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By Jan M. Peter

Many of the Pb-Zn massive sulfide deposits of the Bathurst area in northern New Brunswick, Canada, are intimately associated with laterally continuous iron formation (IF) (Figure 1). This IF is a fossil laminated, exhalative, chemical sediment. Together, the IF and the Brunswick #12, Brunswick #6, and Austin Brook deposits (rightmost discontinuous horizon on Figure 1) are collectively referred to as the "Brunswick Belt". To date we have only studied the Brunswick Belt and have not examined the horizon along which the QSR, CNE and Flat Landing Brook deposits lie. The Bathurst area is underlain by the Tetagouche Group (Figure 2), a Cambro(?)-Ordovician sequence of metasedimentary and bimodal metavolcanic rocks that was intruded by mafic to felsic plutons and subsequently deformed during the Taconic Orogeny. The stratigraphic sequence consists of shales and greywackes that are overlain by carbonaceous shales and felsic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks; these are in turn overlain by mafic volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The massive sulfide deposits and IF occur within the upper portions of the felsic volcanic rocks in close association with carbnaceous metasedimentary footwall rocks (Figure 2).

Jan 1, 1993

By M. Ravindran

The Government of India started its deep seabed exploration programme during 1982. This programme was started as one of national importance and several national laboratories were involved to realize the development of requisite technologies for deepsea mining and processing. After a concentrated effort on surveying, using its own as well as hired ships, India succeeded by mid 1980s in identifying a prospective site in the Indian Ocean as an exclusive claim for development. India was registered as a Pioneer Investor and became the first country to obtain this status on 17th August 1987. India has been allocated an exclusive mine site of 150,000 km2 in the Central Indian Ocean. Our country also developed considerable expertise in the metallurgical processing for extracting metals from these nodules. The Department of Ocean Development, Government of India, the organization which is designated as the nodal agency responsible for implementing the deep seabed mining programme has drawn up a long term plan which will enable it to fulfill its obligations as a Pioneer Investor. The work toward the design and development of a mining system has been entrusted to the Central Mechanical and Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur. As a part of this programme they have developed a nodule collector and a riser system which have been tested in very shallow waters only. Since this technology development for deep sea mining applications is highly time consuming and very expensive, this programme is also being used to develop components for intermediate applications. In view of the long timeframe required for perfecting a deepsea nodule mining technology, the Government of India is also keen on developing shallow water mining systems for utilizing the placer deposits. One of the richest heavy mineral deposits in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone is available on the west coast of South India in the state of Kerala. The coastal stretch between Kanyakumari, on the southern tip of India, and Alleppey along the west coast at a distance from the tip of approximately 210 km, there is a good multimineral reserve. The initial survey indicates that the estimated reserves in the surveyed areas are approximately as follows: Ilmenite 1.4 million tonnes Rutile 0.14 million tomes Zircon 0.13 million tomes Sillimanite 0.53 million tonnes

Jan 1, 1994

By Alexander Malahoff

Field observations and sampling of land-based and submarine hydrothermal and geothermal sites show a definite link between the geological setting, fluid geochemistry and specialized assemblages of microorganisms found at these settings. Three initial sites have been chosen as a basis for these studies. The first site is located on hydrothermal vents in pit craters on the submarine volcano Lo?ihi (Hawai?i) at a water depth of 1,300 meters. The second site is within the geothermally active vents, ponds and lakes of the Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand. The third site extends along the chain of volcanically and hydrothermally active volcanoes of the Kermadec-Tonga arc and back-arc system. To focus our work in New Zealand, a geomicrobiology field and experimental center has been established in Wairakei, New Zealand, with the relevant genomics, proteomic and bioinformatics work being conducted at the University of Hawaii. As part of a partnership between the University of Hawai?i, the Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences (GNS) and Victoria University of Wellington, a new interdisciplinary graduate course in geomicrobiology will be taught at Victoria University beginning next year. Since mineral-microbial interactions have been occurring for the past few billion years and these interactions have led to where one generates the other, a metal-bacteria research program has been initiated at GNS using arsenic-gold and other metal-bacterial interaction processes as a research objective. In this research program, we have completed the full genome of a new species of marine bacterium Idiomarina loihiensis from the Lo?ihi hydrothermal vents and identified specialized microorganisms living in pH 0.3 geothermal vent waters of White Island, New Zealand. The multidisciplinary approach to study the process of accumulation of metals in the hydrothermal systems clearly shows the path of how bacterial-mineral interaction can precipitate metal deposits. These studies will lead to new avenues for biomining, bioremediation and the understanding of the origins of life.

