Question

Extraction of minerals from the ocean is
profitable.​

Answer 1

Answer:

wait I tell you........

Answer 2

Answer:

Cobalt crusts

Cobalt crusts form at depths of 1000 to 3000 metres on the flanks of submarine volcanoes, and therefore usually occur in regions with high volcanic activity such as the territorial waters around the island states of the South Pacific. The crusts accumulate when manganese, iron and a wide array of trace metals dissolved in the water (cobalt, copper, nickel, and platinum) are deposited on the volcanic substrates.

Their growth rates are comparable to those of manganese nodules. The cobalt crusts also contain relatively small amounts of the economically important resources. Literally tonnes of raw material have to be excavated in order to obtain significant amounts of the metals. However, the content of cobalt (up to 2 per cent) and platinum (up to 0.0001 per cent) is somewhat higher than in manganese nodules. Extracting cobalt from the ocean is of particular interest because it is found on land in only a few countries (Congo, Zaire, Russia, Australia and China), some of which are politically unstable. Alternative marine prospects could reduce our dependence on supplies from these countries.

Technologically, the mining of cobalt crusts is much more complex than manganese nodules. For one, it is critical that only the crust is removed, and not the underlying volcanic rocks. In addition, the slopes of the volcanoes are very ragged and steep, which makes the use of excavation equipment more difficult. It is therefore not surprising that cobalt crust mining is only at the conceptual stage at present. Cobalt crust mining would also have a significant impact on the benthic organisms. It is therefore vital that prior environmental impact studies are carried out. In most cases monitoring by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is not possible because many cobalt occurrences are located within the territorial waters of various countries.

The future of marine mining

Of the three resource types waiting to be extracted from the deep sea, the mining of massive sulphides in the exclusive economic zones (200 nautical miles) of west Pacific nations (Papua New Guinea) seems to be most feasible at present. Despite the latest economic crisis, production could start in the next few years. Because of their relatively high content of valuable metals, the mining of massive sulphides may be profitable for some companies. But the metal content of the global massive sulphides is lower than that of the ore deposits on land. It is therefore unlikely that the marine mining of massive sulphides will have a significant impact on the global resource supply.

Manganese nodules and cobalt crusts present quite different prospects. The amounts of copper, cobalt and nickel they contain could without doubt rival the oc­cur­rences on land. In fact, the total cobalt is significantly more than in all the known deposits on land. About 70,000 tonnes of cobalt are presently mined on land each year and the worldwide supply is estimated at about 15 million tonnes. By comparison, a total of about 1000 million tonnes of cobalt is estimated to be contai­ned in the marine manganese nodules and cobalt crusts.

In spite of these immense resources, sea floor mining will only be able to compete with the substantial deposits presently available on land if there is sufficient demand and metal prices are correspondingly high. Furthermore, the excavation technology has yet to be developed.

The serious technological difficulties in separating the crusts from the substrate, combined with the problems presented by the uneven sea floor surface, further reduce the economic potential of the cobalt crusts for the present. Therefore, it seems that marine mining of cobalt crusts should not be anticipated any time soon.

Explanation:

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