Manganese Nodules On Ocean Floor

Though generally composed of manganese hence the name they can also be made of iron nickel copper and other metals.

Manganese nodules on ocean floor.

As nodules can be found in vast quantities and contain valuable metals deposits have been identified as having economic interest. Large areas in the cook islands coastal waters have concentrations of over 25 kilograms of manganese nodules per square metre of sea floor. Across the otherworldly plains of the clarion clipperton zone some 15 000 ft below the surface of the pacific ocean are clustered manganese nodules the size of potatoes. Manganese nodules are usually located at depths below 4000m and are composed primarily of manganese and iron and elements of economic interest including cobalt copper and nickel and make up a total of around 3 by weight margolis and burns 1976.

Manganese nodules are polymetallic rock concretions on the sea bottom formed of concentric layers of iron and manganese oxi hydroxides. This recently discovered batch located several hundred miles east of barbados is the largest yet discovered in the atlantic ocean. Why is manganese not mined on the seabed given that there are abundant manganese nodules in some parts of the ocean floor. Deep sea mining companies are hunting for these nodules to use in the technology industry but.

So far only a single large area of manganese nodules has been discovered here with an area comparable to that of the penrhyn basin. It is located in the central indian ocean. Polymetallic nodules also called manganese nodules are rock concretions on the sea bottom formed of concentric layers of iron and manganese hydroxides around a core. The rare earth metal.

In contrast to ore deposits on land they are thus a two dimensional resource that can theoretically be extracted with relatively little effort. The vents create globular or massive sulfide deposits which contain valuable metals such as silver gold copper manganese cobalt and zinc. Proponents of mining stress that manganese nodules and cobalt crusts are present as thin layers lying directly on the sea floor or on the flanks of seamounts. It is not economical to mine manganese nodules at present day world prices for manganese and associated metals in nodules.

Manganese nodules are found scattered on the ocean floor.