Deep Sea Minerals - Vol 3 - Cobalt-rich Ferromanganese Crusts

technical and policy support, and capacity-building activities through the Deep Sea Minerals in the Pacific Islands Region: a Legal and Fiscal Framework for Sustainable Resource Management project (Figure 1). This publication created as part of that project, brings together expert knowledge about the geology and biology of cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts and information about best practices relat- ed to the environmental management and technical aspects of mineral exploration and extraction.

Participating Paci c Island States

Marshall Islands

Federated States of Micronesia

Palau

Kiribati (Line Iss.)

Kiribati

Nauru

(Gilbert Iss.)

Kiribati

Papua New Guinea

(Phoenix Iss.)

Tuvalu

Solomon Islands

Cook Islands

Timor Leste

Samoa

Fiji

Vanuatu

Tonga Niue

Exclusive economic zone

Figure 1. The Pacific ACP States (i.e. Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Group of States) participating in the European Union funded SPC Deep Sea Minerals Project.

References

Hodkinson, R.A, and Cronan, D.S. (1991). Regional and depth variabili- ty in the composition of cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts from the SOPAC area and adjacent parts of the central equatorial Pacific. Mar. Geol. 98, 437–447. ISA (2012) International Seabed Authority receives two new applications for seabed exploration. http://www.isa.org.jm/en/node/786 ISA (2002). Polymetallic massive sulphides and cobalt-rich ferromanga- nese crusts: status and prospects. Technical Study No. 2.

Cronan, D.S. (1984). Criteria for recognition of areas of potentially eco- nomic manganese nodules and encrustations in the CCOP/SOPAC region of the central and southwestern tropical Pacific. South Pac. Geol. Notes 3, 1–17. Hein, J.R., Koschinsky, A., Bau, M., Manheim, F.T., Kang, J.-K. and Roberts, L. (2000). Cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts in the Pacific. In: (Ed: Cronan, D.S.) Handbook of marine minerals. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 239–279.

COBALT-RICH FERROMANGANESE CRUSTS 6