TREASURE FROM THE SEA 



NODULES. — In 1870 the famed British oceanographic vessel 

 CHALLENGER dredged from the ocean bottom, lumps of a mineral 

 that to some extent resembled blackened potatoes. The assays 

 later proved the nodules to be rich in manganese, copper, cobalt, 

 nickel, and iron. Industry, however, failed to become interested. 



More recently, during the International Geophysical Year, tre- 

 mendous quantities of these metal bearing nodules were rediscovered 

 on the ocean floor and interest concerning them has now been raised. 

 These ore nodules grow in layers like onions, have taken millions 

 of years to form and often have a small nucleus of clay, pumice or 

 glass. The majority recovered have ranged in size from a few inches 

 in diameter to two cubic feet. At least one, however, has been re- 

 ported to weigh almost a ton. The rate of growth is approximately 

 one millimeter in a thousand years. But, so many nodules are forming 

 continuously that they could supply our major needs and the growth 

 rate, though exceedingly slow, would exceed the rate of depletion. 



Thus far, no one has mined nodules on a commercial basis, 

 although there are some companies at least investigating the possi- 

 bilities. Recovering these ore deposits promises to be an engineering 

 feat of gigantic proportions and may not be accomplished until 

 land deposits become exhausted, or nearly so. The engineering re- 

 ward, however, will be vast as it has been estimated that by 

 vacuum-cleaning a square mile of ocean bed surface, in a selected 

 area, the ore recovered could amount to 6,000 tons of manganese, 

 4,000 tons of iron, and 125 tons each of cobalt, copper, and nickel. 

 These are, of course estimates only. It has been further projected, 

 however, that the value of mineral deposits within one square mile 

 of ocean floor, might well amount to half a million dollars. 



OTHER MINERALS.— Other similar treasure, in the form of 

 rich tin ore, lies off the coasts of Thailand and Indonesia. Also, there 

 is gold in the gravels and sands in the proximity of Nome, Alaska 

 and a barge dredging approximately $200,000 worth of diamonds 

 a month off the southwest coast of Africa. 



M. V. Rockeater— first ship designed nnd built for mineral prospecting. 



The first of its kind and owned by the Ocean Science and Engi- 

 neering Inc. of Washington, D. C, the newly completed ship ROCK- 

 EATER has just recently joined in the search for minerals off the 

 Diamond Coast of southwest Africa. It is employed by the De Beers 

 group, and will determine the value and extent of under sea diamond 

 deposits in that area. The ship is capable of prospecting either by 

 drilling geological core samples of hard rock, or by dredging and 

 processing large quantities of unconsolidated material. All dredging 

 and drilling is accomplished through a 7 by 11 foot center well, lo- 

 cated amidship at the point of minimum motion. This well is sur- 

 mounted by a 52-foot derrick. 



For primary propulsion, ROCKEATER is equipped with twin 

 screws. In addition, it has a bow mounted propeller plus an addi- 

 tional outboard motor on the stern, for greater maneuverability. 

 All four propellers are controlled from a central steering console, 

 on which a "joy stick" directs ship movement in any direction. This 

 equipment is an extension of the "dynamic positioning" system used 

 in Phase I of the MOHOLE Project. 



PEARLS 



This "Gem of the Ocean" has been sought by man for thousands 

 of years. In the past, many civilizations have attributed powers of 

 romance and magic to the pearl, probably resulting in today's 

 association of the pearl with love and marriage. 



The origin of the pearl was for ages a mystery. The ancients 

 believed that at certain times oysters came to the surface and 

 opened their shells. Then the tear of an angel was deposited 

 within the shell, where it became a pearl upon crystallization. 

 The Greeks were of the belief that when lightning struck 

 the sea, pearls were created. And, after seeing oysters attached 

 to mangrove roots in the West Indies, Columbus suggested that dew 

 drops falling into the open shells, from the trees above, resulted in 

 the formation of pearls. 



