Luis Menezes Pinheiro Dep. Geociências and CESAM, Univ. Aveiro, Portugal

Mineral and Energy Resources

from the Portuguese Continental

Shelf

Câmara do Comércio e Indústria, Lisboa, 14 de Dezembro de 2011

The oceans and the sub-seafloor: the next frontier

occupy 2/3 Earth’s surface, but still largely unknown

Oil, gas, gas hydrates, polymetalic crusts and nodules,

massive sulphides, phosphorites, placers (tin, tungsten,

gold, diamonds), glauconites, carbonates, sand and gravel

Need to assess the real potential of deep sea mineral,

energy and biotechnological resources – Need for

observations - (Ships, ROV’s, AUV’s, Submersibles, Deep

Sea Drilling, Observatories). International Cooperation.

Deep biosphere: geosphere/biosphere coupling processes

Geomicrobiology, Biotechnology

Portuguese Proposal of Extension of the Continental Shelf to the UN

Courtesy Nuno Lourenço, EMAM

Sand and Gravel Exploitation from the continental shelf

Legislation

Normally depths greater than 20m

Distance from the coast usually greater than 2-3 km

Dias, 2003

Sand and Gravel from the Continental shelf

Environmental legislation more rigorous in face of the negative impacts

associated with exploration in rivers and beaches

Marine aggregates extraction (sand and gravel) are becoming more and more an

important mineral resource as land based recourses are being depleted, polluted

or subjected to more severe laws for environmental protection (International

Council for the Exploration of the Sea, 2000).

Areas of the globe where there is more intense exploration:

North Sea, USA costs and the Far East

Sand/gravel extraction in the UK

1959 - 3.9 Mton: 5.7% internal consumption needs

1970 - 13 Mton: 12% “ “ “

1980 – 16.5 Mton: 16.5% “ “ “

Japan – early 80’s was already exploiting 57 Mton submarine sand & gravel

It is becoming a current practice to use such exploitation for beach nourishment.

Açores – exploitation under way for several years.

Potencial in sand and gravel in the Portuguese Margin Artificial Beach Nourishment

Edisto Beach, S. Carolina, USA

Vale do Lobo, Portugal

c Hydrothermal Systems: Açores

Massive sulphides

Biotechnological resources

AÇORES

TTR Cruise, Lucky Strike, 2004

Polimetalic crusts and nodules

Koelle, personal photo

Manganese nodules at around 4100m water

depth in the Peru Basin (Sonne cruise SO-79)

Nodules known since the HMS

Challenger voyage (1872-76).

Manganese nodules and crusts consist of

about 20-30% Manganese, 10-20% iron

oxides, 1.5% Nickel and less than 1% of

cobalt, copper, zinc and lead.

Polymetalic nodules & crusts Seawater lithosphere Fe-Mn crusts

Contents in Manganese, Iron, Cobalt, Nickel, platinum,

cerium, copper and Telurium (wt %) in Fe-Mn crusts, in

comparison with their contents in the seawater and the

lithosphere (adapted from Hein, 2000).

Madeira EEZ, TTR11 Research Cruise - 2001

Cobalt is a strategic metal used in making jet engines, magnetic, wear-resistant,

and high-strength alloys, paints, as a commercially important radioisotope, used as

a tracer and in the production of gamma rays for industrial use.

The U.S. cannot produce sufficient cobalt to meet its needs

Cobalt-rich polymetalic nodules and crusts – Madeira EEZ

S. Muiños (2005)

Fe/Mn polymetalic crusts rich in Cobalt

Madeira EEZ TTR11 Research Cruise - 2001

Fe/Mn polymetalic crusts rich in Cobalt

Madeira EEZ TTR11 Research Cruise - 2001

J. H.Monteiro

Fe/Mn polymetalic crusts rich in Cobalt

Madeira EEZ TTR11 Research Cruise - 2001

Portuguese Margin: Polimetalic nodules and crusts rich in cobalt

Area South Pacific North Pacific Indian Atlantic

Elements (%)

Mn 16.61 12.29 13.56 16.10

Fe 13.92 12.00 15.77 21.82

Ni+Cu+Co (%) 1.213 0.860 0.782 0.715

Area Lion Nameless Josephine Lion Sul

Ni+Cu+Co (%) 1.096 0.960 0.865 0.801

Muinos, 2005

Polymetalic Nodules and Crusts rich in Cobalt – Underwater Video

Madeira EEZ TTR11 Research Cruise - 2005

Phosphorous is necessary for the growth of organisms.

Phosphorites

Phosphate deposits are formed in

submarine terraces in areas where

upwelling generates a high

productivity

Organic wastes and remains

accumulate in the sediment and as

they decay, they release

phosphorus compounds which

precipitate as phosphate nodules.

