OCEAN RAW MATERIALS

The ocean is host to a variety and quantity of inorganic raw materials equal to or surpassiag the resources of these materials available on land. Inorganic raw materials are defined here as any mineral deposit found ia the marine environment. The mineral resources are classified generally as iadustrial minerals, mineral sands, phosphorites, metalliferous oxides, metalliferous sulfides, and dissolved minerals and iaclude geothermal resources, precious corals, and some algae. The resources are mosdy unconsoHdated, consoHdated, or fluid materials which are chemically enriched ia certain elements and are found ia or upon the seabeds of the continental shelves and ocean basias. These may be classified according to the environment and form ia which they occur (Table 1) and with few exceptions are similar to traditional mineral deposits on land. 

Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (4th Edition) 

Deposits that can be recovered without having to use explosives or other primary energy sources to break up the material in place ate called unconsoHdated deposits. These may be found stratified or disseminated as sutficial or subsurface deposits on the continental shelf or in deep ocean basins. 

Continental Shelf. A variety of terms may be appHed to deposits in the continental shelf (conshelf) including beach, bank, alluvial, strand-line, heavy mineral, or placet. These contain mostly industrial materials, mineral sands, or precious metals (Table 1). 

3iogenic Materials. Living creatures form sheUs, reef corals, foraminiferal (f-sands), and associated carbonate sands. Deposits of oyster, clam, and moUusc sheUs ate commonly found in temperate waters in embayments or neat the coast (17). Reef corals form coastal deposits in tropical or subtropical waters (18). 

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Ocean nodules Ocean raw materials Oceral Ocher... 

Other potential sources of potassium include insoluble minerals and ores, and the oceans, which contain 3.9 x 10 t/(km) of seawater (see Ocean RAW materials). The known recoverable potash reserves are sufficient for more than 1000 years at any foreseeable rate of consumption. 

AH metals come originally from natural deposits present in the earth s cmst. These ore deposits result from a geological concentration process, and consist mainly of metallic oxides and sulfides from which metals can be extracted. Seawater and brines are another natural source of metals, eg, magnesium (see Chemicals frombrine Magnesium and magnesium alloys Ocean raw materials). Metal extracted from a natural source is called primary metal. 

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