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Similar to iron ore deposits and oil, particular conditions in the ocean and environment are thought to have contributed to these deposits within the geological past. Phosphate deposits are also formed from alkaline igneous rocks such as nepheline syenites , carbonatites , and associated rock types.
The high natural abundance of nickel, copper, cobalt, zinc, iron, and manganese in ferromanganese nodules has promoted research into their use as a rare metal resource. The Clarion–Clipperton zone in the northeastern Pacific Ocean has been observed as an area containing the highest concentration of resource-grade nodules. [4]
Most gold is mined as native metal and can be found as nuggets, veins or wires of gold in a rock matrix, or fine grains of gold, mixed in with sediments or bound within rock. The iconic image of gold mining for many is gold panning , which is a method of separating flakes and nuggets of pure gold from river sediments due to their great density .
Deep sea mining sites hold polymetallic nodules or surround active or extinct hydrothermal vents at about 3,000–6,500 meters (10,000–21,000 ft) depth. [35] [34] The vents create sulfide deposits, which collect metals such as silver, gold, copper, manganese, cobalt, and zinc. [14] [36] The deposits are mined using hydraulic pumps or bucket ...
The Earth's crust is one "reservoir" for measurements of abundance. A reservoir is any large body to be studied as unit, like the ocean, atmosphere, mantle or crust. Different reservoirs may have different relative amounts of each element due to different chemical or mechanical processes involved in the creation of the reservoir. [1]: 18
Iron oxide copper-gold deposits are also often associated with other valuable trace elements such as uranium, bismuth and rare-earth metals, although these accessories are typically subordinate to copper and gold in economic terms. Some examples include the Olympic Dam, South Australia, and Candelaria, Chile deposits.
The lease covered an area of 59 square kilometres to a depth of 1,600 meters in the Bismarck Sea to extract essential resources for a period of 20 years. Nautilus sought to extract a total of 1.3 tons of materials, including 80,000 tons of high-grade copper and 150,000 to 200,000 ounces of gold sulphide ore over the course of 3 years. [7]
Gold exists in several forms in the Earth's surface environment including Au(I/III)-complexes, nanoparticles, and placer gold particles (nuggets and grains). The gold biogeochemical cycle is highly complex and strongly intertwined with cycling of other metals including silver, copper, iron, manganese, arsenic, and mercury. [2]