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1.
Application of quantitative angular backscatter modelling to manganese nodule-bearing areas of the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) has been initiated at NIO during the year 1998. Studies were aimed to establish the suitability of seafloor backscattering in delineating seafloor parameters characteristic of nodule-rich sediments. In this paper, processed Hydrosweep multi-beam backscatter data from 45 spot locations in the CIOB (where nodule samples are available) were analysed to estimate seafloor and sediment volume roughness parameters. The application of a composite roughness model to a nodule-bearing region (6,600 km2) of the CIOB, to determine seafloor interface roughness parameters from a multi-beam backscatter dataset, shows only four power law sets. The results attest 80% of the nodule-bearing seafloor to be smooth in terms of interface roughness parameters at micro-topographic level. The sediment volume roughness parameters are dominant only in 29% of the smooth interface roughness sites. This indicates that 51% of the seafloor area possesses negligible (interface and volume) roughness. A critical analysis using pseudo-side-scan records from 12 selected locations in the study area affirms the combined importance of the seafloor interface and sediment volume roughness parameters for precise determination of manganese nodule abundance. 相似文献
2.
Hoi-Soo Jung Young-Tak Ko Sang-Bum Chi Jai-Woon Moon 《Marine Georesources & Geotechnology》2001,19(3):167-180
Seafloor morphology and ferromanganese nodule occurrence were studied using a multibeam side scan sonar (SeaBeam, 2000) and a deep-sea camera system in the Korea Deep-sea Environmental Study (KODES) area, northeast equatorial Pacific. Seafloor morphology and nodule abundance are highly variable even in this small study area. The NNE-SSW oriented hills are parallel and about 100-200 m high. Valleys are very flat-floored, while hilltops are rugged with depressions of tens of meters. Cliffs to about 100 m bound the valleys and the hills. The study area can be classified into three types based both on nodule occurrence and seafloor morphology, mostly G- and B-types and some M-type. G-type is characterized by high nodule abundance, ubiquitous bioturbation, and flat seafloor morphology, while B-type is characterized by irregular-shaped nodules, variable nodule abundance, occurrence of giant nodules and sediment lumps, rugged bottom morphology with depressions, and white calcareous surface sediments. Medium nodule abundance and a generally flat seafloor characterize M-type. G-type occurs mostly in the valley regions, while B-type is on the hilltop areas. M-type is located between the hilltop and the valley. Tectonic movement of the Pacific plate resulted in the elongated abyssal hills and cliffs. The rugged morphology on hilltops resulted from erosion and redistribution of surface siliceous sediments on hilltops by bottom currents, outcropping of underlying calcareous sediments, and dissolution of the carbonate sediments by corrosive bottom water undersaturated with CaCO 3 . Sediment eroded from the hills, which is relatively young and organic-rich, is deposited in the valleys, and diagenetic metal supply to manganese nodules in the valley area is more active than on the hills. We suggest that tectonic movement ultimately constrains morphology, surface sediment facies, bottom currents and sediment redistribution, bioturbation, thickness of the sedimentary layer, and other conditions, which are all interrelated and control nodule occurrence. The best potential area for mining in the study area is the G-type valley zones with about 3-4 km width and NNW-SSE orientation. 相似文献
3.
Hoi-Soo Jung Young-Tak Ko Sang-Bum Chi Jai-Woon Moon 《Marine Georesources & Geotechnology》2013,31(3):167-180
Abstract Seafloor morphology and ferromanganese nodule occurrence were studied using a multibeam side scan sonar (SeaBeam, 2000) and a deep-sea camera system in the Korea Deep-sea Environmental Study (KODES) area, northeast equatorial Pacific. Seafloor morphology and nodule abundance are highly variable even in this small study area. The NNE-SSW oriented hills are parallel and about 100–200 m high. Valleys are very flat-floored, while hilltops are rugged with depressions of tens of meters. Cliffs to about 100 m bound the valleys and the hills. The study area can be classified into three types based both on nodule occurrence and seafloor morphology, mostly G- and B-types and some M-type. G-type is characterized by high nodule abundance, ubiquitous bioturbation, and flat seafloor morphology, while B-type is characterized by irregular-shaped nodules, variable nodule abundance, occurrence of giant nodules and sediment lumps, rugged bottom morphology with depressions, and white calcareous surface sediments. Medium nodule abundance and a generally flat seafloor characterize M-type. G-type occurs mostly in the valley regions, while B-type is on the hilltop areas. M-type is located between the hilltop and the valley. Tectonic movement of the Pacific plate resulted in the elongated abyssal hills and cliffs. The rugged morphology on hilltops resulted from erosion and redistribution of surface siliceous sediments on hilltops by bottom currents, outcropping of underlying calcareous sediments, and dissolution of the carbonate sediments by corrosive bottom water undersaturated with CaCO3. Sediment eroded from the hills, which is relatively young and organic-rich, is deposited in the valleys, and diagenetic metal supply to manganese nodules in the valley area is more active than on the hills. We suggest that tectonic movement ultimately constrains morphology, surface sediment facies, bottom currents and sediment redistribution, bioturbation, thickness of the sedimentary layer, and other conditions, which are all interrelated and control nodule occurrence. The best potential area for mining in the study area is the G-type valley zones with about 3–4 km width and NNW-SSE orientation. 相似文献
4.
