China’s Jiaolong deep-sea submersible discovered iron-manganese deposits in South China Sea during its dive on Wednesday.
Tongji University Professor Zhou Huaiyang said that the scientists are planning to carry out surveys to determine the age of the deposits found in, what has now been named, the “Jiaolong Seamount”.
Xinhua News Agency quoted him as saying: “ Since one of the samples was broken by the sub’s robotic arm, a round core inside could be identified as volcanic lava. The materials covering the core are iron and manganese oxides, which need tens of thousands of years to form, ” he said.
Two more dives are planned to be carried out by Jiaolong to research the seafloor.
More surveys on board Xiangyanghong 09 are planned in the South China Sea and in the Pacific Ocean during Jiaolong’s first mission in a five-year trial period.
Jin Jiancai, secretary-general of the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association, said that the deposits discovered in this mission will help China meet the mineral resources demand during its rapid economic development.
[mappress] Subsea World News Staff, July 08, 2013