Proponents say they want to dredge the seafloor for metals needed for clean technology. Indigenous Pacific Islanders call it a threat to life, culture, and the ocean itself.

Deep-sea mining targets mineral deposits on the ocean floor, typically at depths of 3,000–6,000 meters. Most attention focuses on polymetallic nodules—potato-sized rocks lying on abyssal plains—and on ...

Drilling for minerals deep in the ocean could have immense consequences for the tiny animals at the core of the vast marine food web — and ultimately affect fisheries and the food we find on our ...

Deep sea mining for rare earth elements and other critical minerals could start as early as 2026, even as 38 countries have called for a moratorium on it. The metals that companies are targeting are ...

Deep sea mining has been off limits thus far, both because it's awfully hard, and because governments haven't yet firmed up regulations around extracting minerals offshore. That might soon change, as ...

An underwater gold rush may be on the horizon — or rather, a rush to mine the seafloor for manganese, nickel, cobalt and other minerals used in electric vehicles, solar panels and more. Meanwhile, ...

The UN's deep-sea mining regulator adjourned without a clear timeline for finishing industry rules, even as the U.S. pushes ...

By Elizabeth Claire AlbertsKara Fox ・A Mongabay and CNN investigation found the eight Chinese state-owned ships that conduct ...

The path to the world’s technological future could be found on the deep ocean floor. But that path may come at a high price. The debate centers on critical minerals embedded in rocks on the seabed.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to promote mining of the deep-sea floor, a controversial way to get critical minerals that are used in a wide range of electronics and other ...

President Trump’s April executive order aims to accelerate U.S. deep-sea mining, stockpile critical minerals, and reduce reliance on China for rare earths and battery metals. Companies like TMC The ...

Mining the seafloor for valuable metals could send dangerous ripples through ocean food webs. Tiny floating plankton, the base of the food web, can accidentally ingest particles of sediment kicked up ...