The size of individual mining blocks for polymetallic nodule extraction seems to be rather small, not more than 100 km2 in the French mining claim. Even when adding an additional resedimentation zone to the directly impacted area, the size of the affected seabed would remain below 200 km2. We assume that even rare species in the abyss inhabit larger areas and propose discussions of the International Seabed Authority and other stakeholders for the different subregions on mining strategies from the perspective of exploitation versus species extinction and conservation. Although impacts of waste disposal at the abyssal seafloor are different from those of nodule mining, the 200 km2 concept may also be applied. 相似文献
5.
The deep ocean floor between the Clarion and Clipperton fracture zones (NE equatorial Pacific) has the highest known manganese nodule abundance in the world oceans. A detailed analysis of MR1 (Mapping Researcher 1, 11–12?kHz) sonar images and free-fall grab data in the Korean manganese nodule field areas reveals a close relationship between side-scan sonar characteristics of the seafloor and manganese nodule abundance. Eight sonar facies are identified based on back-scattering intensity and distribution patterns. These sonar facies can be interpreted as (1) volcanic seamounts (facies I-1), (2) bounding faults of abyssal hills (facies I-2 and II-1), (3) lava flows or volcanoclastic mass-flow deposits around the volcanic seamounts (facies I-3 and II-2), (4) crests of abyssal hills (facies II-1), (5) abyssal troughs between abyssal hills (facies III-1), (6) relatively flat areas (facies II-3 and III-2). In the areas where facies II-1 (abyssal hill crests with thin sediment cover) and II-3 (relatively flat areas draped by thin sediments) are dominant, manganese nodules occur abundantly. In contrast, zones comprising facies III-1 (abyssal troughs with thick sediment cover) and III-2 (relatively flat areas covered by thick sediments) are characterized by low abundance of manganese nodules. This relationship between distribution of sonar facies and manganese nodule abundance implies that (1) the qualitative difference in acoustic reflectivity of long-range side-scan sonar with some ground truth data is useful for regional assessment of manganese nodule occurrence over wide areas in a reasonable time, and (2) seafloor topography and sediment thickness are important controlling factors for regional occurrences of manganese nodules. 相似文献
6.
The deep ocean floor between the Clarion and Clipperton fracture zones (NE equatorial Pacific) has the highest known manganese nodule abundance in the world oceans. A detailed analysis of MR1 (Mapping Researcher 1, 11-12 kHz) sonar images and free-fall grab data in the Korean manganese nodule field areas reveals a close relationship between side-scan sonar characteristics of the seafloor and manganese nodule abundance. Eight sonar facies are identified based on back-scattering intensity and distribution patterns. These sonar facies can be interpreted as (1) volcanic seamounts (facies I-1), (2) bounding faults of abyssal hills (facies I-2 and II-1), (3) lava flows or volcanoclastic mass-flow deposits around the volcanic seamounts (facies I-3 and II-2), (4) crests of abyssal hills (facies II-1), (5) abyssal troughs between abyssal hills (facies III-1), (6) relatively flat areas (facies II-3 and III-2). In the areas where facies II-1 (abyssal hill crests with thin sediment cover) and II-3 (relatively flat areas draped by thin sediments) are dominant, manganese nodules occur abundantly. In contrast, zones comprising facies III-1 (abyssal troughs with thick sediment cover) and III-2 (relatively flat areas covered by thick sediments) are characterized by low abundance of manganese nodules. This relationship between distribution of sonar facies and manganese nodule abundance implies that (1) the qualitative difference in acoustic reflectivity of long-range side-scan sonar with some ground truth data is useful for regional assessment of manganese nodule occurrence over wide areas in a reasonable time, and (2) seafloor topography and sediment thickness are important controlling factors for regional occurrences of manganese nodules. 相似文献
7.
