A few months ago, I came across a paper in the journal Geology that got my attention: it estimated that a hydrothermal vent system off the coast of Iceland may have 1 million tons each of copper and zinc deposited in the ocean crust. Vent fluids from the area's "black smokers" also showed larger than normal concentrations of gold and silver.
"Ho hum," I thought. "Too bad I don't have a fleet of giant ships with submersibles and mining robots to gather up all that metallic goodness. I'd be rich!"
Well, China does. Or at least, they have the resources to build the gear they need. And they're getting serious about mining the ocean floor.
According to an article in the Independent last week, the Chinese government has submitted its first application for permission to mine a hydrothermal vent system in the Indian Ocean, at a depth of around 1,700 meters (over 5,000 feet).
They're not the first, not by a long shot. The Canadian company Nautilus Minerals has had designs on working the deep sea for years, and is currently active in the waters off Papua New Guinea. As one of the first interests to jump in with both feet (pun intended, though DeBeers has been mining diamonds underwater for some time) it's likely that whoever follows will look to their methods for cues on how to go about exploiting the mineral resources of the deep.
Of course, one of the biggest concerns here is conservation. Deep sea hydrothermal vent systems are some of the most fascinating and poorly understood environments on Earth. The life forms that exist in and around these vents are often found nowhere else on the planet.
In the past, Nautilus has retained the services of Cindy Lee Van Dover of Duke University, who is an outspoken advocate of protecting vent ecosystems. So there's a sense, at least, that Nautilus wants to explore this new frontier of mineral exploration in a way that minimizes impact on the environment.
Let's hope that remains true and that China thinks along the same lines, especially once the the gold, silver, and other valuable metals start rolling in.
Tags: Conservation, Engineering, Geology, Mining, Oceanography
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