Photo: enovosty
Millions of tons of gold are hidden in the depths of the ocean.
The world’s oceans conceal not only rich biodiversity but also unprecedented deposits of precious metals. According to scientists’ estimates, approximately 20 million tons of gold are present in ocean waters, much of it dissolved in water or buried beneath the seabed. These underwater treasures have already attracted the interest of leading countries around the world.
One of the main players in underwater gold extraction today is China. The largest underwater gold deposit has been discovered near Sanshan Island. Preliminary estimates suggest it contains 470 to 1,500 tons of gold at a depth of about 2 kilometers. The deposit was explored by Ruihai Mining Ltd, which deployed 67 drilling rigs and over 1,000 specialists to survey an area of 120 km². This discovery became possible after years of research in the Laizhou region, where gold mining on land is already active.
On a global scale, Norway is also showing activity in studying the seabed. Research indicates that significant deposits of gold, zinc, and copper may exist between Norway and Greenland. However, in Norway’s case, these resources remain at the exploration stage, and industrial mining has not yet begun.
Additionally, underwater resources are being studied in other countries: Japan, the United States, Chile, and Brazil are actively examining their marine territories in search of potential deposits.
Despite the potential of underwater mining, there are serious challenges. Gold in ocean waters is present in extremely low concentrations — roughly one gram per 100 million tons of seawater. Although technologies are constantly improving, the costs of extraction remain extraordinarily high, making it economically unprofitable in most cases. Currently, the main obstacle is the cost of the technologies required to efficiently extract precious metals from the seabed or the water column.
However, scientists are confident that the future lies in innovation, and over time, these resources could become more accessible to humanity.
