54 
estimated to be on the order of 1.5 trillion tons in the Pacific Ocean 
alone.** Unlike many resources, ferromanganese nodules are currently 
forming. The rate of formation in the Pacific Ocean has been estimated 
at 6 to 10 million tons per year.*° Most of the nodules are not economi- 
cally minable. Consequently, the minable reserves are probably on the 
order of 10 billion to 500 billion tons.*° For comparison, future mining 
anoranens could be expected to recover 15 to 20 million tons per year 
by the end of the next decade. One estimate of the reserves of metals 
in manganese nodules of the Pacific Ocean and the number of years 
these might last at the consumption rate of 1960 is given in Table 19. 
TABLE 19.—RESERVES OF METALS IN MANGANESE NODULES OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN 
Approxi- U.S. rate Rate of Ratio of 
Reserves mate of con- accumula- (rate of Ratio of 
in nodules world sumption tion of accumula- (world 
Amount at con- land Ratio of of element element tion) con- 
of element sumption reserves _ (reserves in 19604 in nodules (rate of sumption) 
in nodules rate of of in nodules) (millions (millions U.S. (U.S. 
(billions 19602 elements 3 (reserves of tons per of tons per con- con- 
Element of tons) ! (years) (years) on land) year) year) sumption) sumption) 
Magnesium_ 25 600, 000 | eee ne 0.04 0.18 4.5 2.5 
Aluminum__ 43 20, 000 100 200 2.0 . 30 15 2.0 
Titanium___ 9.9 2, 000, 000 [phe 80 athe Sipe . 30 . 069 . 23 4.0 
Vanadium__ 0.8 400, 000 (Ee Seth oe, bing . 002 . 0056 2.8 4.0 
Manganese- 358 400, 000 100 4, 000 .8 2.5 3.0 8.0 
Iron___-____ 207 2, 000 6 500 4 100. 1.4 01 2.5 
Cobalt______ 5.2 200, 000 40 5, 000 . 008 . 036 4.5 2.0 
Nickel_____ 14.7 150, 000 100 1, 500 ll . 102 1.0 3.0 
Copper-____- 7.9 6, 000 40 150 1.2 . 055 .05 4.0 
LINC Seen 7 1, 000 100 10 9 . 0048 . 005 3.5 
Gallium_ ___ 015 SON OOO) ees ce a hee ee . 0001 . 0001 1si0\) oe Serene ee 
Zirconium__ . 93 +100, 000 +100 1, 000 . 0013 . 0065 YO a any Sy a 
Molybdenum 77 30, 000 500 60 0. 25 . 0054 .2 2.0 
Silver_____- . 001 100 100 1 . 006 . 00003 FOO5.. Sra eee 
Lead_______ 1.3 1, 000 40 50 1.0 . 009 . 009 2.5 
1 All tonnages in metric units. 
2 Amount available in the nodules divided by the consumption rate. 
3 Calculated as the element in metric tons. (From U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 556). 
4 Calculated as the element in metric tons. 
5 Present reserves so large as to be essentially unlimited at present rates of consumption. 
6 Including deposits of iron that are at present considered marginal. 
Source: Mero, op. cit., p. 196. 
34 Mero, J. L. Potential economic value of ocean-floor manganese nodule deposits. In 
Ferromanganese Deposits on the Ocean Floor, Horn, D. R., ed., IDOW, National Science 
Foundation, Washington, D.C. 1972: 191—208. 
%> Time, July 29, 1974, p. 57. 
36 Mero, op. cit., p. 202. 
