deep sea mining
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Date of Submission: Deep Ocean Mining Part 2 Deep ocean mining is an alternative to land mining in search of minerals such as copper, gold, manganese or cobalt among other minerals. The minerals on land are being depleted owing to the increasing demand for these minerals, and this makes the deep sea bed an alternative to the exploitation of minerals. The fact that the water bodies cover a huge part of earth’s surface makes deep sea mining even more viable option. It is a discussion about deep ocean mining, and it will cover the process of deep sea mining, the impacts of this process, the challenges and the possible alternatives to deep ocean mining. The mineral deposits found in the ocean bed are more than those found on land, let the fact that there has been more exploitation on the land than there has been on the ocean bed alone. It is because deposits found in the seams spread along the sea floor. Here, the hydrothermal vents eject rich concentrations of metals and minerals. The geysers found underneath eject fluids that exhibit temperatures greater than 600 degrees Celsius. The moment these fluids hit icy water, the minerals are precipitated, and they fall onto the ocean floor. The deposits are of greater value since they can yield up to ten times the minerals on land. They exist in the form of rocks and normally referred to as nodules.Their concentration is what makes the deep ocean minerals more valuable than those found on land. When comparing the ocean floor mining to land mining, ocean mining is considered cheaper, cleaner and more environmentally friendly than land mining. It could be because there is less land for adjusting the bodies so as to allow for the extraction (Steele, Thorpe and Turekian 304). The process involved in deep ocean mining involves the use of a dredger and the process referred to as
Professor’s Name:
Course Number:
Date of Submission: Deep Ocean Mining Part 2 Deep ocean mining is an alternative to land mining in search of minerals such as copper, gold, manganese or cobalt among other minerals. The minerals on land are being depleted owing to the increasing demand for these minerals, and this makes the deep sea bed an alternative to the exploitation of minerals. The fact that the water bodies cover a huge part of earth’s surface makes deep sea mining even more viable option. It is a discussion about deep ocean mining, and it will cover the process of deep sea mining, the impacts of this process, the challenges and the possible alternatives to deep ocean mining. The mineral deposits found in the ocean bed are more than those found on land, let the fact that there has been more exploitation on the land than there has been on the ocean bed alone. It is because deposits found in the seams spread along the sea floor. Here, the hydrothermal vents eject rich concentrations of metals and minerals. The geysers found underneath eject fluids that exhibit temperatures greater than 600 degrees Celsius. The moment these fluids hit icy water, the minerals are precipitated, and they fall onto the ocean floor. The deposits are of greater value since they can yield up to ten times the minerals on land. They exist in the form of rocks and normally referred to as nodules.Their concentration is what makes the deep ocean minerals more valuable than those found on land. When comparing the ocean floor mining to land mining, ocean mining is considered cheaper, cleaner and more environmentally friendly than land mining. It could be because there is less land for adjusting the bodies so as to allow for the extraction (Steele, Thorpe and Turekian 304). The process involved in deep ocean mining involves the use of a dredger and the process referred to as
References: Cleland, J. (2009). Down in the deep, deep ocean!. Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Pub. United States. (1984). Deep seabed mining: Draft environmental impact statement. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service. Steele, J. H., Thorpe, S. A., & Turekian, K. K. (2001). Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Roberts, C. (2012). The ocean of life: The fate of man and the sea. New York: Viking. Rick, T. C., & Erlandson, J. (2008). Human impacts on ancient marine ecosystems: A global perspective. Berkeley: University of California Press http://www.nautilusminerals.com/s/Corporate-Management.asp#mj http://www.whoi.edu/main/president-director/biography http://www.isa.org.jm/en/about