Global Exploration Models for Polymetallic Sulphides in the Area: An Assessment of Lease Block Selection under the Draft Regulations on Prospecting and Exploration for Polymetallic Sulphides

Draft regulations for prospecting and exploration of polymetallic sulphides in the “Area” are currently being considered for implementation by the International Seabed Authority. This paper examines possible models for allocation of lease blocks for exploration and the proposed schedule for relinquishing blocks during the exploration phase. One model for granting of exploration licenses under the proposed regulations involves contiguous lease blocks, similar to that being considered for nodules and crusts; another model involves non-contiguous blocks. An analysis of the occurrence and distribution of known polymetallic sulphides in 32 training areas shows that the regulations for prospecting and exploration of crusts likely cannot be applied equally to polymetallic sulphides.     

Seamount Characteristics and Mine-Site Model Applied to Exploration- and Mining-Lease-Block Selection for Cobalt-Rich Ferromanganese Crusts

Regulations are being developed through the International Seabed Authority (ISBA) for the exploration and mining of cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. This paper lays out geologic and geomorphologic criteria that can be used to determine the size and number of exploration and mine-site blocks that will be the focus of much discussion within the ISBA Council deliberations. The surface areas of 155 volcanic edifices in the central equatorial Pacific were measured and used to develop a mine-site model. The mine-site model considers areas above 2,500 m water depth as permissive, and narrows the general area available for exploration and mining to 20% of that permissive area. It is calculated that about eighteen 100 km² exploration blocks, each composed of five 20 km² contiguous sub-blocks, would be adequate to identify a 260 km² 20-year-mine site; the mine site would be composed of thirteen of the 20 km² sub-blocks. In this hypothetical example, the 260 km² mine site would be spread over four volcanic edifices and comprise 3.7% of the permissive area of the four edifices and 0.01% of the total area of those four edifices. The eighteen 100 km² exploration blocks would be selected from a limited geographic area. That confinement area is defined as having a long dimension of not more than 1,000 km and an area of not more than 300,000 km².     

西太平洋Kocebu海山铁锰结壳稀土元素地球化学特征

西太平洋麦哲伦海山区是全球重要的铁锰结壳资源分布区,具有丰富的稀土元素资源潜力.本文对采自麦哲伦海山区Kocebu海山的11个铁锰结壳表层样(<1 mm)进行稀土元素地球化学研究,探讨其含量特征、成因和影响稀土元素富集的环境因素.结果表明:Kocebu海山铁锰结壳表层样品ΣREY(Rare earth elements...     

Comparison of the population structure and life-history parameters of Diplodus capensis (Sparidae) in exploited and unexploited areas of southern Angola

Blacktail seabream Diplodus capensis were sampled from proximate (10 km apart) exploited and unexploited areas in southern Angola to compare their population structures and life-history parameters. Females dominated the larger size and older age classes in the unexploited area. In the exploited area the length and age frequency distributions were more equitable, but there was a lack of large and old individuals in this area due to the selective nature of fishing gear. Growth zone deposition rate was validated as being annual using mark-recapture of chemically injected (oxytetracycline) fish. In the unexploited area, females attained larger sizes and greater ages than males; however, growth and longevity were more equitable between the sexes in the exploited area. Length- and age-at-50% maturity were similar between the sexes in both areas. The sex ratio was heavily female-skewed (1:4.7) in the unexploited area but less so in the exploited area (1:2.2). Although the growth curves were significantly different for fish between areas, this was likely due to a reduction in longevity rather than a physiological change in growth. The length- and age-at-50% maturity was also similar between areas, indicating that this species either does not have the ability to respond to exploitation through physiological change in these life-history characteristics, or that the current level of exploitation is not high enough to elicit such a response. However, the female dominance in the smallest size class in the exploited area (compared to the unexploited area) indicated that a threshold may have been reached, and that this species responds to exploitation by increasing the relative number of fish that mature as females.     

