According to The Asahi Shimbun, a vast trove of valuable rare metals, cobalt and nickel to name just some, lies deep below the sea surface in Japan’s exclusive economic zone nearly 2,000 kilometers southeast of Tokyo, researchers say.
Now, plans are afoot to begin trial collection of the manganese nodules, or mineral concretions, from the Pacific Ocean site as early as 2025 with a view toward commercialization. Manganese nodules rich in cobalt, nickel and other rare metals were found concentrated on the sea floor near Minami-Torishima island, Japan’s easternmost island, according to the announcement by the University of Tokyo and the Nippon Foundation. A research team conducted a survey from April to June to extract mineral resources scattered on the seabed at depths of between 5,200 and 5,700 meters off the island, part of the Ogasawara island chain. Based on the survey, which covered 10,000 square kilometers, researchers estimate there are about 230 million tons of manganese nodules. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15316394
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