Agreement Reached on Deep Sea Mining
A Canadian mining firm has finalized a deal for deep-sea mining with Papua New Guinea, despite environmentalists’ warnings of long-term damage. Environmentalists note that much of the sea floor has yet to be explored. “The mine will target an area of hydrothermal vents where superheated, highly acidic water emerges from the seabed, where it encounters far colder and more alkaline seawater, forcing it to deposit high concentrations of minerals,” reports David Shukman for BBC News about the operation by Nautilus Minerals. The operation will rely on robots and the “plan is to break up the top layer of the seabed so that the ore can be pumped up as a slurry.” Advanced technologies have developed as natural resources are more difficult to access and prices rise. So far, the International Seabed Authority, a UN body, has issued 19 licenses for deep seabed mining. Papua New Guinea will have a 15 percent stake in the mine and invest $120 million. The country’s literacy rate stands at about 60 percent, and about 40 percent live below the poverty line. The new mining techniques could begin in five years. – YaleGlobal
Agreement Reached on Deep Sea Mining
A Canadian mining company finalizes agreement with Papua New Guinea to mine area of deep seabed
Monday, April 28, 2014
David Shukman is science editor for BBC News.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27158883
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