海洋不仅覆盖着 71%的地球表面，也覆盖着极为丰富的海底矿产资源。大致可分为以下几类：石油和天然气、煤铁等固体矿物、多金属结核，富钴锰结晶核、热液矿藏、富稀土沉积以及可燃冰。自然界形成的过程中，由于外界的变迁，地球上原始的岩石层被各种外力磨蚀，随岁月渐渐变成粉末状。并且，地球上同时伴随着大片水域形成，岩石中的矿物质成分就参与了形成海洋的过程。亿万年后就形成了今天含大量矿物质的海洋。

The oceans not only cover 71% of the Earth’s surface, they are also rich in marine mineral resources. They can be roughly divided into the following categories: oil and natural gas, solid minerals such as coal and iron, polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich manganese crystal nuclei, hydrothermal deposits, rare earth-rich deposits, and combustible ice. During the formation of the natural world, the original rock layers on the earth were abraded by various external forces due to external changes and gradually became powdered over the years. At the same time, large areas of water were formed and then the mineral content of the rocks was involved in the formation of the oceans. After hundreds of millions of years, the oceans containing large amounts of minerals were formed.

一、海底有哪些矿产资源？

I. What mineral resources are there in the sea floor?

1、砂矿：主要来源于陆上的岩矿碎屑，经河流、海水、冰川和风的搬运与分选，最后在海滨或陆架区最宜地段沉积富集而成。如砂金、砂铂等共生复合型砂矿。

1. Placer: The placer is mainly from land-based rock and mineral debris and finally deposits in the seashore or shelf area which are the most suitable by the transport and sorting of rivers, seawater, glaciers and wind. It includes gulch-gold, placer platinum and other symbiotic composite placer ore.

2；海底自生矿产：由化学、生物和热液作用等在海洋内生成的自然矿物，可直接形成或经过富集后形成。如磷灰石、海绿石等。

2. Submarine authigenic mineral: It is a kind of natural mineral generated within the ocean by chemical, biological and hydrothermal action, etc., and it can be formed directly or after enrichment. It includes apatite, glauconite, etc.

3、海底固结岩中的矿产：大多属于陆上矿床向海下的延伸，如海底油气资源、硫矿等。在海洋矿产资源中，以海底油气资源、海底锰结核及海滨复合型砂矿经济意义最大。据普查显示，海底不但有石油，而且藏量极为丰富，仅就目前探测出的，就占地球上石油总储藏量的三分之一。

3. Minerals in the solid rock of the seabed: Most of the resources belong to the extension of land-based deposits to the sea, such as seabed oil and gas resources, sulfur ore, etc. Among the marine mineral resources, the economic significance of submarine oil and gas resources, submarine manganese nodules and seaside composite sand ore is the greatest. According to a census, there is an extremely rich amount of oil reserves, which accounts for one-third of the total oil reserves on the earth only for those detected so far.

图 1-1 海洋资源分布概况

Fig. 1-1 Overview of the distribution of marine resources

二、海底矿物资源的分布

Ⅱ. The distribution of seabed mineral resources

据已掌握的资料，蕴藏在深海底的多种矿物资源不断地被人们发现和研究。尤其是多金属结核，富钴结壳和热液矿床引起了人们的关注。

According to the information available, many kinds of mineral resources hidden in the deep seabed have been discovered and studied continuously. Especially, polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich crusts and hydrothermal deposits have attracted people’s attention.

在世界各大洋中。大约有 25%的深海底被含锰,镍,钴,铜等 76 种元素的多金属结核所覆盖。据苏联 E.II Baqe 1989 年估计，世界各海洋底多金属结核总储量为 3000—3500 亿吨，其中太平洋底 900—1200 亿吨，大西洋 450 亿吨，印度洋 410 亿吨。多金属结核的数量要远远超过地层中单金属矿和多金属矿中锰的总和。

About 25% of the deep seafloor of the oceans all over the world is covered by polymetallic nodules containing 76 elements such as manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper. According to the estimation of E.II Baqe of the USSR in 1989, the total reserves of polymetallic nodules in the global ocean floor are 300 billion to 350 billion tons, including 90 billion to 120 billion tons in the Pacific Ocean, 45 billion tons in the Atlantic Ocean and 41 billion tons in the Indian Ocean. The number of polymetallic nodules is much more than the sum of manganese in monometallic and polymetallic ores in the stratum.

图 1-2 海洋采矿

Fig. 1-2 Ocean mining

矿物是化学元素通过地质作用等过程发生运移﹑聚集而形成。具体的作用过程不同，所形成的矿物组合也不相同。矿物在形成后，还会因环境的变迁而遭受破坏或形成新的矿物。

Minerals are formed by the transport and aggregation of chemical elements through geological processes. The mineral assemblages formed vary depending on the specific processes. After formation, minerals may be destroyed or form new minerals as a result of environmental changes.

岩浆作用发生于温度和压力均较高的条件下。主要从岩浆熔融体中结晶析出橄榄石﹑辉石﹑闪石﹑云母﹑长石﹑石英等主要造岩矿物，它们组成了各类岩浆岩。

Magmatism occurs under conditions of high temperature and pressure. The main rock-forming minerals, such as olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, mica, feldspar and quartz, are crystallized and precipitated mainly from the magma melt and become various types of magmatic rocks.

图 1-3 海洋钴矿

Fig. 1-3 Marine cobalt ore

矿物在空间上的共存称为组合。组合中的矿物属于同一成因和同一成矿期形成的，则称它们是共生，否则称为伴生。研究矿物的共生﹑伴生﹑组合与生成顺序，有助于探索矿物的成因和生成历史。

The coexistence of minerals in space is called assemblage. If the minerals in the assemblage are born for the same reasons and at the same period, they are said to be intergrowth minerals and associated minerals otherwise. The study of intergrowth, association, combination and generation sequence of minerals can help to explore the genesis and generation history of minerals.