resources. The Interstate Oil Compact Commission 

 is an advisory and coordinating body and serves as 

 a forum for discussion among 33 oil producing 

 States. Its prime responsibility is promotion of 

 maximum utilization and conservation of natural 

 oil and gas resources. No such organization exists 

 with respect to hard minerals. 



IV. OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE MARINE 

 MINERAL RESOURCES USAGE AND DE- 

 VELOPMENT 



A. Gaps in Basic Knowledge 



During the last few decades, there has been an 

 increase in geologic understanding of how differ- 

 ent kinds of mineral deposits were formed. During 

 the same period, geophysical and geochemical 

 prospecting tools and techniques have become 

 more sophisticated. These gains have permitted 

 discoveries of deposits buried at some depth below 

 the earth's surface or deposits whose presence was 

 otherwise too inconspicuous to be detected by the 

 traditional prospector. Such deposits have been 

 found not only in the United States, but in many 

 parts of the world. 



Nevertheless, the capability of finding unex- 

 posed deposits is advancing very slowly and there 

 are still serious gaps in our understanding of 

 fundamental geologic factors controlling the local- 

 ization of mineral deposits. Many of these gaps 

 apply to offshore as well as land deposits. 



Some of the more important basic knowledge 

 gaps which, if filled, would enhance our under- 

 standing of the distribution of mineral resources in 

 the marine geologic environment as well as on land 

 are these: 



—The geologic and geophysical nature of the 

 interface between the continental crust and the 

 deep ocean basin. Although this interface is the 

 most fundamental geologic boundary on earth, 

 Uttle is yet known about it. 



-The age and landward continuity of the great 

 ocean fracture systems such as the Mendocino, 

 Murray, and other systems. Are these systems 

 really restricted to the oceanic crust as they appear 

 to be or do they continue beneath the continent? 

 Are there mineral resources associated with them? 



—The concept of seafloor spreading and its rela- 

 tion to structure at the margin of continents. 



-The history of structural development of the 

 deep sea trenches such as the Aleutian Trench, 

 Japan Trench, Philippine Trench, and others. 



—The origin and history of formation of Tertiary 

 eugeosynclines and their relation to continental 

 accretion. 



—Geologic and petrological study of worldwide 

 subaerial and submarine middle-Tertiary volcan- 

 ism. 



—The location, geometry, and geologic history of 

 sediments forming the continental rise. 



—Systematic investigation of the abyssal ocean 

 floor to understand the geologic history of deep 

 ocean basins, including the exceptional cases of 

 small oceanic basins such as the Gulf of Mexico 

 and Caribbean Sea, which possess thick sedimen- 

 tary sections and are considered to have a poten- 

 tial for petroleum and other resources. 



—The relationship between the geochemistry of 

 manganese nodules and the enclosing seafloor 

 sediments; the source of nickel, cobalt and other 

 metals in the nodules and their growth rates- 



— Submarine lithification and diagenesis of sedi- 

 ments and basalt. 



B. Gaps in Technology That Restrict Exploration 

 for and Evaluation of Marine Mineral Re- 

 sources 



Only a very small amount of exploration for 

 hard minerals has been done on the continental 

 shelves to date. Too little is known about the 

 overall geology and mineral potential of the 

 shelves and slopes to induce industry to spend 

 significant sums of money on exploration in the 

 marine environment. However, given specific tar- 

 get areas that might be pointed up by geological 

 and geophysical surveys, by more efficient explo- 

 ration equipment, and by a favorable legal en- 

 vironment in which to operate, the larger mining 

 companies might undertake offshore exploration 

 on a significant scale. Much new technology is 

 needed to identify and evaluate the resources and 



VIM 23 



