Polymetallic nodules is a more descriptive 

 term for these formations since, in addition to 

 high percentages of iron and manganese, the 

 nodules sometimes contain copper, nickel and 

 cobalt in economically attractive amounts. 

 Until recently the nodules, which occur ex- 

 tensively on the abyssal plains of the ocean, 

 were regarded merely as a geological curiosity. 



Manganese Nodule Workshop 



In order to assess the present state of knowl- 

 edge and to plan future studies, the Lamont- 

 Doherty Geological Observatory under IDOE 

 auspices held a workshop/conference in the 

 winter of 1972. The workshop covered scien- 

 tific, technological, economic and environmen- 

 tal aspects of manganese nodule deposits. 

 Since most deposits lie beyond the limits of 

 any present claims to national sovereignty, 

 some attention was given to international legal 

 considerations. Thirty papers were presented, 

 and the workshop results have recently been 

 published.'' 



Although the workshop helped to clarify the 

 understanding of the major aspects of the 

 subject, it also focused attention on a number 

 of problems and gaps in present knowledge. 

 There was general agreement that the substan- 

 tial amounts of information in core labs and 

 data banks should be inventoried and pub- 

 lished. Reports on the North Pacific deposits 

 and the chemical and physical properties of 

 ocean sediments have already been published 

 (Figure 21a, 21b, 21c ^). A coordinating office 

 was set up at Lamont to administer a multi- 

 faceted definition study being done by ten in- 

 vestigators from Columbia University and ten 

 more from as many other institutions. The re- 

 sults of the definition study and recommenda- 

 tions for future research have been published.'' 



Recommendations 



Recommendations — The report and recom- 

 mendations, to be used as guidelines for future 

 research, should be valuable to all groups 

 interested in studying the mineral potential 

 of the ocean. IDOE is especially interested in 

 those aspects which relate to the origin and 

 distribution of the nodules, for example: 



• Sources of and reasons for compositional 

 variations, modes and rates of growth of 

 nodules and crusts and the significance of 

 their stratigraphic records; 



• Environmental factors, including param- 

 eters by which minor element composi- 

 tion may be predicted, relationships be- 

 tween deposits and associated life forms 

 and the environmental impacts of large- 

 scale mining and processing; 



• Concentrated studies of specific deposit 

 regimes, including at least one Pacific site 

 that is important both scientifically and 

 economically; 



• Investigatory and assessment methods 

 by in-situ observations, sampling, analy- 

 sis and data management; 



• Information and data necessary to the 

 planning and management of this re- 

 source at the industrial, national and 

 international levels. 



In general the report urges that future re- 

 search be characterized by a sharper focus 

 than has been the case in the past, with em- 

 phasis on the testing of specifically stated 

 hypotheses. It also recommends that the full- 

 est possible use be made of existing nodule 

 specimens and that existing centralized nodule 

 information sources be continually maintained 

 and updated. 



■* David R. Horn, ed., Papers from a Conference on 

 Feriomanganese Deposits on the Ocean Fioor, Arden 

 House, Harriman, N. Y. and Lamont-Doherty Geologi- 

 cal Observatory, Columbia University, January 20-22, 

 1972, New York. 1972. 



^ D. R. Horn, B. M. Horn, and M. N. Delach, Ferro- 

 manganese Deposits of the North Pacific, Technical 

 Report Number 1, Lamont-Doherty Geological Ob- 

 servatory, Columbia University, New York, 1972. 



•"' Inter-University Program of Research on Ferroman- 

 ganese Deposits of the Ocean Floor, Phase I Report, 

 April 1973. Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, 

 Columbia University, New York, 1973. 



35 