山东胜利油田海洋石油勘探开发现状及前景分析

胜利油田海上勘探区 ,位于渤海湾南部的极浅海海域 ,其范围为 :西起四女寺河口 ,经套儿河口、老黄河口、新黄河口、小青河口 ,东到潍河口 ,海岸长 4 1 4km,胜利矿产登记线内面积 4 870 km2 ,水深一般 0～ 5m,最深 1 8m。截止 2 0 0 0年年底 ,已完成二维地震 71 3 6.1 km,三维地震 1 588.58km2 ,完钻探井 1 0 2口 ,测井解释油气层井 87口 ,试油 85口 ,其中 74口获工业油流 ,6口获低产油流。发现了埕岛、埕北 3 0、新滩 3个油田 ,在明化镇组、馆陶组、东营组、沙河街组、中生界、上古生界、下古生界、太古界中发现了 8套含油层系 ,6种类型的油气藏 ,已探明含油面积 1 45.8km2 ,石油地质储量 3 860 9万 t;控制含油面积57.5km2 ,石油地质储量 894 8万 t,其中埕岛油田是渤海域发现最早的亿吨级油田 ,目前已建成 2 1 6万 t年生产能力 ,累积产油 1 0 57万 t。根据两轮资源评价及勘探实践的认识 ,与本区有关的 8个生油凹陷 (岐口、沙南、渤中、埕北、桩东、青东、莱州湾、潍北 )总资源量约 1 2 .0亿 t,目前已找到探明加控制石油地质储量为 4 .75亿 t,仍有较大的勘探开发潜力。今后将对 8个构造带 (埕子口、埕岛、埕北 3 0、长堤、垦东、青东、青坨子、潍北 )进行勘探 ,落实探明储量 ,进一步投入开发 ,为胜利油田     

西非海岸盆地群油气勘探成果及勘探潜力分析

西非海岸盆地群包括塔尔法亚、塞内加尔、尼日尔三角洲、杜阿拉、里奥姆尼、加蓬、下刚果、宽扎、奥兰治、科特迪瓦、贝宁等11个主要沉积盆地,它们是冈瓦纳大陆裂解和中大西洋、南大西洋及赤道大西洋张开和漂移的结果,包括被动大陆边缘盆地和转换边缘盆地两种类型沉积盆地。通过利用IHS数据库资料,在系统总结西非海岸盆地群油气勘探成果基础上,划分其为早期勘探（1953年前）、储量快速增长（1954～1973年）、储量缓慢增长（1974～1994年）和深水勘探（1995年至今）四个油气勘探阶段,认为研究区油气发现主要与盆地勘探程度、油气勘探技术进步、资源国政治形势和全球经济有关;尼日尔三角洲和下刚果等重点盆地大油气田的发现直接推动了西非海岸盆地群油气储量和产量的增长;深水区是西非海岸盆地群今后寻找大发现的潜力区,而大陆架和陆上则是重点挖潜地区。     

Analysis of SRTM data as an aid to hydrocarbon exploration in a frontier area of the Amazonas Sedimentary Basin,northern Brazil

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) provided an unprecedented source of space-borne topographic information that has shown to be of particular interest for studies in densely vegetated tropical areas, such as Central Amazonia. The digital elevation models produced in that region show subtle details of the terrain that usually appear blurred in conventional remote sensing images. Interpretation of an SRTM-derived drainage network and geomorphometric features revealed several drainage anomalies, which are possibly the surface expression of buried morphostructural features. Integration with geological and geophysical ancillary data strongly suggested that interpreted features constitute potential structural sites for hydrocarbon exploration. However, due to their inferred nature, the structures herein identified are not by themselves a justification for drilling. However, they do provide information for planning seismic surveys, thus reducing costs of the exploration campaigns, as well as minimizing potential environmental impacts of such an enterprise in areas of tropical rain forests. Despite the relatively small size of the study area, it is expected that procedures presented in this paper can be successfully applied throughout the approximately 1,000,000 km² of sedimentary basins in the Brazilian Amazonian region.     

