First underwater gold ore discovered

Geologists from the research vessel Akademik Alexander Vinogradov have discovered gold deposits in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. The discovery is the first of its kind ever made and, due to its properties, could prove to be a turning point in the extraction of this ore.

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The discovery by Russian researchers in the North Pacific is the first time deposits of visible gold of this size have been found at depths of more than 1.5km. According to calculations, per 1 tonne of underwater ore, there are 13 grams of pure gold. This is almost twice as much as in ores extracted on land.

In the opinion of geologists, this is only the beginning of similar discoveries and with time we will hear more and more often about finding more deposits. If these hypotheses are confirmed, we will certainly witness the emergence of an underwater mining industry specialising in the extraction of valuable raw materials from the ocean depths. Among the potential metals mentioned are gold, silver, zinc, copper and iron, all of which are needed in large quantities by industry today.

The main problem today is, of course, costs. Drilling and subsequent extraction is incomparably more expensive than exploitation of deposits on land. Another issue is the threat that similar practices pose to nearby ecosystems and, as a result, to the entire planet.

The described find was located at a depth of 1650m, during a geological survey of the underwater Detroit Mountain located on the Obruchev hill in the Pacific Ocean.

Source: polish.ruvr.ru Photo: pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold-crystals.jpg