Nodule (Polymetallic)

A polymetallic nodule is a potato-sized concretion of manganese and iron oxides that forms over millions of years on the deep abyssal plains, typically at 4,000 to 6,000 meters depth, and lies loose on the sediment surface. Beyond manganese and iron, nodules carry nickel, copper, and cobalt, the metals that make them a deep-sea mining target. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the equatorial Pacific holds the densest known fields and most exploration contracts. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), established under UNCLOS, licenses exploration in the Area beyond national jurisdiction and is drafting the exploitation regulations (the Mining Code) that would govern any commercial recovery. Nodule fields are slow-forming habitats, so disturbance is effectively permanent on human timescales.