Jan 1, 2004

By T. Yamazaki, R. Arai, N. Nakatani, K. Kuroda

"These 40 years, deep-sea mining for manganese nodules, cobalt-rich manganese crusts, and seafloor massive sulfides has been continuously business and R&D targets. The economy is the most important factor for realizing the venture. Some technological options to increase the economy of deep-sea mining are introduced. They are a mechanical lift, waste rejections on seafloor, a substrate recovery as byproduct, and a pulp lift. An example application of one of the options is economically examined. Not only the same type examinations but also some technological clarifications of the options in detail are necessary.BACKGROUNDManganese nodules (nodule), seafloor massive sulfides (SMS), and cobalt-rich manganese crusts (crust) have been well recognized as future metal sources these 40 years. Among them, the nodule was the first recognized ones. The mining technologies for the deep-sea mineral resources, therefore, have been mainly developed in the major R&D projects for the nodule.The mining systems considered were shuttle miner, continuous line bucket (CLB), and hydraulic dredge ones. The shuttle miner system studied by France was a kind of basic study for autonomous underwater vehicle. The CLB system was an effective approach for a small scale and less investment cost mining (Masuda and Cruickshank, 1995). However, both were considered not effective for a bulk scale production rate mining such as 1.5 million tons per year in dry weight. In the hydraulic dredge system, a steel-pipe and flexible-hose conduit for nodule transportation named “pipestring” and a hydraulic pumpup instrument for creation of upward water flow in the pipestring named “pump-lift” or “air-lift” were adapted and developed. Hence, the hydraulic dredge system became the main stream in the mining system."

Jan 1, 2017

Ancient volcanogenic Cu-Zn-Pb-Ag-Au massive sulfide ores commonly have associated with them along strike and in the immediate hanging wall a distinctive sediment that is thin, usually cherty and metal enriched, and generally referred to as an "exhalite horizon" or "tuffaceous exhalite". Typical examplks include the 13 Ma tetsusekiei of the Kuroko deposits of Japan (Kalogeropoulos and Scott, 1983, Econ. Geol.) and the 2700 Ma contact tuffs of Noranda, Canada (Kalogeropoulos and Scott, 1989, Can. J. Earth Sci.) and Key Tuffite of Mattagami, Canada (Liaghat and McLean, 1992, Explor. Min. Geol.). Attempts to use trace element distributions as lithogeochemical guides to ore have been largely unsuccessful. Exhalites have been considered to be the products of seafloor hydrothermal activity that is peripheral to the main ore-producing vents. However, large actively-forming polyrnetallic sulfide deposits at the Explorer mid-ocean basalt spreading ridge (1 850 m depth) in the NE Pacific and the eastern Manus back-arc dacitic spreading center (1650 m depth) in the western Pacific have demonstrated that the exhalite horizons are more likely produced by fallout of particulates from the main hydrothermal plume. In a typical hydrothermal plume, grains of >27 µm represent up to 97% of the mass (although only 2% of the population) of the particulates and are calculated by Stokes equations to fall from the plume to the seafloor within a few krn of their source. The particles are primarily composed of anhydrite, barite, amorphous silica, iron oxyhydroxides and metal sulfides and oxides. Plumes are subject to bottom currents which push them in preferred directions, just like smoke plumes in the atmosphere are subject to the vagaries of wind direction. Bottom currents in the deep ocean can be 50 m/min or

