Annotated record of the detailed examination of an Mn deposit surveyed in the North Atlantic Ocean (R/V Robert Conrad, Cruise 15)

he proposed mining of ferromanganese deposits from the deep sea will affect benthic and pelagic environments depending to a great extent on the method of nodule retrieval and separation. Three basic deep-ocean mining systems have been proposed, each of which will effect the removal under varying conditions of water, sediment and nodules from the ocean floor. This report summarizes existing oceanographhic information on potential manganese nodule mining areas at the date of publication and presents the results of field observations in a manganese nodule area of the North Atlantic Ocean surveyed during Cruise 15 of the R/V Robert Conrad.