Mineral Resources of the Sea (eBook)

Front Cover 1
The Mineral Resources of The Sea 4
Copyright Page 5
CONTENTS 12
PREFACE 8
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 16
CHAPTER II. MARINE BEACHES 21
Beach deposits 21
Beaches now being mined 27
Submarine beach exploration methods. 35
CHAPTER III. MINERALS FROM SEA WATER 39
Extraction of minerals from sea water 40
Economics of the extraction of minerals from sea water 60
New technologies for mineral extraction from the sea 63
CHAPTER IV. THE CONTINENTAL SHELVES 68
Surficial deposits of the continental shelf 70
Phosphorite 72
Other minerals on the continental shelves 88
CHAPTER V. STRATA UNDERLYING THE SOFT SEA-FLOOR SEDIMENTS 99
Deposits under the surficial sediments of the continental shelf 104
Vein deposits 111
Petroleum deposits 113
CHAPTER VI. THE DEEP-SEA FLOOR 118
Depth of the oceans 121
Manganese nodules 142
Environmental factors of formation of manganese nodules 154
Formation of manganese nodules 160
Mineralogy of manganese nodules 166
Distribution and concentration of manganese nodules 170
Chemical composition of manganese nodules 193
Amounts of various metals in the manganese nodules 249
Manganese nodules in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans 249
CHAPTER VII. OCEAN MINING METHODS 257
The mining of marine beaches and offshore placers 258
The mining of surficial sediments from the ocean floor 267
CHAPTER VIII. SOME ECONOMIC AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF OCEAN MINING 288
The manganese nodules as a mineral resource 292
Advantages of deep-sea mining 295
Legal problems involved in ocean mining 295
APPENDIX I. STATION OF SAMPLE TITLE LIST 309
APPENDIX II. TABLE OF CONVERSION FACTORS 310
REFERENCES 311
INDEX 320