Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority

polymetallic massive sulphides. The aim of the SOPAC/Japan Programme is
to assess the resource potential of these mineral resources in the region. The
programme has proposed future work to include, more detailed research in
areas showing promise , conducting baseline environmental assessments and
maintaining the GIS deepsea mineral database.
3.1.1.1 Manganese Nodules
Possibly the most explored deep-sea area in the world for manganese
nodules is the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, located between the South West of
Hawaii and the West Coast of California, and is reported to contain the
world’s largest occurrence of manganese nodules. However, the work by the
SOPAC/Japan Programme has shown that the cobalt metal content and
resource density of the manganese nodule reserves in the EEZ of the Cook
Islands are significantly greater than that of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.
The SOPAC/Japan Programme has also identified manganese nodule
deposits in the EEZs of Kiribati and Tuvalu. Table 1 illustrates metal contents,
abundance and nodule resources in the EEZs of the Cook Islands, Kiribati and
Tuvalu. Figure 1 outlines the level of abundance of manganese nodules in the
EEZ of the Cook Islands.
Table 2. Metal contents, abundance, and resource of manganese nodule in the survey
area
Country
[EEZ]
Average
Co [%]
Average
Ni [%]
Average
Cu [%]
Average
Abundance
[kg/m 2 ]
Nodule Resource
[metric tonnes]
Cook Islands 0.39 0.45 0.29 10.68 7,500,000,000 [1]
Kiribati
• Gilbert Islands 0.23 0.96 0.96 1.54 100,000,000 [2]
• Phoenix Islands 0.22 0.66 0.60 4.55 630,000,000 [2]
• Line Islands 0.20 0.84 0.57 4.37 670,000,000 [2]
Tuvalu 0.20 0.54 0.47 2.74 914,000,000 [3]
[1] Estimated by Clark et al.,1995 [2] Estimated by Kinoshita and Tiffin, 1993 [3]
Estimated by Kojima, 1999
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 890