Located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of New Britain's port city of Rabaul, Solwara 1 is a deposit of what is known as "sea-floor massive sulphides" -- rocks containing high grades of copper, gold, zinc and silver.
The deposits form at hydrothermal vents, which spew the minerals from fissures in the Earth's crust, and the Manus basin is a lucrative site because there are active seams at relatively shallow depths.
Remote-controlled robots will drill for sulphide deposits on the rocky ocean bed 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) below sea level and a separate "collection" machine will pump the material to a support vessel at the surface.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/under-water-sea-mine-nautilus-bhina-bismarck-sea-2012-4#ixzz1szH435sO
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