南海北部地球物理特征及地壳结构

为了研究南海地壳结构，中国和日本合作在南海北部首次进行了以炸药为震源的综合地球物理调查。经初步分析其地壳结构主要特征为：南海北部地壳分为沉积层、上地壳层、中地壳层及下地壳层。大陆架及上陆坡地壳厚度大、稳定。下陆坡地壳厚度除中地壳外，其他壳层厚度减薄且不稳定。深海盆地壳分３层，厚度虽薄但相对稳定，其底部缺失７．３ｋｍ·ｓ－１的高速层。测区内地壳总厚度：陆壳２６—３０ｋｍ，过渡壳１３—２２ｋｍ，洋壳为８ｋｍ。     

Morphological Features of Co-Rich Manganese Deposits and Their Relation to Seabed Slopes

The morphological features associated with Co-rich manganese deposits, the size variations of nodules, and the occurrence of different substrates have been analyzed, to evaluate the influence of various seabed slope angles on the distribution of these features. The coverage and size of the crusts depend on their surface morphology and seabed topography, resulting in cobble-type, lineated, or step-like outcrops. Small nodules (1 - 4 cm in diameter) dominate all seabed slopes, with a few locations having nodules ranging from 1 to 8 or 1 to 10 cm. Sediments invariably occur as substrates for nodules and as cover for crusts, their coverage being inversely proportional to that of the nodules and crust outcrops. Steeper seafloor areas have large crust outcrops exposed with no or few nodules and sediments associated with them. The intermediate slopes have a combination of nodules, sediments, and crusts in various proportions, depending on topography and gradient. Large-scale nodule occurrences, followed by sediment fields and crust outcrops on seabed slopes of greater than 3 degrees, 3 - 7 degreees, and less than 15 degrees, respectively, represent typical morphological distribution zones of the Co-rich manganese deposits on a seamount in the central Pacific Ocean. A transition zone between nodule-dominated fields and large crust outcrops occurs for slopes from 7 degrees to 15 degrees. This detailed study on distribution of Co-rich deposits gives a better understanding for purposes of their exploitation.     

News from the seabed – Geological characteristics and resource potential of deep-sea mineral resources

Marine minerals such as manganese nodules, Co-rich ferromanganese crusts, and seafloor massive sulfides are commonly seen as possible future resources that could potentially add to the global raw materials supply. At present, a proper assessment of these resources is not possible due to a severe lack of information regarding their size, distribution, and composition. It is clear, however, that manganese nodules and Co-rich ferromanganese crusts are a vast resource and mining them could have a profound impact on global metal markets, whereas the global resource potential of seafloor massive sulfides appears to be small. These deep-sea mineral commodities are formed by very different geological processes resulting in deposits with distinctly different characteristics. The geological boundary conditions also determine the size of any future mining operations and the area that will be affected by mining. Similarly, the sizes of the most favorable areas that need to be explored for a global resource assessment are also dependent on the geological environment. Size reaches 38 million km² for manganese nodules, while those for Co-rich crusts (1.7 million km²) and massive sulfides (3.2 million km²) are much smaller. Moreover, different commodities are more abundant in some jurisdictions than in others. While only 19% of the favorable area for manganese nodules lies within the Exclusive Economic Zone of coastal states or is covered by proposals for the extension of the continental shelf, 42% of the favorable areas for massive sulfides and 54% for Co-rich crusts are located in EEZs.     

富钴结壳资源远景区圈定方法

提出了4种不同的富钴结壳资源远景区圈定方法,即水深法、工程间距外推法、网格微分法和综合法,对比了它们的优缺点,对同一研究区运用不同的方法圈定了不同的资源远景区并进行了资源评价,结果表明:这几种方法是层层递进、相辅相成的,水深法和工程间距外推法可以给出研究区资源远景的大致范围,网格微分法是圈定较为精确资源远景区的基础,但是,加入地质规律的综合法可以提供更接近真实情况的资源远景区。不同的方法适合不同的勘探程度和不同研究目的,并且有不同的精度。     

Morphological Features of Co-Rich Manganese Deposits and Their Relation to Seabed Slopes

Abstract

The morphological features associated with Co-rich manganese deposits, the size variations of nodules, and the occurrence of different substrates have been analyzed, to evaluate the influence of various seabed slope angles on the distribution of these features. The coverage and size of the crusts depend on their surface morphology and seabed topography, resulting in cobble-type, lineated, or step-like outcrops. Small nodules (1–4 cm in diameter) dominate all seabed slopes, with a few locations having nodules ranging from 1 to 8 or 1 to 10 cm. Sediments invariably occur as substrates for nodules and as cover for crusts, their coverage being inversely proportional to that of the nodules and crust outcrops.

