ISO 



• Provide economies benefiting both the in- 

 dustry and its customers. 



Other Marine Minerals 



The hard mineral resources of the shelf 

 and deep sea have assumed public prominence 

 only recently, unlike oil and gas, which have 

 been taken from the continental sheh'es for 

 more than 30 years. Ocean minerals have 

 been hailed by some as a nearly inexhaustible 

 treasure trove. To others, the inaccessibility 

 of most marine minerals and the expensive 

 technology required for their recovery place 

 them on the far horizon of the future in 

 comparison with minerals from more con- 

 ventional sources. 



The Commission finds that the truth lies 

 somewhere between these extremes. There is 

 no urgent necessity to develop subsea hard 

 minerals with maximum speed regardless of 

 cost. Nevertlieless, an early start in offshore 

 exploration and development of the required 

 teclmology is warranted to determine re- 

 serves and to establish a basis for future ex- 

 ploration. The lead time required to delineate 

 the resources and to develop the necessary 

 technology, the very great costs involved, and 

 the diverse character of the benefits resulting 

 make it proper for Government to play a 

 large role in this exploratory and develop- 

 mental phase. 



The Present Resource Picture 



World demand for many key minerals is 

 expected to double by 1985 and triple by the 

 year 2000; comiJetition for the available sup- 

 ply will become severe as industrialization of 

 the developing countries progresses. It is 

 essentia] that the Nation ensure an adequate 

 and dependable supply of minerals by in- 

 creasing the rate of discovery. 



Despite the tone of urgency that permeates 

 many discussions of future U.S. demands for 

 minerals, the present supply outlook is not 



foreboding. In a research-oriented and tech- 

 nically progressive nation, advancing tech- 

 nology finds ways continually to replenish 

 depleted reserves. Year by year, it becomes 

 possible to mine minerals of lower and lower 

 grades, to develop less expensive operating 

 techniques, and to improve processes for re- 

 claiming scrap metals. For example, it is 

 possible that ores having one-half or one- 

 third the copper content of the grades pres- 

 ently required for commercial operation 

 could be mined profitably in the future. 

 Similarly, substantial amounts of aluminum, 

 copper, lead, and zinc are already being re- 

 claimed, thus cutting the demand for new 

 supplies. 



The United States is almost totally de- 

 pendent on foreign sources for such minerals 

 as chromium, manganese, nickel, cobalt, in- 

 dustrial diamonds, and tin. Forty of 72 stra- 

 tegic commodities come from politically un- 

 stable areas. In addition, domestic sources 

 supply only a small part of other important 

 minerals, including aluminum, zinc, and 

 tungsten. Hence it is important to assess the 

 sea as a potential source of these materials. 



Resources to meet our mineral demands 

 may come from several basic elements of the 

 marine environment. The chemical constitu- 

 ents of sea water make an impressive total, 

 but they are generally found in concentra- 

 tions so low that only a few are presently or 

 prospectively exploitable. Salt, bromine, and 

 magnesium metal and compounds are already 

 being obtained profitably from sea water. 

 For all practical purposes, the source is in- 

 exhaustible, and production is limited only 

 by demand and the competition of land-based 

 sources. But for the foreseeable future, the 

 elconomics of extracting other metals and 

 chemical compounds from the sea water are 

 such tliat at present or prospective prices 

 there is litele commercial opportunity for 

 production. 



