Distribution characteristics of seamount cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts and the determination of the size of areas for exploration and exploitation

In 2001, the International Seabed Authority （ISBA） initiated the consideration relating to the Regulations for Prospecting and Exploration for Hydrothermal Polymetallic Sulphides and Cobalt-rich Ferromanganese Crusts in the Area at its 7th session. Since then, the consideration of the Regulations has been mainly focused on the size of areas to be allocated for exploration and exploitation of the crusts. This paper, based on the investigation data and the analysis of the distribution characteristics of the crusts, suggests a model for determining the size of areas for exploration and exploitation of the crusts, taking into account various factors such as production scale, crust thickness and grade, mineable area proportion, recovery efficiency, exploration venture, and so on. Through the modeling, the paper suggests that the exploration area （the area covered by each application for approval of a plan of work for exploration of cobalt-rich crusts） shall be 4 856 km2 and the exploitation area （the mine site area） shall be 1 214 km2, for 20 years of 1 million wet tonnes annual production.

Noble Gas Isotopic Compositions of Cobalt-rich Ferromanganese Crusts from the Western Pacific Ocean and Their Geological Implications

Noble gas isotopic compositions of various layers in three-layered （outer, porous and compact layers） cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts and their basaltic and phosphorite substrates from the western Pacific Ocean were analyzed by using a high vacuum gas mass spectrum. The analytical results show that the noble gases in the Co-rich crusts have derived mainly from the ambient seawater, extraterrestrial grains such as interplanetary dust particles （IDPs） and wind-borne continental dust grains, and locally formation water in the submarine sediments, but different noble gases have different sources. He in the crusts derives predominantly from the extraterrestrial grains, with a negligible amount of radiogenic He from the eolian dust grains. Ar is sourced mainly from the dissolved air in the seawater and insignificantly from radiogenic Ar in the eolian continental dust grains or the formation water. Xe and Ne derive mainly from the seawater, with minor amounts of extraterrestrial Xe and Ne in the IDPs. Compared with the porous and outer layers, the compact layer has a relatively high 4He content and lower 3He/4He ratios, suggesting that marine phosphatization might have greatly modified the noble gas isotopic compositions of the crusts. Besides, the 3He/4He values of the basaltic substrates of the cobalt-rich crusts are very low and their R/R. ratios are mostly 〈0.1 R., which are similar to that of phosphorite substrates （0.087 R.）, but much lower than that of fresh submarine MORB （8.75±14 Ra） or seamount basalts （3-43 Ra）, implying that the basaltic substrates have suffered strong water/rock interaction and reacted with radiogenic ^4He and P-rich upwelling marine currents during phosphatization. The trace elements released in the basalt/seawater interaction might favor the growth of cobalt-rich crusts. The relatively low ^3He/^4He values in the seamount basalts may be used as an important exploration criterion for the cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts.

The occurrence phases and enrichment mechanism of rare earth elements in cobalt-rich crusts from Marcus-Wake Seamounts

To explore the occurrence phases and enrichment mechanism of rare earth elements(REEs)in cobalt-rich crusts,this study analyzes the mineral composition and REE contents of the samples from Marcus-Wake Seamounts by XRD,ICP-OES and ICP-MS.The results show that,(1)the cobalt-rich crusts contain the major crystalline mineral(vernadite),the secondary minerals(quartz,plagioclase and carbonate fluorapatite),and a large amount of amorphous ferric oxyhydroxides(FeOOH).(2)The cobalt-rich crusts contains higher Mn(10.83%to 28.76%)and Fe(6.14%to 18.86%)relative to other elements,and are enriched in REEs,with total REE contents of 1563−3238μg/g and Ce contents of 790−1722μg/g.Rare earth element contents of the old crusts are higher than those of the new crusts.Moreover,the non-phosphatized crusts have positive Ce and negative Y anomalies,and yet the phosphatized crusts have positive Ce and positive Y anomalies,indicating that cobalt-rich crusts is hydrogenetic and REEs mainly come from seawater.(3)Analytical data also show that the occurrence phases of elements in cobalt-rich crusts are closely related to their mineral phases.In the non-phosphatized crusts,REEs are adsorbed by colloidal particles into the crusts(about 67%of REEs in the Fe oxide phase,and about 17%of REEs in the Mn oxide phase).In contrast,in the phosphatized crusts(affected by the phosphatization),REEs may combine with phosphate to form rare earth phosphate minerals,and about 64%of REEs are enriched in the residual phase containing carbonate fluorapatite,but correspondingly the influence of Fe and Mn oxide phases on REEs enrichment is greatly reduced.In addition,the oxidizing environment of seawater,high marine productivity,phosphatization,and slow growth rate can promote the REE enrichment.This study provides a reference for the metallogenesis of cobalt-rich crusts in the Pacific.

