Mineral resources of the ocean

Major data concerning the history of investigation, distribution, mineral and chemical composition, and formation processes of mineral resources of the ocean, namely ferromanganese nodules, ore crusts, phosphorites, and hydrothermal mineral formations, including ore-bearing and metalliferous sediments, massive sulfides, and hydrothermal ferromanganese crusts are reviewed. The problem of the scale of mineral accumulations in the ocean and their quality, along with prospects of their future recovery, is discussed.