Identification of target areas for hard minerals mining is especially diffi- 

 cult since few de{X)sits extend seaward from land, making tracing impos- 

 sible, and most have small horizontal dimensions. Thus, more sophisticated 

 exploratory techniques and equipment than used on land are required. Also, 

 production of surficial minerals is limited to protected coastal waters less 

 than 200 feet deep because of the lack of a deep-water, open-ocean dredging 

 capability; tunneling for subfloor minerals is restricted to 15 miles from 

 shore by the state-of-the-art of underground excavation techniques. Con- 

 sequently, most experts believe that production of hard minerals in the 

 near future will probably continue to be limited to nearshore areas unless 

 unknown, extremely rich deposits are found in the deep ocean, or a sudden 

 change in the availability of critical commodities dictates unusual measures. 



Future discovery of valuable new sources of minerals in the deep ocean 

 cannot be ruled out. Vast areas, including the longest and highest chains of 

 mountains on earth — the mid-oceanic ridges and their associated rift val- 

 leys — are virtually unexplored. During separate expeditions in the Red Sea 

 in 1964, 1965, and 1966, three undersea pools of hot, high-density, metal- 

 bearing brines were found at depths of some 7,000 feet. Scientists from 

 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who have estimated that the 

 brines contain over $2.3 billion in gold, copper, zinc, and silver in their top 

 100 feet, believe that the origin of the metals is related to a rift valley that 

 cuts through the middle of the sea. 



Despite economic and technological constraints on ocean mining, indus- 

 try's most frequently stated problem — according to the report of the Com- 

 mission on Marine Science, Engineering and Resources — is "the lack of a 

 clear regulatory and legal framework for many aspects of marine operations. 

 Industry also is handicapped by current and foreseeable conflicts over multi- 

 ple use of marine areas and by lack of clear definition of the rights of 

 individuals and companies to use coastal or offshore areas." In view of 

 growing public reaction against the use of coastal waters for operations 

 which pose hazards to water quality and marine ecology, and unresolved 

 international issues on ownership of minerals of the deep ocean (see chs. 

 Ill and XIII) , institutional factors involving social, legal, and administrative 

 considerations may be the major impediments to an expansion of marine 

 minerals development in the 1970's. 



Government's Role and Agency Responsibilities 



Government's role with respect to mineral development has been to 

 encourage and sponsor programs to — 



( 1 ) Insure an adequate, dependable, diverse supply of raw materials 

 for an expanding population and for a growing industrial economy; 



(2) Have available mineral supplies at lowest cost consistent with 

 the satisfaction of other national objectives ; 



(3) Maintain a sufficient resource base for national security; 



(4) Conserve the Nation's mineral resources by using them wisely 

 and efficiently ; 



(5) Preserve the quality of the environment — air, water, and land — 

 while obtaining the needed mineral resources : 



69 



