China's Ministry of Natural Resources has published an atlas from two decades of marine geological surveys, mapping the location, concentration, and distribution of dozens of elements in seabed sediments, including rare earths, iron, manganese, and copper. State broadcaster CCTV reported the atlas as a 'master navigation map' for marine development and conservation, based on over 20,000 observation points. Researcher Dou Yanguang from the Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology said it enables precise targeting of resources and identification of sensitive ecological zones.
China's Ministry of Natural Resources published results from two decades of marine geological surveys on Tuesday, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV.
The resulting atlas charts the location, concentration, and distribution patterns of dozens of elements in seabed sediments, including rare earths, iron, manganese, and copper. CCTV described it as a “master navigation map” for marine development and conservation in those waters. The surveys covered more than 20,000 observation points, producing China's broadest-ranging, most multidimensional, and most reliable geochemical dataset for the area to date.
“By [mapping] the distribution of elements, we can … precisely target seabed mineral resources, reducing blind exploration,” said Dou Yanguang, a researcher with the ministry’s Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology. Dou added that the atlas could help identify polluted areas and ecologically sensitive zones to establish “red lines” for marine conservation and manage pollution risks.
The atlas includes the Bohai Sea, one of China’s inland seas; the Yellow Sea between the Chinese mainland and the Korean peninsula; and the East China Sea, where Beijing and Tokyo maintain a long-standing territorial dispute over islets China calls the Diaoyu Islands and Japan administers as the Senkaku Islands. A Japanese deep-sea expedition has also returned home with rare earth samples.