Mining at the bottom of the sea is still in its infancy, but some companies are already looking to take the lead in this type of extraction. ore, especially to produce batteries for electric cars, which need nickel in their composition.
Nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese minerals were found in large quantities in rocky parks located below sea level. These minerals are essential for building electric car batteries.
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The rocky fields in which the minerals are located are known by the name of abyssal plains. In them are minerals considered extremely rare in nature. In the region, there are more than 3,000 meters deep in more than 70% of the seabed.
Rocky fields located in the Pacific Ocean
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the region is known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, located in the
Pacific Ocean, with over 1.7 million miles.As reported by the journal Nature, there are more than 274 million tons of nickel, a metal used to make steel, metal alloys and rechargeable batteries. For this reason, it is an important mineral in the manufacture of electric car batteries.
The discovery of this rocky park full of essential chemical elements for the development of new forms of energy on Earth raises interesting issues, such as the 44 million tons of cobalt discovered at the bottom of the sea.
Polymetallic nodules are potato-sized rocks that litter the ocean floor. These rocks are composed of large amounts of nickel and cobalt in greater numbers than found on land so far.
Race to find minerals at the bottom of the sea03
Large companies responsible for mining metals and other minerals are concentrating efforts to develop and expand the extraction of these chemical elements located in the oceans.
While some steps may be waived to extract the ores, geopolitical, labor and environmental issues are still important points to be considered by mining companies when extracting in high sea.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone, located between Mexico and Hawaii, is the most disputed when it comes to deep sea mining. This is because it is the closest location to the United States, a large consumer market for metals such as nickel and cobalt.