Jan 1, 1993

By P. C. Hollick

Two marine diamond deposits on concession 2b off Namaqualand along the South African Coast, have been systematically mined over the past year by the mv Moonstar. The two deposits, Smith?s Ulcer and Wedge Point Basin, are comparable in morphology, straddled the same water depths and have similar geology yet have given very different recoveries when compared to their respective grade models. These differences are best ascribed to the different style of mineralisation observed within the two deposits which has been directly controlled by the bedrock morphology. The smith?s Ulcer deposit has been formed in a metagreywacke bedrock displaying a strong north-south trending foliation which dips steeply to the west. Consequently the mineralisation is confined to narrow north-south linear trends with limited lateral extent (less than 5m) making extraction extremely difficult and somewhat variable. RE factors (recovered grade versus estimated grade) for this deposit range from 0.5 to 1.1. The Wedge Point Basin deposit is formed in a micaceous metaquartzite with a conjugate southwest northwest joint set, the southwest lineation being the more prominent, and structural foliation dipping gently to the west. The resultant style of mineralisation is confined to basinal features defined by topographical lows and is fairly lateral in extent (in order of 50m). Extraction of the mineralisation from this deposit is less arduous with recoveries more uniform, RE factors are frequently in the range 2 - 3. This style of mineralisation is more in line with what is to be expected from marine alluvial deposits, the nugget effect of diamond concentration being responsible for the high RE factor. The long narrow linear trends observed in Smith?s Ulcer demonstrably require a specialised approach in successfully sampling, modeling and ultimately mining.

Jan 1, 1998

By Richard H. T. Garnett

The Chilean part of the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, situated south of latitude 62o S, is within that country?s Región de Magallanes y Antártica, and separated from the remainder of Chile by the Magellan Strait. In recent geological history several phases of Quaternary age glaciers originating in the Andean and Dawinian Cordilleras eroded assumed primary gold deposits and entrained their related alluvial deposits. Piedmont glaciation extended to the east and south over m0st of the land and beyond the present-day coastline into extensive areas exposed during the resulting lowered relative sea level. During interglacials particulate gold incorporated unevenly in the widespread drift, till and moraines was fluvially released and concentrated into streams and flood gravels. Coastal erosion enriched various beaches with gold. From 1868 onwards Tierra del Fuego hosted a major gold rush whereby early, labour intensive, beach mining eventually developed into inland dredging. But continued mining activity was interrupted and then terminated by several external factors. Most miners, always seeking ?greener pastures?, joined the rush to the new discoveries in the Klondike (1896) and Nome, Alaska (1899). In 1904 the international boundary, established in 1881, became the subject of a major dispute not settled until 1984, The Panama canal?s opening in 1914 turned Tierra del Fuego, previously on the Pacific-Atlantic shipping route, into a remote backwater. World War II brought opposing foreign naval forces to the actual islands where most gold had been taken from the beaches. It also crippled the dredging industry which lost its coal supply and never recovered. Nevertheless, some small scale mining continues to this day.

Sep 14, 2011

By Cameron Rees

The University of New South Wales Mining Research Centre (UMRC) has a longstanding research reputation in mining research, with particular expertise in mining systems, mining geomechanics and excavation engineering. The UMRC is now focusing this expertise on the potential of mining Seafloor Massive Sulphides (SMS). The UMRC has initiated a three-year research project that will identify and examine the requirements to effectively and efficiently mine SMS deposits. The major aims of this project are: ? To develop an understanding of the geomechanical characteristics and local physical environmental conditions associated with a ?typical? SMS deposit. ? To develop and evaluate a range of both conventional and innovative excavation processes for mining SMS deposits, and define the engineering parameters required for each extraction option, and ? To identify the materials handling and lifting requirements of the ?mined? SMS material, and the possible integration of the lifting system with the excavation processes considered.

