202 • Marine Minerals: Exploring Our New Ocean Frontier 



View of one of the 30 cubic foot bucl<ets 



BIMA Bucketline Dredge 



View of tfie control room 



Photo credit: F.J. Lampietii 



of powerful jets of seawater. The water jets are used 

 to break up the clay and force sand and gravel 

 smaller than three-eighths inch to pass through the 

 trommel. Material coarser than three-eighths inch 

 is discharged over the stern. 



Material retained by the trommel is distributed 

 in a seawater mixture to three circuits of jigs, be- 

 ginning with six primary circular jigs 24 feet in di- 

 ameter. The concentrates from the circular jigs are 

 then fed to crossflow secondary and tertiary jigs. 