Steeper seafloor areas have large crust outcrops exposed with no or few nodules and sediments associated with them. The intermediate slopes have a combination of nodules, sediments, and crusts in various proportions, depending on topography and gradient. Large-scale nodule occurrences, followed by sediment fields and crust outcrops on seabed slopes of < 3°, 3–7°, and > 15°, respectively, represent typical morphological distribution zones of the Co-rich manganese deposits on a seamount in the central Pacific Ocean. A transition zone between nodule-dominated fields and large crust outcrops occurs for slopes from 7° to 15°. This detailed study on distribution of Co-rich deposits gives a better understanding for purposes of their exploitation.     

全球三大洋海山钴结壳资源量估算

钴结壳具有Co、Ni、Cu和Mn及其他金属的潜在矿产资源和储存在结壳层中古环境信息的双重意义。与深海多金属结核和热液硫化物矿床相比,具有较高Co、Ni和Pt含量的海山钴结壳有可能成为商业勘探的潜在目标。为合理地估算出全球三大洋海山钴结壳资源量,基于我国西太平洋海山钴结壳拖网采样调查资料和对太平洋海山钴结壳资源分布规律和钴结壳矿区圈定参数指标的深入研究,按海山不同高度、不同洋壳年龄赋予不同结壳厚度,进而计算出全球三大洋海山钴结壳分布面积为3 039 452.14km2和干结壳资源量为(1 081.166 1~2 162.332 2)×108 t。太平洋海山钴结壳分布面积为2 123 087.12km2和干结壳资源量为(513.244~1 026.488)×108 t,大西洋海山钴结壳分布面积为512 509.74km2和干结壳资源量为(116.503 2~233.006 4)×108 t,印度洋海山钴结壳分布面积为403 855.28km2和干结壳资源量为(81.484 9~162.969 8)×108 t。三大洋海山钴结壳的Mn、Co、Ni和Cu金属量分别为(138.848 0~277.696 0)×108 t,(3.967 6~7.935 2)×108 t、(2.793 6~5.587 2)×108 t和(0.825 1~1.650 2)×108 t。根据钴结壳的Co含量、Co通量和厚度相关分析,所赋予的钴结壳厚度占理论推测厚度的6.10%~12.20%,这与Ku等得出"钴结壳生长时间约占其整个生命史4%"的认识非常相近。三大洋海山钴结壳实测厚度与赋值厚度对比分析表明,太平洋海山钴结壳赋值厚度平均值为1.87cm,实测厚度平均值为1.77cm,相对误差为5.35%,大西洋和印度洋相对误差分别为18.18%和23.23%。研究数据表明按海山高度和洋壳年龄所赋的钴结壳厚度基本合理,估算出的钴结壳资源量基本可靠。本文首次估算出三大洋海山钴结壳资源量,为整个海盆和三大洋海山钴结壳资源量估算提供了新方法。     

西太平洋Lamont海山中新世以来富钴结壳成矿环境的演化

分析了西太平洋Lamont海山12个站位33个富钴结壳样品的主元素和稀土元素,结果表明,该海山富钴结壳成因类型属于水成成因,并且在形成过程中基本未受到磷酸盐化作用的影响。Lamont海山的一个富钴结壳样品剖面的电子探针数据显示,该海山富钴结壳的成矿环境在新第三纪以来至少存在2个演化阶段:第1阶段,23~15 Ma,富钴结壳中Mn相对富集,成矿环境以富氧贫硅为特征;第2阶段,15~0 Ma,富钴结壳中Fe相对富集,成矿环境以贫氧富硅为特征。成矿环境的氧化能力总体上呈现下降的趋势。联系新生代世界大洋,尤其是西太平洋的地质演化背景,认为引起成矿环境演变的原因主要是西太平洋大洋板块的WNW向漂移和新第三纪以来全球水道开合,造成了Lamont海山所处海区最低含氧带逐渐减薄。     

