Large-scale rare metal ore discovered on Minamitori Island, Japan

Japanese researchers recently announced that a large area of ​​manganese nodules has been discovered in the deep sea near the southernmost island of Japan, covering an area of ​​at least 44,000 square kilometers, which is larger than the area of ​​Kyushu Island
.
This is the first time that Japan has discovered such a large range of rare metal mines near Nantori Island
.
Nantori Island covers an area of ​​about 1.
2 square kilometers, about 1,800 kilometers from Tokyo to the northwest
.
The Marine Research and Development Agency of Japan and the University of Tokyo have conducted surveys of seabed mineral deposits near Nantori Island in 2010.
In 2013, it has been found that there are high concentrations of rare earths in the seabed mud near the island
.
This time, researchers found densely packed manganese nodules on the 5,500 meters of seabed about 300 kilometers from Nanniao Island
.
Researchers used the deep-sea probe "Deep Sea 6500" to collect some samples of manganese nodule ore and found that it is rich in rare metals such as cobalt and nickel.
The amount of cobalt alone is enough to be used in Japan for about 1600 years
.
Japan has always hoped to get rid of its dependence on imported rare metal resources by searching for marine mineral deposits
.
However, because these ores are located on the bottom of the deep sea, there are still difficulties in collecting and using them, and they are expected to become important rare metal resources in the future
.