Focus

Methane hydrates consistof chemically stable deposits of methane gas bound within a matrix of water ice. These deposits form under conditions of high pressure and low temperature within the seabed. They form wide-spread deposits that represent potentially very large energy resources. Possible resources reported by the United States Geological Survey and others could amount to more than twice the energy equivalent of all other hydrocarbon fuels put together. Current research programs investigating the potential of methane hydrates are being supported by the United States, Russia, Japan, and other countries. The 2005 UMI invites papers on all aspects of this research, including methods of deposit delineation, potential methods for recovery and utilization, and potential economic and environmental impacts of a mature extraction industry.

Substantial and profitable marine mining industries are currently recovering seabed sand and gravel deposits off Great Britain, Japan, and other coastal states and high quality diamond deposits off Southern Africa. Potentially commercial marine mining ventures for seabed deposits of gold, silver, copper, nickel, zinc, cobalt, and other metals are developing off Papua New Guinea and within the international seabed areas under the regulatory control of the International Seabed Authority. The 2005 UMI invites papers that examine the potential environmental impacts of these and other seabed mining industries. Studies that compare the environmental impacts of seabed operations with land-base alternatives that can supply the same commodities are also of interest. Marine mineral deposit models and processes of formation, as well as other topics of timely interest to the study of marine minerals, will also be important components of this 2005 UMI.