Manganese Nodule Deposits in the Indian Ocean

摘要

Available data on nodule composition and abundance in the Indian Ocean are presented. Five areas in which nodule deposits might meet the criteria for consideration as mineral resources are discussed. Only one of these areas, in the central Indian Basin, offers possible sites for first generation seabed mining; the others are submarginal. It is extremely unlikely that minable deposits occur in the Indian Ocean outside of the areas studied.