Jan 1, 2002

By Ki-Hyune Kim

The Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute conducted its first exploration for deepsea mineral resources in 1983, and began a systematic deepsea prospecting in 1989 among Micronesian islands and in central and eastern parts of Carion-Clipperton fracture zones of eastern Pacific. With the arrival of R/V Onnuri in 1992, KORDI commenced a full-scale national program for nodule exploration. The total area surveyed by KORDI covers more than 1,500,000 km2. At the end of 1993, based on the collected data, Korea designated 300,000 km2 in the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone as prospective mining area for manganese nodules, and accordingly, the government of Korea submitted the application in January of 1994 to the United Nations for registration as a pioneer investor and for the allocation of a pioneer area. This application was approved by the General Committee of the Preparatory Commission in August 1994. As a result, Korea became the 7m pioneer investor under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. KORDI is now carrying out detailed exploration survey and environmental studies in the registered area to fulfill required obligations to UN, and Korea will continue exploring the last frontier on earth. It is KORDI's unshaken calling to be successful in exploiting deepsea resources to provide our nation resources it lacks. It is not only a challenge to explore deepsea, but it is also our national mission to explore and succeed in our endeavor for future generation.

Jan 1, 2011

By Ian B. Clark

In October-November 1993, the Centre for Cold Ocean Resources Engineering, Memorial University of Newfoundland and University of Victoria jointly carried out reconnaissance surveys at Pine Cove, Baie Verte, Newfoundland. Pine Cove is the site of a multi-year study examining the environmental impact of a shallow water small-scale marine placer gold mining operation. The reconnaissance survey data collected will be used to develop a multi-year environmental effects monitoring (EEM) program for Pine Cove, Baie Verte, but more generally an EEM protocol for shallow water small-scale marine placer mining, which meets the requirements of Canadian government regula¬tors such as Environment Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The Pine Cove mining operation is currently scheduled for the summer of 1995, and will use two mining methods: a hydraulic suction dredge in shallow water (<10 meters) operated by a scuba diver, and a hydraulically actuated clamshell dredge in deeper water (-30 m). A centrifugal concentrator will be used to extract the heavy minerals from the mined marine sediments, and the tailings will be returned to the sea floor via a suspended discharge pipe. The reconnaissance work at Pine Cove included geophysical, geochemical, oceanographic and biologi¬cal surveys, providing data which will enable prediction of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed mining operation. The geophysical surveys showed the sea floor to be covered by varying

Jan 1, 1994

By C. H. Hobbs

A recently completed series of projects funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the U.S. Minerals Management Service was designed to assess the distribution of heavy minerals on the inner continental shelf adjacent to Virginia. These projects indicate that a suite of minerals of both strategic and economic interest is present. Analysis of several hundred grab and core samples shows that zircon, monazite, and titanium minerals (ilmenite, rutile, and leucoxene) occur in quantities that probably warrant further study by the mineral industry. Furthermore, side-scan sonography and shallow seismic profiles have provided information on the thickness and areal extent of the mineral-bearing sands. Possible development of the resource is enhanced by a potential use of offshore sand for beach nourishment. The results of the preliminary studies have been presented in open-file publications and oral reports in order that the mineral industry might have an up to date basis upon which to consider more exploratory work. Much of the effort south of the mouth of Chesapeake Bay was made in cooperation with and enhanced by an independent study of sand resources for beach nourishment and other needs. Preliminary review of the quantitative analyses of the heavy-mineral content of several hundred samples demonstrates that the distribution of high concentrations is non-uniform. From core data, the greatest abundances of some economic heavy minerals (ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene, monazite, and

