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Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority

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of the slopes in between 1500-3000m varies from 20° to 30°, whilst the deeper<br />

slopes are more gentle - 5°-10°. In reality slopes have a step-like structure<br />

created by a combination of sub-horizontal and gently inclined benches and<br />

steep scraps.<br />

As a rule the area covered by crusts is confined to pre-apical zones and<br />

slope zones on underwater mountains and its plane has a concentric pattern.<br />

Usually, unconsolidated Pliocene-Quaternary sediments with no ores cover<br />

the surface of the plateau itself. In our model we have chosen such pattern,<br />

though there are cases when the summit plateau is free from sediments and<br />

crusts, developed on bedrocks, cover the entire area of the plateau. Very<br />

often, nodule fields cover the marginal zones of the summit plateau, gently<br />

tilted towards the brow of the slope. The size of nodules varies from 2 to<br />

10cm in diameter and their abundance is not more than 15kgm 2 . Such fields<br />

are represented in our model (Figure 5).<br />

INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 168

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