Metalliferous sediments in the Atlantis II Deep-Assessing the geological and economic resource potential and legal constraints

Resources Policy

Volumn 36, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 315-329

  Bertram, Christine ^a   Krätschell, Anna ^b   O'Brien, Killian ^c   Brückmann, Warner ^b   Proelss, Alexander ^d   Rehdanz, Katrin ^a,e  

^a KIEL INSTITUTE FOR THE WORLD ECONOMY   (Germany)

^b GEOMAR HELMHOLTZ CENTRE FOR OCEAN RESEARCH KIEL   (Germany)

^c Academy of European Law (ERA)   (Germany)

^d UNIVERSITY OF TRIER   (Germany)

^e UNIVERSITY OF KIEL   (Germany)

Author keywords

Atlantis II Deep; Deep sea mining; Joint development scheme; Metalliferous sediments; Resource potential; Saudi Sudanese Red Sea Commission

Indexed keywords

ATLANTIS; DEEP-SEA MINING; JOINT DEVELOPMENT; RESOURCE POTENTIAL; SAUDI-SUDANESE RED SEA COMMISSION;

ANOXIC SEDIMENTS; COPPER DEPOSITS; DEPOSITS; GOLD; GOLD DEPOSITS; MINERAL RESOURCES; SEDIMENTOLOGY; SILVER DEPOSITS; ZINC; ZINC SULFIDE;

COPPER;

COPPER; DEEP-SEA SEDIMENT; EXPLOITATION; EXPLORATION; GOLD; MINERAL RESOURCE; MINING; SILVER; SULFIDE; ZINC;

EID: 81955167463     PISSN: 03014207     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2011.09.001     Document Type: Article

References (63)

