Deep Sea Minerals in the Pacific Islands Region: Occurrence, Potential and Case Studies`

1st DSM Project Regional Workshop6th – 8th June 2011

Tanoa International HotelNadi, Fiji

Akuila TawakeSPC/SOPAC Division

Trend of Marine Minerals Exploration in the Region• 1960s – Mid 1970s: Manganese Nodules;

• Mid 1970s – mid 1980s: Manganese Nodules, Precious Coral, Metalliferous Sediments, Phosphate.

• Early 1980s – commencement of Cobalt-rich Crusts survey;

• 1982 and 1984 – discovery of hydrothermal vents in the Lau Back-Arc Basin.

• Mid 1980s – mid 2000: Maganese nodules, Cobaltt-rich Crusts and Seafloor Massive Sulphides;

• 1991 – confirmation of high grade Seafloor Massive Sulphide (SMS) deposits in the Manus Basin PNG by the CSIRO.

• 2011 – offshore mining licence granted to Nautilus Minerals in PNG.

Early Manganese Nodules Survey in the Cook Islands

• Surveyed in 1976, 1978, 1980 (x4), 1983; • Nodule coverage can be as high as 90%

and as low as less than 20%.

1978 Survey

Crosses indicate stations occupied on previous cruises

Rarotonga

1980 Survey

11kg/m2

24kg/m2

1.5kg/m2

0.3kg/m2

1985-2005 Japan-SOPAC Cooperative Study

PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, FSM, Marshall Islands

1985 Japan-SOPAC Cook Islands Survey

• 38 sample stations;• Three samples at

each station;• Distance between

samples:- 78 km- 39km

1985 Sampling Points

Rarotonga

Japan-SOPAC Cooperative Study Programme

Mineral Resources

Stage 1 Stage 2

Phase 1(1985-1989)

Phase 2(1990-1994)

Phase 3(1995-1999)

Phase 1(2000-2002)

Phase 2(2003-2005)

Manganese Nodules

Cooks

Kiribati

Tuvalu

Cooks

Samoa

Kiribati

Cooks Niue

Cobalt-rich Crust

Kiribati

Tuvalu

Samoa

Kiribati

RMI

FSM

RMI Kiribati

FSM

Seafloor Massive Sulphides

PNG

Solomon

Vanuatu

Tonga

Fiji

Fiji Fiji

Purpose Mineral Potential Evaluation Resource estimates

Environmental survey

Minerals Occurrence in the Region

Country MN CRC SMSKiribati √ √

Cook Islands √

Tuvalu √ √

Samoa √

Tonga √

PNG √

Solomon Islands √

Vanuatu √

Fiji √

Marshall Islands √

Federated States of Micronesia √

Niue √ √

• No economic potential for Metalliferous Sediment, Precious Coral and Phosphate

Recent Offshore Exploration in the Region• Nautilus Minerals:

- Ongoing exploration in PNG, Tonga and Solomon Islands.

• Neptune Minerals:- Previously exploring in NZ’s EEZ.

• Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI)- License granted in Tonga, and application in Fiji.

• Bluewater Metals:- Licenses granted in PNG, Solomon, Vanuatu and Tonga.

• The Bond Group and Others- Interests in exploring and developing Manganese Nodule resources in Cook Islands and Kiribati.

Manganese Nodules – Cook Islands

• Stage 1: three surveys (i.e. 1985, 1986, and 1990);

• Stage 2: one survey (i.e. 2000).

Manihiki Plateau Penrhyn

Basin

Samoa Basin

Southern Seamounts

Estimated Manganese Nodules Abundance in the Central Area

Abundance1986 Survey 2000 Survey

Area (km2) Ratio (%) Area (km2) Ratio (%)

> 30kg/m2 2,600 15.60 7,021 42.3020-30kg/m2 10,774 64.80 6,215 37.4010-20kg/m2 3,002 18.10 1,959 11.80<10kg/m2 238 1.50 1,419 8.50Total 16,614 100 16,614 100Maximum 50.86kg/m2 36.66kg/m2

Minimum 10.46kg/m2 0.00kg/m2

Average 33.56kg/m2 24.00kg/m2

Central Area 28.88kg/m2

Variation in manganese

nodules abundance in the EEZ of the

Cook Islands

Cook Islands Manganese Nodule Estimates

Using polygonal method of mineral resource estimates…

Nodule Abundance

(dry)

Area (km2)

Inferred Resources (Mt)

Nodules (dry)

