polymetallic nodules

New Delhi, Sep 12 () Government has decided to extend the agreement with International Seabed Authority (ISA) by 5 years for exploration of manganese nodules that will also help in extracting minerals like, nickel, cobalt and copper.

Weeks after Chandrayaan-2 lands on moon on September 6 to explore, among other things, minerals on the lunar surface, an indigenous craft will plunge into the depths of the central Indian Ocean to search for better known minerals

China is stepping into the Indian Ocean for the first time, something it has been unsuccessfully seeking through alliances with Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

India is keeping close tabs on China's massive build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control as well as its move for exploration in south-west Indian Ocean.

The mystery of what lies on the 150,000 sq km stretch of unexplored seabed in the central Indian Ocean basin - could be solved.

The discovery of ‘dark oxygen’ is going to be monumental in understanding, “where could aerobic life have begun?” This accidental revelation happened when a team of researchers were examining the possible impacts of deep sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

Scurrying the Indian Ocean bed for rare minerals, China's manned deep sea submersible Jiaolong collected 17 items of deep-sea living beings and two of them were unknown for scientists.

A Chinese research vessel docked in the Cook Islands Saturday as it probed the Pacific nation's deep-sea mining potential, a fledgling industry of mounting interest to both Beijing and Washington. - Deep-sea exploration - photos showed the near-100 metre (330 feet) Da Yang Hao vessel cutting through the Cook Islands' sleepy main harbour before docking on Saturday morning.

The Metals Company (TMC), a Canadian firm, has applied to the US for deep-sea mineral mining in international waters, a first of its kind. Supported by Trump's initiative, TMC aims to extract minerals vital for electric vehicle batteries from the Pacific Ocean's Clarion-Clipperton Zone. CEO Gerard Barron hails it as a boost for America's mineral independence.

Michael W Lodge, secretary general of the UN's International Seabed Authority (UN-ISA), on Tuesday said that India will lead regional efforts towards the environmental management plan of the Indian Ocean.

A scientific debate has emerged regarding the possibility of producing 'dark oxygen' without sunlight, through metallic nodules found deep in the ocean. The discovery challenges long-held beliefs about life's origins but faces skepticism and criticism from other scientists and the funding firm.