Hydrothermal vents that appear to be producing rare metals found off Okinawa
2010-09-20 15:38:55 【Print】
A few active hydrothermal areas found at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Okinawa Prefecture appear to be producing rare earth metals, which will likely draw interest to the area as a potential underwater mine.
The discovery was made by a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo and other institutes. On Sept. 17, they announced that they had discovered three areas with hydrothermal eruptions at the bottom of the ocean about 100 kilometers northwest of the main island of Okinawa. The team had used an unmanned probe equipped with sensors they developed that can detect manganese and hydrogen sulfide contained in hot water released from vents, and over an eight-day period beginning on Sept. 4 used the probe to search an underwater area full of volcanic craters.
In their exploration, the team found three areas at depths of around 500 to 600 meters where water from 43 to 247 degrees centigrade was erupting. In one of the areas, there were chimney-shaped clusters -- about 50 centimeters in diameter and one to two meters in height -- on the seabed, which were emitting 121-degree water from their tips. The clusters are believed to consist of rare earth elements, such as manganese and antimony.
Such active hydrothermal metal deposits have recently been drawing researchers' attention as potential mines, spurring them to conduct explorations for them in the seas around Japan. The team has already collected the mineral clusters and plans to analyze the types and content of the metals contained in them.
The discovery was made by a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo and other institutes. On Sept. 17, they announced that they had discovered three areas with hydrothermal eruptions at the bottom of the ocean about 100 kilometers northwest of the main island of Okinawa. The team had used an unmanned probe equipped with sensors they developed that can detect manganese and hydrogen sulfide contained in hot water released from vents, and over an eight-day period beginning on Sept. 4 used the probe to search an underwater area full of volcanic craters.
In their exploration, the team found three areas at depths of around 500 to 600 meters where water from 43 to 247 degrees centigrade was erupting. In one of the areas, there were chimney-shaped clusters -- about 50 centimeters in diameter and one to two meters in height -- on the seabed, which were emitting 121-degree water from their tips. The clusters are believed to consist of rare earth elements, such as manganese and antimony.
Such active hydrothermal metal deposits have recently been drawing researchers' attention as potential mines, spurring them to conduct explorations for them in the seas around Japan. The team has already collected the mineral clusters and plans to analyze the types and content of the metals contained in them.