Co Ni Cu

Over 20 kg/m2 33,000 723 3.54 1.75 1.02

15-20 kg/m2 99,400 1,763 8.47 4.93 2.91

10-15 kg/m2 92,200 1,080 5.20 3.13 2.91

5-10 kg/m2 135,100 894 4.04 3.20 1.86

Cut-off 5 kg/m2 359,700 4,460 21.25 13.01 7.64

Total (un-cut) 765,100 5,139 23.84 15.94 9.36

•

N odule A bundance

Found high abundant area at the central area of Cook W aters

Su rveyed at EEZ s o f 5 co stal states

Manganese Nodules Potential…

Cobalt-rich Crust – Marshall Islands

• 1996 - nine seamounts (MS01 – MS09) were surveyed;

• 1998 – four seamounts (MS10 – MS13) were investigated;

• Existence of manganese crusts was confirmed in all 13 (MS01 – MS13) seamounts;

• 2002 – promising seamounts (MS01, MS11 and MS12) were resurveyed.

Majuro

Topography and cross section of a Crust bearing seamount (MS01)

Estimates of crust and metal resourcesBased on the 1996 and 1998 surveys

Seamounts Inferred Resources (Mt)

Metal Resources (tonnes)

Co Ni Cu Pt

MS01 20.34 134,252 130,184 26,444 93

MS02 10.32 76,393 59,875 10,323 49

MS03 19.98 133,862 111,885 25,973 113

MS04 7.38 61,998 38,380 5,905 24

MS05 2.71 27,108 18,976 2,982 12

MS06 3.00 24,936 17,124 2,704 11

MS07 0.94 7,902 5,926 1,129 4

MS08 21.19 156,802 116,542 21,189 95

MS09 13.77 96,370 93,617 19,274 58

MS10 16.80 115,945 78,977 8,402 112

MS11 23.94 165,171 114,901 11,969 146

MS12 19.15 128,287 109,139 9,574 89

MS13 26.51 132,526 103,370 10,602 97

Total 186.03 1,261,552 998,896 156,470 903

2002 Crust Resource Estimates

Resource (t) = Area of crust distribution (km2) x Crust Thickness (mm) x Specific gravity (2.0g/cm3)

Inferred Resource Estimates

Seamount Area (km2)

Resource (Mt)

Co Resource (Mt)

Pt Resource

(t)

MS01 470 34 0.18 24

MS11 718 220 1.07 110

MS12 701 36 0.22 22

Total 1,889 300 1.47 156

1996 Resource estimates for MS01: 20.34Mt crust

1998 Resource estimates for MS11: 23.94Mt; MS12: 19.15Mt

Crust thickness and metal contents

at each seamount

…Based on the 1996

and 1998 surveys

Cobalt-rich Crust: Occurrence and Thickness

Survey area:Kiribati: 1987, 1989, 1991, 2003Samoa: 1990Marshall ： 1996,1998, 2002,FSM: 1997, 1998, 2005

Seafloor Massive Sulphide – North

Fiji Basin

Triple Junction Area: 2 x 3 km

Ore Showing in the Triple Junction

Triple Junction Resource Estimates

Study Area Grade

Cu (%) Zn (%) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t)

West Area 1.0 – 17.1 0.16 – 1.69 0.15 – 4.53 4.6 – 90.8East Area 1.16 – 5.38 0.22 – 8.17 1.00 – 2.93 37.0 – 210.0

Average Grade 6.93 0.61 0.85 24.39

• Observations by deep-sea TV camera confirm that there are at least seven (7) mounds in the Triple Junction Survey Area.

• Dimension of each deposit: 100m x 30m x 7m.• Mineralised material Specific Gravity: 3.5g/cm3.• Inferred resources of each deposit: 70,000t.• Total Inferred Resources: 500,000t @ 6.93% Cu, 0.61% Zn, 0.85g/t

Au and 24.39g/t Ag.

Resource Estimates Comparison

Potential and Operating Mines

Type of Deposit

Resource (Mt)Average Grade

Cu (%)

Zn (%)

Pb (%)

Au (g/t)

Ag (g/t)

Triple Junction (Fiji) SMS 0.5 (Inferred) 6.93 0.61 - 0.85 24.39

Solwara 1* (PNG) SMS0.87 (Indicated) 6.8 0.4 - 4.8 23

1.3 (Inferred) 7.5 0.8 - 7.2 37

Whim Creek ~(WA)

VMS 3.4 1.6 1.3 0.2 - 8.6

Kidd Mine ^(Canada)

VMS115 2.2 5.77 0.25 - 75

Ok Tedi Mine(PNG)

Porphyry Cu-Au

910 (resource & reserve) 0.8 - - 1.0 -

* (Golder Associates, 2008); ~ (Collins et al, 2004); ^ (Wilton, 1998)