海洋天然气水合物研究新进展——2006西太平洋地球物理会议

简介了2006年西太平洋地球物理会议中海洋天然气水合物研究的最新成果,主要集中在水合物勘探技术,新的水合物积聚区预测,水合物成因、性质分析,水合物评估手段、开发计划,水合物模拟实验研究等几个方面。在对以上几方面分类总结的基础上,提出了几点关于海洋天然气水合物未来研究方向的认识。     

Automated multi-scale classification of the terrain units of the Jiaxie Guyots and their mineral resource characteristics

Given the advances in satellite altimetry and multibeam bathymetry, benthic terrain classification based on digital bathymetric models (DBMs) has been widely used for the mapping of benthic topographies. For instance, cobalt-rich crusts (CRCs) are important mineral resources found on seamounts and guyots in the western Pacific Ocean. Thick, plate-like CRCs are known to form on the summit and slopes of seamounts at the 1 000–3 000 m depth, while the relationship between seamount topography and spatial distribution of CRCs remains unclear. The benthic terrain classification of seamounts can solve this problem, thereby, facilitating the rapid exploration of seamount CRCs. Our study used an EM122 multibeam echosounder to retrieve high-resolution bathymetry data in the CRCs contract license area of China, i.e., the Jiaxie Guyots in 2015 and 2016. Based on the DBM construted by bathymetirc data, broad- and fine-scale bathymetric position indices were utilized for quantitative classification of the terrain units of the Jiaxie Guyots on multiple scales. The classification revealed four first-order terrain units (e.g., flat, crest, slope, and depression) and eleven second-order terrain units (e.g., local crests, depressions on crests, gentle slopes, crests on slopes, and local depressions, etc.). Furthermore, the classification of the terrain and geological analysis indicated that the Weijia Guyot has a large flat summit, with local crests at the southern summit, whereas most of the guyot flanks were covered by gentle slopes. “Radial” mountain ridges have developed on the eastern side, while large-scale gravitational landslides have developed on the western and southern flanks. Additionally, landslide masses can be observed at the bottom of these slopes. The coverage of local crests on the seamount is ~1 000 km2, and the local crests on the peak and flanks of the guyots may be the areas where thick and continuous plate-like CRCs are likely to occur.     

Relationship between geoacoustic properties and chemical content of submarine polymetallic crusts from offshore Brazil

Abstract

Marine mining is the ocean’s new exploration frontier, and polymetallic crusts (PMCs) and ferromanganese nodules are considered a strategic resource for the future. Acoustic geophysical methods are a valuable tool for oceanic research and have been employed for several decades in the exploration of marine resources and environmental evaluations. The main objective of this work was to investigate the correlation between the chemical composition of PMCs from three different areas along the Brazilian continental margin and their physico-acoustic attributes (P-wave velocity, density and acoustic impedance). The results show that the geoacoustic properties of PMCs are correlated to their chemical composition. Measurements showed positive and negative trends between acoustic impedance and studied elements (Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, W and Ni) according to the direction of measurement, indicting high anisotropy levels. Our study sheds initial light on the correlation between acoustic properties and metal content of PMCs. The study facilitates assessments of the acoustic responses of PMCs allowing more efficient prospection and exploitation compared to ship-board geophysical techniques that are too qualitative to identify PMCs. The results can contribute to determining the best procedures and techniques for more efficient future exploration of this resource.     

