Seafloor Mining Will Make Rich Countries Richer

Moon mining still falls under the “sci-fi” category. It is far more likely we will mine the ocean floor for manganese nodules. Billions of tonnes of ore (copper, cobalt, titanium, nickel, etc.) exist in four separate deposits spanning an area roughly 1 1/2 times the size of Europe. Although the International Seabed Authority has a mission to equitably divide these international natural resources to provide economic benefits to disenfranchised and marginalized countries, it is likely that rich countries will reap the benefits of manganese nodule mining.