Answer:
Mid-ocean ridges are rich in mineral deposits. Hydrothermal vents are sometimes encrusted with ores of gold, silver, copper, and zinc. The deposits are very young, so the minerals haven’t been degraded by weathering. In one sense, these rocks are easier to get at than many continental deposits – they’re just sitting out on the seafloor, not buried deep underground.
Mid-ocean ridges are rich in mineral deposits. Hydrothermal vents are sometimes encrusted with ores of gold, silver, copper, and zinc. The deposits are very young, so the minerals haven’t been degraded by weathering. In one sense, these rocks are easier to get at than many continental deposits – they’re just sitting out on the seafloor, not buried deep underground.It is also true that these rocks cannot be mined with a pick and a shovel. Mining operations carried out far from land and kilometers underwater will likely require expensive technologies sure to cut into your profit margin. Mid-ocean ridges are also geologically unstable – a mine site would be in constant danger from earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. Hydrothermal vents are home not just to minerals, but to small, delicate ecosystems as well. Refining mining techniques to avoid harming vent animals would be expensive, while destroying a vent fauna could lead to public outcry and governmental regulation
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