Assessing the distribution and abundance of seabed minerals from seafloor photographic data in the Central Indian Ocean Basin

摘要: Distribution characteristics of deep-sea mineral resources such as polymetallic nodules and ferromanganese crusts are often influenced by local seafloor features the topographic undulations sediment thickness. Qualitative well semi-quantitative estimation these have been attempted earlier using photographic data. This study analyses distribution minerals in relation to their associated surface develops empirical formulae for abundance a deposit from data conjunction with sounding sampling Central Indian Ocean Basin. Data >20,000 photos were analysed correlated geological bathymetry, thickness, physical properties. The shows that nodule populations negatively thickness acoustically transparent layer ATL, which turn is controlled undulations. variable burial under indicated data, leads underestimation photographs. In order improve accuracy estimations, different constant factors C-factor proposed use depending upon deposits.