1. ABARE, 2010a. Australian Commodities, vol. 17(2). June Quarter 2010. Canberra, Australia.
2. ABARE, 2010b. Australian Commodities, vol. 17(1). March Quarter 2010. Canberra, Australia.
3. Abu Gideiri Y.B. Implications of sea mining for the Red Sea environment. Hydrobiologia 1984, 110:15-19.
4. Ahnert A., Borowski C. Environmental risk assessment of anthropogenic activity in the deep sea. Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Stress and Recovery 2000, 7:299-315.
5. Anschutz P., Blanc G., Stille P. Origin of fluids and the evolution of the Atlantis II deep hydrothermal system, Red Sea. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 1995, 59:4799.
6. Anschutz P., Turner J.S., Blanc G. The development of layering, fluxes through double-diffusive interfaces, and location of hydrothermal sources of brines in the Atlantis II Deep: Red Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans 1998, 103:27809-27819.
7. Anschutz P. Geochemical dynamics of the Atlantis II Deep (Red Sea): II. Composition of metalliferous sediment pore waters. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 2000, 64(23):3995-4006.
8. Bäcker H., Schoell M. New deeps with brines and metalliferous sediments in the Red Sea. Nature-Physical Science 1972, 240(103):153-158.
9. Barbery, G., Horn, R., Lecuyer, P., Lefeuvre, E., Le Lann, F., Leveque, M.-X., Snoep, J., Thomas, D., 1981. Atlantis II Feasibility Study. Saudi-Sudanese Red Sea Joint Commission.
10. Barrick, 2010. A New Era in Gold. Barrick Gold Corporation. Annual Report 2009. Toronto, Canada.
11. 2000, Elsevier, Amsterdam. R. Bernhardt (Ed.).
12. BGR, 2009. Commodity prices. January 2006-December 2009. Available from: (accessed 06.12.10). http://www.bgr.bund.de/cln_116/nn_330806/SharedDocs/GT__Produkte/Mineral__Rohstoffe/CPL__alle-genTab__DE.html.
13. Bischoff J.L., Manheim F.T. Economic potential of the Red Sea heavy metal deposits. Hot Brines and Recent Heavy Metal Deposits in the Red Sea 1969, 1969. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp. 535-541.
14. Brown E.D. Pollution from seabed mining. Environmental Policy and Law 1983, 10:122-134.
15. Brownlie S. Principles of Public International Law 2003, Oxford University Press, Oxford. 6th ed.
16. Cameron H., Georghiou L. The economic feasibility of deep-sea mining. Engineering Costs and Production Economics 1981, 5(1981):279-287.
17. Churchill R.R., Lowe A.V. The Law of the Sea 1999, Yonkers, New York. 3rd ed.
18. Clark J.P., Neutra M.R. Mining manganese nodules: potential economic and environmental effects. Resources Policy 1983, 9(2):99-105.
19. Colson D.A., Smith R.W. International Maritime Boundaries 2005, vol. V. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden.
20. Davis T.P. A scale-integrated structural analysis of the Mount Isa Zn-Pb-Ag deposit and implications for genesis. Mineral Deposit Research: Meeting the Global Challenge 2005, 1:103-106. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
21. Dzurek D.J. Parting the Red Sea: boundaries, offshore resources and transit. Maritime Briefing 2001, 3(2).
22. Ehrenberg, H., Pilger, A., Schröder, F., 1954. Das Schwefelkies-Zinkblende-Schwerspatlager von Meggen (Westfalen). Beih. Geol. Jb., Hannover, p. 12.
23. Ely N. The conservation of oil. Harvard Law Review 1937-1938, 1937-1938:1209-1244.
24. Ford, G., Simnett, J., 1982. Silver from the Sea, Saudi Aramco World, September/October 1982, pp. 22-25. Available from: (accessed 13.10.10). http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198205/silver.from.the.sea.htm.
25. Gaylord, B., 2000. Undersea Gold. Far Eastern Economic Review, June 22, pp. 42-44.
26. Glasby G.P. Deep Seabed mining: past failures and future prospects. Marine Georesources and Geotechnology 2000, 20(2):161-176.
27. Guney, M., Nawab, Z., Marhoun, M.A.,1984. Atlantis-II-Deep's metal reserves and their evaluation. In: Proceedings of the Offshore Technology Conference Houston, OTC Paper 4780(3), pp. 33-44.
28. Hackett J.P., Bischoff J.L. New data on the stratigraphy, extent, and geologic history of the red sea geothermal deposits. Economic Geology 1973, 68:553-564.
29. Halfar J., Fujita R.M. Precautionary management of deep-sea mining. Marine Policy 2002, 26:103-106.
30. Hartmann M. Atlantis-II Deep geothermal brine system-chemical processes between hydrothermal brines and Red Sea deep-water. Marine Geology 1985, 64(1-2):157-177.
31. Hoagland P., Beaulieu S., Tivey M.A., Eggert R.G., German C., Glowka L., Lin J. Deep-sea mining of seafloor massive sulfides. Marine Policy 2010, 34:728-732.
32. IMF, 2010. International Financial Statistics. Commodity Prices, September 2010.
33. International Court of Justice, 1969. North Sea Continental Shelf Cases (Germany v. Denmark/Germany v. The Netherlands). ICJ Reports, pp. 4-257.
34. International Court of Justice, 1982. Case Concerning the Continental Shelf (Tunesia v. Libya). ICJ Reports, pp. 18-323.
