2026-09-25 11:26 UTC
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Led by researchers from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London, the expedition team sailed out into the central Pacific Ocean to study a remote abyssal region called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ).
The CCZ is a massive swath of the Pacific Ocean stretching between Hawaii and Mexico at depths of 4,000 to 5,500 meters (13,000 to 18,000 feet). On its pitch-black floor lie trillions of potato-sized rocks called polymetallic nodules.
#CCZ
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@appassionato@mastodon.social 2026-09-25 11:27
3/ These nodules are incredibly rich in valuable metals: Nickel Cobalt Copper Manganese Because these metals are key components in electric vehicle batteries and green energy technology, deep-sea mining companies are eager to strip-mine the CCZ seafloor to harvest them However, the nodules are the habitat. In an environment made almost entirely of fine, soft mud, these hard rocks are the only surfaces available for corals, sponges, and smaller organisms to anchor themselves