Jan 1, 1988

By Jung-Keuk Kang

Recently, the Korean government prepared a strategy for deep seabed mining, which consists of three stages for 20 years until 2010. The first step of the program is focused to conduct deep seabed exploration until 1993. The apparent "hurry-and-spend to catch-up" policy that the Korean government has shown in deep seabed mineral exploration was motivated by an effort to qualify a prerequisite requirement to be a pioneer investor as a developing country under the terms of Resolution II and the New York Understanding. Since 1983, KORDI (Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute) under the auspices of the Korean government has carried out deep seabed mineral exploration. The KORDI had a joint exploration program with USGS from 1989 to 1991 aiming to evaluate the potentiality of manganese nodule in the western part of Clarion-Clipperton Zone as well as that of manganese crusts in the western Pacific. In 1992, Korean government accelerates its program by the confirmation of national policy and the equipment of new built research vessel, Onnuri-Ho. The RIV Onnuri-Ho is about 1400 G/T, which is equipped with various advanced instruments including GPS, multi-beam echosounder (Seabeam 2000), multi-channel seismic system, and MDM system.

Jan 1, 1992

By Richard Petters

Williamson and Associates, Inc of Seattle, Washington has recently built a remotely operated seafloor coring system for Nichiyu Giken Kogyo Ltd and the Metal Mining Agency of Japan (MMAJ). The system is designed to core to depths of 20 meters in 6,000 meters of water and will be operated from MMAJ&apos;s research vessel Hakurei-Maru No. 2 The corer uses rotary rod coring methods and will recover a core diameter of 44 mm. To facilitate coring through soft or unstable formations, the corer has the ability to set casing. The corer is fitted with thrusters for positioning during landing and telescoping legs for leveling. The system is operated through a 12 km electro-optical cable. Data displayed to the operator provides the operator with real-time feed back and control over the coring process. The operator has independent proportional control over bit weight, advance rate, rotary speed, and flushing water flow. The process of making up, breaking down and storing the drill string is automated and is controlled by a logic driven software routine. The system is currently undergoing trials in Japan. This presentation will discuss the drill&apos;s capabilities and should be of interest to those in need of a tool for assessing the thickness of marine mineral deposits.

Jan 1, 1996

By Pia-Maria Haselberger, Marc Schiemann, Christian Frühling, Nicolas Richter, Hendrik Wehner, Andreas Kaschube

"The paper provides the principle considerations for a novel vehicle class within the scope of the project Large Modifiable Underwater Mothership (MUM). The main idea for these ships is to create a highly modular building block system for the global layout. This building block system allows for a mission-dependent module assembly. For the purpose of deep sea mining for example, the range of tasks reaches from multipurpose transportation and exploration missions to supporting tasks in up to 5000 m depth, e.g. energy supply. Topics covered in this paper are related to potential missions for these vehicles, the modular layout and the structural layout of a separate block module. The paper closes with a conceptual design example for this class.Index Terms—MUM, UUV, underwater mother ship, autonomous underwater vehicle, modular, deep sea, conceptual designI. INTRODUCTIONAs one of the leading economic nations, Germany is in need of energy and raw materials. In the 21st century, marine resources are a prominent and promising alternative to land based resources. However, there are challenges that need to be considered. Rough and often poorly plannable weather conditions prevail distant to the marginal seas. Ice coverage makes offshore services inefficient and costly in Polar Regions. The average ocean depth of 3500m and the associated environment conditions cause difficulties in fulfilling tasks in the deep sea. The project Large Modifiable Underwater Mothership (MUM) [1] will enable more efficient solutions in order to accomplish undersea duties and services in harsh conditions.This joint project comprises workshares from Atlas Elektronik, EvoLogics, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, the University of Rostock and the Technische Universität Berlin. The principle idea of the project is the conception of a novel vehicle class. With highly modular autonomous underwater vehicles, this class will be capable of undertaking a variety of different tasks. Classically engineered vehicle structures will be split into single basis modules which can be flexibly assembled with specialized mission modules to form potent systems for individual assignments. The group of basis modules consists of units for navigation, vehicle control, propulsion and energy generation via fuel cell technology. The potential reusability of system relevant modules leads to a significant cost reduction and to shortened development periods compared with conventional vehicle concepts. The integration of newly designed additional mission modules is possible with little effort and a separate commercialization of single modules is feasible."

