakurei. [8] This
mining was carried out at the 'Izena hole/cauldron' vent field within the hydrothermally active
back-arc basin known as the Okinawa Trough which contains 15 confirmed vent fields according
to the InterRidge Vents Database.
Laws and regulations[edit]
The international law–based regulations on deep sea mining are contained in the United Nations
Conventions on the Law of the Sea from 1973 to 1982, which came into force in 1994.[2][3] The
convention set up the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which regulates nations’ deep sea
mining ventures outside each nations’ Exclusive Economic Zone (a 200-nautical-mile (370 km)
area surrounding coastal nations). The ISA requires nations interested in mining to explore two
equal mining sites and turn one over to the ISA, along with a transfer of mining technology over a
10- to 20-year period. This seemed reasonable at the time because it was widely believed that
nodule mining would be extremely profitable. However, these strict requirements led some
industrialized countries to refuse to sign the initial treaty in 1982.[3][9]
The US abides by the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act, which was originally written in
1980. This legislations is largely recognized as one of the main concerns the US has with
ratifying UNCLOS.[10]
Within the EEZ of nation states seabed mining comes under the jurisdiction of national laws.
Despite extensive exploration both within and outside of EEZs, only a few countries, notably New
Zealand, have established legal and institutional frameworks for the future development of deep
seabed mining.
Papua New Guinea was the first country to approve a permit for the exploration of minerals in the
deep seabed. Solwara 1 was awarded its licence and environmental permits despite three
independent reviews of the environmental impact statement mine finding significant gaps and
flaws in the underlying science ( see http://www.deepseaminingoutofourdepth.org/report/).
The ISA has recently arranged a workshop in Australia where scientific experts, industry
representatives, legal specialists and academics worked towards improving existing regulations
and ensuring that development of seabed minerals does not cause serious and permanent
damage to the marine environment.

Resources mined[edit]
The deep sea contains many different resources available for extraction, including silver, gold,
copper, manganese, cobalt, and zinc. These raw materials are found in various forms on the sea
floor.
Minerals and related depths[1]

Type of mineral deposit Average Depth Resources found

Polymetallic nodules 4,000 – 6,000 m Nickel, copper, cobalt, and manganese

Manganese crusts 800 – 2,400 m Mainly cobalt, some vanadium, molybdenum and platinum
Sulfide deposits 1,400 – 3,700 m Copper, lead and zinc some gold and silver

Diamonds are also mined from the seabed by De Beers and others. Nautilus Minerals Inc and
Neptune Minerals are planning to mine the offshore waters of Papua New Guinea and New
Zealand.[11]

Extraction methods[edit]
Recent technological advancements have given rise to the use remotely operated
vehicles (ROVs) to collect mineral samples from prospective mine sites. Using drills and other
cutting tools, the ROVs obtain samples to be analyzed for precious materials. Once a site has
been located, a mining ship or station is set up to mine the area.[6]
There are two predominant forms of mineral extraction being considered for full-scale operations:
continuous-line bucket system (CLB) and the hydraulic suction system. The CLB system is the
preferred method of nodule collection. It operates much like a conveyor-belt, running from the
sea floor to the surface of the ocean where a ship or mining platform extracts the desired
minerals, and returns the tailings to the ocean.[9] Hydraulic suction mining lowers a pipe to the
seafloor which transfers nodules up to the mining ship. Another pipe from the ship to the seafloor
returns the tailings to the area of the mining site.[9]
In recent years, the most promising mining areas have been the Central and Eastern Manus
Basin around Papua New Guinea and the crater of Conical Seamount to the east. These
locations have shown promising amounts of gold in the area's sulfide deposits (an average of
26 parts per million). The relatively shallow water depth of 1050 m, along with the close proximity
of a gold processing plant makes for an excellent mining site.[3]
Deep sea mining project value chain can be differentiated using the criteria of the type of
activities where the value is actually added. During prospecting, exploration and resource
assessment phases the value is added to intangible assets, for the extraction, processing and
distribution phases the value increases with relation to product processing. There is an
intermediate phase – the pilot mining test which could be considered to be an inevitable step in
the shift from “resources” to “reserves” classification, where the actual value starts.[12]
Exploration phase involves such operations as locating, sea bottom scanning and sampling using
technologies such as echo-sounders, side scan sonars, deep-towed photography, ROVs, AUVs.
The resource valuation incorporates the examination of data in the context of potential mining
feasibility.
Value chain based on product processing involves such operations as actual mining (or
extraction), vertical transport, storing, offloading, transport, metallurgical processing for final
products. Unlike the exploration phase, the value increases after each operation on processed
material eventually delivered to the metal market. Logistics involves technologies analogous to
those applied in land mines. This is also the case for the metallurgical processing, although rich
and polymetallic mineral composition which distinguishes marine minerals from its land analogs
requires special treatment of the deposit. Environmental monitoring and impact assessment
analysis relate to the temporal and spatial discharges of the mining system if they occur,
sediment plumes, disturbance to the benthic environment and the analysis of the regions
affected by seafloor machines. The step involves an examination of disturbances near the
seafloor, as well as disturbances near the surface. Observations include baseline comparisons
for the sake of quantitative impact assessments for ensuring the sustainability of the mining
process.[12]

