Maganese nodule

This work has been inspired by two images linked to the current debates on deep-sea mining. 

It requires millions of years of continuous chemical reactions to form the potato-shaped nodules spreading over the abyssal plain.  Scientific discovery has shown a universe of biological diversity in the depths, contrary to what we previously assumed.  The animals attached to this metallic nodule are a perfect example for us to reflect on our connection to the deep sea. 

Manganese nodules from the seafloor.  One has been cut in half.  Photo Credit: Charles D. Winters/ Science Photo Library

A Relicanthus sp. (cnidarian) attached itself to a sponge talk on a polymetallic nodule in the CCZ. 

Photo Credit: Diva Amon and Craig Smith, University of Hawai'i. Published as Amon et al. (2016) "Insights into the abundance and diversity of abyssal megafauna in a polymetallic-nodule region in the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone", Scientific Report, 6, 30492. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep30492