SUMMARY 
Ferromanganese nodules? are potato-shaped concretions found on 
the floor of the ocean throughout many parts of the world. In some 
areas, the ocean floor is literally paved with nodules. The Pacific Ocean 
alone is estimated to contain 1.5 trillion tons of nodules which are 
forming at the rate of about 10 million tons per year. There are about 
25 factors involved in the process to determine the economic value of 
a potentially mineable deposit of manganese nodules. Of these factors, 
the grade of the nodules, particularly their copper, nickel, manganese, 
and cobalt content, is the most important. The deposits of the Pacific 
Ocean, found in an east-west belt 200 kilometers wide south of Hawaii, 
in water deeper than 4,000 meters, hold the greatest economic promise 
at the present time. 
Technology for mining and processing ferromanganese nodules is 
complex, and several methods are being developed. Three basic nodule 
recovery systems are under investigation : (1) mechanical, cable-bucket 
systems, (2) air-lift pumping, and (3) hydraulic lift without air. 
Processing ferromanganese nodules is much more difficult than proc- 
essing oxide or sulfide land ores. Most of the methods being developed 
involve complex roasting and leaching techniques. 
The impact of nodule mining on the deep ocean environment has been 
a concern expressed by many individuals. Research is underway to 
assess the extent of this impact on the biota of the deep ocean and on 
the quality of the surface water. Chemical and biological observations 
have been carried out using prototype mining systems. Results to date 
indicate that the environmental impact of deep ocean mining is negli- 
gible, far less than natural disturbances such as turbidity currents. 
Exploration for, and development of technology for recovering, 
manganese nodules from the deep seabed have been underway for more 
than a decade. Several countries including the United States, Great 
Britain, France, West Germany, Japan, Canada, and the Soviet Union 
have interests in deepsea mining. U.S. firms have lead positions in this 
field but are hesitant to proceed to commercial exploitation without 
some guarantee of security for their projected large investments of up 
to $350 million. Since 1971, bills have been introduced in Congress to 
provide some form of investment guarantee and regulation of mining 
activities. Initially, these bills represented solely the views of the 
American Mining Congress and were sponsored in the House and 
Senate for discussion purposes. No action was recommended by the 
Administration for fear of prejudicing the outcome of discussions in 
the United Nations with regard to a future conference on the Law of 
the Sea. As progress in the United Nations appeared minimal, and 
U.S. congressional hearings brought out other considerations, the deep 
seabed mining legislation was redrafted to provide necessary regula- 
tion and investment security, while allowing the Third U.N. Law of 
1The terms ‘ferromanganese nodules,’ “manganese nodules’’ and “iron-manganese nod- 
ules”? are used interchangeably. 
(XIIT) 
