<p>Polymetallic nodules represent a promising source of deep-sea metal resources for commercial mining operations. Enriched in critical metals such as Co, Ni, Mn, and Cu, polymetallic nodules can provide deep-sea resources essential for supporting the transition to clean energy technologies. The effective exploration and exploitation of polymetallic nodules necessitate the integration of three key considerations when delineating nodule ore bodies with adequate geological continuity: The construction and production requirements of polymetallic nodule mines, the technical specifications of mining systems, and the inherent geological characteristics of polymetallic nodule deposits. This research proposes a methodology for delineating deep-sea polymetallic nodule ore bodies based on coverage data profiles. The methodology involves inputting three sets of parameters, calculating two types of coverage metrics, and subsequently determining the ore body boundary. The three parameter sets encompass nodule abundance data, mining scale parameters, and mining system technical specifications, totaling 24 distinct parameters. The two coverage metrics consist of the target coverage (cutoff coverage) and the measured average coverage. The target coverage is defined as <InlineEquation ID="IEq1"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\(\overline{\text{C} }\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, while the measured average coverage is defined as <InlineEquation ID="IEq2"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\({\text{C}}_{\text{n}}\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation>,. Following a step-by-step search strategy, an initial point is selected on the coverage profile, and then <InlineEquation ID="IEq3"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\({\text{C}}_{\text{n}}\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation> and <InlineEquation ID="IEq4"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\(\overline{\text{C} }\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation> are calculated. When <InlineEquation ID="IEq5"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\({\text{C}}_{\text{n }}\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation> is not less than <InlineEquation ID="IEq6"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\(\overline{\text{C} }\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, that location is designated as the ore body endpoint, and the region between the starting point and endpoint is delineated as the part of the ore body. The endpoint is then incremented by one step, and the process is repeated. Applying the ore body delineation methodology developed in this research to three polymetallic nodule coverage profiles from the western Pacific Ocean, the results demonstrate that the method can effectively delineate polymetallic nodule ore bodies with adequate geological continuity, considering the production scale, mining system performance, and geological characteristics of the nodules deposits. The delineated ore body boundary is constrained by the following factors: (1) larger production scales necessitate higher nodule coverage and greater geological continuity; (2) improving mining system parameters, such as the mining vehicle collection travel speed, the no-load travel speed, the effective collection width, and the recovery rate can enhance overall mining system efficiency, reduce the stringency of requirements related to ore body coverage and continuity, and ultimately expand the ore body boundary; and (3) high polymetallic nodule coverage can compensate for lower geological continuity, thereby expanding the ore body boundary.</p>

A Delineation Methodology for Polymetallic Nodule Ore Body Based on Coverage Data and its Application to TCS Profiles

期刊论文
发表日期：

2026年4月6日

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Xiangwen Ren,
Yuxue Zhang,
Shijuan Yan,
Chunhua Han,
Huaiming Li,
Xuefa Shi,
Jun Ye,
Jixin Wang,
Dewen Du

摘要

Polymetallic nodules represent a promising source of deep-sea metal resources for commercial mining operations. Enriched in critical metals such as Co, Ni, Mn, and Cu, polymetallic nodules can provide deep-sea resources essential for supporting the transition to clean energy technologies. The effective exploration and exploitation of polymetallic nodules necessitate the integration of three key considerations when delineating nodule ore bodies with adequate geological continuity: The construction and production requirements of polymetallic nodule mines, the technical specifications of mining systems, and the inherent geological characteristics of polymetallic nodule deposits. This research proposes a methodology for delineating deep-sea polymetallic nodule ore bodies based on coverage data profiles. The methodology involves inputting three sets of parameters, calculating two types of coverage metrics, and subsequently determining the ore body boundary. The three parameter sets encompass nodule abundance data, mining scale parameters, and mining system technical specifications, totaling 24 distinct parameters. The two coverage metrics consist of the target coverage (cutoff coverage) and the measured average coverage. The target coverage is defined as \(\overline{\text{C} }\) , while the measured average coverage is defined as \({\text{C}}_{\text{n}}\) ,. Following a step-by-step search strategy, an initial point is selected on the coverage profile, and then \({\text{C}}_{\text{n}}\) and \(\overline{\text{C} }\) are calculated. When \({\text{C}}_{\text{n }}\) is not less than \(\overline{\text{C} }\) , that location is designated as the ore body endpoint, and the region between the starting point and endpoint is delineated as the part of the ore body. The endpoint is then incremented by one step, and the process is repeated. Applying the ore body delineation methodology developed in this research to three polymetallic nodule coverage profiles from the western Pacific Ocean, the results demonstrate that the method can effectively delineate polymetallic nodule ore bodies with adequate geological continuity, considering the production scale, mining system performance, and geological characteristics of the nodules deposits. The delineated ore body boundary is constrained by the following factors: (1) larger production scales necessitate higher nodule coverage and greater geological continuity; (2) improving mining system parameters, such as the mining vehicle collection travel speed, the no-load travel speed, the effective collection width, and the recovery rate can enhance overall mining system efficiency, reduce the stringency of requirements related to ore body coverage and continuity, and ultimately expand the ore body boundary; and (3) high polymetallic nodule coverage can compensate for lower geological continuity, thereby expanding the ore body boundary.