Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority
Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority
have oversimplified the case in his presentation. He said that in reality there is probably a continuum between the two. He pointed out that a very interesting site is the Rainbow hydrothermal site that has been studied in detail. He said that at the fault to be found here, the ocean crust has been displaced by about one kilometre and that some of the rocks that are exposed where the black smokers occur are slightly different rock types. As a result, he also said that seawater is reacting with a deeper ocean crust material that is slightly higher in base metals. Dr. German was also asked if the higher metal content at this mound is due to more extensive bleaching because of a change in the rock/water ratio relative to the ridge axis itself, and the fracturing of rocks along the fault. Dr German responded that the better guide is the copper to iron ratio and materials to be found in the fluids and the sulphides at the site. Dr. German was asked if the Argo floats (NEPTUNE) that have been designed to support the measurement requirements of the ARGO PROGRAMME, a major component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), could be useful in the search for hydrothermal sources. The questioner pointed out that the programme is expected to have 3000 temperature/salinity floats that are to go down to a water depth of 2,000 metres. The questioner wanted to know whether the temperature and salinity data collected in this programme would be useful in searches for hydrothermal sources. Dr. German said that while the temperature and conductivity measurements from these floats are very precise, the depth of the floats placed them out of the threshold for measuring hydrothermal plume signals. He recalled that the depths of mid-ocean ridges are typically 2,500 metres, and that the typical height to find hydrothermal plume signals is between 2000 and 2500 metres. Dr. German however referred participants to the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) that he said has been looking at dissolved He3. He informed participants that under the WOCE Programme a series of vertical CTD stations had been placed throughout all the world’s ocean basins over the past five years. He said that the data that the programme has acquired is just being released and that the data contains information on He3 anomalies in various parts of the oceans. Finally, Dr. German was asked about the availability of a map that shows the location of mid-ocean ridges outside exclusive economic zones. He INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 422
was also asked whether under a regime for licensing prospecting/exploration areas a block size of 150 square kilometres is a reasonable size licensing area. Dr. German referred the map question to Dr. Parsons. Regarding block sizes, Dr. German said that based on the endurance of the research vessels that he was accustomed to of 35 days, a reasonable block size would be on the order of 200 square kilometres. INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 423
- Page 380 and 381: longer an area is held, more inform
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- Page 404 and 405: Figure 13: TOBI sidescan sonar imag
- Page 406 and 407: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to ex
- Page 408 and 409: 15. Cronan D S (ed.) Handbook of Ma
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- Page 412 and 413: 51. Jones H. A. and Davies P. J., P
- Page 414 and 415: 69. Manheim F. T., Composition and
- Page 416 and 417: 87. Muller, R.D., Roest, W.R., Roye
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- Page 420 and 421: cultivating sulphide oxidising bact
- Page 422 and 423: In relation to spreading rates at v
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- Page 436 and 437: • The distance between the mining
- Page 438 and 439: economic value. Phosphatisation has
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- Page 462 and 463: 48. J. -P. Lenoble (1996), Les nodu
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- Page 466 and 467: classification system, Mr. Lenoble
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was also asked whether under a regime for licensing prospecting/exploration<br />
areas a block size of 150 square kilometres is a reasonable size licensing area.<br />
Dr. German referred the map question to Dr. Parsons. Regarding block sizes,<br />
Dr. German said that based on the endurance of the research vessels that he<br />
was accustomed to of 35 days, a reasonable block size would be on the order<br />
of 200 square kilometres.<br />
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 423
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