Seabed mapping

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.