Deep Sea Mineral deposits : facts 1. The first discovery of polymetallic nodules was made by scientists onboard the research vessel H M S Challenger in 1873. 2. National Institute of Oceanography, Goa discovered nodules in the Arabian Sea in 1981 onboard R.V.Gaveshani. 3. In 1982, India was recognised as a Pioneer Investor in deep seabed mining, by the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea. 4. To date, India has surveyed an area of nearly 7.860 million sq km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin ( CIOB), where polymetallic nodule resource potential of 380-million tons containing 4.7-million tons of nickel, 4.29-million tons of copper, 0.55-million tons of cobalt and 92.59-million tons of manganese is estimated. 5. Two mine sites, each 150,000 sq km area with equal commercial grade (Cu+Ni+Co wt%) and abundance of nodules have been identified. 6. In 1984, India filed her claim with the Preparatory Commission (PRECOM) for the International Sea Bed Authority (ISBA). 7. In 1987, India became the first country in the world to be allocated exclusive rights for further exploration. 8. Subsequently, a massive effort was put in by India for exploration of polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by using a number of research vessels. 9. This programme is being funded by Department of Ocean Development, New Delhi. 10. The extraction of metals from polymetallic nodules in the ocean bed has not yet been proven economically viable. 11. India conducted the study through remotely operable submersible with the capability of operating at a water depth of 6 000 m. for more updates see UPSC and other competitive Exams on Facebook
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:47:50 +0000
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