Os isotopic compositions of a cobalt-rich ferromanganese crust profile in Central Pacific

187Os/188Os ratios in all sub-layers of the Co-rich ferromanganese crust MP5D17 from Line Seamount in Central Pacific have been systematically determined. The 187Os/188Os values in this crust are highly variable, ranging from 0.4262 to 1.0155. From the bottom to the top, the os-mium isotopic ratios of the crust display a regular variation trend, which correlates well with its changes in structure and texture in the vertical profile. In comparison with the evolu-tion curve of Os isotopic composition in seawater over the past 80 Ma, a similar evolution tendency can be found with respect to the Os isotopic composition of the crust in this study. It is preliminarily concluded that the crust MP5D17 began to grow at about 72 Ma, and underwent three growth hiatuses, corresponding to the geological ages of 64, 53 and 37 Ma, respectively.

Ecological functions of uncultured microorganisms in the cobaltrich ferromanganese crust of a seamount in the central Pacific are elucidated by fosmid sequencing

Cobalt-rich ferromanganese is an important seafloor mineral and is abundantly present in the seamount crusts. Such crusts form potential hotspots for biogeochemical activity and microbial diversity, yet our understanding of their microbial communities is lacking. In this study, a cultivation-independent approach was used to recover genomic information and derive ecological functions of the microbes in a sediment sample collected from the cobalt-rich ferromanganese crust of a seamount region in the central Pacific. A total of 78 distinct clones were obtained by fosmid library screening with a 16S rRNA based PCR method. Proteobacteria and MGI Thaumarch-aeota dominated the bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequence results in the microbial community. Nine fosmid clones were sequenced and annotated. Numerous genes encoding proteins involved in metabolic functions and heavy metal resistance were identified, suggesting alternative metabolic pathways and stress responses that are essential for microbial survival in the cobalt-rich ferromanganese crust. In addition, genes that participate in the synthesis of organic acids and exoploymers were discovered. Reconstruction of the metabolic pathways revealed that the nitrogen cycle is an important biogeochemical process in the cobalt-rich ferromanganese crust. In addition, horizontal gene transfer （HGT） events have been observed, and most of them came from bacteria, with some occurring in archaea and plants. Clone W4-93a, belonging to MGI Thaumarch-aeota, contained a region of gene synteny. Comparative analyses suggested that a high frequency of HGT events as well as genomic divergence play important roles in the microbial adaption to the deep-sea environment.

The distribution of iodine and effects of phosphatization on it in the ferromanganese crusts from the Mid-Pacific Ocean

In the present paper, iodine （I）, iron （Fe）, manganese （Mn）, cobalt （Co）, phosphorus （P） and calcium （Ca） contents in three ferromanganese crusts from the Pacific Ocean are measured by spectrophotometric method and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometers （ICP-AES） to investigate the contents and distribution of iodine in ferromanganese crusts. The results show that iodine contents in three crusts vary between 27.1 and 836 mg/kg, with an average of 172 mg/kg, and the profile of iodine in the three crusts all exhibits a two-stage distribution zone： a young non-phosphatized zone and an old phosphatized zone that is rich in I, P and Ca. The iodine content ratios of old to young zone in MP5D44, CXD62-1 and CXD08-1 are 2.3, 3.4 and 13.7, respectively. The boundary depths of two-stage zone in MP5D44, CXD62-1 and CXD08-1 locate at 4.0 cm, 2.5 cm and 3.75 cm, respectively, and the time of iodine mutation in three crusts ranges from 17-37 Ma derived from 129I dating and Co empirical formula, which is consistent with the times of Cenozoic phosphatization events. The present study shows that the intensity of phosphatization is the main responsible for the distribution pattern of iodine in the crusts on the basis of the correlation analysis. Consequently, iodine is a sensitive indicator for phosphatization.

