The ocean’s deep-sea bed is scattered with ancient rocks, each about the size of a closed fist, called “polymetallic nodules.” Elsewhere, along active and inactive hydrothermal vents and the deep ocean’s ridges, volcanic arcs, and tectonic plate boundaries, and on the flanks of seamounts, lie other types of mineral-rich deposits containing high-demand minerals.The minerals found in the deep ocean are used to manufacture products like the lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles, cell phones, or solar cells. In some cases, the estimated resources of critical mineral deposits in parts…
