What is the Clarion-Clipperton Zone?

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a vast environmental management area and submarine fracture zone in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico. It contains some of the world's largest known fields of polymetallic nodules, which are rich in valuable metals like manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt. While heavily considered for deep-sea mining, scientific surveys have also revealed a high abundance and diversity of deep-sea life within the region.

What we know

• The Clarion-Clipperton zone spans approximately 4,500,000 square kilometres between Hawaii and Mexico. [1, 2]
• The region is administered by the International Seabed Authority under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. [2]
• The zone contains vast deposits of polymetallic nodules rich in manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt. [2, 5]
• Scientific surveys have found that more than half of the species collected in the zone were new to science. [2]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWho governs mining in international waters?
• how it workedHow do polymetallic nodules form on the ocean floor?
• what followedWhat environmental risks are posed by deep-sea mining?
• whenWhen were the Clarion and Clipperton fracture zones discovered?
• a case in pointWhat is the history of nearby Clipperton Island?
• an unexpected connectionHow do remote deep-sea mineral deposits relate to global geopolitical regulations?Deep-sea mineral fields located thousands of meters underwater in the open ocean are governed by specific international maritime laws and treaties like UNCLOS.

Sources

• [1]Clarion-Clipperton Zone (Wikidata Q124349641) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Clarion–Clipperton zone · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Clarion Fracture Zone · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Clipperton Island · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Manganese nodule · CC BY-SA 4.0