India eyes rich mineral deposits beneath the central Indian Ocean

Hyderabad: India could reap a windfall of technologically important metals as the Ministry of Earth Sciences is planning to lay claim to the rich mineral deposits discovered in the central Indian Ocean.

Though rare earth elements have been noticed on seamounts throughout the world, studies by the city-based National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) have found the highest concentrations of the metal cerium in the cobalt crusts found in the seamounts in the central Indian Ocean. A seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean floor that does not reach the water surface (sea level).

Scientists from the NGRI and the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) will map the seamounts in the central Indian Ocean to identify mining areas.

Scientists connected with the project said the ministry of earth sciences will apply to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to claim rights over the minerals.

Rare earth metals are used in green technologies. India’s exploration is important since China is restricting its exports of rare earth metals. About 97 per cent of the world’s rare earth metal ore production is met by China.

In a preliminary study done on the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount (ANS), in the Indian Ocean, scientists found an average concentration of about 1.2 mg of cerium per gram of cobalt crust, which is considered extremely high.

There were lower concentrations of other metals, but even these were far higher than concentrations found in other parts, notably the Pacific Ocean. “The average concentration of cerium is 1.2 mg per gram, which is much higher than that of mid-Pacific sea-mount nodules which is 0.7 mg per gram. The very high enrichment of cobalt, nickel, copper, vanadium, strontium and molybdenum in the crusts has been attributed to surface oxidisation,” said Prof. V. Balaram, NGRI, in his article on ANS study.