Environmental impacts[edit]
Research shows that polymetallic nodule fields are hotspots of abundance and diversity for a
highly vulnerable abyssal fauna.[13] Because deep sea mining is a relatively new field, the
complete consequences of full-scale mining operations on this ecosystem are unknown.
However, some researchers have said they believe that removal of parts of the sea floor will
result in disturbances to the benthic layer, increased toxicity of the water column and sediment
plumes from tailings.[2][13] Removing parts of the sea floor could disturb the habitat of benthic
organisms, with unknown long-term effects.[1] Aside from the direct impact of mining the area,
some researchers and environmental activists have raised concerns about leakage, spills
and corrosion that could alter the mining area’s chemical makeup.
Among the impacts of deep sea mining, sediment plumes could have the greatest impact.
Plumes are caused when the tailings from mining (usually fine particles) are dumped back into
the ocean, creating a cloud of particles floating in the water. Two types of plumes occur: near
bottom plumes and surface plumes.[1] Near bottom plumes occur when the tailings are pumped
back down to the mining site. The floating particles increase the turbidity, or cloudiness, of the
water, clogging filter-feeding apparatuses used by benthic organisms.[14] Surface plumes cause a
more serious problem. Depending on the size of the particles and water currents the plumes
could spread over vast areas.[1][9] The plumes could impact zooplankton and light penetration, in
turn affecting the food web of the area.[1][9]

Controversy[edit]
An article in the Harvard Environmental Law Review in April 2018 argued that "the 'new global
gold rush' of deep sea mining shares many features with past resource scrambles – including a
general disregard for environmental and social impacts, and the marginalisation of indigenous
peoples and their rights".[15][16] The Foreshore and Seabed Act (2004) ignited fierce indigenous
opposition in New Zealand, as its claiming of the seabed for the Crown in order to open it up to
mining conflicted with Māori claims to their customary lands, who protested the Act as a "sea
grab." Later, this act was repealed after an investigation from the UN Commission on Human
Rights upheld charges of discrimination. The Act was subsequently repealed and replaced with
the Marine and Coastal Area Bill (2011).[17][18] However, conflicts between indigenous sovereignty
and seabed mining continue. Organizations like the Deep Sea Mining Campaign and Alliance of
Solwara Warriors, comprising 20 communities in the Bismarck and Solomon Sea, are examples
of organizations that are seeking to ban seabed mining in Papua New Guinea, where the
Solwara 1 project is set to occur, and in the Pacific. They argue primarily that decision-making
about deep sea mining has not adequately addressed Free Prior and Informed Consent from
affected communities and have not adhered to the Precautionary Principle, a rule proposed by
the 1982 UN World Charter for Nature which informs the ISA regulatory framework for mineral
exploitation of the deep sea.[19]