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National Critical Minerals Council Act Introduced to Establish US Strategy

(Image credit: International Seabed Authority)

Bolivia and ISA to Convene Landlocked Nations for Seabed Governance Workshop
Petrographic (A, D) SEM (B, E) and STEM (C, F) images of bladed marcasite (A, B,C) and bladed pyrrhotite (D,E,F). The petrographic images are reflected light under plane polarization. The brassy minerals in D are isocubanite being replaced by chalcopyrite. (Image credit: USGS)

USGS Study Flags Spontaneous Combustion Risk in Seafloor Massive Sulfide Mining
(Image credit: International Seabed Authority)

ISA Trains 21 Participants from 12 Nations on Indian Ocean Environmental Management Plans
A field of polymetallic nodules seen during Dive 04 of the 2026 American Samoa ROV + Mapping Exploration expedition at a depth of approximately 5,140 meters (3.2 miles). (Credit: USGS)

USGS Tests Radon as a Geochemical Tracer for Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodules
A stratigraphic scanning electron microscope tour showing the evolution of manganese-oxide mineralization of host sediment. Mn mineralization shows a multipronged process of formation including growth of Mn columns in soft sediment, cementation and then partial to complete replacement of the host sediment, Mn grain growth, Mn recrystallization, and late-stage void-fracture fill. Click image for full explanation. A new study led by USGS describes a previously undocumented style of hydrothermal manganese-oxide mineralization on the seabed near American Samoa, offering new insight into how seafloor mineral occurrences can form and how widespread similar deposits may be around the world. The study examined 24 dredge samples collected from three sites along the Samoan volcanic chain in the South Pacific. In many of these samples, researchers found evidence that hot, mineral-rich fluids moved upward through seafloor sediments, progressively replacing the original material with thick layers of manganese-oxide minerals. Hydrothermal systems occur where heated fluids circulate through Earth's crust and return to the seafloor, carrying dissolved metals and other elements. When those fluids encounter cooler surroundings, minerals can precipitate and accumulate. Manganese oxides are common components of seafloor mineral occurrences, but the new study documents something researchers had not previously observed: hydrothermal manganese oxides replacing sediment made up of foraminiferal carbonate. Foraminifera are microscopic marine organisms whose shells are commonly composed of calcium carbonate and can accumulate on the seafloor after the organisms die. (Credit: USGS)

USGS Documents Novel Seafloor Manganese-Oxide Deposits Near American Samoa
NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer. (Image credit: NOAA)

Deep Sea Minerals Corp. Backs NOAA Push to Map Offshore Critical Mineral Resources
Alexander Petersen, Co-Founder and CEO of MOBY Robotics, with representatives from Saigontel, SoiHub and other partners. (Image credit: MOBY Robotics)

MOBY Robotics MOU Targets Deep Seabed Mapping and Critical Minerals in Vietnam
(Image credit: Cobalt Blue)

Cobalt Blue Signs PEA Contract for Project Infinity Polymetallic Nodule Refinery

ExxonMobil Upstream Veteran Liam Mallon Joins TMC Board
(Image credit: ISA)

The Permanent Representative of the Gabonese Republic Presents Her Credentials to the ISA
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