Chan Min Yoo Jongmin Joo Sang Hoon Lee Youngtak Ko Sang-Bum Chi Hyung Jeek Kim Inah Seo Kiseong Hyeong 《Ocean Science Journal》2018,53(2):381-394
A high level of confidence in resource data is a key prerequisite for conducting a reliable economic feasibility study in deep water seafloor mining. However, the acquisition of accurate resource data is difficult when employing traditional point-sampling methods to assess the resource potential of polymetallic nodules, given the vast size of the survey area and high spatial variability in nodule distribution. In this study, we analyzed high-resolution acoustic backscatter intensity images to estimate nodule abundance and increase confidence levels in nodule abundance data. We operated a 120 kHz deep-towed sidescan sonar (DSL-120) system (1×1 m resolution) across a 75 km2 representative area in the Korean Exploration Area for polymetallic nodules in the Northeastern Equatorial Pacific. A deep-towed camera system was also run along two tracks in the same area to estimate the abundance of polymetallic nodules on the seafloor. Backscatter data were classified into four facies based on intensity. The facies with the weakest and strongest backscatter intensities occurred in areas of high slope gradient and basement outcrops, respectively. The backscatter intensities of the two other facies correlated well with the nodule abundances estimated from still-camera images. A linear fit between backscatter intensity and mean nodule abundance for 10 zones in the study area yielded an excellent correlation (r2 = 0.97). This allowed us to compile a map of polymetallic nodule abundance that shows greater resolution than a map derived from the extrapolation of point-sampling data. Our preliminary analyses indicate that it is possible to greatly increase the confidence level of nodule resource data if the relationship between backscatter intensity and nodule abundance is reliably established. This approach has another key advantage over point sampling and image analyses in that detailed maps of mining obstacles along the seafloor are produced when acquiring data on the abundance of polymetallic nodules. The key limitation of this work is a poor correlation between nodule coverage, as observed from photographs, and nodule abundance. Significant additional ground truth sampling using well located box cores should be completed to determine whether or not there is a real correlation between the backscatter and abundance. 相似文献
8.
《Marine Policy》2016
Marine minerals such as manganese nodules, Co-rich ferromanganese crusts, and seafloor massive sulfides are commonly seen as possible future resources that could potentially add to the global raw materials supply. At present, a proper assessment of these resources is not possible due to a severe lack of information regarding their size, distribution, and composition. It is clear, however, that manganese nodules and Co-rich ferromanganese crusts are a vast resource and mining them could have a profound impact on global metal markets, whereas the global resource potential of seafloor massive sulfides appears to be small. These deep-sea mineral commodities are formed by very different geological processes resulting in deposits with distinctly different characteristics. The geological boundary conditions also determine the size of any future mining operations and the area that will be affected by mining. Similarly, the sizes of the most favorable areas that need to be explored for a global resource assessment are also dependent on the geological environment. Size reaches 38 million km2 for manganese nodules, while those for Co-rich crusts (1.7 million km2) and massive sulfides (3.2 million km2) are much smaller. Moreover, different commodities are more abundant in some jurisdictions than in others. While only 19% of the favorable area for manganese nodules lies within the Exclusive Economic Zone of coastal states or is covered by proposals for the extension of the continental shelf, 42% of the favorable areas for massive sulfides and 54% for Co-rich crusts are located in EEZs. 相似文献
9.
The megabenthos plays an important role in the abyssal ecosystem. The holothuroids have been proposed as indicators of physical disturbance of the seabed caused, for example, by commercial deep-sea mining of manganese nodules. Environmental studies at seabed mining claims have resulted in numerous still photographs that provide an overview of the megabenthos in manganese nodule fields. Data from these investigations and from the large-scale disturbance and recolonization experiment DISCOL have been used to summarize knowledge of the taxonomy and ecology of holothurians at manganese nodule sites. 相似文献
10.
Distribution characteristics of cobalt‐rich manganese deposits were evaluated from stereo photographs and video data on a seamount in the central Pacific Ocean by image analysis, photogrammetric technique, and visual observations. The results show that many locations have high crust coverages with highly undulating micro‐topography. High nodule coverages occur on relatively flat seafloor, and the nodule size distribution varies from uniform to inhomogeneous among different locations. Distribution of these deposits along detailed topographic sections show that the seafloor can be divided into nodule dominant zones between 0° and 3° slopes, with sediment patches up to 4° slopes; and crust dominant zones, which occur on slopes higher than 15°. The transition zone, between 4° and 15° slopes, has many locations, where nodules and crusts co‐occur in varying percentages. The observation of crust outcrops among sediments and nodules, as well as in the gravity core samples, indicates the presence of shallow buried crusts as well, which can substantially enhance resource evaluation of the deposits. 相似文献
11.
