簡介:"錳核(Manganese Nodule)是由英國研究船挑戰者號於西元1873年至1876年間進行環球海洋探測時,首先在非洲西北加那利群島的外洋撈獲。它是一種結核狀物質,以黏土、生物骨骸、火山物質及一些自生礦物為核心,再從海水或沉積物中緩慢凝聚出鐵、錳、鈷、鎳、銅及其他稀有金屬構成外層組成,通常分布在3000~4000公尺深的深海平原或海底山脈上。 由於錳核富含的金屬元素為工業上重要的合金材料,因此可說是深海海床上經濟價值極高的礦產資源。Manganese noduleIntroductionManganese Nodules were first obtained by the British research vessel, the HMS Challenger , during her global marine research expedition from 1873 to 1876 and at the waters around the Canary Islands off the northwestern shores of Africa . It is a nucleated material with a core made out of matters such as clay, skeletal remains of organisms, volcanic matters and some minerals. The core is then surrounded by layers of metal precipitations from seawaters or sediments, containing minerals such as iron, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper and other rare elements. They are generally distributed on deep sea plains or under sea mountain ridges at the depth of 3,000 to 4,000 meters. These Manganese Nodules contain abundant metallic alloys important to industries, making them potentially valuable mining resources of great economical interests."