35. ISI, 2009. Rohstoffe für Zukunftstechnologien. Einfluss des branchenspezifischen Rohstoffbedarfs in rohstoffintensiven Zukunftstechnologien auf die zukünftige Rohstoffnachfrage. Fraunhofer Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung. Stuttgart, Germany.
36. Karbe, L., Mill, A.J.B., Thiel, H., Weikert, H., 1981. Mining of Metalliferous Sediments from the Atlantis II Deep, Red Sea: Pre-Mining Environmental Conditions and Evaluation of the Risk to the Environment. Saudi-Sudanese Red Sea Joint Commission.
37. Kirthisingha P.N. International policies on the economic resources of the deep-seabed. Resources Policy 1983, 9(2):77-98.
38. Lagoni R. Oil and gas deposits across national frontiers. American Journal of International Law 1979, 73:215-243.
39. Lagoni R. Festlandsockel und Abgrenzung. Handbuch des Seerechts 2006, 161-286. Beck, Munich. Vitzthum (Ed.).
40. Miyoshi M. The joint development of offshore oil and gas in relation to maritime boundary delimitation. Maritime Briefing 1999, 2(5).
41. Mustafa, H.E.Z., Nawab, Z., Horn, R., LeLann, F., 1984. Economic interest of hydrothermal deposits. The Atlantis II Project. In: Proceedings of the Second International Seminar on Offshore Mineral Resources (GERMINAL), Brest, pp. 509-538.
42. Nordquist M.H. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: A Commentary 1993, vol. II. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden.
43. Ong D.M. Joint development of common offshore oil and gas deposits: "Mere" state practice of customary international law. American Journal of International Law 1999, 93:771-804.
44. Pan American, 2010. Unlocking Value. Pan American Silver Corporation Annual Report 2009. Vancouver, Canada.
45. Pedroletti, B., 2010. China seeks to mine deep sea riches. Guardian Weekly, Tuesday, December 7, 2010. Available from: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198205/silver.from.the.sea.htm.
46. Proelss A. Ausschließliche Wirtschaftszone (AWZ). Handbuch des Seerechts 2006, 2006:222-264. Beck, Munich.
47. Rodriguez-Rivera L.E. Joint development zones and other cooperative management efforts related to transboundary maritime resources. Issues in Legal Scholarship 2008, 8(1):2008. article 2.
48. Schofield C. Bluring the lines? Maritime joint development and cooperative management of ocean resources. Issues in Legal Scholarship 2009, 8(1). article 3.
49. Scholten J.C., Stoffers P., Garbe-Schönberg D., Moammar M. Hydrothermal mineralization in the Red Sea. Handbook of Marine Mineral Deposits 2000, 369-395. CRC Press, Boca Raton. D.S. Cronan (Ed.).
50. Shusterich K. Mining the deep seabed. Marine Policy 1982, 6(3):175-192.
51. Stein R., Walter I. Seabed resources and international law. Resource Policy 1977, 3(4):237-242.
52. Townsend-Gault, I. Towards an International Legal Duty of Ocean Cooperation. Available from: 〈http.southchinaseastudies.org.〉 (accessed 04.11.10).
53. United Nations General Assembly, 1970. Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, GA Res. 2625 (XXV), UN GAOR, 25th Sess. Suppl. 28, UN Doc. A/8028 (1970).
54. US EPA, 2010. Guidelines for Preparing Economic Analyses. Pre-publication Edition. EPA 240-R-10-001. National Center for Environmental Economics, Office of Policy, US Environmental Protection Agency, December 2010.
55. USGS, 2010a. Copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, silver and gold statistics. In: Kelly, T.D., Matos, G.R. (Eds.), Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities in the United States: US Geological Survey Data Series 140. Available from: (accessed 01.12.10). http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140/.
56. USGS, 2010b. Mineral Commodity Summaries 2010. Washington, DC, USA.
57. USGS, 2010c. 2008 Minerals Yearbook. Saudi Arabia (Advance Release). Washington, DC, USA.
58. USGS, 2009. 2008 Minerals Yearbook. Sudan (Advance Release). Washington, DC, USA.
59. World Bank, 2010a. Global Commodity Markets. Review and Price Forecast. A Companion to Global Economic Prospects 2010. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. Washington, DC, USA.
60. World Bank, 2010b. Global Economic Monitor Data. Excel Tables. Available from: (accessed 06.12.10). http://externalization.worldbank.org/external/default/main?theSitePK=2880771&pagePK=64691887&contentMDK=21344314&menuPK=3806914&piPK=64691875.
61. XSTRATA, 2009a. XSTRATA Copper Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources as of June 2009. December 2009. Available from: (accessed 01.12.10). http://www.xstrata.com/assets/pdf/x_reserves_resources_copper_200910.pdf.
62. XSTRATA, 2009b. XSTRATA Copper Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources as of June 2009. October 2009. Available fom: (accessed 01.12.10). http://www.xstrata.com/assets/pdf/x_reserves_resources_zinc_200910.pdf.
63. Zierenberg R.A., Shanks W.C. Isotopic constraints on the origin of the Atlantis II, Suakin and Valdivia brines, Red Sea. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 1986, 50:2205-2214.