Material Properties of Marine Hydrogenous Ferromanganese Crust and Its Performance in Desulfurization

Marine hydrogenous ferromanganese crust, an important metal resource in the future, has significant potential in various applications as a type of natural nano-structured material. By employing scanning electronic microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm measurement, Xray fluorescence spectrometer and X-ray diffraction methods, the micro-structure, surface properties and chemical composition of several plate-like ferromanganese crusts sampled from the northwestern Pacific were investigated comprehensively. Although obvious differences were observed from different layers, the crust is a typical porous material with high specific surface area, unique pore structure and abundant transition elements. Furthermore, the performance of natural crust in desulfurization process was preliminarily tested in laboratory experiments. The suffur capacities of the crust are 13.1% and 18.1% at room temperature and 350 ℃, respectively. The crust can be used not only as a metal resource, but also as an environmental material.

Measurement of ^(129)I in ferromanganese crust with AMS

In the present study, the analytical method for ^129iodine （^129I） in ferromanganese crusts is developed and ^129iodine/^127iodine （^129I/^127I） ratio in ferromanganese crusts is measured by the accelerator mass spectrometry （AMS）. The developed method is applied to analyze ^129I/^127I ratio in two ferromanganese crusts MP5D44 and CXD08-1 collected from the Mid-Pacific Ocean. The results show that ^129I/^127I ratio in MP5D44 and CXD08-1 crusts varies from 7×10^-14 to 1.27×10^-12, with the lowest value falling on the detection limit level of AMS reported by previous literatures. For the depth distribution of ^129I/^127I, it is found that both MP5D44 and CXD08-1 crusts have two growth generations, and the ^129I/^127I profiles in two generations all displayed an approximate exponential decay. According to the ^129I/^127I ratio, the generate age of bottom layer of MP5D44 and CXD08-1 was estimated to be 54.77 and 69.69 Ma, respectively.

Composition and Origin of Ferromanganese Crusts from Equatorial Western Pacific Seamounts

In the equatorial western Pacific, iron-manganese oxyhydroxide crusts(Fe-Mn crusts) and nodules form on basaltic seamounts and on the top of drowned carbonate platform guyots that have been swept free of pelagic sediments. To date, the Fe-Mn crusts have been considered to be almost exclusively of abiotic origin. However, it has recently been suggested that these crusts may be a result of biomineralization. Although the Fe-Mn crust textures in the equatorial western Pacific are similar to those constructed by bacteria and algae, and biomarkers also document the existence of bacteria and algae dispersed within the Fe-Mn crusts, the precipitation, accumulation and distribution of elements, such as Fe, Mn, Ni and Co in Fe-Mn crusts are not controlled by microbial activity. Bacteria and algae are only physically incorporated into the crusts when dead plankton settle on the ocean floor and are trapped on the crust surface. Geochemical evidence suggests a hydrogenous origin of Fe-Mn crusts in the equatorial western Pacific, thus verifying a process for Fe-Mn crusts that involves the precipitation of colloidal phases from seawater followed by extensive scavenging of dissolved trace metals into the mineral phase during crust formation.

Paleoenvironments Recorded in a New-Type Ferromanganese Crust fromthe East Philippine Sea

We attempt to recover the paleocnvironments recorded in the accretion of a typical newtype hydrogenetic ferromanganese crust from the deep water areas of the East Philippine Sea. From detailed geochemical and U-series chronological studies, analysis of major and minor elements performed by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry （XRF） and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer （ICPMS）, three major accretion periods and corresponding paleocnvironments can be ascertained. The first period is a faster accretion period in the terminal Late Miocene to the Early Pliocene with looser structure and higher volcanic detritus content, corresponding to the active Antarctic bottom waters and depressed temperature from the intermediate Middle Miocene to the Early Pliocene. The second period is a pulse of pelagic clay deposition at the Early to Middle Pliocene, reflecting the shrinkage of the Antarctic bottom waters and the global temperature elevation of this period. The third period is a slower accretion period from the Middle Pliocene, which indicates the more violent activity of Antarctic bottom waters once again and more depressed temperature than the first period, facilitating the accretion of a more compact and pure ferromanganese zone. The paleoceanographic histories of these studied areas had not been made clear in previous research.