Manganese nodules of the Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ) in the NE Pacific Ocean are highly enriched in Ni, Cu, Co, Mo and rare-earth elements, and thus may be the subject of future mining operations. Elucidating the depositional and biogeochemical processes that contribute to nodule formation, as well as the respective redox environment, in both water column and sediment, supports our ability to locate future nodule deposits and to evaluate the potential ecological and environmental effects of future deep-sea mining. For these purposes we studied the local hydrodynamics and pore-water geochemistry with respect to the nodule coverage at four sites in the eastern CCFZ. Furthermore, we carried out selective leaching experiments at these sites in order to assess the potential mobility of Mn in the solid phase, and compared them with the spatial variations in sedimentation rates. We found that the oxygen penetration depth is 180–300 cm at all four sites, while reduction of Mn and NO3− is only significant below the oxygen penetration depth at sites with small or no nodules on the sediment surface. At the site without nodules, potential microbial respiration rates, determined by incubation experiments using 14C-labeled acetate, are slightly higher than at sites with nodules. Leaching experiments showed that surface sediments covered with big or medium-sized nodules are enriched in mobilizable Mn. Our deep oxygen measurements and pore-water data suggest that hydrogenetic and oxic-diagenetic processes control the present-day nodule growth at these sites, since free manganese from deeper sediments is unable to reach the sediment surface. We propose that the observed strong lateral contrasts in nodule size and abundance are sensitive to sedimentation rates, which in turn, are controlled by small-scale variations in seafloor topography and bottom-water current intensity. 相似文献
12.
G. P. Glasby 《Marine Georesources & Geotechnology》2013,31(2):161-176
The first attempt to exploit deep-sea manganese nodules ended in failure as a result of the collapse of world metal prices, the onerous provisions imposed by the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the overoptimistic assumptions about the viability of nodule mining. Attention then focused on Co-rich manganese crusts from seamounts. Since the mid-1980s, a number of new players have committed themselves to long-term programs to establish the viability of mining deep-sea manganese nodules. These programs require heavy subsidy by the host governments. Au-rich submarine hydrothermal deposits located at convergent plate margins are now emerging as a more promising prospect for mining than deep-sea manganese deposits. 相似文献
13.
Deep Seabed Mining: Past Failures and Future Prospects 总被引：8，自引：0，他引：8
G. P. Glasby 《Marine Georesources & Geotechnology》2002,20(2):161-176
The first attempt to exploit deep-sea manganese nodules ended in failure as a result of the collapse of world metal prices, the onerous provisions imposed by the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the overoptimistic assumptions about the viability of nodule mining. Attention then focused on Co-rich manganese crusts from seamounts. Since the mid-1980s, a number of new players have committed themselves to long-term programs to establish the viability of mining deep-sea manganese nodules. These programs require heavy subsidy by the host governments. Au-rich submarine hydrothermal deposits located at convergent plate margins are now emerging as a more promising prospect for mining than deep-sea manganese deposits. 相似文献
14.
15.
The likelihood that manganese nodule mining discharge (essentially deep-seabed clays and some nodule fragments) would reside on the pycnocline for a long period of time was investigated by introducing mining waste particles into a two-layer laboratory settling column illuminated by laser. The experiments were repeated with polystyrene particles of uniform shape and size to further study the effect of a density interface on settling. The results indicate that mining particulates do not have sufficiently low density to accumulate on the pycnocline although a density interface can temporarily concentrate settling particles. A review of related studies of accumulation of inorganic particles on density interfaces suggests that the available evidence for pycnocline accumulation of inorganic particles is slight. A measurement of the wet density spectra of any oceanic discharge is necessary to accurately assess the possibility of particles rafting on a density surface. 相似文献
16.
