New Breakthrough in Deep-Sea Scientific Research! China Discovers Large-Scale Seafloor Deposit with High Gold and Silver Content

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Recently, a joint scientific expedition on seafloor hydrothermal activity and resources in the Western Pacific, conducted by Tsinghua University, the Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology under the China Geological Survey, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and other institutions, achieved an important breakthrough. The expedition team, relying on independently developed equipment, has newly identified a large high-temperature active hydrothermal field in the Western Pacific, and preliminary evidence confirms its potential for large-scale polymetallic sulfide resources.

For this expedition, the team boarded the research vessel "Xiangyanghong 10" and set sail from Shenzhen, Guangdong on August 10 this year. During the 18-day voyage, they carried out 7 submersible deployment operations in the back-arc basin of the Western Pacific located within China's exclusive economic zone.

According to reports, prior to this expedition, the research team had already conducted more than ten preliminary surveys in this sea area and found dozens of high-temperature hydrothermal vents. These vents are located at depths of about 700 to 1,500 meters underwater, and theend-memberfluid at the vents reaches a maximum temperature exceeding 315°C, indicating highly active hydrothermal activity.

Building on previous investigations, this voyage, through detailed surveys and in-situ sampling, precisely identified a brand-new and enormous seafloor hydrothermal deposit area within the basin. The associated hydrothermal sulfide ore bodies consist of 3 large conical ore body structures.

Preliminary testing and analysis by the onboard laboratory showed that the ore bodies are mainly composed of important economic minerals such as chalcopyrite, pyrite, and sphalerite. Preliminary analysis of some samples showed that the highest associated gold content in the ore reaches 15.4 ppm (equivalent to 15.4 grams of gold per ton of deposit), and the highest associated silver content reaches 1,271 ppm (equivalent to 1,271 grams of silver per ton of deposit), with average content levels significantly superior to terrestrial deposits.

According to experts, its gold and silver contents are extremely high, and there are also biological gene communities under extreme seafloor environments here, which is of great scientific significance for studying life processes under extreme conditions.