Geochemical characteristics and geological implication of ferromanganese crust from CM6 Seamount of the Caroline Ridge in the Western Pacific

Ferromanganese crusts(Fe-Mn crusts)grow very slow and can be treated as condensed stratigraphic sections recording paleo-oceanographic environmental information and local key geological events during the mineralization process.Geochronology,textures,mineralogy,and geochemistry of a Fe-Mn crust sample from the CM6 Seamount of the Caroline Ridge in the Western Pacific Ocean were analyzed by means of electron probe microanalysis and X-ray diffraction.The Fe-Mn crust shows three layers in textural characteristics from bottom to top.The lower,middle,and upper layers presence mottled,botryoidal,and columnar textures,respectively.Ferruginous vernadite,Fe hydroxide,amorphous silicate minerals,calcite,quartz,and feldspar are the main minerals of the Fe-Mn crust.Using cobalt chronometry method,the cumulative growth time of the Fe-Mn crust was determined to be 11 Ma or 25 Ma,of which25 Ma is inconsistent with other lines of age constraint brought by dating of the substrate.The co-existence of abundant silicate minerals and bioclasts in the middle and lower layers of the Fe-Mn crust diluted the ferromanganese oxide deposits,thus affected the texture,minerals,and geochemical characteristics of the Fe-Mn crust.Variations in Mn Co,Ni,and other elements content and the burial of opal-A recorded the expansion of oxygen minimum zone(OMZ)in the upper layer of the Fe-Mn crust.In addition,the highreflectivity Fe-rich laminae might indicate the surrounding volcanic activity.The Fe-Mn crust sample was determined to be hydrogenic by electron probe micro-analyzer(EPM A).The findings help us understand the geochemical characteristics of the Fe-Mn crust in the Caroline Ridge Seamount in the Western Pacific and the variations of paleo-oceanographic environment clues borne by the Fe-Mn crusts.

Factors Controlling the Distribution of Transitional Metal Elements in Marine Hydrogenic Ferromanganese Crusts

A series of selective dissolution experunents were conducted on the hydrogeinc ferromanganese crusts collected near Line Island to study the geochemistry of Mn, Fe, Cu, Co, Ni and Ti. Despite of the fact that the very close intergrowth between amorphous ferric oxyhydroxides and 6-MnO2 exists in the hydrogenic ferromanganese crusts, there is no isomorphous substitution between iron and manganese. This is because the two elements in oxides have different crystal chemistry and geochemistry, such assertion bemg in agreement with the results of selective dissolution experiments. Transitional metal elements such as Cu, Co, Ni and Ti are enriched in different phases, i.e. Ni and Co are incorporated into 6-MnO2 while Cu and Ti are incorporated into ferric oxyhy- droxides. The distributions of the elements in amorphous ferric oxyhydroxides and δ-MnO2 are controlled by the existing states of the elements in the seawater and the crystal chemistry and geochemistry of these elements/inns in oxides.

Assessment of acoustic backscatter intensity surveying on deep-sea ferromanganese crust: Constraints from Weijia Guyot, western Pacific Ocean

Near-bottom observation data from the manned deep submersible Jiaolong with high-precision underwater positioning data from Weijia Guyot,Magellan Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean are reported.Three substrate types were identified:Sediment,ferromanganese crust,and ferromanganese crust with a thin cover of sediment.The ferromanganese crusts show clear zoning and their continuity is usually disturbed by sediments on areas of the mountainside with relatively gentle slope gradients.The identified substrate spatial distributions correspond to acoustic backscatter intensity data,with regions of high intensity always including crust development and regions of low intensity always having sediment.Therefore,acoustic backscatter intensity surveying appears useful in the delineation and evaluation of crust resources,although further more work is needed to develop a practicable methodology.

