Deep ocean mining targets volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) ore deposits on the seafloor that contain valuable metals like copper, zinc, gold and silver. These deposits form from hydrothermal vents where superheated water and dissolved metals erupt from underwater volcanoes. While explored in the 1970s, the technology was not advanced enough to mine economically. However, with rising demand and limited new sources of critical metals, companies are again looking to mine these deep ocean deposits using new mining machines and ship-based processing. One project, Solwara 1 off Papua New Guinea, aims to extract over a million tons per year of high-grade copper and gold starting in 2013 at a depth of 1,600

1. Deep Ocean Mining
Has the time come for this?
Exploration, technology, resources,
spin-offs.

2. Target – VMS ore deposits
• VMS – volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits
(metal sulfide deposits)
– Copper, zinc, lead, gold, silver
– By-products include cobalt, sulfur, manganese, barium, tin,
cadmium, indium, tellurium
• Basically anything that dissolves in molten sulfur
• Formed by volcanic openings in ocean floor
– Superheated water + sulfur borne metals wells out forming
a cone (black smokers / fumeroles)
– Deposits the above metals
– Very hot highly acidic local conditions while active
• Hard to find when dormant

3. Black smoker schematic

4. An old idea
• Explored a lot in 70s timeframe
– Many studies, papers and equipment/process inventions
• More or less considered uneconomical then
– Lower resource prices
– Lower tech
– Missing inventions
• Maganese modules were mined in 70s and 80s
– Rich in nickel and copper covering larger areas
– Ultimately aborted as too expensive at the time
• Drop in metal prices at time combined with energy cost spike
• Easier to mine through 2000 m of water than of earth and
stone

5. Environmental aspects
• Concern for the unique and possibly quite useful life extremophile life
forms
– Some of the mineralization may be caused or aided by some of the micro-
organisms present
• Overall impact is likely significantly less than land based mining
– No acid drainage
• But care with acidic water cycling is required
– No waste-rock piles
– No permanent structures
• Other worries
– Sediment plumes
• Especially serious near surface
– Near surface acidity increase
• Though surface water is highly alkaline so that would take a LOT of pumping without
return

6. Resource shortages
• Copper
– High demand
– Some loss production, little new major sources
– Very tight supply, booming prices
– Expensive enough to be commonly stolen
– Fairly long lag for new equipment, permits,
infrastructure
– Asian increased demand is tightening supply of
copper and many other resources

13. Raw Material Shortages..
• 14 critical supply raw materials
– Antimony, beryllium, cobalt, fluospar, gallium,
germanium, graphite, indium, magnesium,
niobium..
– Platinum group
• Platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium..
– Rare earths
• Yttrium, scandium, lanthanum, lathanides, tantalum,
tungsten

15. Afghanistan to the rescue?
• Over $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits
– Now you know another reason US is pounding dirt there
• Huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold, lithium,
niobium
– “Saudi Arabia of lithium” - pentagon
• Country could become one of the most important
mining centers in the world
– The Soviets figured this out back in the 80s..
• China may seek more control of this area
• Starting from nearly nothing it will take decades to
develop these resources

16. Deep ocean mining
Deposits extracted by 100 ton machines
– Mostly developed for deep sea oil work
– Mix of water and material brought to surface ship
• Water is very acidic – separated and pumped back down
• Single deposit could weigh in at 100 million tons
• Most of the deep sea vents are in international waters
– Some UN treaty may be limiting factor
• 1982 Law of the Sea treaty
• US hasn’t signed yet and is a bit blocked by international law

17. Solwara 1 Project
• Nautilus company
• After gold and copper
– $70 per ton production cost
– $1000 per ton value
• $383 million in equipment (funded)
• 30 month build schedule to 1.2 million tons/year
• Expected first ore at end of 2012.
• Depth: 1600 meters
• Samples contained copper and gold concentrations
several times higher than typical in mines on land

18. Solwari 1

20. Seafloor Mining Process Flow