Jan 1, 2017

By Katherine H. Walton

The research affiliate projects of the Continental Shelf Division of the Marine Minerals Technology Center concentrate on the development of technologies and methodologies for the exploration 4 and assessment of nonfuel continental shelf mineral resources within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Three of the FY 1990-91 research grants are summarized below. Scientists at the Center for Applied Isotope Studies at the University of Georgia have developed ?An Advanced Design for a Seafloor Gamma Isotope Mapping System? for the rapid collection of data on seafloor sediments. This system is designed to detect gamma radiation emitted by naturally occurring radioactive elements found in marine sediments. This data can be used to study seafloor lithology and has direct application in marine mineral surveys. The purpose of this study has been to redesign and calibrate the system for marine mineral survey work. Recent modifications of the sled design, gamma radiation detector, and supporting software have resulted in considerable improvements in sensitivity, functional operation, and data acquisition.

Jan 1, 1991

By Richard H. T. Garnett

Large scale, profitable, offshore mining of cassiterite started in 1907 around the coast of south Thailand and continues today in Indonesia. The more complex marine mining of diamonds commenced in the early 1960?s and is now an established industry off the coast of Namibia in southern Africa. The activities have involved many diverse organisations, and have required the development of new marine mining equipment. De Beers Marine, more recently as contractor to Namdeb, has been the dominant producer since 1989. Smaller, public, mining companies, registered in South Africa, Canada and the U.K., have achieved mixed performance results, but the total annual revenue from offshore diamonds now exceeds about US$ 180 M. With the benefit of hindsight, there are some useful lessons to be learned from the experiences. Mining of placer deposits at sea is more difficult and more costly than on land. It justifiably commences in response to a market demand for a product that cannot be supplied in sufficient quantity from onshore sources, not because the marine resource exists. The high costs can be offset in places by submarine grades so high that they have not been seen on land for a century. Technical and commercial success requires a combination, and a sufficiency, of ore reserves, capital, experienced people, and technology. Economic viability is not achieved easily and some diamond mining companies have experienced a very short productive life, terminating in their acquisition or liquidation. The reasons for failure in marine mining, regardless of whether the product is diamonds, gold, or tin, invariably are similar and fall into two categories. Those outside a company?s control include the sea conditions, taxation and fiscal climate, security of lease tenure, and the diamond market. The others, assignable to the company, provide important instructions for those who may aspire to advance the cause of marine mining.

Jan 1, 2004

By Kris De Bruyne

Since 2013, GSR has undertaken 4 exploration campaigns, which focused on environmental baseline monitoring (marine biology), resource definition and technological change. The seabed nodule collection vehicle has a significant influence on the achievable production rate and is for that reason thought to be a serious risk in developing an economical viable mining operation. GSR is currently working on a pre-prototype of a seabed nodule collection vehicle. The program, called ProCat, started in 2015 and will take up to end of 2019. ProCat can be split up in 2 phases: ‐ ProCat#1 [2015 – Q2 2017]: separate parallel testing of the nodule collection- and driving mechanism (Tracked Soil Testing Device Patania I – TSTD Patania I). The trafficability was tested in-situ; the collection mechanism was tested in a laboratory. Phase 1 has been completed successfully in September 2017. ‐ ProCat#2 [Q3 2017 – end of 2019]: the knowledge acquired during the first phase was used in this 2nd phase. Both collection mechanism and driving mechanism were integrated into the design of a pre-prototype seabed nodule collection vehicle (Pre-Prototype Vehicle Patania II – PPV Patania II). This pre-prototype vehicle will be used for a simulated mining test in Q2 of 2019 in the GSR- and BGR license area. The main objective of the ProCat research program, and especially the 2nd phase, is to integrate the nodule collector on the tracked chassis and develop an operating vehicle causing minimal environmental impact hereby validating the requirements for a full scale polymetallic nodule collection vehicle in the actual operational environment of the CCFZ. Following the ProCat project, GSR is working towards a system-integrated mining test once exploitation regulations have been agreed by the ISA and its member States.