Copper and zinc isotope variations in ferromanganese crusts and their isotopic fractionation mechanism

Ferromanganese(Fe-Mn)crusts are potential archives of the Cu and Zn isotope compositions of seawater through time.In this study,the Cu and Zn isotopes of the top surface of 28 Fe-Mn crusts and 2 Fe-Mn nodules were analysed by MC-ICP-MS using combined sample-standard bracketing for mass bias correction.The Zn isotope compositions of the top surface of Fe-Mn crusts are in the range of 0.71‰to 1.08‰,with a mean δ^(66)Zn value of 0.94‰±0.21‰(2 SD,n=28).The δ^(65)Cu values of the top surface of Fe-Mn crusts range from 0.33‰to0.73‰,with a mean value of 0.58‰±0.20‰(2 SD,n=28).The Cu isotope compositions of Fe-Mn crusts are isotopically lighter than that of dissolved Cu in deep seawater(0.58‰vs.0.9‰).In contrast,the δ^(66)Zn values of Fe-Mn crusts appear to be isotopically heavy compared to deep seawater(0.94‰±0.21‰vs.0.51‰±0.14‰).The isotope fractionation between Fe-Mn crusts and seawater is attributed to equilibrium partitioning between the sorption to crusts and the organic-ligand-bound Cu and Zn in seawater.The Cu and Zn isotopes in the top surface of Fe-Mn crusts are not a direct reflection of the Cu and Zn isotopes,but a function of Cu and Zn isotopes in modern seawater.This study proposes that Fe-Mn crusts have the potential to be archives for paleoceanography through Cu and Zn isotope analysis.

An Effective Method to Determine the Distribution Boundary of Cobalt-Rich Fe-Mn Crusts on a Guyot: Synchronous Application of Sub-bottom Profiling and Deep-Sea Video Recording

Determining the upper boundary of the cobalt-rich crust distribution of a guyot is important for estimating the mineral resources available, however, it has also long been an unsolved question. Correlations between the sub-bottom structures, revealed by sub-bottom profiling, and crust distribution can be revealed for the first time by the synchronous application of sub-bottom profiling and deep-sea video recording. The lower boundary of the sediment corresponds with the upper boundary of the crust. By analysis of these two kinds of data, the lower boundary of the sediment can be determined; therefore, the upper boundary of the crust distribution can be deduced. According to this method of analysis, the upper boundary of water depth of crust distribution of a seamount in the western Pacific is about 1 560 m.

Calcareous Nannofossils and Molecular Fossils in Cobalt-rich Crusts and their Response to the P/E Global Event

A biostratigraphic study on calcareous nannofossils from the CM3D06 Co-rich ferromanganese crust from the Magellan seamounts in the northwestern Pacific enabled estimation of depositional age. The bio-imprinting of calcareous nannofossils and other fossil species suggests six age ranges for the nannofossils： late Cretaceous, late Paleocene, （early, middle, late） Eocene, middle Miocene, late Pliocene, and Pleistocene. Gas chromatography （GC） and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） were used to test the Co-rich crusts, and a variety of molecular fossils were detected, such as chloroform bituminous ＂A＂ , n-alkane, isoprenoid and sterol. Peak carbon and molecular indices （such as C23-/C24＋, CPI, Pr/Ph, Pr/nC17, Ph/nCxs and j13C） indicate that the parent organic matter is dominated by marine phytoplankton and thallogen whereas there is little input of terrestrial organic matter. Researches on calcareous nannofossils, molecular fossils and molecular organic geochemistry data reveal that the Paleocene/Eocene （P/E） global event is recorded in the cobalt- rich crusts from the northwestern Pacific Ocean. A succession of biomes can be observed near the 85 mm boundary （about 55 Ma）, i.e., the disappearance of the late Cretaceous Watznaueria barnesae and Zigodicus spiralis, and Broisonia parka microbiotas above the P/E boundary, and the bloom of Coccolithus formosus, Discoaster multiradiatus, Discoaster mohleri and Discoaster sp. below the boundary. Typical parameters of molecular fossils, such as saturated hydrocarbon components and carbon-number maxima, Pr/Ph, Pr/C17, Ph/C18, distribution types of sterols, Ts/Tm ratios and bacterial hopane, also exhibit dramatic changes near the P/E boundary. These integrated results illustrate that the biome succession of calcareous nannofossils, relative content of molecular fossils and molecular indices in the cobalt-rich crusts near the 85 mm boundary faithfully record the P/E global event.

