A survey of valuable ore deposits and ecosystems along the volcanic Kermadec Ridge north of New Zealand, designed to encourage under sea mining in the area.

The Problem

Valuable ores of copper, iron, zinc and gold (seafloor massive sulphides - SMS) can form from the emissions from Hydrothermal vents such as those across the Volcanic Kermadec Ridge. These minerals are potentially worth many Billions of dollars, but the resource is not yet fully understood. Little is also known about the ecosystems around these resources, which means poorly planned mining could result in massive environmental damage.

The research focuses on the Kermadec arc system, and will underpin the discovery and potential exploitation of new seafloor massive sulphide (SMS) prospects. The research will provide regional and seamount specific biological and physical characterizations. This will inform government agencies for the development environmental management and policy strategies for an area with both a high mineral and biodiversity value.

The Solution

The project aims to encourage sustainable exploration by industry through

• identifying economically extractable submarine ore bodies around the Kermadec Ridge (each potentially worth NZ$5 billion) and
• performing an assessment of the likely seafloor impacts of their exploitation.

The project will contribute to this by mapping the sub-surface structure of known active and fossil submarine hydrothermal / mineralisation systems using multiple geophysical imaging techniques. It will also provide baseline biological datasets that can be used to assess and mitigate the potential environmental impacts of future seafloor mining.

The programme has three key theme areas

1. biological characterisations of the volcanoes of the Kermadec Ridge, to provide baseline datasets from which the potential impacts of seafloor mining in the Kermadec region can be determined;
2. a comprehensive regional volcano-tectonic analysis to determine the characteristic distribution, scale and pattern of volcanism, including an overview of hydrothermal circulation at a regional scale; and
3. characterisation of the sub-surface structure of the submarine arc volcanos using multiple geophysical techniques.

The Result

The results for this project will be ready in 2013.

The key steps include

• a voyage in 2009/10 to Brothers and Rumble II West calderas volcanoes (with University of Auckland and overseas collaborators) to undertake geophysical and biological mapping, and
• the interpreting existing regional seafloor mapping data and ROV imagery, including that provided by the project’s industry partner.