Jan 1, 2018

By Toru Yamasaki

A concept of plate-tectonic controls for the formation of seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits in back-arc settings was established by Franklin et al. (2005). According to Franklin et al. (2005), a consequence of extension and rifting is subsidence, thinning of the crust, and the rise of hot, athenospheric mantle into the base of the crust. Underplating of the crust by mafic magmas results in low-pressure partial melting of the hydrated crust at a <15-km depth, and the generation of felsic anhydrous melts. The rapid ascent of hot felsic melts, along with mantle-derived mafic melts, results in bimodal volcanism that characterizes rift and volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits (VMS) environments. The rapid and focused advection of the magmatic heat within the rift to the near-surface environment which are required to sustain vigorous long-lived VMS hydrothermal systems. Faults within rift environments may also allow seawater to penetrate into subvolcanic intrusions and mix with magmatically generated metalliferous fluid or allow a direct magmatic contribution from shallow crustal level (3–12 km) magma chambers (Franklin et al., 2005, and references therein). In addition, the caldera-forming processes are favorable for the formation of VMS deposits and the focused high heat flow and cross- stratal structural permeability that is restricted in time and space to caldera development provides an explanation for the clustering of VMS deposits and their restriction to specific time-stratigraphic intervals and structures in the evolution of submarine central volcanic complexes (Franklin et al., 2005, and references therein). The concept is persuasive, although it is based on a series of logically constructed reviews mainly focused on ancient on-land deposits.

Jan 1, 2018

By Bjørn Eske Sørensen, Kristian Drivenes, Przemyslaw Kowalczuk, Kurt Aasly, Gavyn Rollinson, Ben Snook

Efficient and successful mineral processing is dependent on detailed knowledge of the materials and minerals that are to be separated and concentrated. Common bulk methodologies such as XRD and XRF are fast and easy, and can provide an overview of the mineralogy and bulk chemistry of the material. However, they will not provide any textural information. Knowledge of the often intricate interaction between minerals in seafloor massive sulfide deposits is crucial in plant design for mineral processing. Samples from the Loki’s Castle hydrothermal vent have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), QEMSCAN, Electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), and Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD). Processing experiments used froth flotation and leaching techniques. The typical line of operation in ore characterization is shown in Figure 1. Mineral processing may be commenced after any stage of ore characterization. However, it is ideal to have completed as many steps in the ore characterization as possible in order to have the most information of the initial feed material. The main economic minerals in the samples are isocubanite (CuFe2S3), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), and sphalerite (ZnS), with minor galena (PbS) and trace amounts of Au and Ag. The minerals show complex intergrowth textures down to the nanometer scale. These samples exemplify the need for advanced microtextural analyses to adequately characterize ore material prior to processing. The complex textures hamper the use of flotation as an efficient technique, due to the inability to sufficiently liberate the different minerals and problems with selectively floating isocubanite. Thus, leaching was the preferred method for extracting metals.

Jan 1, 2018

By Fredrik Søreide

The Norwegian EEZ contains large areas of interest for SMS exploration along the Mid- Atlantic Ridge, from Jan Mayen to Svalbard. At the same time Norwegian companies engaged in oil and gas activities are in the forefront of subsea development. This makes Norway ideally positioned to take a leading role within marine minerals research and commercialization. In the recent minerals strategy from the Norwegian Government marine minerals was pointed out as one of the strategic areas for the future. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology has established a research program in cooperation with Norwegian industry partners to determine the commercial potential of marine minerals in Norwegian EEZ. This presentation will give an overview of the status of marine minerals research and potential in Norway.

Sep 14, 2011