Seafloor Sulfides

We keep reading about "peak oil" and now the concept of "peak metals" is starting to gain traction. We like to point to new approaches as one potential mitigator to these looming issues.

Technological advances are creating great opportunities in the production of commodities. One of the most recent examples has been the effect of shale gas production on US natural gas prices. High volume shale gas wells were unheard of a decade ago yet there was ample evidence that natural gas was sourced from shales. Many of North America's earliest natural gas wells produced from naturally fractured shales yet it took over 100 years to figure out how to accelerate the production from the enormous natural gas resources trapped in shales.

The seafloor is one of the new frontiers of the mining business and Nautilus Minerals (NUS.TO) is exploring for seafloor massive sulphide (SMS) deposits of copper, gold, zinc and silver. Here are a couple of articles that feature Nautilus and their quest to mine the metals of the seafloor.

Can Giant Robots Successfully Mine the Mile-Deep Seafloor?

Race to the Bottom

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