Thousands of metres beneath the ocean surface lies an extraordinary world of ancient geological formations, unusual organisms and ecosystems that scientists are only beginning to understand. Now, companies and governments are preparing to extract valuable minerals from the seabed. The potential rewards are enormous. So are the risks. Could humanity be about to destroy one of Earth's last great wildernesses in pursuit of the materials needed to power its technological future? An industrial revolution beneath the waves Imagine an industrial mining operation taking place more than four kilometres beneath the ocean surface. There is no sunlight. Temperatures are close to freezing. The pressure is hundreds of times greater than at sea level. Yet, scattered across the vast darkness of the seabed, lie millions of mineral-rich rocks containing metals increasingly important to modern civilisation. These are polymetallic nodules. They can contain manganese, nickel, copper and cobalt, among ...
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