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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Karen McVeigh

Deep-sea mining: why is interest growing and what are the risks?

Aerial view of a diamond mining vessel with a helipad at sea
A diamond mining vessel uses a 'crawler' tractor to suck up sediment from the seabed off the coast of Namibia. While similar, this process is not the same as mining for polymetallic nodules, which have yet to be mined commercially. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

What is deep-sea mining?

Mining the deep sea involves the extraction of solid mineral resources from the seabed, at depths greater than 200 metres. Vast areas of this unexplored abyss, particularly in the Pacific Ocean, are littered with polymetallic nodules, rich in manganese, nickel, copper, cobalt and other trace minerals. Minerals are also found near hydrothermal vents and within seamounts (underwater mountains).

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