of the South Pacific.

The crusts accumulate when manganese, iron and a wide array of trace metals
dissolved in the water (cobalt, copper, nickel, and platinum) are deposited on the volcanic substrates.
Their growth rates are comparable to those of manganese nodules. The cobalt crusts also contain
relatively small amounts of the economically important resources. Literally tonnes of raw material have to
be excavated in order to obtain significant amounts of the metals. However, the content of cobalt (up to 2
per cent) and platinum (up to 0.0001 per cent) is somewhat higher than in manganese nodules.
Extracting cobalt from the ocean is of particular interest because it is found on land in only a few
countries (Congo, Zaire, Russia, Australia and China), some of which are politically unstable. Alternative
marine prospects could reduce our dependence on supplies from these countries.
Technologically, the mining of cobalt crusts is much more complex than manganese nodules. For one, it
is critical that only the crust is removed, and not the underlying volcanic rocks. In addition, the slopes of
the volcanoes are very ragged and steep, which makes the use of excavation equipment more difficult. It
is therefore not surprising that cobalt crust mining is only at the conceptual stage at present. Cobalt crust
mining would also have a significant impact on the benthic organisms. It is therefore vital that prior
environmental impact studies are carried out. In most cases monitoring by the International Seabed
Authority (ISA) is not possible because many cobalt occurrences are located within the territorial
waters
of various countries.
7.5 > Massive sulphides form at black smokers – hot springs on the sea floor with temperatures
approaching 400 degrees Celsius. These vents discharge minerals from the Earth’s interior, forming chimneys that rise to several
metres above the seabed. Black smokers are also unique habitats.