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Marine Minerals and Geohazards

Contents 1 Background 2 Geophysical Surveys 3 Marine Energy Minerals 3.1 Example Products 4 Marine Non-Energy Minerals 4.1 Example Products 5 Marine Hazards 5.1 Example Chart Products 6 Additional Resources 7 Subsections of this Article 8 Information about this article 9 Contact

Background

• [intro to this section]
• Transient hazards, such as tropical storms or specific tsunami events, are covered as operational oceanographic or operational meteorological data/product items, because they are principally observed in those modes.

Geophysical Surveys

All of the methods of exploration geophysics are in use to chart marine hazards features. Although a modest amount of these data are taken by national scientists around the globe, the vast majority is obtained by commercial interests, primarily by the oil and gas industry.

Marine Energy Minerals

[need guest author from MMS or O&G industry]

Example Products

Marine Non-Energy Minerals

[include mn nodules, gold (namibia, alaska), diamonds, sand (beach nourishment), etc.]

Example Products

Marine Hazards

[this stuff already identified, but we need guest author from O&G industry]

• Wikipedia: Geological faults - In the marine environment these can be active, extending all the way to the surface, or inactive, as indicated by being deeply buried
• Wikipedia: Mass wasting - Large-scale downslope movement of mud or rock, over a wide range of time scales
  • Wikipedia: Slumps - Mass wasting events over short distances; for example, mud slumps at the mouth of the Mississippi River about 10 km in size, are known to break submarine pipelines and cables
• Wikipedia: Plate boundaries - Boundaries between the major plates that form the earth surface are areas of vulcanism, earthquakes and tsunami initiation events
  • Wikipedia: Earthquakes
  • Wikipedia: Volcanoes
• Wikipedia: Tsunami - Series of waves (possibly of catastrophic proportions) caused by earthquakes, mass wasting (within or into the sea), volcanic eruption, or other major physical disturbance by or in the sea. Most tsunamis are caused by earthquakes at plate boundaries.

Example Chart Products

• [http://www.oar.noaa.gov/spotlite/archive/spot_faults.html Submarine Faults of the San Andreas: Southern California's Hidden Hazards
• EVALUATION OF THE THREAT OF MEGA TSUNAMI GENERATION FROM POSTULATED MASSIVE SLOPE FAILURES OF ISLAND VOLCANOES ON LA PALMA, CANARY ISLANDS, AND ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII
• SUBAQUEOUS SEDIMENT INSTABILITIES IN THE OFFSHORE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA -

Additional Resources

• Natural Hazards: Images of Geologic Hazards

Subsections of this Article

No subsections available

Information about this article

Short title: Minerals and Geohazards

Description: none

Expertise level: beginner

Author: Murray.Brown

Approval status: approved

Approved by: Murray.Brown

Last change: 2009-9-1

Subsection of: Marine Surveys

Contact

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