Normally occur in areas of the

oceans with water depths between

100 and 1000 m. Nodules grow at

the rate of about 1-10mm/1000

years

Onshore reserves are still sufficient. The world consumption, particularly in the

agriculture and the chemical industry is of about 150 million tons per year and

the known reserves should last probably until 2050. Estimated reserves in the

oceans are probably > 50 billion Tons.

Deep Portuguese Basins – Oil Potential (TGN-NOPEC Speculative Survey 2000/01)

20

Deep offshore Basins

Amplitude anomalies

Cortesy J. Pacheco

Deep offshore Portuguese Basins – Direct Hydrocarbon indicators

Cortesy J. Pacheco

Discovered in 1999 (NRL / IGM / UA).

44 mud volcanoes confirmed by coring.

Gas hydrates (4 MVs; evidence in several others

(Bonjardim, Ginsburg, Ct. Arutjunov, Porto MVs).

Gas Hydrates / Mud volcanoes, S. Portuguese Margin and Gulf of Cadiz

Vulcão

de lama Hidratos

de gás

INGMAR (2000-2003); ESF Euromargins MVSEIS (2003-2007), FCT.

MvSeis

Mud volcanoes: Gulf of Cadiz

CAPTAIN ARUTYUNOV MV: Discovered in 2002 (TTR-12)

Thermogenic Gas hydrates recovered (TTR-12, TTR-15 and GAP)

Chemosynthetic fauna (pogonophora)

• Mud breccia; strong H2S smell Clear structural control

Captain Arutyunov MV

TTR-17 June 2008: NEW MUD VOLCANO – SAGRES MUD VOLCANO MvSeis

Chemosynthetic Frenulata

667 GR

Mud breccia clasts

Bonjardim Mud Volcano – TTR-16

June/2006

Gas Hydrates from the S. Portuguese Margin MvSeis

Crystalline solids. 1 cm3 HG 160 cm3 gas.

Mud volcanoes Bonjardim, Ct. Arutjunov & Ginsburg.

Thermogenic gas 81%-88% metano; 12-19% C2-C5.

Oil reservoirs at depth? Huge(?) reserves in the ocean

1 km

75 m

CESAM

Centr

o d

e E

studos

do A

mbie

nte

e d

o M

ar

La

bo

rató

rio

Asso

cia

do |

ww

w.c

esam

.ua.p

t

MvSeis

Porto Mud Volcano – TTR-17 July/2008

Gas Hydrates from the S. Portuguese Margin

MvSeis

Anastasya 2000 Cruise

5 m

Climate change

Carbon sequestration

Anaerobic Methane Oxidation

Geomicrobiology

MDAC occurrences discovered in the Gulf of Cadiz since 1999. Structural control

Methane-derived authigenic carbonates

Anastasya 2000 Cruise

Somoza et al.

Ibérico Diapiric Ridge

SEM Observations of microbial involvement in the precipitation of the dolomite chimneys

Chimney 3463-B2: bacterial filaments Crust 3458-A3: calcified bacterial

filaments over dolomite crystals

Magalhães et al., 2005; Magalhães, 2006 Framboidal pyrite sugesting the presence

of sulfate reduction bacteria

Dumbbell like structures?

MvSeis

V. Magalhães

Solemyidae

Natsushima sp.

Siboglinum sp.

Brachyura und.

Apseudes grossimanus

Alpheidae und. Gnathiidae und.

(new species?)

MvSeis Faunal Communities in the Gulf of Cadiz

Courtesy M. Cunha

Family Siboglinidae, previously 2 different phyla:

Vestimentifera Pogonophora

Both groups occur in reducing environments and tipically

are found at depths below several hundred meters

They lack a functional gut as adults and rely on

endosymbiotic bacteria for nutrition.

The endosymbiotic bacteria are chemoautotrophic sulphide

oxidizers that generate organic material from inorganic

compounds delivered to the trophosome by the host

vascular and celomic systems.

Riftia pachyptila (East Pacific Rise)

Spirobrachia n. sp. (Gulf of Cadiz)

Unexpected diversity of

pogonophoran tubeworms

Morphological and molecular analysis

show 7 different species belonging to 5

different genera (Hilário et al., in prep)

IODP – Deep Ocean Drilling – Deep Biosphere

IODP – Deep Ocean Drilling – Deep Biosphere

Opportunities for Portugal

• Excellent Natural Laboratories in the area under natural

jurisdiction (Hydrothermal Systems and Cold Seeps)

• Mineral and Energy Resources

(massive sulphides, Cobalt-rich crusts, gas, gas hydrates,

oil(?), sand and gravel, phosphorites

Extreme Ecosystems: Hydrothermal systems and Cold Seeps

Deep Biosphere and biotechnology

Açores South Portuguese Margin Madeira-Tore Rise

and Gulf of Cadiz

Deep Margin

Obrigado!

Thank you !

Tusen takk!