Environmental consequence analyses of fish farm emissions related to different scales and exemplified by data from the Baltic--a review

The aim of this work is to review studies to evaluate how emissions from fish cage farms cause eutrophication effects in marine environments. The focus is on four different scales: (i) the conditions at the site of the farm, (ii) the local scale related to the coastal area where the farm is situated, (iii) the regional scale encompassing many coastal areas and (iv) the international scale including several regional coastal areas. The aim is to evaluate the role of nutrient emissions from fish farms in a general way, but all selected examples come from the Baltic Sea. An important part of this evaluation concerns the method to define the boundaries of a given coastal area. If this is done arbitrarily, one would obtain arbitrary results in the environmental consequence analysis. In this work, the boundary lines between the coast and the sea are drawn using GIS methods (geographical information systems) according to the topographical bottleneck method, which opens a way to determine many fundamental characteristics in the context of mass balance calculations. In mass balance modelling, the fluxes from the fish farm should be compared to other fluxes to, within and from coastal areas. Results collected in this study show that: (1) at the smallest scale (<1 ha), the "footprint" expressing the impact areas of fish cage farm often corresponds to the size of a "football field" (50-100 m) if the annual fish production is about 50 ton, (2) at the local scale (1 ha to 100 km2), there exists a simple load diagram (effect-load-sensitivity) to relate the environmental response and effects from a specific load from a fish cage farm. This makes it possible to obtain a first estimate of the maximum allowable fish production in a specific coastal area, (3) at the regional scale (100-10,000 km2), it is possible to create negative nutrient fluxes, i.e., use fish farming as a method to reduce the nutrient loading to the sea. The breaking point is to use more than about 1.1 g wet weight regionally caught wild fish per gram feed for the cultivated fish, and (4) at the international scale (>10,000 km2) related to the Baltic Proper, the contribution from fish farms to the overall nutrient fluxes are very small. We have also given two case-studies at the local scale where the impact of the fish farm emissions are greatest and the idea is to identify coastal areas unsuitable and suitable for fish cage farms and the reasons why. It should also be stressed that the results presented here are exemplified using emissions from fish farms, but that the underlying principles to evaluate the ecosystem effects of nutrient discharges from point source emissions are valid in a wider and more general perspective.     

Rare earth elements and yttrium in ferromanganese deposits from the South China Sea: distribution, composition and resource considerations

Ferromanganese nodules and crusts contain relatively high concentration of rare earth elements(REE) and yttrium(REY),with a growing interest in exploitation as an alternative to land-based REY resources.On the basis of comprehensive geochemical approach,the abundance and distribution of REY in the ferromanganese nodules from the South China Sea are analyzed.The results indicate that the REY contents in ferromanganese deposits show a clear geographic regularity.Total REY contents range from 69.1×10~(–6) to 2 919.4×10~(–6),with an average value of 1 459.5×10~(–6).Especially,the enrichment rate of Ce content is high,accounting for almost 60% of the total REY.This REE enrichment is controlled mainly by the sorption of ferromanganese oxides and clay minerals in the nodules and crusts.Moreover,the total REY are higher in ferromanganese deposits of hydrogenous origin than of diagenetic origin.Finally,Light REE(LREE) and heavy REE(HREE) oxides of the ferromanganese deposits in the study area can be classified into four grades: non-enriched type,weakly enriched type,enriched type,and extremely enriched type.According to the classification criteria of rare earth resources,the Xisha and Zhongsha platform-central deep basin areas show a great potential for these rare earth metals.     

中太平洋海山富钴结壳与基岩关系的研究

对我国首次取得的中太平洋海山基岩和富钴结壳样品的结构构造、矿物和化学组成特征的研究表明,该区主要基岩类型为碱性玄武岩、磷块岩、磷酸盐化碳酸盐岩和燧石等,碱性玄武岩分布最广,并均有不同程度的风化.观察表明,富钴结壳的载体可以是各种岩性的基岩.玄武岩、风化火山岩和磷块岩上的结壳厚度比燧石的大,有较高的经济价值,是选矿冶炼的主要对象.对于调查区内富钴结壳形态总体上可分为三种类型:板状、砾状和结核状结壳.从以下四个方面探讨结壳与基岩之间的关系:(1)海水、基岩和结壳中主要金属元素含量特点;(2)通过聚类分析方法探讨结壳与基岩之间的亲疏程度;(3)结壳的分布特征;(4)不同基岩类型对结壳生长的影响.分析结果表明,调查区内的火山岩及磷块岩对结壳形成的贡献大(比其他类型岩石).