为探讨东太平洋CC区多金属结核中富钡镁锰矿细脉蛋白石层的成因机制,利用矿相显微镜、电子探针和ICP-OES,对蛋白石层及其周围铁锰氧化物进行了显微结构特征和化学成分特征的研究。结果表明:高反射率矿物结晶程度较好,主要由MnO组成,具有高Mn低Fe的特征,为成岩成因的钡镁锰矿。中反射率矿物结晶程度较差,主要由MnO和FeO组成,为水成成因的水羟锰矿。低反射率矿物为一种半透明矿物,主要由SiO2组成,为生物成因的蛋白石。根据钡镁锰矿、水羟锰矿和蛋白石的成因机制,为蛋白石层及其内部钡镁锰矿细脉的形成过程建立了一个模型,共分为5个生长阶段:第1阶段,结核呈半埋藏状态在氧化环境中形成水羟锰矿;第2阶段,结核呈半埋藏状态接受SiO2胶体的沉淀作用形成蛋白石层;第3阶段,结核呈半埋藏状态在氧化环境中形成水羟锰矿的同时,其成岩作用和蛋白石的脱水作用使蛋白石层中产生大量的裂缝;第4阶段,结核呈埋藏状态在弱氧化-还原环境中发生交代作用和重结晶作用形成钡镁锰矿;第5阶段,结核呈半埋藏状态形成水羟锰矿。 相似文献
17.
One of the main issues contributing to the US-instigated hiatus in negotiations on the Draft Convention for the Law of the Sea has been the question of production controls for manganese nodule mining. As the text stands, production controls cover both the total amount of metals produced from nodules in any year and also the maximum quantity which any single operator will be licensed to produce annually. Both types of control use the nickel content of nodules mined as the specified limit. The overall controls relate production to projected growth in world nickel consumption. In this note, some of the implications of the methods used to calculate production ceilings are explored. The likely success of the regulations in achieving their stated objectives can then be discussed. 相似文献
18.
Synthesis of Environmental Impacts of Deep Seabed Mining 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Charles L. Morgan Nii Allotey Odunton Anthony T. Jones 《Marine Georesources & Geotechnology》1999,17(4):307-356
19.
Quantitative estimation of seafloor features from photographs and their application to nodule mining
Rahul Sharma 《Marine Georesources & Geotechnology》2013,31(4):311-331
Methods developed for quantitative estimation of seafloor features from seabed photographs and their application for estimation of nodule sizes, coverage, abundance, burial, sediment thickness, extent of rock exposure, density of benthic organisms, and their lebensspuren have been presented. Digitization of the photographs shows variable nodule size (< 1 to 10 cm), coverage (< 1 to 75%) and abundance (< 1 to 20 kg/m2). Nodule population is inversely proportional to the coverage of the sediment (10–100%) and its thickness (0 to > 10 cm), which causes differential burial (0–100%) of nodules. Correlation between nodule parameters (diameter and coverage) in the photographs and grab recovery is used to evolve empirical relationships for estimating nodule abundance in different seabed settings. The rock outcrops (basalts) with a coverage of 6–100% are the sources of nuclei for the nodules, the distribution of which is controlled by the local topography. Higher concentrations of nodules are observed along the slopes, followed by the crests of seamounts, and are lowest in the valleys and plains. A population density of 6–7 benthic organisms per 100 m2 belonging to 7 different phyla is observed, with a high frequency of lebensspuren (4–12 traces/m2) in association with nodules. Estimation of these parameters can be used as important inputs in the design of the nodule collector, as it will have to encounter a variety of seafloor conditions, such as patchy nodule distribution, rock outcrops, steep slopes, and frequent microtopographic changes, as well as benthic life. The distribution and relation of various features with one another can also be used to understand the possible impact of nodule mining on the seabed. Estimates show that for a yield of 3 million tonnes of nodules per year, the volume of sediment disturbed will be between 200 × 107 and 500 × 107 m3over an area of 300–600 km2, depending upon the average abundance of nodules. Hence, the nodule collector will have to be a self‐propelled system, with photographic and acoustic sensors, to enable selective mining and avoid unfavorable areas. 相似文献
20.
Ranadhir Mukhopadhyay Sankalp Naik Shawn De Souza Ozinta Dias Sridhar D Iyer Anil K Ghosh 《Marine Georesources & Geotechnology》2013,31(7):845-851
AbstractBecause of ever-growing demand for strategic metals, the focus of the international community has fallen on deep sea manganese nodules occurring at a water depth of more than 4500?m. We present an economic appraisal and strategy for mining of nodules from the Indian Ocean Nodule Field- one of the four economically potential areas in the world oceans. In contrast to the prevailing perception of non-viability of nodule mining, our analysis indicates a fair degree of economic feasibility and commercial sustainability to mine the deep-sea manganese nodules. 相似文献