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Zinc is an important industrial raw material, and the ocean is an important reservoir of zinc and other key metals. The research team of Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey Bureau recently discovered that deep-sea sediments play a key role in the marine zinc cycle. The relevant research results were recently published in the international authoritative academic journal Geology.

The Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey Bureau announced on August 3, 2024 that the bureau's deep-sea element cycle and resource effect team recently found that deep-sea pelagic sediments rich in iron-manganese oxides are the main reservoir of zinc in the ocean. These oxides are like tiny "zinc traps" that capture and enrich zinc from the vast seawater.

The traditional view is that marine zinc is mainly found in iron-manganese nodules on the seabed and cobalt-rich crusts on seamounts. "This is because in the past few decades, people's focus on ocean exploration has been mainly on metal mines such as iron-manganese nodules and cobalt-rich crusts, while ignoring the "ordinary" marine sediments." Team leader Deng Yinan introduced, "Our team has long focused on the study of deep-sea sediments, and has long paid attention to the huge metal element reservoir in the sediments."

The Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey Bureau has been engaged in deep-sea ocean geological surveys and research for more than 40 years. The team has obtained a large number of marine sediment samples and data. By comparing and analyzing the zinc content and isotopic characteristics in the deep-sea pelagic sediments in the Pacific Ocean, it was found that zinc in the deep sea is mainly found in iron-manganese oxides in the sediments.

"This discovery changes our understanding of the distribution of zinc in the ocean, indicating that deep-sea sediments may be important reservoirs of many key metals, and provides a new perspective and direction for the study of deep-sea mineral resources in China and even the world," said Deng Yinan.