Ocean mineral resources
Topic: Mineral Resources of India: Distribution and Conservation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 5 "Minerals and Energy Resources"
Meaning
Ocean mineral resources are minerals found in seawater and on the seabed. Common salt, magnesium and bromine are taken from seawater. The deep ocean floor is rich in manganese nodules, also called polymetallic nodules: potato-sized lumps containing manganese, nickel, copper and cobalt. These matter because India is short of nickel, copper and cobalt on land.
Example
India has held an International Seabed Authority exploration contract over 75,000 sq km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin since 2002 to study polymetallic nodules. On the coast, salt is made from seawater in Gujarat.
Don't confuse with
- Placer deposits: heavy minerals such as gold, tin or monazite that collect in valley sands and on beaches, not on the deep ocean floor or in seawater.