引子

海洋不仅覆盖着71%的地球表面，也覆盖着极为丰富的海底矿产资源。那么海底矿产种类可以分为哪几种呢？

Introduction

The ocean not only covers 71% of the earth’s surface, but also enjoys extremely rich submarine mineral resources. How many kinds of submarine mineral resources are there in the world?

煤铁等固体矿产

世界许多近岸海底已开采煤铁矿藏。日本海底煤矿开采量占其总产量的30%；智利、英国、加拿大、土耳其也有开采。亚洲一些国家还发现许多海底锡矿。已发现的海底固体矿产有20多种。我国大陆架浅海区广泛分布有铜、煤、硫、磷、石灰石等矿。

Coal, iron and other solid minerals

The coal and iron deposits in many near-shore sea beds have been mined. Japan’s submarine coal mining accounts for 30% of its total production; and Chile, Britain, Canada and Turkey also have mined submarine coal. Many seafloor tin ore deposits have also been found in some Asian countries. So far, more than 20 kinds of solid minerals have been discovered on the seabed. Copper, coal, sulfur, phosphorus, limestone and other minerals are widely distributed in the shallow sea area of China’s continental shelf.

海滨砂矿

海滨沉积物中有许多贵重矿物，如：含有发射火箭用的固体燃料钛的金红石；含有核潜艇和核反应堆用的耐高温和耐腐蚀的锆铁矿、锆英石等。我国近海海域也分布有金、锆英石、钛铁矿、独居石、铬尖晶石等经济价值极高的砂矿。

Beachplacer deposits

There are many precious minerals in the shore deposits, such as the rutile containing titanium which is a solid fuel for rocket launch and the zirconite which can resist high temperature and corrosion for nuclear submarines and nuclear reactors. China’s offshore waters are also distributed with gold, zircon, ilmenite, monazite, chromium spinel and other placers with high economic value.

多金属结核、富钴锰结核

多金属结核含有锰、铁、镍、钴、铜等几十种元素。世界海洋3500～6000米深的洋底储藏的多金属结核约有3万亿吨。我国已在太平洋调查200多万平方千米的面积，其中有30多万平方千米为有开采价值的远景矿区，联合国已批准其中15万平方千米的区域分配给我国作为开辟区。富钴锰结核储藏在300～4000米深的海底，容易开采。现在美、日等国已设计了一些开采系统。

Polymetallic nodules and cobalt-rich manganese nodules

Polymetallic nodules contain dozens of elements such as manganese, iron, nickel, cobalt and copper. There are about 3 trillion tons of polymetallic nodules stored on the ocean floor of the world at a depth of 3,500 to 6,000 meters. China has investigated more than 2 million square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean, of which more than 300,000 square kilometers are prospective mining areas with mining value. The United Nations has allocated 150,000-square-kilometer mining areas to China as the open area. Cobalt-rich manganese nodules are stored in the seafloor at a depth of 300 to 4,000 meters, which is easy to be mined. Currently, some mining systems have been designed in the United States and Japan.

热液矿藏

热液矿藏是一种含有大量金属的硫化物，由海底裂谷喷出的高温岩浆冷却沉积形成，已发现30多处矿床。海底热液矿床的发现，引起世界各国的高度重视。专家们普遍认为，海底热液矿是极有开发价值的海底矿床。一些深海探查开采技术发达的国家纷纷投入巨资研制各种实用型采矿设备。我国也将海洋技术列为未来重点发展的高新技术之一。

Hydrothermal deposits

Hydrothermal deposits are sulfides containing large amounts of metals, formed by the cooling deposition of high-temperature magma ejected from submarine rift valleys, and more than 30 deposits have been discovered. The discovery of hydrothermal deposits on the seafloor has attracted great attention from all over the world. Experts generally believe that the hydrothermal ore is extremely valuable. Some countries with developed deep-sea exploration and mining technologies have invested heavily in the development of various practical mining equipment. China has also listed marine technology as one of the key high technologies to be invented in the future.

可燃冰

可燃冰是一种被称为天然气水合物的新型矿物，在低温、高压条件下，由碳氢化合物与水分子组成的冰态固体物质。其能量密度高，杂质少，燃烧后几乎无污染，矿层厚，规模大，分布广，资源丰富。据估计，全球可燃冰的储量是现有石油天然气储量的两倍。据测算，仅我国南海的可燃冰资源量就达700亿吨油当量，约相当于我国目前陆上油气资源量总数的1/2。在世界油气资源逐渐枯竭的情况下，可燃冰的发现又为人类带来新的希望。

Gas hydrate

Gas hydrate is a new type of mineral, which is an icy solid substance composed of hydrocarbons and water molecules under the conditions of low temperature and high pressure. It has high energy density, few impurities, almost no pollution after combustion, thick mineral layer, large scale, wide distribution and abundant resources. It is estimated that the global reserves of combustible ice are twice as much as the existing oil and gas reserves. The discovery of combustible ice has brought new hope for mankind in the face of gradually depleting oil and gas resources in the world.