Biomineralization of organic matter in cobalt-rich crusts from the Marcus–Wake Seamounts of the western Pacific Ocean

Organic matter in cobalt-rich crust （CRC） from the Marcus-Wake Seamounts of the western Pacific Ocean, Sample CM1D03, has been analyzed to understand the source, geochemistry and mineralization of organic matter, and the mineralization environment. Biomarkers, includingn-alkanes, isoprenoids, terpanes and sterols, have been detected in various layers of the CRC sample, using gas chromatography （GC） and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. The content of organic carbon （OC） and its stable isotope （δ13C）, and the combined features of the biomarkers show that the mineralized organic matter in CM1D03 CRC was mainly derived from microorganisms and lower plankton （e.g., bacteria and algae, respectively） from marine surface water, with some terrestrial higher plant components. The ratio of chloroform bitu-men ＂A＂： OC was high in the CRC, between 10.51 and 20.66, showing significant migration characteristics of n-alkanes. Four mineralization categories of organic matter were recognized based on GC chromatograms ofn-alkane molecules： （1） primitive type （bacteria and algae）, which is characterized by moderately mature ofn-alkanes preserving the original characteristics of the organic matter from microorganisms and lower plankton; （2） microbial degradation type, which is characterized by low contents ofn-alkanes and rising baseline in the chromatogram, with the ＂bulge＂ being the products of organic matter by biodegradation; （3） organic matter migration type, which is characterized by low carbon number ofn-alkanes withnC18 as the main peak carbon, without odd even predominance, and low concentrations of isoprenoids and hydro-carbons with high carbon number; and （4） organic matter hydrothermal type, which is characterized by relatively low concentration of small molecular weightn-alkanes, pristane, and phytane, accompanied by higher concentration ofn-alkanes with carbon number greater thannC18. This study shows that biomarkers can record controlling factors of mineralization and their variation.

Morphological description and population structure of an ophiuroid species from cobalt-rich crust seamounts in the Northwest Pacific:Implications for marine protection under deep-sea mining

Many seamounts are covered with cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts,and are increasingly attracting interest for the potential extraction of valuable mineral resources from deep seabed environments.However,the impacts of potential mining activities on the vulnerable seamount ecosystem remain unclear.To enhance the understanding of connectivity in benthic invertebrate populations in the Northwest Pacific,several seamounts were surveyed and biological samples collected.In the present study,the ophiuroid species Ophioplinthaca defensor is reported for the first time from four deep seamounts in the Northwest Pacific,and described,providing more detailed morphological diagnosis characters.To assess the population structure of the species between and within seamounts,two mitochondrial markers(COI and 16 S)were sequenced.In total,20 haplotypes from 32 COI sequences and 8 haplotypes from 3716 S sequences were recovered.The star-shaped TCS networks and nonsignificant pairwise population differences reveal the absence of distinct population structures between and within seamounts.In addition,the O.defensor population seemed to have undergone a demographic expansion in history.This is the first study on the genetic population structure of a benthic invertebrate from seamounts in the Northwest Pacific,and this results suggest a potentially high,long distance dispersal capacity in O.defensor between seamounts,which could inform the development of the Regional Environmental Management Plans for the cobalt-rich crust seamounts in the area.

Geochemistry of rare earth elements in cobalt-rich crusts from the Mid-Pacific M seamount

Rare earth elements（REEs） and major elements of 25 cobalt-rich crusts obtained from different depths of Mid-Pacific M seamount were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer and gravimetric method.The results showed that they were hydrogenous crusts with average ∑REE content of 2084.69 μg/g and the light REE（LREE）/heavy REE（HREE） ratio of 4.84.The shale-normalized REE patterns showed positive Ce anomalies.The total content of strictly trivalent REEs increased with water depth.The Ce content and LREE/HREE ratios in Fe-Mn crusts above 2000 m were lower than those below 2000 m.The change in REE with water depth could be explained by two processes：adsorptive scavenging by setting matters and behaviors of REE in seawater.However, the Ce abundance took no obvious correlation with water depth reflects the constant Ce flux.The Ce in crusts existed mainly as Ce（IV）, implying that the oxidative-enriching process was controlled by kinetic factors.

Resources calculation of cobalt-rich crusts with the grid subdivision and integral method

On the basis of three geological models and several orebody boundaries, a method of grid subdivision and integral has been proposed to calculate and evaluate the resources of cobalt-rich crusts on the seamounts in the central Pacific Ocean. The formulas of this method are deduced and the interface of program module is designed. The method is carried out in the software ＂Auto mapping system of submarine topography and geomorphology MBChart＂. This method and program will possibly become a potential tool to calculate the resources of seamounts and determine the target diggings for China＇ s next Five-year Plan.