Deep-sea manganese nodules, once an obscure scientific curios- ity,
have, in the brief span of two decades, become a potential mineral
resource of major importance. Nodules that cover the sea floor of the
tropical North Pacific may represent a vast ore de- posit of manganese,
nickel, cobalt, and copper. Modern technology has apparently surmounted
the incredible problem of recovering nodules in water depths of 5000
meters and the extraction of metals from the complex chemical nodule
matrix is a reality. Both the recovery and the extraction appear to be
economically feasible. Exploitation of this resource is, however,
hindered more by the lack of an international legal structure allowing
for recognition of mining sites and exploitation rights, than by any
other factor. Often, when a mineral deposit becomes identified as an ex-
ploitable resource, scientific study burgeons. Interest in the nature
and genesis of the deposit increases and much is learned from large
scale exploration. The case is self evident for petrol- eum and ore
deposits on land. The study of manganese nodules is just now entering
this phase. What was the esoteric field of a few scientists has become
the subject of active exploration and research by most of the
industrialized nations. Unfortunately for our general understanding of
manganese nodules, exploration results remain largely proprietary.
However, scientific study has greatly increased and the results are
becoming widely available.