4

by
Deepak Vidyarthi
General Manager (Mining)

National Mineral Development

Corporation Ltd.
5

Sagar
manthan
6

Marine Exploration
Total Area of
Worlds Oceans

.. 361 m sq kms

Average depth

.. 3711 m

Maximum depth
(Mariana trench) .. 10923 m

Mariana Trench
jw wxxx |

10923 m
8

Marine Exploration
1855.. Bathymetric surveys in Atlantic Ocean
1950.. Oceanographic surveys discovery of
global mid ocean ridge
1951.. Survey of Mariana trench: Challenger II
1961.. Sea floor spreading
1968.. Glomar Challenger vessel launched for
study of marine geology in SA & Africa
2005.. Solwara exploration along Rim of fire
in Papua New Guinea
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RV Atlantis
Sophisticated
research vessel
equipped with
navigation,
bottom mapping
& satellite
communication
systems
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Mapping ocean floors with echo

sounding
Multi beam Bathymetery
to cover a wide swath of
sea floor

Single beam Bathymetery

to obtain a line elevation of
the sea floor

11

Km

1950

0
0
,
0

0
0
8
X
0

12

Solwara Exploration
2007

: Wave mercury worlds largest

exploration programme for SMS deposits

Phase I : 30 d - EIA
Phase II : 30 d - Mapping, sampling,
geographical studies
Phase III : 120 d - Resource definition drilling,
sampling,
metallurgical studies
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DP Hunter drill ship equipped with

helipad and drill mast

14

Remote Operated Vehicle

15

Under water crawler vehicle

16

Location
Of
Solwara
Project
PNG
17

Sea floor mapping

18

Sea floor mapping

String
ROV
with camera

Suzette hydrothermal field

19

Suzette hydrothermal field , Papua New

Guinea

20

Suzette hydrothermal field , Papua New

Guinea

21

Suzette hydrothermal field , Papua New

Guinea

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SMS : Sea floor massive sulphides

z
z
z
z

Gold
Copper
Silver
Zinc

15.5 g/t
9.6 %
138 g/t
5.1 %
23

X R F (X-ray fluorescence)
Solwara 8 Project, PNG
z
z
z

Copper
Zinc
Pb

9.30 %
21.0 %
0.80 %
24

25

Sea floor spreading

26

Subduction

27

Subduction

28

Hydrothermal vents

29

Hydrothermal
vents
30

31

Poly metallic nodules

Contain nickel, manganese, copper, cobalt

at depths of 5000 mtrs under water
32

Methane gas hydrates

33

Vxtt axxwx

Sulphide
minerals
34

Inactive sulphide chimney

Outer crust Mn

Iron rich mineral

yellow coloured

35

Solwara exploration

ft|z
y
f{|wx
|xt
y {x
xt y
36

Gold bearing seamounts

Seamounts

: Undersea
mountains

Heights
> 1000 m

: Seamounts

500-1000 m

: Knolls

<500 m

: Hills

Examples
Hawaii
Azores
Bermuda
37

I. S. A.
E.E.Z.
Navigation
Continental shelf
Archipelagic status
Deep sea bed mining
Protection of marine
environment
Scientific research
38

Jules Verne Ship

Estimated Cost US $ 120 million

Production rate 6000 tpd
Mining depth 1700 meters
Anticipated time of
Completion Yr. 2009
Design - Jan De Nul

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Environmental impacts of
marine mining
z Adverse

effect on marine life

z Immediate re-deposition of debris
may reduce the risk of long term
damage
z Destruction of benthic fauna of
existing sea floor
z No use of explosives & therefore no
pollution on account of noise /
vibrations
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Environmental impacts of
marine mining
z AMW

if any, would get neutralized

by alkaline sea water
z Less destructive than terrestrial
mining
z No hassle of winding up after
completion of mining activity as
there will be no plant / work shop /
office establishment etc. on the sea
floor
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Conclusion
The environmental impacts of sub
sea mining as compared to
terrestrial mining would be far
less damaging
India has also entered the coveted
list of other advanced countries
in the area of deep sea
technology.
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Conclusion
A site of 1,50,000 sq. kms has been
allotted to India in the central
Indian Ocean Basin for exploration
of Poly metallic Nodules.
Although lot remains to be done in
terms of exploration, viable
technology, commercial feasibility
etc, with fast depleting reserves of
minerals on land surface, the obvious
choice would fall on ocean mining.
43

Conclusion
point to ponder
it is a lot easier to go down
through a couple of thousand
meters of
water
rather than going down through
couple of thousand meters of
rock

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AAA{| | } {x
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twxx 444
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Acknowledgements
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z

Sri B.Ramesh Kumar, CMD, NMDC

Sri Murli Manohar, D(C), NMDC
Sri VK Jain, D(P), NMDC
Sri PS Upadhyaya, D(T), NMDC
MEAI - President, Secretary, Convenor,
Organizers
Nautilus Minerals, Canada
National Ocean Service, US
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, US
National Geophysical Data Centre, US
46

thank you

47

Questions ?

Vtv M

vidyarthikud@hotmail.com
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