Mining in the Oceans

I never knew that Mining was done in the water. I always pictured caves and creeks when I thought about mining. Mining in the ocean was actually first developed around the 1950’s.

“Diamonds are found in greater number and quality in the ocean than on land, but are much harder to mine. When diamonds are mined, the ocean floor is dredged to bring it up to the boat and sift through the sediment for valuable gems. The process is difficult as sediment is not easy to bring up to the surface, but will probably become a huge industry once technology evolves to solve the logistical problem”

Diamonds are not the only jewels collected under the ocean floor. Metal compounds such as gravels, sands and gas hydrates are also mined in the ocean. The sands and gravels are used for beaches to protect them from erosion.

“Mining the ocean can be devastating to the natural ecosystems. Dredging of any kind pulls up the ocean floor resulting in widespread destruction of marine animal habitats, as well as wiping out vast numbers of fishes and invertebrates. When the ocean floor is mined, a cloud of sediment rises up in the water, interfering with photosynthetic processes of phytoplankton and other marine life, in addition to introducing previously benign heavy metals into the food chain. As minerals found on land are exploited and used up, mining of the ocean floor will increase.”

http://marinebio.org/oceans/ocean-resources.asp