nodules

Many of the minerals involved in proposed deep sea mining operations are located on black, potato-shaped nodules that lie on the seafloor.

The deep sea contains billions of tonnes of potato-shaped rocks, called polymetallic nodules, which are rich in critical minerals like cobalt and rare earths.

As companies eye the best patches of ocean to search for the precious sulphides and nodules, dubbed “truffles of the ocean,” the waters near the Saya de Malha Bank have emerged as an attractive target.

Some sediment brought to the surface with the nodules gets dumped back into the ocean.

The initial discovery triggered a global scientific row - there was criticism of the findings from some scientists and from deep sea mining companies that plan to harvest the precious metals in the seabed nodules.