Poseidon's treasure/The race to claim big areas of the seafloor for mining is on

摘要

Heavyweights such as Newmont, Teck Cominco, Anglo American and Barrick Gold are watching , the development of the seafloor massive sulphide industry closely: while it promises to yield high-grade ore, mining offshore is still in its infancy. Seafloor massive sulphides, or SMS, are the product of black smokers - hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor that expel 400C mineral-rich water which cools and crystallises when it makes contact with the ocean, creating chimneys of the sulphide ore deposits that have attracted the attention of geologists and mining companies.