Deep sea mining, considered the new resource frontier, has been the subject of debate since the 1960s. But financial and technological constraints have hindered the viability of ventures.
Now, the gradual depletion of land-based mineral resources, a rise in demand for metals by growing economies in Asia and rapid technological advances have generated new interest in deep sea mining.
Attention has been focused on hydrothermal vents in the ocean’s floor at depths of more than 1,000 metres, in volcanic regions where geothermal activity in the earth’s crust has created sulfide deposits containing silver, gold, copper, manganese, cobalt and zinc.
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