Pearls are found in many parts of the world and from a number 

 of different moUusks. They are produced in fresh water as well as 

 salt water. The majority of the more valuable pearls, however, 

 come from the oyster Margaritifera, that flourishes in tropical 

 waters. The pearl oyster is a distant relation to the edible oyster 

 and is more closely related to the mussel. As the common edible 

 bivalves do not produce nacreous pearls, one is not likely to find one 

 in a platter of oysters or clams on the half shell. 



Essentially, a pearl is of the same substance as the "mother of 

 pearl" of shells. It is com.posed mostly of calcium carbonate and 

 held together by a tenuous network of organic conchiolin. They 

 are formed when a foreign substance is ingested accidentally into 

 the pearl bearing oyster. It is the oysters attempt to reduce irri- 

 tation and prevent itself from being harmed. If the shell of the 

 oyster is penetrated by a parasite, the oyster seals off the entrance 

 with a secretion that in time becomes a "blister pearl". Blister 

 pearls are hence attached to the shell, but can be cut off. It is 

 the symmetrical or round pearl though that is so highly prized. 

 These are formed around a nucleus, which may be any small 

 irritant — a grain of sand, marine larva, or other debris. 



The most valuable pearls are found near Ceylon and in the 

 Persian Gulf. The nucleus of these pearls is believed to be the egg 

 of a tapeworm, found in a certain ray. If the floating tapeworm 

 egg enters the oyster shell two possibilities exist. A ray may eat 

 the oyster, thus giving the tapeworm a chance to develop and hence 

 lay other eggs. Or, the oyster may deposit numerous layers of 

 nacreous material around the egg, thus forming a valuable pearl. 



The demand for pearls has always exceeded the supply, as the 

 average find is only one pearl in a thousand pearl oysters. Actually, 

 in many areas the mother-of-pearl brought up by divers is worth 

 as much as, if not more than, the pearls. 



A round pearl Vg inch in diameter will weigh approximately one 

 grain, a Vi inch pearl about 7 grains, and a V2 inch pearl about 55 

 grains. The largest known pearl is the 1,860 grain pearl, in the Hope 

 collection. The general value of a pearl may be estimated by 

 establishing a base one-grain value for a pearl of the same shape, 

 color and luster, then multiplying this amount by the square of the 

 number of grains that the pearl weighs. For example, if the base 

 one-grain value is determined to be $1, then that would be the worth 

 of a 1-grain pearl; but a 2 grain pearl would be worth four times as 

 much, or $4, and a 10 grain pearl would be valued at $100. 



The lack of pearls formed naturally in the sea, has led to the 

 development of cultured pearls. And, although the development 

 of cultured pearls has caused a drop in price of natural pearls, the 

 value of unusually large specimens remains high as cultured pearls 

 come from oysters that do not produce the larger gems. 



Men have tried for centuries to discover ways to induce moUusks 

 to produce pearls. The earliest known cultivated pearls were pro- 

 duced during the thirteenth century by the Chinese, by hand 

 inserting irritants into fresh water mussels. 



During the sixteenth century, the Chinese started inserting 

 small lead Buddhas into the mussels which resulted in Buddha- 

 shaped pearls. And, these pearl coated images are still, to some 

 extent, produced in the Orient. 



A Swedish naturalist, Linnaeus, perfected a method for pro- 

 ducing pearls in 1761. His method was to drill a hole in the oyster 

 shell and with the aid of wire, push a small piece of limestone 

 through the opening. 



Neither of the above two methods, however, produced round 

 pearls. The majority produced were "blisters", or baroques 

 (misshapen pearls). This was due to the foreign object being 

 placed between the mantle and the shell. Symmetrical pearls are 

 produced within the connective tissues of the oysters body, rather 

 than next to the shell. Further, the pearl is produced within the 

 connective tissue only when the nucleus or irritant, on its entry into 



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