natural biological, physical and chemical regimes and consequently 

 the productivity of Gulf coastal and estuarine areas. The effects 

 which dredging, channelization, land reclamation and other modifica- 

 tions have on circulation, sedimentation and salinity will be studied. 



Geological Survey FY-62 $15 S 000 



FY-63 $63,000 

 One of the primary responsibilities of the Geological Survey is to 

 locate, delineate and evaluate potentially useful deposits of minerals 

 and mineral fuels on and beneath the continental shelves, slopes and 

 borderlands, the deep sea floor and in the waters of the sea itself. 

 A substantial increase in effort to carry out this responsibility 

 will be made during FT-63. 



Bureau of Mines FT-62 $50,000 



FY-63 $50,000 

 One of the principal missions of the Bureau of Mines is the conservation 

 and development of mineral resources. To discharge this responsibility, 

 the Bureau of Mines investigates occurrences of minerals and conducts 

 research on mining and means of extracting metals from their ores 

 or otherwise preparing minerals for market. Its activities have been 

 confined largely to minerals and fuel deposits on land. Many such 

 deposits were laid down beneath prehistoric seas and the knowledge 

 gained from their study can be extrapolated readily to present-day 

 ocean bottom deposits. The need to broaden the Nation's mineral 

 resources base makes it both logical and imperative to extend Bureau 

 of Mines investigations to encompass the mineral deposits that lie 

 beneath the ocean and to the elements that are dissolved in the ocean 

 itself. 



The Bureau of Mines has begun a limited program of analyzing ocean 

 bottom samples, taken by other oceanographic research organizations, 

 to determine the occurrence of valuable elements and minerals in the 

 sediments on the sea floor. Available data on such occurrence is 

 being collected and evaluated as a basis for future programs. 



Theories and techniques of sampling the huge sea areas of the sea floor 

 will be studied. Research will be undertaken on means of selective 

 separation of trace elements from the very dilute solution that is 

 sea water. 



-Uo- 



